Salt Lake City - Here We Come!

It has been a full day without any photos except one!  We were up at 6:45 and on the road by 7:30. We had an appointment to keep in Salt Lake at 3 pm! The Princess was to be interviewed for a spot at the spa on Wednesday while Thelma (Annie(me)) and Louise spend the day the Family Search Library.

It was not an easy drive!  Shortly after departing Yellowstone, we encountered more road construction. Although the road itself existed (unlike the road into Yellowstone), it was extremely narrow and it was raining!  A harrowing 4 miles was behind us and not soon enough!  I don't know how we didn't knock over many of the cones...I believe there was Divine intervention!  From that point forth any road construction signs put me into a cold sweat until we had passed. Of course when we reached Salt Lake we had to drive through the worst rain we have encountered yet. Thank goodness for navigation!  We had a slight detour to an airstream dealer who took a look at a intermittent tail light and a leak under the sink. They were quickly repaired but while we waited, we received a tour of their facilities. Their building was primarily filled with vintage Airstreams and other aluminum trailers pre dating the Airstream brand. One aluminum trailer was a one of a kind built/owned by Howard Hughes. It was very interesting and the staff were very friendly.

We quickly drove over to the campground, checked in and unhooked the trailer in the pouring rain. After a quick clothing change into dry clothes, we departed for Princess B's appointment. After careful review of her background, social habits and health data, she was able to pass to the next round...the interview by a panel of her peers!  As we held our breath and watched the interview process through the webcams, we soon were informed she had passed!!!  We left her for a couple of hours to enjoy her new friends while we ate lunch/dinner and went to Walmart for a new bike lock. It appears our cable lock would not be sufficient for our location. Which brings me to my observations thus far of Salt Lake City.
1. It is much smaller than anticipated with a population of only 191,000.
2. Of that 191,000 it would appear that homelessness is a major problem. There were so many homeless, more than I have seen in one afternoon in even downtown Houston. I was so bewildered by the numbers that in researching it, articles tout the elimination of homelessness by nice, permanent housing. It seems to me that it has drawn the homeless to the city for the support they may not get elsewhere. How long can a city of this size support such a structure. Nice
In concept but I can't imagine it will last.

The Princess seemed to enjoy her time at the spa. She didn't go through the usual frantic joy she usually exhibits when I am away for even five minutes. A quiet night for all!

Yellowstone 2

Second day at Yellowstone was exhausting!  We drove over 200 miles around the park and walked  everywhere when we weren't driving!  Our first stop was Gibbon Falls.

Poor little Princess walked all the way down to view the Lower Falls and then had to be carried back up!

Everywhere we turned was another beautiful sight!  After last night's quick tour of geysers, we didn't stop for one today!  By the end of the day we were natured out and happily drove back to "23" for wine and snacks. Our grandiose ideas of watching the Yellowstone IMAX movie, completing the drive of the loop, and many other items just was not happening this time. Ready to get up bright and early to make our way to Salt Lake City.

Yellowstone

Only 260 miles yesterday but they were NOT easy miles!  From Great Falls to Yellowstone the roads got progressively narrower. One patch was under construction and really did not even have a road! I never seen such shoddy construction! Down to 5 mph, many times I pulled over to let a long line of traffic by. As we continued, Louise kept remarking how beautiful specific points were but there was no point I felt I could steal a glance even for a second as the road now even in great condition, could result in disaster given any swaying!  She was very good at describing what I missed. I am very fortunate to have her as my co-pilot!

We arrived at a little tourist town called West Yellowstone at about 2:30 and set up in our beautiful RV spot at Grizzly RV Park which was perfectly level!  After disconnecting, we drove into town for lunch and dinner to a pizza place which was very good. Then on to Yellowstone to try to squeeze in as much as we could over the next day. Our first stop was the Ink Pots. Although I had been here before, I couldn't help but be amazed by the colors, the strength of nature (and we think man is so strong with all of our technology) and the vastness of the park. I did get into trouble for bringing the Princess so for the rest of the time I ended up carrying her. We passed a bison as he ambled along the roadway much to the delight of the tourists. We were shocked by the parents who allowed their children out of the car to view him. Not only was he massive but I don't think people appreciate that I is a wild animal and a male at that!  We stopped at the Lower Basin which was amazing and then onto Old Faithful. We arrived just as it finished erupting so we walked around to view other much smaller geysers.

As the sun began to set we became increasingly concerned it would soon be dark. Then just as the twilight began to fade, a gasp arose from the audience as Old Faithful began her show.

It was a faster drive back to our awaiting beds but we still were able to enjoy the colors in the sky and the last slivers of light reflecting off of the river. All in all it turned out to be a great day!

Day One on the Road Back

And so begins the 2500 mile trip back. I feel the well wishes and prayers from everyone for our safe journey. I couldn't ask for a smoother beginning. It began with an easy shower experience very unlike  my earlier experience whereby I stomped through the campground early in the morning due to the lack of a coin to operate the shower!  Our morning started out with hooking up the trailer successfully on the first try. Beginners luck, God watching over us to give me some confidence, something was at work!  We even were able to make a Starbucks stop without any trouble!  We thoroughly enjoyed the patchwork fields of wheat and brilliant yellow canola.

 

Our border crossing was even uneventful!  How could it get any better?  So glad to be back to the land of unlimited internet as we burned through 15gb of data by the time we left over the past 20 days. Even stopping for diesel in Shelby, Montana, was easy, the access was one of  the best I have ever encountered while towing, how can one be so fortunate!  We pulled into our campground in Great Falls, Montana with very easy access and no problem hookups. We were able to walk to a nearby restaurant which had a surprisingly good veggie pizza and equally as good molten chocolate cake. I am able to relax but fear relaxing too much, gotta stay on my toes as we travel to West Yellowstone tomorrow!

Just a few throw in photos one of my partner in crime as we hiked through Johnson's Canyon in Banff to two picturesque falls.

Beginning of the End

It seems inconceivable that I would ever get here but tomorrow is the day I begin to head back home with Traveling 23 in tow. A lot has happened in the past couple of days, my best friend flew in Wednesday night and I have embarked on a mission to show her all the "must sees". I messed up the time she was supposed to come and she was left waiting at the airport for 30 minutes. All was well, we went downtown to Prince's Island for dinner and then headed out to Okotoks for the night. We drove through a wicked wind/rain storm only to find many downed branches in the campground. I was quite worried 23 was going to be damaged but she survived without a scratch. After a sound sleep, we awoke to no power which meant no shower. Not to be deterred, we set out to Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. The weather quickly deteriorated. As we drove the temperature dropped to 42, the rain poured down, and the wind howled. We persevered to Moraine Lake. The light for photographing detail was fabulous as the heavy cloud cover acted as a softbox. I realized that my attention had only been on the beauty of the lake and mountains last week. I had missed the beauty of the tree roots as they twisted in random patterns around the base of the pine trees. The tops of the exposed roots were worn into a smooth softness.  I loved the texture and colors of the driftwood as it bobbed in the water. I made me realize how similar it's life is to ours. It starts out as a little sapling, soft and tender, bending and taking shape as it grows. It develops heavy bark as it reaches maturity but also has scars from mishaps and surviving during difficult times, times of drought and times of flood. As time goes on it becomes weaker succumbing to life, it falls over cushioned by the lake which carries it softly on a new journey. Slowly the lake removes the crustiness of the bark, smooths what is left into a beautiful patina before it disappears forever. I hope I develop a beautiful patina as I age and don't stop short with a rough bark exterior.

After a strenuous hike around Lake Louise, we were very happy to sit down and enjoy lunch and a glass of wine. Chilly but content, achy but happy, we enjoyed the natural views and the people views as well. 

We very drowsily drove back to Banff where we wandered around much to Louise's dismay (as in Thelma and  Louise). We strolled, actually hobbled around Cascade Gardens before enjoying a bowl of soup and crawling into bed. A lovely day, albeit the weather didn't cooperate in the least. 

Beginning of a New Phase

I have let my blogging lapse for a couple of weeks while we were doing family time in Calgary. It was a time whereby our grandbaby got to meet all of her greats, her great greats (grandmas and uncles), we celebrated my sweet mother-in-laws 85th birthday, squeezed in a visit to the zoo, and I attended the memorial for my uncle who recently died. Several rounds of salt and pepper fried squid, ginger beef, and Singapore noodles were consumed at the dumpy, but excellent Chinese restaurant, "Golden Inn".   It was an exhausting time for all, extreme heat for Calgary, no air conditioning, late nights visiting and one night of babysitting all had its toll. I am now living in the cute little campground in Okotoks close to where mom lives in assisted living. Dirk and my two daughters flew back to Houston on Monday. Today is a day of transition, my best friend arrives tonight and tomorrow we head back up to Banff so that she can see the breathtaking beauty of Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Johnson's Canyon and the Banff Springs Hotel among the few items. We will be staying in a hotel as it doesn't seem worthwhile to haul Traveling 23 up there for one night. She has gotten a lot of use in the last month. We continued to sleep in her, on the street in Calgary as there were 12 people to accommodate into a three bedroom 1200 square foot townhouse. But she has been given a thorough cleaning, restocking, and is now ready to hit the road again. A little bit of a concern as I found water under the sink last night. I am not sure where it came from but fortunately I had lined the cupboard with heavy, plastic shelf paper. Something to keep an eye on. Today I plan on acquiring some saskatoon berries to smuggle across the border in the freezer. They are similar to a blueberry but a more intense flavor. You will know how generous of a mood I am in if I happen to share a pie with you in the future. Without a doubt they are my favorite pie berry. I am afraid it isn't going to happen though as the crop is late this year. Just a couple of photos of my sweet grandbaby at the zoo and splashing in the wading pool at Riley Park in Calgary (I primarily shot with Big Bertha (Nikon 3x) and Lighter Linda (Nikon D80) which require to much work to supply photos for the blog. Stay tuned for the continuing adventures as I travel back to Houston.

Banff - Tunnel Mountain

Gosh, I have a hard time understanding why I am so blessed in life! To grow up in one of the most beautiful areas of the world and then have the opportunity to move to another wonderful country which has provided us with a fabulous life filled with love, comfort, and freedom. It is only reinforced by camping up here in Banff National Park!  Oh how I regret not appreciating the majesty of the mountains when I lived here, how I didn't take advantage of all the outdoor activities that I should have. I guess it is a reminder to me to enjoy the moment in anything that occurs in my life, there are blessings and beauty in everything. Sometimes it is difficult to see the beauty but in those times I believe it is God's gentle reminder that we do need to appreciate all that we are given.

We hiked yesterday afternoon around Lake Louise, which brought back very fond memories of a family hike around the entire lake as well as a magical New Years celebration. I think we were the only North Americans there though. It was interesting trying to discern which country each group we encountered came from. I have run out of adjectives to properly describe natural beauty so I will let these photos speak for themselves.

We checked out of Lake Louise campground this morning which had fabulous scenery but the TRAIN felt like it was 20 feet from "23" last night!!! Not only that, I would swear there were at least two tracks with 20 crossings whereby the trains blew their EXTREMELY loud horns for each one and there 100 trains that went by last night!!!  Ok a bit of an exaggeration, but not much!!!

As we were eating breakfast we were reminded of the necessity to check and double check our "bug out" list to make certain we had dealt with every aspect. Some poor camper stopped in front of our campsite to pick up his power cord which apparently had been plugged in when he drove off. Check and recheck has become our mantra especially after my lapse of intelligence when I failed to raise the storage door high enough and the aerial was swiftly removed!  Dirk was so sweet to try and shoulder some of the blame but it clearly was the co-pilots fault!

We packed up and moved on to Banff where we met up with my brother and his family.  After the obligatory hugs demanded by auntie, we chose to hike over to the HooDoos. Although I didn't get any photos of them, I did take some of the beautiful Bow River as it gushed down the river valley towards Calgary. Also a quick photo of our campsite. Good night all!!!

Canada - Lake Louise

They past few days since we arrived in Canada have been rather quiet. We spent time with our mothers, picked up a hotspot for internet access and reprovisioned. Saturday night we spent in a lovely campground in Okotoks where I grew up. My mom is living just across the river so it was very convenient and pretty. Sunday was spent at Dirk's mother's house in Calgary. We were a little unsettled on Sunday night as we experienced some hail but fortunately no damage to Traveling 23 (our trailer). Monday we left for Lake Louise. We arrived at a rustic National Park campground which scores a 10 for scenery and a 4 for facilities. We have electricity but no other hookups such we are sparingly using the water we filled up with while in Okotoks. Today we hiked a
round Moraine Lake which is absolutely gorgeous and yes, the water is really that blue!

Addendum to the 4th

We made it to Billings, Montana. We had expected the KOA to be a typical, boring venue but it was hopping. The campground was completely full and guests ranged from Florida to Saskatchewan.  I was feeling a bit whiney for not experiencing any 4th celebrations but that soon dissipated when we arrived. They were celebrating the 4th in style! We were in middle America, such a stark contrast to the Breckenridge resort!  Splashing at the pool, music blaring from live entertainers, kids roaring around on trikes, ice cream being scooped, and families playing miniature golf. It was a flurry of activity and very heart warming to see.  Their little outdoor diner, quaintly named Pistol Pete's, offered a variety of meats all accompanied by corn, beans, potato salad and Texas toast.  Dirk enjoyed a delicious, perfectly cooked ribeye.

After dinner we sat and listened to the music and even danced a bit to the delight of the entertainers while Princess B entertained a young girl named Skyler.

We are close to the border now so there won't be any updates until we purchase a hotspot in Calgary.  Into the land of limited media!

Last Day in Colorado/On the Road

We decided to have a quieter day on Wednesday and ventured out on a trail called Ten Mile Hike. Princess B accompanied us although she did benefit from several carries. She enjoyed all the attention she got along the busy trail.  Breathless at some points, it wasn't quite the easy day we had envisioned. We were rewarded with the fresh smells, the peaceful singing of birds, the roar of the streams engorged from the melting mountain snow and the butterflies playing tag.

All in all, the hike was a success other than we continued to debate the merits of an afternoon nap  during our lunch at the Butterhorn Bakery. The restaurant was so accommodating to B and even brought her a huge bowlful of water. She of course enjoyed the attention of passers by and of course the routine "accidental" fall of sandwich bits by hubby!

The rest of the afternoon was spent leisurely preparing for our early Friday morning departure. Excited to see family, we were also sad with having to leave beautiful Breckenridge!

Friday mornings departure was uneventful, we are getting used to checking all the required tasks needed to travel safely. 627 long miles from Colorado, through Wyoming and finally to Billings, Montana.  I appreciated the vastness of Wyoming but would have difficulty living in a place with so few trees.

Happy 4th from the three of us!  So thankful for our country that guarantees our freedoms!  Thank you to all that continue to protect those freedoms for us!

Another Day In Paradise

What a fabulous couple of days. Yesterday we tackled the mountain at Breckenridge again with our bikes on a different trail. Standing on the edge of the earth and seeing God's glorious hand in creation reinforces faith. The smells of the pines, the crisp, clean air, birds singing their songs of worship, it is magnificent!

After a tiring ride down on the trail, we parked our bikes and sat in Breckenridge Brewery for a yummy lunch while watching the soccer game. Tim Howard was amazing, too bad the rest of the team wasn't on the same level, bright side for us is we don't have to worry about any future games while camping in Banff!  

Today we had our bikes transported up to Vail Pass and rode them down to Frisco which is a quaint little town down the road from Breckenridge. 

It was an amazing 14 miles ride alongside a roaring stream  and peaceful ponds all nestled in a valley. 

Not certain that Princess B enjoyed it but she did enjoy all the attention!  She did NOT want to be left in the trailer as she had been the day prior. She made her displeasure well known as she got into the trash as well as other items and proceeded to tear them apart from one end of the trailer to the other!  A learning lesson for mom and dad! We stopped for coffee at Copper Mountain resort and enjoyed the quietness and imagining the swarms of people during the ski season. 

We continued past Frisco for another 5 miles and after speaking with other cyclists we turned around to head back to Frisco for better lunch options than Dillon appeared to offer. The three of us dined at on the sidewalk patio of Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe where we enjoyed wonderful sandwiches. I had a turkey on a grilled cheddar jalapeño baguette with fresh fruit washed down with raspberry iced tea. 

Not looking forward to packing up and leaving early Friday morning for the next leg of our adventure. So many things to do and so little time!  Thankful for the time we have had here though!