7-28-12

There was a major storm in the night.  The thunder woke me up.  Knowing how scared Tinker gets, I carried her to the bedroom with me.  Larry worried about getting off the hill we were parked on in the morning.  Once up, we wandered over to Tony and Cheryl’s to share the morning.  We went for a walk down by the lake while they had breakfast.  There was a lineup of boaters waiting to get to the boat launch.  Some kids were swimming and families were picnicking.  We figured it would be easier to move the RV to an RV park nearby.  This allowed us to turn the air conditioning on since it was really hot and humid.  We could watch more of the Olympics too.  Tony made ribs for dinner and Cheryl made these great potatoes with salad and corn.  Saskatchewan pie (a berry pie similar to blueberries) was for dessert.  Yummy.  Back at the CLOD House, we watched more of the Olympics before heading to bed.     

7-27-12

We attached the van and left Medicine Hat, heading E  We drove on Transcanadian 1, a divided highway.  Indian Head was our destination and then up a little road to our friends’ home.  We were fine until we got to Tony and Cheryl’s road.  The turn was so tight that the RV got caught in a ditch.  Tony and I quickly detached the van so Larry could back up without damaging the Blue Ox, the equipment attached to the frame of the RV and pulls the van.  I was so afraid that would get bent since it was digging into the blacktop.  Thank goodness for Tony.  While I backed the van, he held the 2 arms up until Larry backed far enough to lay them in the holder.  We got settled into a parking place across from their home without incident and shared the afternoon in their delightful back yard.

7-26-12

Today was rodeo day.  First, we did some maintenance on the RV and I debugged the windshield.  After a walk and rest, we head for the stampede grounds.  Dinner was much better today, thanks to a corndog (better than I remembered) and an elephant ear that we shared.  A younger couple came into the accessible stands which was a blessing.  They explained the different events as the rodeo went along and that made it more fun.  The only sad part was to learn that the animals that buck have a cinch tightened around their hips that irritate a nerve which makes them buck around trying to get it off.  The guy in the clown outfit was the comedic relief between events.  Happily, he got better as the evening went on.  After, we stopped to listen to a family of fiddlers, 4 girls, the mom and the dad does the sound.

7-25-12
We drove thru lots of farm land which seemed fairly flat and arrived at Medicine Hat mid afternoon. The RV park was small but clean and close to town. I had heard from the gal that trimmed my hair that there was a rodeo going on this week end. We checked with the host folks who checked us in and learned that it was starting tomorrow. A booklet indicated that the entertainers were $80/show. The rodeo was only $15 per person so we bought tickets for tomorrow afternoon. We walked around the midway, which was already going just to see what some of the rides and games were these days. Dinner at the rodeo was just OK.

7-23-12

We drove south to Calgary, remembering that this was the place for rodeos and stampedes.  We just missed the stampede by a week and there are no rodeos.  I missed the red, blue, yellow, pink and white of the wild flowers along the road on the way.  The RV park was great tho as our spot overlooked the city.  We tried to go to a restaurant that was recommended but they were not ramped so had dinner at Wendy’s instead.

7-22-12

We had seen about all we wanted, cell phone service was limited as was Internet, so decided it might be time to move on.  We were still in the Jasper National Park for lunch and paid $36 for 2 sandwiches and 1 coke in a cafeteria.  That was another reason we left the Park, prices were high. It was amazing how quickly we were out of the mountains and into rolling meadows. There were lots of cows and horses in the fields.  Hay still needed to be bailed.  I called a number of RV parks before I finally found one that had a pull thru available.  We were just north of Calgary.  Internet was available at the laundromat and I needed to do some clothes so that worked out well.  The only difficulty was finding Canadian quarters for the $3/wash.  After begging at several businesses, I finally had enough to finish the 2 loads.  I also was able to get online and catch up with emails and the blog.  Larry tried to get DirecTV going but there were too many trees around us and no local channels so we read and did Sudoku.  We did have 50 amp power so didn’t have to run the generator, which was nice,

the CLOD House (Cruisers Living On Dirt) below the weeping wall

 Mr Bear wanted to cross and road and we let him.

 Prince of Wales summer home in Waterton, Alberta

 Waterfalls at banff

 Glaciers look dirty and cracked

The road down and up to the glacier

7-21-12

We awoke to rain which had me worried.  But Larry, the eternal optimist, said we should try to do the glacier anyway.  We dressed warmly and head out with clouds hiding the tops of the mountains.  The streams ran muddy now.  Yesterday, they had been a milky green.  The Icefield Center was busy but organized so that people were being shuttled every 15-30 minutes on buses.  We had to wait as the shuttle with the lift was up on the glacier.  There were all sorts of exhibits downstairs that we visited while waiting.  We learned the glacier is miles deep and had been receding and building since the Ice Age.  When it was time, we were put in a van with a lift and taken part way up the mountain.  From there, we were transferred to a large snow tractor which held about 120 people and took us down a very steep road and up the other side so we could stand on the glacier, well slip and slide on it.  The glacier looks like dirty snow on top because of all the dirt it brings down with it.  Below that the compressed snow has had the oxygen pressed out of it so that it only shows a pretty blue color.  The surface is rough and full of crevices.  I didn’t stay long as it was blustery out there.  Larry couldn’t get any traction so didn’t get very far from the lift.  Luckily, Owen, the assist on the tractor was able to maneuver Larry and chair around.  He was a very personable young man from BC but worked on the glacier in the summer.  Since it had stated to drizzle, he dropped us off right at the RV.  We head for Jasper and after finding a parking place on the street, walked into the best pizza place I think we have ever had, the Jasper Pizza.  And, we got to watch some football.  We had phone service and internet for the first time in several days.  Problem was we didn’t have a place for the night so after checking with Jasper national Park information, we head for the campground that was not full.  We had to pay to get back into the park, only to learn the Wabasso camp didn’t have pullthrus.  It didn’t even sound like they had a space if the van wasn’t attached.  So, we drove to a turn out and stopped for the night, without paying a fee.  And we could run the generator whenever and however long we needed.  Somewhere in there, we came across a black bear grazing in a meadow but it was a distance away. 

7-20-12

Back a few days ago, we had gone over some reeeeealy dusty roads.  Well, the seal around the bed isn’t that great so the dust got in under the bed.  What a dirty mess that was.  Today was the day to clean that up.  We had put insulation under the bed to keep it from getting so hot from the engine.  That all had to be wiped down and the carpeting vacuumed.  Larry reattached the seal and glued it in place.  I gave up and pulled the bed skirt off totally and will wash it later.  The dust in the bedroom in general was amazing but is now cleaned up.  And we should be safe from any additional gravel roads.

After a late lunch and a quick rinsing of the van with water from the brook, we figured it would be good to check out the Icefield Center.  What an afternoon.  Driving to the Icefield Center was amazing enough.  The mountains were draped in glaciers all along the way with streams coming off them or the snow remaining on the mountain tops.  Once we got to Icefield Center tho, we got to experience a big glacier.  We had not dresses for glacier walking so decided we would come back tomorrow to ride up.  We got back to the RV and a young lade from Switzerland came by to practice her English.  She was a delight.

7-19-12

Well, Tomtom did not give us good directions.  On the way to Banff, we ended up on a dirt road.  Luckily, there was a guy in a pickup just as we got to the dirt who gave us some help.  After some fancy maneuvering, Larry got us turned around and we continued on our way thru beautiful mountains with lots of glaciers hanging yet.  Banff reminded Larry of a small Mackinaw Is.  We parked on the side of the road facing traffic like the rest of the rigs we saw and so Larry could get out. (His lift is on the passenger side of the RV) We got back to the RV with a $50 fine on the windshield for parking on the wrong side!  I wonder how many tickets that person wrote.  Heading further N, we tried one of the campgrounds suggested but after unhitching the van, found that most of the sites would not work for us.  We had seen a sign for overflow camp site.  Not only was this freer of mosquitoes, but Larry parked the RV so we were along side a babbling brook, well more like a raging river.  What a delight.  I got out my rocker, made a rum and Coke and sat and enjoyed.  As the evening wore on, more and more RV and trailers came into the area.  AND it was only $15/day compared to $30 where they had water but no sites big enough for us.    

7-18-12

After a good walk, we left the campgrounds, headed for Waterton.  A deer decided she wanted to get to the other side of the road right in front of us.  Larry saw her in time and blew the horn.  Did she pick up speed then!  Waterton is a continuation of Glacier National Park on the Canadian side.  It was so different as there were homes surrounding the park so it was more like a Swiss village.  The Prince of Wales used to live here in the summer and his “home” sat up on the top of a hill overlooking the lake and shadowed by the mountains.  It was a fairly windy day but people were going out on boat rides around the lake.  We had parked on the street and had lunch as a health restaurant across the street.  We walked around the park side of the lake with the prairie dogs keeping us company, and then along the creek and out to the waterfalls.  After that hike, I was tired so went back to the RV to rest and try to find updated maps for the Tomtom or Garmin.  We both took a little snooze and then for dinner at a restaurant that had outside dining on the water.  What a setting.  We had walked by this place earlier and I think I smelled every peony.  The locals put fencing around all their flowers to protect them from the deer and elk.  We helped by having elk and bison for dinner.  On our way out of the park, we finally got to see a bear.  It was crossing the road in front of us and didn’t stop to say hi.  It wasn’t very big and cinnamon in color.  So cute.  No wonder people aren’t afraid of them.  We continued to move N for way too late and ended up in Black Diamond which wasn’t even on our map.  The campground host met me and said they had no room for a rig our size but we could stay right on the street for the night.

7-18-12

After a good walk, we left the campgrounds, headed for Waterton.  A deer decided she wanted to get to the other side of the road right in front of us.  Larry saw her in time and blew the horn.  Did she pick up speed then!  Waterton is a continuation of Glacier National Park on the Canadian side.  It was so different as there were homes surrounding the park so it was more like a Swiss village.  The Prince of Wales used to live here in the summer and his “home” sat up on the top of a hill overlooking the lake and shadowed by the mountains.  It was a fairly windy day but people were going out on boat rides around the lake.  We had parked on the street and had lunch as a health restaurant across the street.  We walked around the park side of the lake with the prairie dogs keeping us company, and then along the creek and out to the waterfalls.  After that hike, I was tired so went back to the RV to rest and try to find updated maps for the Tomtom or Garmin.  We both took a little snooze and then for dinner at a restaurant that had outside dining on the water.  What a setting.  We had walked by this place earlier and I think I smelled every peony.  The locals put fencing around all their flowers to protect them from the deer and elk.  We helped by having elk and bison for dinner.  On our way out of the park, we finally got to see a bear.  It was crossing the road in front of us and didn’t stop to say hi.  It wasn’t very big and cinnamon in color.  So cute.  No wonder people aren’t afraid of them.  We continued to move N for way too late and ended up in Black Diamond which wasn’t even on our map.  The campground host met me and said they had no room for a rig our size but we could stay right on the street for the night.

7-17-12

Since it looked like the rain was going to hold off until later, we figured it would be a good time to move north.  Roads were ok thru the Indian reservation but the one town we went thru looked so depressing, we didn’t even stop.  Somewhere on Highway 2 was a little restaurant that had a big enough parking lot that we could stop.  Unbeknown to us, this place was well known for its homemade pies.  Larry had apple and I had a couple bites.  We passed thru the US/Canadian border without incident and found a campground in Cardston.  Once we got plugged in, we were invited to dinner with a family reunion gathered in the same area.  Larry didn’t want dinner that late but I went with plate in hand.  This was a family of Mormons.  The grandfather was from New Zealand and had taught some of the customs and songs to his children and grandchildren.  Dinner had been cooked in a pit which was fine.  What impressed me most was the children were very comfortable up on a stage using mikes doing all sort of made up skits and jokes.  I was even presented with a copy of the family cookbook.  What delightful people.

 Toes in the snow

 Walk to the glacier

 Mountain lilly

7-16-12

Today was a day of mountains, waterfalls and rapids, curves and u turns in the road, road construction that stopped a whole line of traffic for a half hour, snow on my toes and gorgeous vistas.  We did the “Road to the Sun” and back.

7-15-12

It was raining off and on so had breakfast at home.  Once the rain stopped, we drove out to find the Walmart.  We came home and started cleaning out the basement bins of the dust we picked up on the way here.  What a job.  We didn’t get to all of them but it sure is better.  We even cleaned out the radiator and the engine area.

Check the pix on 7-5-12 

7-13-12

We were just starting out for a morning walk when we met the host and a National Forest Service employee.  He admitted that he didn’t know what many of the types of trees were but he did know the “puzzle bark pine” or Ponderosa Pine.  We continued N to Columbia Falls where we found LaSalle RV Park WITH SHADE.   I started doing laundry and Larry left to find a car wash.  He came back frustrated as the automatic bay did not work.  We did dinner at local restaurant and had a great meal.  My meatloaf tasted like old fashioned meatloaf.  Back at the RV, I worked on cleaning the RV.  First, I brushed as much of the dust off as I could.  Then, I used the brush with water and cleaned as much as I could reach.  It was nice to be able to touch the RV again.  I worked on the van after that.  I was tired.

 

7-12-12

We left Merle and Jan after a wonderful breakfast and made our way to a car wash.  I got some of the dust off the van and even sprayed the front of the RV as far as I could get with the hose.  Then, we found the Walmart to pick up a few groceries, I could get a shopping fix and Larry could get scalped.  Next destination was NW to a little lake recommended by Merle.  The first try at finding the lake resulted in our finding our way down a gravel road of a logging operation.  We discovered that after disconnecting the van so I could go exploring without taking the RV into an area where we couldn’t get turned around.  When we finally verified we were down the wrong road, we drove out of there and head for a road that suggested a lodge.  That was the right road.  Since I was driving the van yet, I drove ahead to find a spot for the RV.  We parked, I made sandwiches for dinner and we enjoyed them down by Holland Lake.  We didn’t stay long as the mosquitoes were hungry.  We were so dusty from the gravel roads and road construction we had gone thru earlier, that a shower felt real good.  Of course, you couldn’t touch the van or RV without feeling like Pigpen.

7-11-12

My back needed a walk so got one in after my first cup of coffee.  We jumped onto US 90 and head west, then north to Clancy to visit with some cruising friends.  Their yard was big enough for our RV.  It was nice to see Merle and Jan again, spend time in their fantastic home and break bread with them.  The weather continued to be hotter than usual but cooled off nicely by evening.  The neighborhood dogs came by for a petting and brought their own balls to be thrown.  Nice to have pets you don’t have to feed.

7-10-12

A friend of a friend had told us the road out of Cook City was a good way to get north so we took it.  The only problem was that it wasn’t made for a 40’ motor home pulling a van.  I can’t even tell you how many switch backs we maneuvered.  We did get to see lots of snow, including some kids sledding down one side of the mountain.  There were a number of waterfalls and rapids which made me happy.  Toward the end of the day, it started to rain which made the driving even more torturous.  We finally made it to US 90 and another 60 miles, an RV park just off the highway.

ADDENDUM

Yellowstone National Park is made up of a variety of scenarios.  On the one hand, you have Old Faithful and all the geysers around that corner of the park.  In the NW corner are most of the hot springs and mud pots, steam coming out all over the place but also beautiful pools of very hot chemicals that have killed people.  The hills run white and yellow with multi colored streams coming from the tops of the hills.  The NE corner is known for its abundance of animals since it is like a plane with lots of grazing pastures.  There are numerous waterfalls but the Upper and Lower Falls are the most famous, with good reason.  At the bottom of the lower falls is the area known as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  It is a breathtaking variety of colors cut thru by the river.

7-9-12

We had heard that the Lake Yellowstone Lodge was worth visiting, so we did.  The old architecture was interesting and well preserved.  We had a delightful lunch with a young lady from Taiwan as water girl.  An afternoon break was nice and then we head back out to look for animals.  Well, first we head for one of the three spots in the park that has internet where I was able to do a little catch up before the computer ran out of battery.  We drove back to the RV slowly, watching all sorts of buffalo and several elk with beautiful racks.

7-8-12

 Larry drove down to the marina to check out the boat trip around the lake.  It sounded like fun and we made reservations for the 7:30 trip.  We tried the Lake Village restaurant and had some of the worst service so far.  The hummus was so heavy on garlic that no other taste seemed to come thru.  I ate mints and chewed gum the rest of the afternoon.  We ran between rain drops to get back to the van after lunch.  I was a little worried about a boat ride but it stopped just minutes before we left the RV and the sun came out.  The captain was good and the narrator was funny although he also gave lots of facts about Yellowstone Lake.  Back on shore, we drove around some of the less busy areas to see if we could find animals out for the evening but no luck.  Bed felt good.

7-7-12

Since it gets cold in “them thar hills” at night, we had Tinker between us most of the night.  We drove back into Yellowstone from the south entrance using Larry’s golden pass.  Has that saved us a fair amount of money.  One doesn’t see much in the way of animals in this part of the park but we did see lots of pine trees that were as straight as telephone poles.  We followed the Snake River in but soon it veered off and the road was following the Yellowstone River.  We stopped for lunch at the Grant Lodge where I found a gorgeous pair of earrings that reflect the pools of color around Yellowstone.  Each area has its own post office as did this one.  We found the information center which highlighted the huge forest fire of 1988.  It was amazing the amount of damage done back then but also the revival of life since.  From there, we head for the Bridge Bay Campgrounds where they have no amenities and lots of families tent camping.  We watched the Tigers win and ran the generator as long as we could but 8 pm is quiet time so had to turn it off and unplug everything we could for the night.

7-6-12

After commiserating with Mike about Grand Teton National Park, we felt comfortable heading out.  He had said that it was a drive thru park, unlike Yellowstone.  I had picked up a coupon to take a tram ride to the top of one of the ski mountains so we hit Teton Village and what a delight.  There were flowers everywhere and people were always helpful.  We had a wonderful lunch sitting outside looking at mountains and smelling petunias.  My hot spinach with pulled duck was probably the best salad I have ever had.  Then it was off to the tram ride which took 12 minutes to get to the top.  We were able to walk around to the different views and even bought a bottle pop for $3.25!  The views were spectacular down into the valley and up to the top of the Teton trio.  The ride down was even fun because it gave you another perspective of the ski trails.  One could just imagine what it must look like in winter.  We found the RV park we had made reservations for in the morning but getting to our spot was another question.  A little pine tree stood right on the side of the road where we had to turn.  The first time around, it almost ate the awning.  So, after trying to back up enough to get in, Larry drove all the way around so he could come in at a better angle.  That worked after I pushed the mirror in on the van.  By then, it was 7 pm but we head over for dinner at the Waterhead Village restaurant, which the camp ground was part of.  Pricey!  We got back and head for bed.  I had moved a picnic table so Larry could get out on the lift.  Dumb thing to do as the back was talking to me again.  I used the vibrating/heat pad several times, hoping it would be better in the morning.   

7-5-12

Marya took me to the Japanese garden that she volunteers to keep watered and developed.  It was small but restful in the middle of the city.  Mike and Larry hit a Home Depot to get lumber for jack supports so we don’t keep punching holes in RV parks.  Lunch was at an Italian restaurant they frequent, quite good.  We had an opportunity to tour the art and performing art center across the street where they had given time and energy to restore an old Vaudeville theatre.  The gingerbread was amazing.  We had the pleasure of dinner with Mike and Marya as well as Melissa and Mark, daughter and grandson .  What a cute kid, although I wouldn’t tell him that.  That might be too embarrassing for a 9 year old.  We picked up film from a throw away camera I had to buy when my camera battery ran out, so I’ll be able to add pictures from a day or so ago.  I’ve noticed several things about this part of the country.  One dries out quickly so lip balm and moisturizers are a must.  The other thing is that I find I’m taking deep breaths even tho I’m not necessarily doing anything strenuous.  Guess it’s from the altitude.   

July 4th

7-4-12

HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY EVERYONE!

We left Gardiner this am headed for Idaho Falls to join friends for their fireworks.  Crossing Mammoth Hot Springs reminded me of a meadow of salt or major hill if salt.  As we entered the road to the west entrance of the park we noticed that the rocks were all black which meant they are volcanic rock.  There were a number of fly fishermen although this is a catch and release area.  Some folks were even swimming in some of the rivers and there are many in the park.  Shortly after driving out of the park, we crossed the Continental Divide from Montana into Idaho at 7402 ft.  Once we settled into our spot at the Snake River RV Park, we straightened up and then head for dinner at a local Denny’s.  Then it was on to find Mike and Marya.  It was great to see them again.  Marya shared her garden which was gorgeous.  The petunias smelled so good.  Friends and then Melissa arrived and we moved out to the driveway so we could watch the fireworks.  Mike had said the fireworks were good and he was right.  They were phenomenal.  The drive home was a bear tho.  The street that we needed was blocked off so we had to drive all around to finally get back to the RV.  Thank goodness for the TomTom. 

OUR FIRST YEAR ON OUR RV

After 12 years cruising on a boat, we have decided to see the inside of the country on an RV.

7-3-12

Today was geyser day.  We slowly wove our way thru traffic to stop by Old Faithful and watch it go off, visit the old lodge made with huge timbers and was quite impressive.  We watched a video that told more about the area including the caldera which includes a good part of the lower Yellowstone.  The drive back was easy as much of the traffic was gone.  Tinker was so happy to see us since that meant she would get dinner.  We had dinner of leftovers from the last several days.

7-2-12

We got a late start, retracing our drive but in the van.  That made it so much easier.  First stop was at a bridge over some rapids which made me smile.  It was hard to leave it but there was a lot more to see.  We followed the Blacktail Deer Trail which was rough and remote.  We hoped we would have an opportunity to see a few animals that wouldn’t necessarily be on the main road.  The only one we found was an old bull buffalo rubbing the old fur off his back on a tree trunk.  It was only when we started driving the Lamar Valley road that we saw a badger, a skinny mangy coyote, chipmunk and a herd of prong horned antelope.  Somewhere in there, we stopped at one of the general stores and bought all sorts of snacks which we nibbled on for dinner.  We had hoped to go all the way to the NE entrance but realized we were both tired so turned around ¾ of the way.  It was good to get back to the RV and stop moving. 

 The top shot is the bull scratching his old fur off on the tree trunk.  The lower are burned trunks fallen like pick-up-sticks