Day 23 - (9-12-12) - Kamloops, BC to Lynnwood, WA

Kamloops to Lynnwood

Maryann Here
no pics today
didn't want to take anymore pics of pine trees.
Today we left Kamloops and believe it or not it was 41 degrees out.  We drove for around six hours today and I can't express how excited I am to be out of the land of the pine forest.  For the last 6 days all we've seen is huge pine trees, small pine trees, pine beetle dead trees forest fire dead pine trees and deep green pine trees just everywhere you could look. 

So here we are now in the land of cement.  Cement bridges, cement roads, cement walkways yes everywhere you look it's cement.  But it's Seattle so what can one expect.  But on the up side, we have trees that do not begin with the word 'pine.' 

At 11:30am today we said our farewell to Canada as we entered the U.S.  Jim and I were just driving along when I looked back to see if Mike and Judy had made it thru customs and all I could see was their car bouncing up and down.  I thought for a minute that the road was erupting under them, but on closer inspection, I saw Judy in her car doing the happy dance with her phone waving in the air.   She had the biggest smile on her face that I've ever seen.  Mike said for at least 75 miles she didn't say a word as she was totally focused on her pink phone.   She told me ahead of time that she was flexing her fingers getting ready for texting when she could use her phone again.

We have stopped for the night in Lynnwood,WA and will move on down close to Jim's sons house tomorrow where we will be for the next two days.  And..... then it's time for the Alaskan cruise.  

We are in what's called The Hotel International and it's really really nice.   We usually don't stay in hotels but this one had a great rating and it's well deserved.  Very nice and as clean as can be too.  So we have wifi and breakfast included and the rates are very reasonable.

We hope to get to see the Space Needle and to Pikes Market tomorrow.  Traffic is a bear tho so who really knows if that will happen.   

That's it for today, hopefully tomorrow we will have more to post.  We've had a couple of driving days with not much going on.

Day 22 - (9-11-12) - Hinton, AL to Kamloops

Hinton, AL to Kamloops, BC

Mike and Judy Here
pics by Mike and Judy

Not much to report today as we drove down out of the Canadian Rockies to Kamloops BC. It rained all yesterday morning but as we looked out our motel window, this is what we saw.

Why are we not surprised! We spent most of the day chasing Jim down out of the mountains. Difficult because of all the trucks and RV’s and very few chances to pass.

 

The weather was cloudy most of the time but still had some nice views.

 

We were looking for a place to eat but couldn’t find a thing. Finally Jim pulled up this steep side road that said “HILLTOP CAFÉ”. It looked abandoned but some guy came by and said “we are open” He then went over to this other building and turned on the OPEN sign. We went inside and the wife was cleaning up. She said we are NOT open yet but we can find you something to eat! We left and found a DQ farther down the mountains. Jim missed the turn and had to turn rt and then follow a service rd. around and around. Our poor GPS panicked trying to recalculate.

 

We finally reached Kamloops and we went grocery shopping. Judy had some Canadian money left and we used it. Poured it all out on the counter and by the time the cashier got done counting it for us, we had 3 dimes left! How good is that!

 

Tomorrow we cross back into the good old USA and Judy can use her cell phone. Hooray!!!!

Day 21 - (9-10-12) - Hinton, Alberta

Hinton, Alberta

MaryAnn Here
no pics today from Maryann

Today was a day of rest - a well deserved day of rest as we've been going at break neck speed since we left Michigan.  We had planned to take a boat trip but it rained so we decided that since it was in the very low 50's and raining we would just veg for the day.

So we had breakfast downstairs in the motel, came back to our rooms and did not much of anything.  Actually I was tired so I took a nap at 9:30am even tho I had slept all the night before.  We are caught up on our blogging and other things we do via the Internet.  We cleaned out the car, washed the bugs off the front and sorted our trunk out.  When we first left, the trunk was in such good order, well once again it is.  From the time we left until today it went downhill and fast.  But in all honestly I have to tell you my tote bag way of traveling has worked out marvelously.  It's way beyond easy to get what we need for the night, toss it in a tote bag, and that's it.

I've been thinking of all the fantastic places we have been to in the last three weeks and it's beyond description to tell you the feeling you get standing in front of such wonders.  My heart almost would hurt from the beauty of seeing it and at times I was close to tears just standing in the magnificence of it.  To see the badlands changing almost daily from the wind and rain is a sight one does not forget soon.  Visiting Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse and seeing the dedication it took in planning and executing those projects was awe inspiring at the least.  The Grand Tetons with those snowy peaks shooting up to the sky was another place I will never forget.  I can still see those tall raggedy peaks when I close my eyes.   And let's not forget Yellowstone with all those geysers spewing their water coloring the ground in such an amazing array of color is beyond description.  And what can I say about the the glaciers that run from Montana to where we are now near Jasper, Alberta.  Never in my life have I had the pleasure of driving thru such an immense display of mountain ranges.  Around every turn is another beautiful snowy mountain or waterfall.  If you ever have the opportunity to travel Highway 93 from Kalispell, MT to Jasper, Alberta do it.  I think this route is the most magnificent, most beautiful and most inspiring trip a person could take.  The U.S. and Canada are so fortunate to have such beauty right at their doorstep.

We live in such an amazing country and for the most part never take the time to appreciate what our God has give us so freely to enjoy. 

As with every day we gather together around three or four to chat and yes have our happy hour and make the big decision which is where are we having dinner tonight.  As with many happy hours by the time we have made a decision we are almost full from the snacking that takes place.  Life for the four of us really is going well.

Tomorrow we will be leaving heading toward Kamloops which is on our way back to the United States. 

Day 20 - (9-9-12) - Drive from Banff to Hinton

From Banff to Jasper (Hinton)

Mike andJudy Here
pics by Mike and Judy

We started the day off with a gourmet breakfast at McDonald's so we could use their Internet. Got gas in Banff before we left. Leaving wasn’t easy as Mike went around and around before finding the way out of town. Drove up past Lake Louise and then took the Icefield Parkway up to Jasper and over to Hinton. It was only 227 miles but took us 10 hours! What a stunning drive!

Around each bend the mountains got higher, steeper, and more rugged. The first stop was at Bow Lake and the Crowfoot Glacier.

Next was Bow Summit and Peyto Lake. This is the high point of the Parkway and gives a great view of the Mistaya Valley.

Continuing on, the glaciers get bigger and the road steeper.

Next came the Panther Falls and more glaciers.

As we approached the Columbia Icefields, the weather threatened but never got bad. These glaciers are tremendous, hanging down from most of the mountains. Amazing how thick they still are. We all took the bus trip up on the Athabasca Glacier, which is part of the Columbia Icefield. Getting out and walking up there was very treacherous. So wet and slippery. You have to go up there to grasp the size of the glaciers.

Mary and Jim - Very cool here

While there, our guide said that the water rushing down the glacier was the purest and best water you could drink and was the secret to eternal youth so Jim drank some.

Jim getting his glacier water

Sure enough, by the end of the day he looked way too young for Mary!

After that, we came upon a beautiful unnamed waterfall.

Finally we came to the Sunwapta and Athabasca Waterfalls. These were really violent falls and rapids, cutting through narrow gorges. Awesome.

Sunwapta Falls

Athabasca Waterfalls

Just south of Jasper, we came upon a group of cars and people in the road. Nothing serious. Just a 500 lb. grizzly. I made sure I stayed behind a woman in a red sweater when I took this picture. I thought I could beat her back to the car or trip her if necessary.

"The Bear"

After Jasper on the way to Hinton, we came upon this beautiful 6x6 bull elk. What a day!

Bull Elk

 Tomorrow should be a day of rest. Cold rainy.

Day 18 - (9-7-12) - Banff

Banff, BC

Mike and Judy Here
pics by M and J

We all started the day with breakfast in the hall. Left and took two short drives. On the first we drove around the Banff Fairmont Hotel Golf Course and back in the woods.

Cascade Mountain

We scared up a large bull elk as it ran across the road. Are they huge!

Bull Elk

 

The second was a drive around Tunnel Mountain Rd. We then dropped off Judy at the Lodge and headed for the Bow Valley Parkway. A beautiful drive with majestic views at times.

Canadian Rockies

Castle Mountain

Stopped at the Johnson River Canyon and hiked up the gorge for a half mile to view the falls. Really nice.

Johnson River Canyon 

At times the boardwalk along the canyon was overhanging it because there was no place to put it! We continued on to a great overlook which had Mt. Temple which was massive and steep and the third highest peak in the Canadian Rockies

Mary and Jim in front of really nice cabins

. Also had the Bow River below and the Canadian Pacific Railway Tracks. Missed a train by 3 min. Timing is everything. We started looking for a picnic table in Lake Louise and could not find one!! Unbelievable!

Temple Mountain

Most photographed area 

Drove back to Banff along the Main Parkway Rd. and found one. It was closed! We ended up eating lunch in the hall. Judy was off exploring town (shopping) and wasn’t back so we drove up the switchback rd. to Mt. Norquay Ski Area for great pictures of Banff and the mountains. On the way up, saw eight mountain goats by the rd. They totally ignored us!

Got back and Judy still not back. When she finally showed up we went for a horse carriage ride around town. Fun.

Got back and had happy hour with Jim and Mary in the, you guessed it, the hall. This is getting to be the pattern. Rooms are too small for all of us but a great day

Day 19 - (9-8-12) - Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Banff - Lake Louise - Moraine Lake

MaryAnn Here
pics by maryann

The little village of Banff, Alberta where we are staying, is nestled in and surrounded by mountains on all sides. When you think tourism you might include Banff, but in reality, it doesn’t appear that way. It just seemed to be to be a cozy little village (town) with the cutest shops and restaurants tucked here and there in the most unusual places. As I said before there are many little café that had outside seating. Could you spend the summer here, you bet you could....and the winter for that matter, if you are a skier.

Rundle Mountain in the background

Downtown Banff - Don't ya just love it

Today we left Banff rather early as we wanted to drive to Lake Louise to see it before everyone got there. Talk about luck, we no sooner parked our car and the place filled up.....and for good reason, Lake Louise is just a fantastic place to be and to see. The lake is small in size but when we were there the reflections were just incredibly fantastic to see. There is a huge hotel by it and I would imagine that it is filled to capacity all the time. Gorgeous gorgeous place to visit.

Beautiful place to visit

I just love reflection shots and this is the best yet

Lake Louise

Judy and Mike

This would be Jim and I in front of Lake Louise

We hopped into the car again and drove to Moraine Lake. Believe it or not but this small lake was even more beautiful than Lake Louise. We climbed and I mean climbed up to the highest closest point we could to get pictures of yes reflections on Moraine Lake. Fantastic amazing unbelievably gorgeous didn’t even come close to describing just how beautiful this area is. Pictures just can not do justice to what we saw....but of course I have some to show you.

The sight from the huge climb we took

Moraine Lake at it's finest

Gorgeous spot to just sit with the one you love

On the way back to Banff we stopped off to have our picnic lunch where we were able to sit and see the mountains with that white white snow at the top. Lunch is getting to be a good time to reflect about what we are seeing and doing. Mostly eating too much.

Lunch Bunch

We saw a number of these bridges and thought since there is no road that goes across it must be for the wildlife to cross.

So we arrive back in Banff to a huge traffic problem as a huge race was taking place. The few roads that are in Banff were filled with cars and most seemed to not know where they were going. Not a policeman in sight to help direct traffic either. We did manage to arrive at our motel and have not moved the car since. Jim and I went for a walk along Bow Falls Trail and Mike and Judy went into town. Our motel is only a five minute walk to the center of Banff which could not be more perfect. (Good job Mike)

We were in our rooms getting ready for our daily happy hour when we smelled smoke, lots of smoke. For a minute Jim and I thought Judy was trying to cook on the manifold again but it seems a fire has started about a hundred miles from here.

So that’s our day for today. Tomorrow it’s Jasper and Mike and Judy’s turn to Blog.

Day 17 - (9-6-12) - From Kalispell, MT to Banff

Kalispell, MT to Banff.....

Maryann Here
pics by maryann

This morning we left Kalispell, MT in pouring down rain. How our day at Glacier could have been picture perfect and then have it pouring buckets is beyond me, but rain it did. The drive to the Canadian border was mostly filled with water splashing on our windshield, but occasionally it would stop and we could see those beautiful mowed golden fields with cows munching away. Always in front of us was a layer of fog that hung low around the mountains like a huge long white cloud. Seldom did it lift enough so we could see the peaks.

How low can the fog go...

Real fog.....and clouds

I did notice the trees are starting to turn a little color but not a lot yet. Before I get much farther I want to again thank Joe and Kay for taking us under their wing and showing us just a fabulous time. We are looking forward to seeing them again in Florida.
But there is good news to our day because just as we passed thru customs, Canada welcomed us with sunny blue skies and puffy white clouds.

Driving down Hwy 93 it seemed that the entire way was filled with tall tall green pine trees that were all around the mountains. In a large area however it appeared that a huge fire had taken place or the pine beetle had been at work as mainly the trees going up the mountains were all dead. Nothing but sticks with tiny branches sticking out. My best guess was a fire many years ago.

The entire mountain was like this

We saw many streams running along side the roadway and the color was a beautiful emerald green with the water as clear as can be. I highly recommend taking this highway as it’s just a marvelous drive.

Love those puffy clouds

We only had 300 miles to travel today and it was just such a peaceful drive, well once we arrived on Canadian soil, that the miles just flew by.

Castle Mountain

Rundle Mountain in Banff

Before we knew it we arrived in Banff. What a perfect little village. I say village because it reminds me of a Swiss village. Banff is a must visit place. Actually all of you who have a bucket list of places you want to go to here’s what you need to do. Take all the places you want to visit and arrange them with the highest priority on top. Then on top of that put Banff. That’s how wonderful this place is.

We arrived at our lodging and once settled in Jim and I walked to the bank to get some Canadian currency and then we walked down the streets of Banff. They have all kinds of flower boxes under their windows and it just makes you want to stay there. Shop after shop of places to visit along with lots and lots of outdoor eating places. And always when you look up you will see snow capped mountains.