June 27 The Alaska Highway

The Kiskatinaw Curved Bridge

A Lttle "Soak" in Laird Hot Springs

A Little "Float" in the Laird Hot Springs Pool

Beautiful Muncho Lake

We have been enjoying a lovely drive along the Alaska Hwy from Dawson Creek, BC on the way to Delta Junction, AK. In total the highway is about a 1500 mi drive. After 2 days we are about 1/4 way there. Last night we stayed in a private campground in Fort Nelson. The campground was so-so as campgrounds go, but we did enjoy a nice dinner at Dan’s Pub in town! We just had to go there for all the great Dan’s in our lives! Unfortunately they didn’t have t-shirts with the pub name on them so no souvenir tees for all our Dans! Dan’s Pub was the first restaurant we’ve come across that offered fresh wild Alaskan salmon & we’ve both been dying to get some ever since leaving VA. Here it was & by gosh! it was DELICIOUS & perfectly prepared. What a treat & & we’re looking forward to finding much more up the road. After we broke camp this morning we stopped by the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum to check out the large collection of antiquities that had been collected from along the Alaska Hwy. The museum is truly a labor of love by the town’s people. We continued along the AK Hwy keeping in mind that this was a national holiday weekend (Canada Day July 1^st) & with the concern as to whether we would be able to locate a campsite for the evening. Our cell phones haven’t worked in days so calling ahead was not an option.

The Alaska Hwy is a 2 lane road & 97% paved & relatively smooth but there are areas that work & repairs are being made & some areas are just gravelly. After leaving Dawson Creek we did get off the current hwy & travel along the Old Alaska Hwy for awhile to see what it would have been like to travel on the dirt road all the way to Alaska. The old road led us across the Kiskatinaw River & over an historic wooden truss bridge built by the builders of the highway. It is the only original timber bridge built along the Alaska Hwy that is still in use today. It was very impressive. We can basically drive along the highway at about 55 mi per hour which is not too bad. It is easy to pass other vehicles & to be passed as few cars are ever in line or close to one another. Sometimes we can see the road ahead for about 10 miles but when we’d reach that point another 10 miles at least would appear ahead. Both yesterday & today we have had the best fortune of seeing so much wild life! Yesterday crossing the road right in front of our BF, but at a distance for which we could easily slow down, was a huge grizzly bear & he crossed the road to join another grizzly! Imagine 2 grizzly bears so close to our vehicle! We stopped the BF & snapped lots of pictures. It was most exciting! We also saw & stopped for a large group of stone sheep & their baby white kids. Today we have seen lots of stone sheep all along the side & on the roadway. Our treasure today has been viewing several moose & at one point we stopped to view a bull moose & a cow moose wading in a creek & each ducking his/her head beneath the water searching for food. They were so beautiful! The bull had a huge antler rack & it was still covered in its velvet. What a thrill! Steve is so good at spotting all this wildlife well in advance so we can slow down & stop to enjoy it for a few minutes. He is also very good at spotting birds of prey all along our routes of travel. Fortunately, Bennie is oblivious to what’s going on outside the car most of the time. Otherwise, his barking could be dangerous to us, as in the case of the grizzlies, & would definitely frighten the animals away.

We were nearing the Muncho Lake area along the highway & even though it was early in the day we decided we’d better start the hunt for a campsite. Our books indicated there is limited camping in the area & we really didn’t want to make a long haul to a large town. So we pulled into a small provincial (That’s the Canadian terminology for a US state park.) camping area. It is by the beautiful glacier fed Muncho Lake & it has only 15 campsites. What were the chances? We drove by all 15 sites which had vehicles in them or an occupied sign on it when suddenly a man came out of his site & beckoned for us to stop. He told us he was just getting ready to move his site to one where his friend had vacated & that we could have his current site! Wow! What great fortune! Another fortunate aspect of our camp site is that both the families on each side of us have young children the ages of our dearly missed grandchildren & one of the young (12 mo) boy’s name is Cooper! Big darling eyes & a great big smile just like our Cooper. Once again, we’re having the best time, the people are ever so nice & kind & friendly & the environment couldn’t be more beautiful. Oh! That’s right! Alaska is much more beautiful than anything we’ve seen so far! TBD

After having a lovely evening in our Strawberry Flats Campsite right next to Muncho Lake & having enjoyed a wonderful dinner of hotdogs cooked over our campfire, we decided the smart thing to do would be to stay an extra day & night. When the camp manager came around again we antied up for a 2^nd night & purchased another bin of firewood for our extended stay. Imagine! Right on the beautiful turquoise blue (another glacier fed lake) lake and surrounded by young families enjoying their long holiday weekend. The following day we drove farther north on the hwy to the Laird Hot Springs. You’re beginning to note that we seek out those hot springs! Our camp neighbor offered for us to take his truck instead of us having to move our BF the next day. We respectfully declined his generous offer, so in place of our borrowing his truck he parked it in our space so no one would come along & execute squatters’ rights. The Laird Hot Springs was totally different from the other 2 hot spring pools we have been to. This hot springs was totally natural & not defined by a structured pool. They are ALL natural & you can see where they are fed by the springs. We took a 10 minute walk along a boardwalk that crossed a beautiful wetland environment to the pools. There were 2 hot springs pools with water temps ranging from 100 degrees to 125 degrees. We thoroughly enjoyed our “soaks” in both pools as well as visiting with other “soakers” who were traveling both north and south. After a few hours at the hot springs we returned to the BF to say “Hey” to Bennie & give him a little break. Then we drove across THE highway & across from the park to a restaurant (??) & ordered a couple of sandwiches for lunch ($35.00) Prices are a lot higher here in Canada & quality is lower. Along the Alaska Hwy & also in Alaska we are prepared (not really!) that businesses will be making their year’s income during the tourist season. After the hotsprings we returned to our lovely campsite & enjoyed a great chili dinner & a little more knitting!

June 29, 2008

We reluctantly left the beautiful Muncho Lake this morning & motored north to Watson Lake. We’re now in the Yukon Territory! We found a small grocery store, gas, & a campground with wireless (doesn’t seem to work well!), a laundry, & a place to wash to BF. We’ll stay here a couple of days to “clean up.” Still no cell connection & iffy on the email & internet.

June 26 Dawson Creek British Columbia

We believe, but have no confirmation of it, that we are now in British Columbia & are now in the Pacific time zone. When we arrived in Dawson City we headed straight for the Visitor's Center which is our normal routine. Get the lay of the land, pick up brochures on things to do in the area & talk with the local advisers about their opinions on campgrounds, local restaurants, etc. When were arrived at the VC we noticed a group of red jackets emerging from their RV's & heading to the Mile 0 sign. Sure enough! A group of 18 RVs & all retired military folks traveling from all over to US to Alaska. Immediately the 3 retired Marines in the group found Steve & new friends were being made. We actually camped in the same campground last night as the group, although that was totally unintentional. It just seemed like the best campground in the area. We had lots of chats with the group during the evening & will again this morning most likely. Many of these very nice retirees have invited us to join their organization - S.M.A.R.T (Special Military Active Retired Travel Club, Inc.) - which we will consider in the future. Another interesting side is that a group of finely dressed Canadian Mounties arrived at the mile post sign to greet the retirees & to allow lots of pictures to be taken with them. It was a fun sight. I noted a young woman & 3 very young children hanging around the event & I inquire where they were from. They were from Alaska & traveling to DC as her husband is in the Army & is being stationed at the Pentagon. They will live in Springfield. I encouraged her to get up front of the group to have her children's picture taken with the Mounties. Steve & I walked around the town & enjoyed visiting the Alaska Highway Museum. It is an amazing story of how quickly the road was built in 1942 (9 months) & the story of the adversities the 2 Army regiments underwent in order to complete the road quickly to protect the US from a looming attack by the Japanese. Of course, that never happened & many of the workers felt that their hard labor was done for nothing, but look! Now we have this beautiful highway to Alaska with lots of treasured tales to hear along the way. It will be a fun journey! Our daylight hours are long - sunrise about 4:30 am & sunset around 11 pm. I love it! Since we are going farther north our days should be long for much of the trip.

June 25 Onto Grand Prairie, Alberta Canada

Athabasca Falls along the Icefields Prkwy

A "Soak" at Miette Hot Springs

Still "Soaking"

After leaving the Icefields we drove into the town of Jasper which is a small historic city located within the National Park. We found a pub in town where we both enjoyed a hamburger & local Canadian beer for lunch. Of course, Steve picked up a new set of "best friends" while we were enjoying lunch. I have to admit that I'm beginning to pick up a few new friends also along the way! After lunch & after a trip to the bank to buy some more Canadian money (loonies & twonies!) we spotted another Born Free parked along the main street. Of course, we had the check it out. We knocked on the door & out popped a lovely couple from NJ who were traveling thru Canada but heading back to NJ by mid July. They previously had been to AK 3 times in their BF. The gentleman was a retired NJ judge. More "new best friends" & more great tips were acquired. We traveled on but had to make a detour 6 miles up a mountain to visit another hot mineral springs pool, called Miette Hot Springs. It was another lovely soak! We camped that evening in a lovely KOA in Hinton, Alberta. A nice couple who owned & ran the KOA had purchased the property about 10 years ago from Charles Bronson & have turned it into a lovely campground.

Then on to Grand Prairie on the 24th. In Grand Prairie we are taking a few hours to deal with housekeeping issues. Bennie is at a groomer getting a bath & hopefully an acceptable dog "do." Steve is getting the oil changed in the BF & I'm hanging out in a coffee house that has wireless. We should be back on the road early this afternoon & heading to Mile 0 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia to begin the 1200 mile journey to Dawson City, Yukon - still in Canada! I expect to get a lot of knitting done on that journey & we both expect to have some fun adventures & tales to tell.

Trivia Question

Can you guess what this sign says?

More Columbia Icefields

July 24 The Icefields Parkway

Upon leaving Lake Moraine & Lake Louise both located inside Banff Natl Park we continued into Jasper Natl Park & traveled along the Icefields Parkway. What an incredible experience! The views were indescribable & they were all those types of viewing experiences where no photo could do them justice. The 143 mi. parkway is located between Lake Louise & the town of Jasper & the west side is flanked by beautiful & mighty glaciers. It is the largest accumulation of ice south of the Arctic Circle & we were amazed by the fact that these melting glaciers feed into 3 of the world's oceans - the Atlantic, the Pacific, & the Arctic. The center of the parkway is called Icefield Centre & it is where the Columbia icefields is located as well as a huge information center with a cafeteria & gift shop. We stopped there & immediately signed up for the 2 hour tour on the Ice Glacier tour bus which takes you right onto the surface of the Athabasca Glacier. It was an incredible experience & truly spectacular. We camped that that night in a nearby natl park campground & enjoyed a campfire as well as a lovely view of the glaciers located in the nearby mountains.

Lake Louise

View from the chairlift

Lake Agnes

Tea House at Lake Agnes

While in Lake Louise we also took a chair lift to the top of a mountain to enjoy the view & to hopefully see wildlife. We're especially hoping to see a grizzly bear! No grizzlies but lots of beautiful sights were spotted. A young summer worker at the chairlift inquired where we were from & where we were headed. When I told him we're going to Alaska he said "Oh! Alaska is much more beautiful than this!" How exciting because the Canadian Rockies are pretty spectacular.

June 23 Lake Lousie

Soaking in the Radium Mineral Springs PoolLeaving the Mineral Pool

Lake Lousie

June 23

We stopped by the Radium Falls Mineral Pool on our way to Lake Louise. It was a unique & enjoyable experience. The pool, olympic sized but only about 3-5 ft. deep, was surrounded by mountains. The pool water was a beautiful shade of blue/green & the temp was somewhere around 105 degrees. We were a little uncertain what the procedure in a mineral pool is so we just noted what others were doing. Generally speaking the other people in the pool were just hanging onto the sides of the pool & just chatting with one another. Simply put, "soaking!" I enjoyed floating in the water & it was like floating in the sea but the water was not at all salty. The minerals, I suppose, are what keep one afloat so easily. At one point I noted that everyone was looking in the same direction up the mountain, so I looked up also. What should I be looking at? I could see nothing. Maybe it was a special time of day & there was a tradition or rite of some sort that we should observe. Even the life guard (salvateur!) was looking skyward! So I kept looking up along with everyone else. Sure enough I saw something! Two white mountain goats were very high above us seemingly balancing on the edge of the cliff. A fun sighting! We soaked in the pool for about an hour, took our daily shower in the shower room & then motored north. We took the Bow Valley Pkwy (1A) as suggested by a very knowledgeable young guide in the information center in Radium. It was a lovely scenic drive through more mountains into Lake Louise – a bustling international tourists' town center. Once again we became oriented at the information center & then went into the national park campground where we camped for 2 nights. After securing our space we returned to the village to look/shop around & then came back to the camp for dinner. Steve cooked some nice pork tenderloins on our new grill & I made salad & baked beans. Pretty delightful in the open air.

On Sat. we drove to the Lake Louise (named for Queen Victoria’s daughter!) & were amazed at the beauty & the color of that lake also surrounded by mountains. Many people were enjoying canoe rides along the lake & being that it was a sunny & warm day nothing could have seemed more pleasant. Steve & I took off on a “simple” 2 ½ mi hike to Lake Agnes. Well, it was straight up for that entire distance! About 350 degree elevation climb. Phew! At the top was a lovely log tea house where people were enjoying pots of freshly made English tea. We tried to join in the ritual but became frustrated when the service was slow & not organized. What we really enjoyed was water & that we had with us so after a few sips, down the mountain we went with the knowledge that we would be viewing the beautiful Lake Louise all the way down. Lake Agnes at the top was lovely also. All these mountain lakes were formed by glaciers which formed the cavity & then the melting glacier waters fill the lakes with their clear turquoise waters. The following day we broke camp and drove to another nearby lake called Lake Moraine with the intention of doing some hiking along or around that lake. The weather unfortunately had turned colder & rainy during the night so at Lake Moraine we just viewed it & took advantage of visiting the little gift shop. We learned later that the word “morane” means the rocks & rubble that the glacier pushes in front & on the sides of it & then the morane is left behind when the glacier retreats. So at Lake Moraine there were huge rocks & boulders surrounding the lake. Lots of people we having fun climbing around on them. I observed that many seniors were having as much fun climbing around on the rocks as the young people. It reminded me of how excited our children would be when we'd pull into a camping area that had lots of big rocks!

First Day in Canada

June 20

Leaving Glacier NP yesterday we were about 120 mi from the Canada/US border at British Columbia. It was a lovely drive heading north & we drove through a lovely ski & resort area of MT called Whitefish. It looked like a fun place to visit any time of the year & it wasn’t too far from the closest airport, Kalispel, which services the Glacier area. We had been advised that the border crossings in BC could be a lot tougher than crossing in Alberta. When we got to the drive up window at the CAN border patrol Steve, of course, had all his paperwork in order & had all the right answers prepared. Since we had a shotgun on board we were invited to come inside for further registration & tax payment for the weapon. This is when it turned “cute.” All the border agents were very serious & didn’t adapt quickly to Steve’s humor. Before leaving home Steve had gone into his file of various leftover money from various foreign countries he/we have traveled over the years & he brought along some old CAN money. So he handed his old money & a little new money we had bought in a town heading to the border to the agent who immediately looked at it & turned it over & over & then said, “Had this around awhile, have you?” Steve said “Yes, is it still good?” “Yes, it is still legal tender.” was the answer. The date on the bills was 1958. All the agents in the border station gathered around. All trying to look at it & all trying to buy it. The head agent asked if we wanted it back but we said “No. You all enjoy it & whatever it’s worth is.” Immediately everyone was friendly & helpful to us. “Do we need any help? Directions? Etc?” The main agent did come on board the BF to verify the serial number on the shotgun, but that is routine, he assured us & while he was outside with us he gave us more helpful tips about CAN. A friendly start to the new country. In hindsight we don’t really know where the money came from since we don’t recollect ever being in Canada these past 40 years together. Maybe it was grandparent money.

Driving for a few more hours & viewing the Canadian Rockies ahead of us most of the time, it was a pleasant drive & fun getting adjusted to new signages, the metric system & wondering what CAN rest stops would be like. Well, they are beautiful & most often were located near a stream or otherwise scenic area in order to enjoy a pleasant picnic and/or rest. We drove to Radium Hot Springs in the Kootenay National Park just south of Banff National Park & found a beautiful campground called Canyon RV Resort on Sinclair Creek. Wow! I immediately was reminded of some of the beautiful campgrounds we had stayed in when we were in Europe. Flowers! Trees! Grass! Babling & rushing creek with campsites all along the creek. Neat clean wash rooms with dish washing areas outside the wash rooms. It is so nice! I could remember thinking how we thought the Europeans were so much more civilized about camping than Americans & this brought it all back. We enjoyed a campfire last night & the light evening skies until nearly 11 pm. The summer solstice is quite near!

Today we are in pursuit of the hot springs in the area. Want to try out the 130 degree hot mineral water pool temps & the 80 degree cool pool temps. From there we continue north to Banff NP & Lake Louise which, as rumor has it, a superb Mecca!

Glacier National Park

Avalanche Lake-The site at the end of our hike!

The Red Bus Tour

Burned Forest

June 19

When we woke up yesterday morning Steve announced that we weren’t leaving Glacier that day! What? We’re supposed to be moving on! Alaska is THE GOAL! During our Red Bus tour the driver had described to us the difference between Yellowstone NP & Glacier NP. He said that YNP was a park you could visit by driving through & around. It has a network of roads so that the visitor could see most of the park from his car, but GNP has only one road (Going to the Sun Road) through it which is not even accessible to vehicles the size of ours, so the BF is restricted from most of the park. GNP, the driver said, is a backpackers’ paradise! Sleeping on that information, Steve declared we would rent a car for the day & drive into the park & spend much of the day hiking. What a great idea as I felt also that we had not really seen this beautiful area. We had a wonderful day! We hiked the Avalanche Lake trail which took us about 2 ½ miles up the mountain & basically along the rushing steam of water & by several gorges till we reached the top where we found a beautiful glacier lake with mountains surrounding it. The hike took us departed the lodge only by a wooden boat which still exists today & which departed from Apgar Village at the entrance of the park. We could easily envision the travels of those early visitors to this beautiful hunting lodge with its giant fireplace & the rooms surrounding the lobby. Stopping at McDonald Lodge also gave me an opportunity to snap a picture of the Red Bus which we had taken on our tour the day before. They are so pretty & all well maintained & loved by their drivers.

After a quick stop back at the camp to check on Bennie we headed to a “nearby” by town 15 miles away to load up on supplies as we prepare to head into Canada today. It’s amazing how much flexibility a car can give you! We’re not sure what our cell phone capabilities are going to be for the next week & a half as we travel through Canada but hopefully we’ll have internet at some points along the way.

Glacier National Park

Gorge on the Flat River

Rushing Water

Bear Grass Flower

June 17

We are in Glacier Natl Park today & staying at Glacier RV Park which is outside the national park itself. It is a lovely campground & area. Our new friends in Ennis had recommended this park as they had stayed here during their RV days. It is still very lovely & wooded with large sites nicely separated by large trees. Today we took the Red Bus Tour of Glacier Natl Park & we got lots of history & information from our driver, Matt. I took some pictures but unfortunately never thought about getting a picture of the historic red bus that we were in. Guess you'll have to visit Glacier yourself someday to see them. They weather has made a nice turn around & we, as well as the locals, are hopeful that it will remain sunny & clear. Of course, all these great forests hope for rain every few weeks in order to cut down on the chance of forest fires which have been occurring much too frequently in our forests in recent years. This afternoon we rode our bikes into town & looked around a bit. A very productive stop was at the Alberta Visitors Center which is just outside the park. They are there to encourage visitors to come into Canada. Well, that is just where we are headed so we picked up lots of maps, tour guides & very good information. Tomorrow - onto Idaho! We won't see much of that state but we expect the northern panhandle to be very beautiful. I think I have Steve talked into going to Sandpoint, ID which is the home of Coldwater Creek! A must see, I do believe!

Leaving Ennis & Driving North to Glacier Natl Park

Happy Father's Day - New Shirt & New AXE!

Holter Lake, MT

Toasting a Great Father's Day & a Beautiful Campsite

June 15

Father’s Day 2008 dawned with beautiful blue skies & the promise of 75 degree temperatures! It has been awhile since we’ve seen temps that high & we’re amazed that our friends back home have been having temps in the 90’s & 100’s since we left the end of May! Furthermore, we have had a good deal of rain & snow throughout this trip. The west has been in draught conditions for a few years so we know they are happy to have this extra precipitation.

We joined our friends Andy & Chris at their lovely home in Ennis for a lovely brunch. Chris is a wonderful cook & we enjoyed the most delightful Sunday morning dishes – deviled eggs, shrimp orzo salad, fresh fruit, delicious chorizo (?) sausage, & blueberry coffee cake, assorted cheese & crackers, & delicious homemade cookies along with champagne & mimosas! Chris was so kind to send us on our way with our hands full of these delectables. We so enjoyed visiting with the DeBona’s traveling friends from CA, Jack & Lila, & 2 other local Ennis couples, one of whom previously lived at 321 Pitt St in Alexandria before retiring to MT. What a wonderful beginning to Father’s Day!

Steve, Bennie & I began driving north to Helena about 1:30 pm with the intention of stopping in Helena to shop at Costco for supplies & to visit PetCo for a Bennie bath. The capital city of Montana has 2 exit ramps from the interstate & they are 6 miles apart & of course, we missed the 1^st exit where those stores are located. That was just the beginning of the frustration in Helena. We were eventually able to accomplish our goals but couldn’t figure out how to get back on the interstate. We had to stop twice to ask directions for what should have been intuitive but that method did not work & Montana is not too willing to post directional signs like we normally see in cities. Andy & Chris had warned us that MT was not too open to outside visitors & it had taken them a long time just visiting MT before they felt welcome enough to settle here. We got the picture!

After traveling along the interstate for about 50 miles we followed some camping signs at the Wolf Creek exit & after driving about more 10 miles from the exit we ended up at the most beautiful lake (Holter Lake) with lovely camping sites all with very picturesque views of the lake & the nearby mountains. This recreational area provides fishing, swimming, water skiing, & tranquility. We were amazed & once again so pleasantly surprised. The other amazing fact is that our campsite only cost us $5 because we have the Golden Age Passport card from the National Park Service. Without question many of our campsite fees are helping to offset the cost of gas, which by the way, we are still able to eek out prices just below the $4 mark. That will soon change very drastically as we cross into Canada in a few days. Sunday evening we enjoyed a delicious Costco prepared meal of chicken shish kabobs which Steve cooked on a disposable charcoal grill. We are still looking of the right type of grill for us to carry along. Finding a few more stores would speed up that process! It was a perfect end to a special Father’s Day for Steve. He was doing everything he loves – camping, enjoying the beautiful northern mid west, & visiting with a special USMC friend from the past. He also enjoyed phone calls throughout the day from Dan, Beth & Shannon & a special email message from Mike at sea. The gift of a big ax from me topped off the great day.

Today (Monday June 16, 2008) onward to Glacier Natl Park located in northwest MT & we expect more beautiful sights & interesting history.

June 13 Onto Ennis MT

June 12 – 14

We drove out of YNP late on the 12^th & found a campground in the neighboring town of West Yellowstone. I really wanted to try to find a place that had internet connection & cell reception. Those goals were achieved but certainly our campground couldn’t compare to the beautiful spot we had in Yellowstone, nor was the price comparable. In the national parks we only pay $9 per night with our Golden Eagle Pass card for a sight! A wonderful deal. At a restaurant in West Yellowstone we shared a table in a restaurant/bar with another couple from OK. The woman was a little annoyed when I asked her if we could share the table. They clearly wanted to be alone! By the end of the meal, we were all best friends & we traded calling cards & vowed to visit one another should we be in one another’s area in the future.

Meeting USMC Friends in Ennis MT

We so enjoyed meeting Chris & Andy DeBona in Ennis. Andy & Steve served together in Vietnam & at Camp Pendleton in the '70s. They had so much to catch up on & I think both were genuinely happy to see one another after so many years. Chris & I became instant friends & both declared we are new "best friends" of one another. Steve & I sincerely hope we will return to Ennis in the future. What a beautiful western town with endurable charm. Of course, I helped the local economy a little bit. The DeBona's had friends from CA visiting this weekend also but they all made room for us in their social schedules. Our hearts are full!

Andy was responsible for creating & securing funding for the Veteran's Memorial in Ennis. It's beautiful & Andy & Chris take a personal interest in it's care.

The bottom statue is in the center of Ennis & it is a fly fisherman! Very cute & appropo! This is fly fishing territory!

Leaving YNP on the Way to Ennis MT

We left YNP the evening of June 12th & found a camping area in West Yellowstone, WY just outside the gate of the park. Steve wanted to stay in the park that night but since I had been without cell phone & internet for nearly 5 days, I "suggested" we leave that night. Of course our campsite was not nearly as beautiful & enjoyable as the national park, but it did have "amenities!" We parked in the town of West Yellowstone prior to securing the campground & had dinner at a typical WY bar/restaurant called Bullwinkels. The restaurant side was a mad house so I asked the reception if we could get a meal in the bar area. Of course! When we entered the bar all the tables & bar seats were taken, so I asked a husband/wife duo seated at a table if we could join them. They both acted a little miffed but I suggested that it is a bar & that is how you do it in a bar. Well, OK, they nodded. By the end of the meal we were all best friends. Exchanging business & social cards & vowing to look one another up when we get in each others areas. I love it! Maybe it is a good thing I brought Steve along!

Traveling Through Yellowstone Natl Park

June 9-12

Our generator broke the last night we were in the Grand Tetons so we huddled closely to keep warn during the night. It was so cold that I got up during the night & covered Bennie up with his duvet. He was still covered in the morning which was a shock since he normally shakes things like that off. Without the generator we also had no coffee so we scrambled ourselves together & headed for the nearest restaurant. Wasn’t exactly the breakfast experience of our dreams but they did have fresh coffee! I bought the first stove top coffee pot I saw that day & put it to use till the generator was working. It makes delicious perked coffee! We did find a station in Yellowstone a few days later that was able to fix our generator so we now can make heat & light when we need it.

We actually had no trouble getting into Yellowstone. The snow at this time of year seems to lay on the ground but not on the roads. The elevation in Yellowstone is so high that it snowed most of the time we were there. I got lots of use out of the thrift clothing I bought in Jackson Hole. After becoming oriented at the first Visitor’s Center we came to & securing a reservation at a camping area in YNP, we headed along the lower loop to Old Faithful. We arrived there about 30 minutes prior to her next eruption. It was cold & windy but we hung out with the multitude (not too bad this time of year) until she decided to “blow!” What a spectacular sight we had before our eyes. No picture can capture that event! It was such a thrill to be right there & see it for our very own eyes! Of course, I did take pictures, but you know, pictures just don’t do something like that justice. After the eruption we joined up with a group listening to a ranger & he was explaining just what makes these eruptions occur. Old Faithful is the only geyser of the many many geysers in the park that is predictable, hence, her name. The ranger said there was another geyser close by, named Beehive that erupts once a day & it’s eruption is much larger & longer but they are unable to predict the timing on it, so it is really hit or miss. Well, guess what? The next day when we were driving along the lower loop & passing the Old Faithful area, I asked Dad to stop so we could check if it was close to the time for Old Faithful to erupt & we did stop & found it was just a few minutes till the time. We stood their watching when suddenly near by Beehive spouted out & gave the most spectacular show you can imagine & then suddenly OF went off! So we actually saw the 2 best geysers in the park erupting simultaneously! It was unbelievable & we loved every minute of it. We learned from the ranger talk that YNP is sitting on top of a volcano & that the park is a huge crater on the top of the volcano. So driving & walking around you see many types of geological & land formations – geysers, bubbling mud pools, & fumeroles as well as water falls, meadows, mountains, etc. Yellowstone should be a "Must See" for all Americans! And then there is the case for visiting YNP to see all the wild animals & we did see many. Our favorite was seeing a mom & dad wolf with 2 cubs running from their den across a field into the wooded area. Spectacular! We also saw many elk & many buffalo, & a black bear & a couple of moose.

There are 2 driving loops in the shape of a figure 8 around the park & we decided to drive one loop each day. On one of our journeys around the upper loop of the park the traffic came to a virtual standstill & we crept along at about 3 mi per hour. “Uh oh!” I said. “The summer tourists are here!” After about ½ hr of creeping along we found that a large group of buffalo were in the road walking along &/or trying to cross the road. I put Bennie in my lap & showed him a big guy as we carefully drove by it & Bennie barked like mad & jumped down to hide in the back. Bennie’s very brave, we all know! Anyway, hope you enjoy some of the pictures we took in YNP. It was an incredible experience & it is a place we WILL return to in the future. We are all so fortunate to be able to call YNP “Ours.”

Traveling Through the Grand Tetons Natl Park

June 8-9 Grand Teton National Park

Driving through the GTNP has been beautiful & most inspiring. Even though it is much colder here than we anticipated, the vistas of the Tetons with all the snow on them is nothing short of awe inspiring! We stopped at Jenny Lake on our way through the park & took a people-only ferry across the lake & then began a 7 mile hike to return to our starting point at the visitor’s center. The trail took us all around the lake & we were able to view the Tetons from all directions & had fun chatting with other hikers along the trail. After returning to the BF & tending to Bennie we drove along the Natl. Park road to the Signal Mtn. camp area & settled in for the night. Our campsite had the most incredible view of the Grand Tetons & we particularly enjoyed the views at sunset & early in the morning with the sun shining on the Tetons with all their snow covered peaks. Breathtaking to say the least! We enjoyed a fabulous breakfast at the Signal Mtn. Inn where we enjoyed what they called on the menu the Idaho Trout Skillet. It was a delicious skillet with layered potatoes, scrambled eggs, & pan sauted fresh mountain lake trout on top & the entire dish topped with Cabot cheese. Outstanding! & just the right breakfast for the hike ahead of us.

After we broke camp the morning of the 9^th we traveled further north on the park hwy. to Colter Bay at the northern end of Grand Teton Natl. Park.where we found a campsite near the bay. We took a beautiful 5 mile hike through the woods that afternoon & it was then that we spotted our first moose feeding along a lake & also an elk running across a marshy area & then feeding along side the lake. It was beautiful. We also watched some young summer maintenance people felling a huge tree & removing the bark to make a bridge along the trail. It looked like a wonderful & fun opportunity for young adults to do in the summertime. We have seen many retirees also along our travels who are participating in what is called a work camp program. They normally get their camping sites for free & then work in the camp areas for 20–30 hrs a week. Looks inviting to us!

It rained all night of the 9^th so I’m not sure how our plans for going to Yellowstone today will turn out. If it is raining here it may be all snow at Yellowstone & the pass could be closed. To be continued…

Minerva Terraces in YNP

Entering the North Gate of YNP