Day 5: First Full Day in Canada

Good Morning! Our first night in Canada proved to be a chilly one. Although only dropping under 50, it was different than the nice warm rooms with beds we had slept in the two nights prior. Stacy was quick to get out and pack up, while I found posing for pictures a bit more important. Soon we were back on the highway, chasing photo opportunities. Our destinations for the day included Calgary and in to Banff and Jasper National Parks. It was difficult to judge just how far we would be able to reach from the map, so we just hoped for some sort of a campsite at days end.

The country side flattened a bit just north of Waterton, but it did not slow our picture taking. I also used this opportunity to continue my book on CD that I had started the day before. My mother had packed two books for us to listen to for the trip. Brilliant! One was titled Odd Thomas, a murder-mystery by Dean Koontz. The other was Ken Burn's book, Jazz, and narrated by none other than Levar Burton, that's right. Immediately, I was transported back to my Reading Rainbow days. I loved this book, "but you don't have to take my word for it."

After more gas, we approached Calgary. Admiring the skyline, and adjusting to city traffic(this was the biggest city we would see the whole trip), we managed to make a wrong turn which allowed us an insider's view.

A quick double check on the GPS and a u-turn later, we were back on track. Just outside of Calgary to the west was the Olympic Park. Calgary played host to the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, and the ski jumps stood like tall skeletons waiting for winter snow. Just next the man made slopes were the toboggan runs from the luge events. Instantly, I cheered out to

Stacy, "Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Gear on up! It's bobsled time! Cool Runnings!" The single greatest bobsledding movie of all time still brings joy to my heart.

Once again, the Canadian Rockies came back into view as we approached Banff National Park. They looked even more majestic than our night before, rising up from out of nowhere. My mindset had changed drastically of the mountains first seen in Wyoming. Before, I would wonder, 'How am I going to get around these?' The new attitude quickly shifted to, 'You mean, I have to get over these?'

The going was slow, climbing up winding, steep roads that slowly lead us to the eventual downhill coasts, only to send us right back to the bottom of another upward crawl. The feeling is similar to riding on a roller-coaster(not only physically, but emotionally, I might add). I have to admit, I am an aggressive driver, safe(mom), but aggressive. I am the passer, NOT the pass-ee. Forced to let so many cars pass by, I would find it humiliating and by the end of the day it became exhausting.

And gas, ugh! Here I am, enjoying, to the fullest extent, filling up my tank the second of three times that day.

Oh! I almost forgot! Okay, so we were in the small town of Banff, just inside the park and we had filled up with gas. On our way out, Stacy stopped at a stop sign, I didn't. Feeling two thuds, my front bumper against her back fender, and then my heart hitting the soles of my Patagonia shoes, I couldn't believe it. My eyes were off the road for two seconds as I was crunching Old Dutch Jalapeno Cheddar chips, and I go and bump into my own girlfriend's month-old Volkswagen! Luckily, German engineering allows for minor collisions like that, as it didn't leave a hint of evidence. (Napoleon Dynamite) "Aghh. Idiot!"

After many apologies and some deep breathes, we continued on. I took refuge in Levar's voice painting pictures of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and the whole evolution of Jazz music.

The clear blue skies and sunshine we enjoyed all day ended after Calgary. It quickly turned to cold, low-lying cloud, misty-fog

atmosphere that made Banff National Park seem like a world of its own. The return feeling of intimidating beauty, overwhelming greatness, and God-is-great awesomeness, surrounded us once again, as we crept into the park. The clouds could not hide the monstrous mountains that lingered like stone giants standing guard. Along with these breath-taking views of mountains, came my first views of glaciers. We stopped at one in particular, Bow Glacier.

Bow Lake, just beneath it, was the bluest body of water that I had ever seen. Our pictures, although foggy, seemed better than most post cards could capture.

The mountains continued throughout the park and before we knew it, Banff National Park somehow turned into Jasper National Park. With nothing less to offer, Jasper continued with the sawtooth, glacier mountains, and corresponding lakes. By the time we had reached the town of Jasper, on the northern edge of the park, it was time to find our campsite for the evening. After scoping out the small touristy village, we decided on a site by the name of Wapiti.

Only after this photo, which was taken at the park's entrance, did I find out that Wapiti is a native word for 'elk'. After the park attendant assigned us a cozy site,(there were over 150, so we just trusted her) we parked the Subaru and headed back into Jasper for jalapeno crab dip, buffalo burgers and beer at the Jasper Brewing Company.

We were past due for a good cold beer and the greasy meal tasted good after a couple long days of driving. It was easy to fall asleep back in the tent. The day was full of many firsts; our first car accident, our first big city, my first glaciers, and my first buffalo burger.

When we planned this trip, Stacy and I knew the places where we could base some of our stays up to this point. There were many different ways that we could have taken, though I think our route has been the best. We now faced a different journey for the remainder. There is really only one way from this point to our final destination in Anchorage, Alaska. Only this second half we really didn't know where we would be staying, or even what we would find along the way. No longer where there Yellowstone's or Bad Lands, or even national parks to plan on. No, the Alaska Highway would be our tour guide for the next four days.

Montana to Canada. Day 4

as remembered by Stacy


On day 4 of our trip, once again we awoke to the smell of breakfast being prepared for us...bacon and omelettes! yummmm! After catching each other up on family whereabouts and hometown happenings, Ross and his Red Bone Hound, Remington, bid us farewell and sent us on the scenic route up through Montana. Outside of Helena, Interstate 15 is also known as "Gateway to the Mountains,"... rightfully so. We were told that it was well known for so much dynamite being used to create this picturesque roadway! It is here that the Missouri River headwaters begin, curving in and out of the mountains, creating a canyon-like maze which the interstate follows.


Once we came out of the mountains, we were instantly welcomed with wind! 11 mile per gallon wind (in the u-haul pulling Subaru). Prairie grass thrashed in the wind as we pressed onward through the rolling hills...mountains in the distance. The sky was bright blue with huge white clouds that seemed to go on forever. We could easily see why Montana is nick-named "Big Sky." I found myself repeatedly falling into daydreams, only to be startled by the sound of Jonathan's voice in the 2-way radio. We were able to communicate throughout our whole trip using 2-way radios, which made driving in separate vehicles much more bearable. Well, more bearable for me....as I would share any random thought I might be thinking with him; I used the radio for much more than "emergencies." Unfortunately, this sometimes added to Jonathan's 11 mpg frustration, because he could not understand me and continued to so sweetly ask me to repeat myself. Needless to say, my radio had 1/2 the battery life of his at the end of the day.


As we rolled out of the sunny hills, we approached the mountains of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park we met several vehicles leaving the park, and quickly realized why. Heavy raindrops pounded our windshields and the temperature dropped rapidly. Just before entering the park, we turned around to see the sunny area we just came from moments ago...and before our eyes appeared the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen!!! It spanned the valley, and I strained my eyes to see the pot of gold at the end, but alas! the fog was too thick to see! And it became worse as we entered the park. We found ourselves at the visitor center where we were told that "Going to the Sun" road, the scenic drive through the park, was closed half-way due to snow and ice conditions in the mountains. Unsure if we would even be able to see anything 10 feet in front of us in the mountains, we opted not to take the scenic tour and decided to try our chances on the other side of the park in Canada. And what a great idea that was! Immediately after leaving the USA side of the park, the sun peeked through the clouds, and the temperature returned to a comfortable 65 degrees. We were welcomed across the border by a brown bear and her three cubs. Everyone got out of their cars to take pictures, despite the strict warning of the signs "Remain in your vehicle." It was a great distraction, because I was so worried the border patrol might not let me take my houseplants across the border...but when they asked me to email them the pictures I took of the bears, I knew

I'd have no problems getting across. (I don't think importing houseplants into Canada is illegal, but I am so sentimentaly attached to my plants, I didn't want to risk it...they hid underneath a sleeping bag in the front seat!) After we had driven uphill into Glacier Park in Montana, we were now driving downhill into Waterton, the Canadian side of Glacier Park. We zigged and we zagged through the mountains, only stopping once for cattle in the road...(free range was common in Montana and Canada) and to change the channel on our radios, as we found that we were confusing our conversation with that of another. We ended up at a Provincial campground where we set up our tent and started our first campfire of the trip! We enjoyed the clear sky and did not regret our decision to camp on the Canadian side of the park.....clearly a huge difference in the weather in just a matter of miles. My mom supplied us with "healthy meals in a box" we planned to heat over the manifold of our cars, but our unexpected campfire made for an easier approach to cooking our meals. The slogan on the box, "cooks in just 2 minutes" was not quite accurate for a campfire, but it didn't take long for us to prepare a dinner of Burgandy Sauce and Beef with Rice. (Only 5 grams of fat and 260 calories! Thanks mom! ) Add a little Chipotle Tabasco sauce (Jonathan doesn't travel without it!) and we were quickly warmed up on a cold Canadian evening. After a long day of driving, our sleeping bags could not have been more comfortable, nor the view from our tent more beautiful.

Wy-O, Wy-O Wyoming! Day 3

~as remembered by Stacy


"Wyoming Welcomes You!" ...and so did the Big Horn Mountains....gorgeous! After being fully equipped with breakfast burritos and a borrowed Garmin GPS system from my cousins Scott and Christy and big good-bye hugs from Gage and Deedan, we left Sheridan and continued on our trek across Wyoming. But not before we picked up a "journey can" (a.k.a gas can) and a tarp...just in case.

The views on Highway 14 just west of Sheridan were gorgeous, and made for a winding ride up, down, and all around through the mountains until we found ourselves on flat land. And when it was flat, there was wind. Not just any wind, but the kind of wind that might make a Subaru pulling a U-haul run out of gas.... But wait! We have a gas can!! Unfortunately, we didn't fill up the can with gas, because we weren't expecting to have to use it until we reached Canada. Nevertheless, I saved the day by driving the 15 miles into the next town, Cody WY, to retrieve gas and bring it back to a napping Jonathan, in order to keep our caravan en route to Yellowstone.

my hero!

Continuing our travels toward Yellowstone, we began to understand why Smokey the Bear had warned us of the chance for Forest Fires being "High." Smoke rose from behind the mountains in front of us, and we saw tents along the roadsides that were housing forest fire-fighting teams who were using helicopters that scooped up water from the lakes to put out fires.

Fortunately, the only "smoke" we saw in Yellowstone Park was really not smoke at all, but steam rising from the bubbling geysers throughout the park. We wisely parked the U-haul at the entrance, and drove together in my car into the park, taking little off-roads that led to hidden waterfalls, bubbling pools smelling of sulfur and wildlife!

We saw sooooo many bison, and took care when viewing them as we were warned in the park bulletin...

"WARNING: Many visitors have been gored by buffalo! Buffalo can weigh 2000 pounds and sprint at 30 mph, three times faster than you can run! These animals may appear tame but are wild, unpredictable, and dangerous. DO NOT approach Buffalo!"

We even saw a few brown bears and...you'll never believe it, Bill...

"The Giant Elk!"

We found ourselves crossing the Continental Divide on the way to Old Faithful, arriving just in time to "see 'er blow!"

Lucky for us, as there is usually at least a 1 hour wait period between eruptions. Our several detours for photo opps and the 45 mph max speed limit kept us in the park for several hours, not to mention the cars parked along the side of the road for nearly a mile, all observing a herd of bison and family of brown bears at sunset. We drove into the darkness finding our way across the border into Montana. It was after midnight when we finally arrived at my highschool friend, Ross Epley's place in Belgrade, Montana, and what did we find awaiting our arrival, but a nice comfy bed!

Video of Good Ol' Faithful!

From "The Good Life" to the Bad-Lands, and yes, Wall Drug. Day 2

"Get a close one, Marge."

"Shut-up, Frank. Just don't let go!"

. . . after packing up camp around 7:30, we prepared ourselves for our first full day of driving. Our fist views of South Dakota were through the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Vast lands and rolling hills, but there were very few farms that we could see. It was a very desolate atmosphere, with only huge pieces of farm equipment loaded onto semis that met use randomly. From the moment we started West on Interstate 90, the anticipation grew, for sites of mother nature, historic presidents carved in stone, and . . Wall Drug. It's not that we could help it, there were signs every 5 miles advertising 5 cent coffee, homemade donuts, and free ice water, which we later found out, originally put them on the map.

Before any of that, however, South Dakota's 1880 town would not be overlooked, and well, I almost pulled over. Having never been to Pioneer Village, thanks dad, I had never been to a historically rebuilt, or restored old town, with old saloons, and old churches, and old skeletons of t-rex. Reluctantly, I drove on by.

Soon our focus was back on more important sites, Wall Drug road signs. Not able to quench our thirst with the free ice water just yet, our turn came for the Badlands National Park. Out of nowhere, we were surrounded by mini-mountains in a desert setting. It was as beautiful as Stacy had remembered, and for my first impression, amazing. The fun thought for me was to picture the faces of early pioneers, who, coming across these random canyons and rock mansions, must have been wondering just what they were doing out here. Stacy did a wonderful job of making sure we took photographs from every lookout and turn off spot. I just wanted to get to the Ancient Hunters Lookout. The pictures should pick up where words cannot at this point.

Without realizing it, the heat had climbed just into 100 and along with the hills, provided the first real test for the Subaru. We quickly learned that our trip would go as fast as the car would let us, with whatever fuel we could find. I was getting at least two tanks of gas to Stacy's new Volkswagen Tiguan's one. Not a ratio I was to particularly proud of, it was all that we had, so we embraced our handicap and trudged West.

Our next stop would now be Wall, South Dakota. What to say about Wall Drug. . . The town is famous for the drugstore. It takes up nearly the whole town! What it is now famous for I do not know. How we were able to spend almost a whole afternoon there is an even stranger question. We got bumber stickers, a coffee mug, slices of pizza and a malt, and of course, the free ice water. Now I know what is meant by the saying, "It is what it is." Anyway, on to Mount Rushmore!

Stacy just said it best, there were mountains, we rushed through it, and we wished there was more. All of the state flags were blowing proudly in the wind, all except for Nebraska's that is. It was all tangled on the pole. I was not happy. The four faces of American history in the side of a mountain was definitely worth the trip, the photo, and the memory, but, eh. Let's keep going.

We finally made it into Wyoming. We made the decision to skip Devil's Tower. We were still far from Sheridan, where Stacy's cousin Scott and his family were expecting us. Even with the choice to press on, we didn't make it in until 10:00. It had been a long day of driving and stopping, all of it worth every minute. This trip was really starting off as well as could ever been expected. Having a bed to look forward to, and a shower, were the small things that we found very fortunate.

If the days ahead were to be anything like the day we just went through, then we knew that it was going to be great. Driving in two cars, at first seemed lonely, but the two-way radios we used for communication linked us perfectly. Except for the times we couldn't understand what the other was saying, it was always nice to know that we were just one click away.

Tune in next time when we explore the winds of Wyoming, running out of gas, forest fires, and Yellowstone.