Wednesday June 3, 2015

§ Mary’s June 2^nd flight was canceled so she ended up on the same flight as Karen from Denver to Kalispell on June 3rd

§ Rodney was supposed to be on the same flight as Theresa from Seattle to Kalispell. But Rodney’s flights on Alaska Airlines were delayed so he got moved to United and a non-stop flight from Denver to Kalispell – the same flight Karen and Mary were on!

§ Karen’s flight from Austin was delayed so she had to literally run in Denver from gates 23 to 82. She barely made the flight, and her suitcase with camera in it barely fit in the overhead, but it squished in! Her suitcase however did not make it.

§ After a very long wait, we took the hotel shuttle to the Hilton. Karen thought it was “right by” the airport. Turns out it was the City Airport that was right by the Hilton; Glacier Park International Airport was about 25 minutes away.

§ We decided we really needed the rental car that afternoon instead of at 10am as Karen had reserved. Called Enterprise and they said they didn’t have a large SUV yet as we had reserved but would call us if one came in. 15 or 20 minutes later they called! They picked us up at the hotel (we ate square Oatmeal cookies while waiting), we went to Enterprise in a very nice Suburban that Mary decided should be “our” car. But we got a Chevy Tahoe. Turns our USAA allows unlimited extra drivers for free so both Rodney and Mary were signed up.

§ We went from Enterprise to the Kalispell Airport and picked up Theresa, then took her to Enterprise so she too could sign up as an extra driver.

§ Went to Kalispell Brewing Company on Main St. for dinner but they didn’t have any food. But there was a BBQ food truck out back where we bought dinner and brought it into the Brewery to eat (through a few rain drops).

§ Then we went across the street to Sweet Peaks for homemade ice cream, then to back to the airport to get Karen’s suitcase which actually did come in at 9pm as predicted.

§ Also went to Target for snacks and WalMart for Rodney to get some cash (‘cause he forgot to do cash-back at Target).

§ It was still daylight so we found Foys Lake around sunset and drove around the area. Stopped to take photos of horses/mules and the countryside.

HOTEL: Kalispell Hilton

They started without me! Due to 1 flight delay and 1 flight cancellation, Karen Overall, Mary Weis and Rodney Corey all ended up on the same plane to Kalispell. Hey don't have too much more fun until I get there! with Rodney Corey and 2 others.

Stopped for some local brew and dinner last night but the brewery doesn't serve food. Oh wait! There's a food truck out back with Montana beef BBQ.

What better way to top off local dinner and brew than local ice cream?! I had huckleberry. Yum.

— with Mary Weis and 2 others at Sweet Peaks Homemade Ice Cream.

Thursday June 4, 2015

§ Breakfast at Montana Coffee Traders Coffee Shop.

§ Shopping at Huckleberry Patcch. Rodney bought the infamous Selfie Stick; Theresa her beloved orange bag.

§ Went to the Apgar Visitor Center but didn’t get much info from the people at the counter. Drove by Lake McDonald on Going To The Sun Road. Stopped for photos at a number of places.

§ Theresa and Mary saw an eagle. Supposedly.

§ Lunch at Lake McDonald Lodge in the lounge vice the full restaurant. More photos out back with the waterfall and boats. This is one of two chalet lodges build by the Great Northern Railroad.

§ Back to Apgar Visitor Center to catch the #80 Red Jammer tour bus. Cas, a broker from California, was our driver. First part of the tour was pretty lame. Huckleberry Hill. Hmmm.

§ Then we got out and walked the Train of the Cedars to Avalanche Creek and Waterfall.

§ Cas took us past where Going To The Sun Road was blocked so we could look back and see the tippy top of the one of 2 glaciers in Glacier National Park. Sort of. It was white and the clouds behind it were white.

§ On the way back to the Visitor’s Center we each sat in our own row in the bus. Cas took a photo of us hanging standing on the seats.

§ Stopped in Columbia Falls for dinner at a place Theresa found on Yelp. Backroom, part of Night Owl. Great fry breat and BBQ!

§ Back to Kalispell for more ice cream at Sweat Peaks again, then to Target again.

HOTEL: Kalispell Hilton

SIDENOTE: Montana has no sales tax.

STEP COUNT: 14,055

It's gonna be a LONG trip at this pace...stocking up on the essentials: souvenirs, huckleberry fudge, and a selfie stick.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at The Huckleberry Patch.

We are here!

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Glacier National Park.

Cold and clear glacier water reflecting a perfect blue sky and white clouds with fun friends.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Lake McDonald.

Lunch and lots of photo ops

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Lake McDonald Lodge.

June 4 at 9:07pm · Columbia Falls, MT · 

Traveling with photographers creates its own set of photo opps...and fun.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others.

We took a tour in a "Red Jammer"--a 1930's vehicle designed specifically to transport tourists in national parks. The canvas top can be rolled back on gorgeous days like today.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Glacier National Park.

Our first glacier! (And one of the last in this national park. They predict they'll all be gone by 2035.) It's hard to spot it with clouds behind it--white against white--but it's to the left of that pointy rock.

 — at Glacier National Park.

Gorgeous.

— at Glacier National Park

—

—

—

—

—

—

— .

Hooray for Yelp! We never would've found this delightfully local place without the Yelp app. It really is the back room of The Nite Owl. Ribs and flat bread were as delicious as promised.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at The Backroom Restaurant.

Dessert back at Sweet Peaks in downtown Kalispell, then sunset on Lake Foys and the surrounding area.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others in Kalispell, Montana.

Friday June 5, 2015

§ Started the drive around the southern part of Glacier National Park. Stopped at Goat Lick Overlook but no goats.

§ Took an impromptu turn off toward Hungry Horse Dam. Found a turnout for Lion Lake. Wow, great reflection photos!

§ Drove by East Glacier Inn and repeated the oft-used comment “We could have stayed there”. Turns out it was where we were staying!

§ Lunch at Luna’s in East Glacier, followed by Huckleberry Pie (with graham cracker crust, much to Mary’s chagrin). T&K split an Indian Taco.

§ Our rooms shared a really wide balcony, along with the room in between us, and a few others. Tried to get rooms on the other side with a mountain view but nothing was available.

§ Drove towards Two Medicine Lake. Stopped at Running Eagle Waterfall but only did a short walk by the creek. Then went on to Two Medicine Lake and decided to return the next morning for sunrise.

§ Went back to Running Eagle Waterfall based on T and M’s comments that we didn’t do the trail. So we parked again and followed the trail. Great waterfall!

§ On the way back to the car K and T struggled over and finally remembered all the words to the GS Song “Oh Running Bear”.

§ Cas had recommended eating at Serrano’s Mexican Restaurant in East Glacier Park, MT. (Mary was correct on that fact even though we tried to convince her he really meant up by St. Mary not East Glacier.) We found the hole-in-the-wall place, parked below the Amtrak Station, and shopped at an old timey store while waiting to get in.

§ Cas also recommended Key Lime pie at Serrano’s. More graham cracker crust!

§ Back to the hotel. Karen spent the whole evening taking photos around the park grounds and waiting for sunset. After some night photos of the front of the lodge, R and K took pics of the old Red Bus/limo with its headlights on.

HOTEL: Glacier Park Lodge

STEP COUNT: 12,246

Farewell Kalispell. Today we head to East Glacier. But first...gotta start the day with a yummy breakfast.  — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Montana Coffee Traders-Columbia Falls Cafe.

Gorgeous scene. It's not even a tourist trap, it's just gorgeous Montana

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Lion Lake.

We keep finding interesting things to see AND we learned what a parapet was.

with Mary Weis and 2 others at Hungry Horse Dam.

June 5 at 3:39pm · East Glacier Park, MT

Just pull off on the side of the road and there it is...gorgeous beauty. No wonder they call it God's country. (Rising Wolf Ranch)

 — with Mary Weis and2 others.

Indian taco followed by huckleberry pie for dessert. Thank you Judy Hames Ruf for the great lunch recommendation!

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others atLuna's Restaurant.

What can you say about the world's largest purple spoon?

 — in East Glacier Park, Montana.

Drove by this place and said, "Wow! Wouldn't that be a cool place to stay." Then saw the sign and realized it is the place we are staying! What a vacation!

— with Mary Weis and 2 others at Glacier Park Lodge.

Fun room with a back door to the big porch that overlooks the front grounds. Gorgeous scenery everywhere you look. Love this place!

 — with Mary Weisand 2 others at Glacier Park Lodge.

Did some driving and hiking in the Two Medicine Lake area. Gorgeous country AND gorgeous weather.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Glacier National Park.

Mexican food in Montana? Key Lime Pie in Montana? It came highly recommended so we tried it. It did not disappoint.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Serrano's Mexican Restaurant.

June 6 at 12:24pm · 

They put us in the "Odd" section. Did someone phone ahead? How did they know?"

— with Mary Weis and 2 others at Glacier Park Lodge.

Saturday June 6, 2015

§ Sunrise photos at Two Medicine Lake, then back to the hotel for a nap (K) and breakfast in the Lodge (M, T and R).

§ Drove to St. Mary Glacier Hotel, which didn’t open until June 15^th. This year is the 100^th birthday celebration of the building. K & R took lots of photos while M & T sat by the lake and waited. Patiently.

§ Drove to Babb, which is not even big enough to be called a township, and ate lunch at the Cattlebaron Supper Club’s Bunkhouse Café, with ice cream from the Bunkhouse Creamery.

§ Checked in to St. Mary Lodge where we found out we got upgraded to rooms in the new building. And an upgrade it was too! So nice that we decided to hang out in the rooms and on the balcony overlooking the river for the evening.

§ Went to Rising Sun Pizza and hung out there while waiting for takeout pizza. Took it back to one of the rooms, took photos on the balcony then went in the room ‘cause it was too hot.

HOTEL: St. Mary Lodge

STEP COUNT: 11,743

Sunrise (and moon set) with photographers at Two Medicine Lake.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Glacier National Park.

After an hour and a half of driving and photography, we were ready for a hearty breakfast. Where is everyone else? It's already 6:30am!

 — with Mary Weis and Rodney Corey at Glacier Park Lodge.

I thought we were going to the Alps next summer, but it looks like we already got there.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others.

We had reservations for the older, cheaper cabins but when we got there, they had upgraded us (for free) to the lodge. They just opened for the season and had room at the lodge. Twist our arms! What gorgeous accommodations AND we have a balcony and a view.

 — at St. Mary Lodge & Resort.

About 10 minutes from St. Mary in Babb, MT we found The Cattle Baron. The menu is fun and clever. Lunch was delicious. And how can you not have ice cream for dessert when the Bunk House Ice Creamery is calling your name?!

— with Mary Weis and 2 others at Cattle Baron Supper Club

June 7 at 1:58am · 

The drive from Babb, MT to Many Glacier was spectacular. The east side of Glacier Park is just as gorgeous in its own unique way as the west side.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Glacier National Park.

The lodge doesn't open until the 15th, but this area is still incredible.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Many Glacier Hotel.

A spectacular and fun drive back to our great hotel. Picked up take out pizza for dinner and enjoyed it on our balcony with the view.

Sunday June 7, 2015

§ Breakfast at Johnson’s World Famous Historic Restaurant. They had old farm equipment hanging from the ceiling, lots of antiques, homemade bread toast, and an “outhouse” bathroom in the “lower restaurant”. Also tractor seats on milk cans out front.

§ Started our long drive from St. Mary to Lake Louise.

§ Photos of Chief Mountain.

§ Fun banter with the border guard at the crossing into Canada.

§ Stopped at Prince of Wales Hotel. Found it they opened at noon and we got there about 12:20.

§ Went to Waterton Park Townsite to look around and have lunch at Trappers Mt. Grill. Free homemade Saskatoon Berry pie (NO graham cracker crust!)

§ Shopping for a new selfie stick since we thought the old one broke; but no luck.

§ Had ice cream and sat on park benches to take advantage of the free town wifi (only available on the street; not in the restaurant).

§ Stopped next at Red Rock Canyon (bumpy road getting there).

§ Stopped at Pincher Creek for sodas; decided to follow the GPS suggestion and go via Calgary vice smaller roads around it.

§ Rodney drove from here into Calgary and made many U-turns in Calgary (no thanks to the GPS) as we adapted to having no cell service.

§ Dinner at Tim Horton’s with free wifi. Then to Walmart for K to buy a 2TB external hard drive for photo backup. Also looked for new selfie stick but no luck here either.

§ Drove past Olympic Park (1988 Olympics) on the way out of town.

§ Drove to Lake Louise, arriving at lodge about 11:45pm. Office was closed, but there was a very nice note on the door. Great “suites” with a double bed in one room and twin beds in the other; kitchen and bathroom in between.

HOTEL: Paradise Lodge and Bungalows

STEP COUNT: 10,620

Sunday morning breakfast served family style...delicious food, especially home made bread for toast

— with Mary Weis and 2 others at Johnson's of St. Mary.

Canada here we come! Stopped for Chief Medicine Rock and other scenery (imagine that!).

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Chief Mountain Border Crossing.

In Canada. Little Internet access. Posts will be fewer, not "live," and not necessarily in order. Just know everything is gorgeous and we are having a blast.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Lake Louise, Banff, Alberta.

We were all set to take a fabulous selfie with the welcome sign and the mountains in the background, but the selfie stick died! We can't believe we are mourning its loss. Well we definitely got our $10 worth out of it in fun and entertainment.

First stop: Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others.

Waterton is the cute little town below Prince of Wales. We ate lunch at Trappers Mountain Grill, walked around town, utilized the town's free wi-fi, soaked up beautiful weather and scenery, and shopped for a new selfie stick to no avail (who knew we'd end up being so enthralled with that thing?!).

Drove a little further out of the way to check out Red Rock Canyon. What a delightful geologic anomaly. Now we are way behind schedule but what are plans for if not to be changed.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Red Rock Canyon, Waterton National Park, Alberta.

Today was our longest day of driving. We actually had to make a pit stop that didn't involve a point of interest. We also changed our route and went with the GPS recommendation. Jimmy Troy, we played the cow counting game! Saw a LOT of big windmills.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Town of Pincher Creek.

Finally made it to Calgary (though there's still more driving to do. Light dinner at Tim Horton's--not only is it very Canadian, but there's free wi-fi. A stop at WalMart for necessities (snacks, and a 2TB hard drive to back up all the photos being taken...that 250GB one is too small). Looked for a selfie stick but they're sold out. Drove by the 1988 Winter Olympic park on the way out of town.

— with Mary Weis and 2 others in Calgary, Alberta.

Monday June 8, 2015

§ Happy Birthday Rodney!

§ Left at 5am to hit sunrise at Moraine Lake. Mary slept in.

§ Beautiful views from the top of the rocks. Rodney met Callum Snape, professional photographer. Turns out he was on the job that morning doing a photo shoot for a portable canoe on Kickstarter. Rodney also found an article on United’s airline with a whole spread he did.

§ Theresa sat on a bench the whole time; met a photograph couple, Nancy Jones and her husband from Maryland.

§ K didn’t see T on the bench when it was time to leave so went back down without her. Rodney had to go back up to find her and bring K’s camera bag and the car keys back down. Ooops!

§ Back to bungalows for showers and packing car. Met nice people in the office and thanked them for the nice note. Rodney asked them for a job!

§ Somewhere along the long T fixed the selfie stick so a new one wasn’t needed.

§ Drove to Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau.

§ Theresa tested the temp of the water by stepping in it.

§ More photos and selfies. Rodney got dandelion poop on his pants.

§ T & M photo bombed R’s photos. Lamby (did we ever end up with a final name?) photo bombed K’s photos.

§ Lunch and wifi in Lake Louise’s Samson Mall at the Family Restaurant.

§ Started the 3-hour drive up the Icefields Parkway.

o Bow Lake

o Peyto Lake

o Mistaya Canyon

o Little waterfalls up in the mountains

o Jasper/Banff sign

o Athabasca Glacier (@Columbia Icefield and Glacier Skywalk)

o Goats on road – K got out for telephoto lens shots

o Tangle Creek – waterfall on side of the road

o Athabasca Falls with rainbow

o Elk on the side of the road (we thought caribou but were corrected by T’s friend later)

§ After Mistaya Canyon, back in the car, we heard rattling. Karen said it was coming from the backseat while Mary was convinced it was in the front of the car. Karen turned off the car but rattling continued – it was Lamby!

§ Along the drive, Mary named a couple of glaciers: Moustache-Goatee Glacier and Molar Glacier.

§ Arrived in Jasper; a very long train stopped cars getting through so we went around another way. Cute town!

§ Drove around a bit, then decided to park and find a place to eat. K parallel parked the Chevy Tahoe on the first try.

§ Ended up at Karouzo’s Steakhouse for dinner, then ice cream at Grandma’s Place. Very nice couple owned the ice cream store and gave Rodney an extra scoop of Birthday cake ice cream. Rodney sat on the pink bench outside and was joined by a lady and her mother from Edmonton.

§ Trans Canadian Train and station was across the street.

§ Today we hit 19,500 steps on K’s Fitbit!

§ Quotes: “Battery is exhausted” from Rodney’s camera; “Please turn right” from the very polite GPS; Make a U-turn when possible” from the GPS in Calgary - many times.

HOTEL: Crimson Jasper

STEP COUNT: 19,779

Didn't arrive at our "bungalow" until close to midnight. But we are up before dawn to take more sunrise photos. (Well, not Mary Weis who needed to catch up on sleep.) Oh my! Sooo worth it. This morning was incredible. Happy birthday, Rodney Corey!

 — with Rodney Corey and Karen Overall at Moraine Lake.

Too tired last night to take pics of the suite so here's a look at the messy rooms. This is probably our favorite lodging the entire trip and we are staying for less than 10 hours. But there is much to see and do so we will just have to come back another time. — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Paradise Lodge & Bungalows.

Lake Louise! You've been on the bucket list for so long, at last I get to say I saw you. So sad so many of your glaciers are gone. Glad we got to see these three.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Lake Louise, Banff, Alberta.

Guess I'm not the only one with Lake Louise on the bucket list. We really haven't seen many tourists anywhere we've been but they were rampant here (and it's not even the height of the season yet). Those two photographers in our bunch are definitely birds of a feather. We checked out Chateau Lake Louise, too.

Surprisingly, there weren't too many lunch choices. We settled on the Family Restaurant which has an unusual collection of menu choices including quite a good Chinese food selection. Great waiter from Australia. We tried to get him to just read the menu to us so we could listen to his accent. The place was pretty quiet at first, then literally two bus loads of tourists descended on the place. Our awesome waiter still managed to be attentive plus give us recommendations for afternoon sites to see.

Peyto Glacier and Lake. Wowser! This shade of turquoise is unique and unbelievably beautiful. First we saw the lake from afar, then we drove in closer and hiked to a viewing area. It's gorgeous no matter where you are when you look at it.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Peyto Lake.

This Icefields Parkway is unbelievable. Fascinating and beautiful things to see all along the way. This is Mistaya River which has carved the most interesting curves and tunnels in this rock. These pictures do not capture it at all. It was hard to figure out what was going on even in person. If you get to come, be sure and make this stop.

— with Mary Weis and 2 others at Mistaya Canyon.

Leaving Banff...entering Jasper on the Icefields Parkway

 — with Mary Weisand 2 others.

Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefield and Tangle Creek Falls--two more fascinating stops on the Icefields Parkway

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Icefields Parkway.

Driving along, we see strange vapor coming up from the river in the distance. Immediately after, there's a pullout on the left, so we take it. It led to this amazing show of Mother Nature's power and beauty. Yet another spectacular site on the Icefields Parkway complete with rainbow. There's a bridge over the river so you can marvel at the falls from multiple perspectives.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Athabasca Falls.

Caribou! Right on the side of the highway. Bonus to our day.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Icefields Parkway.

Made it to Jasper! Walk around town, dinner at Karouzo's Steakhouse, ice cream at Grandma's; grateful for nice rooms at our hotel so we can crash at the end of a very full and wonderful day.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others atThe Crimson Jasper.

Tuesday June 9, 2015

§ Breakfast at Crimson Jasper Hotel

§ Shopped on Main St. again for souvenirs/T-shirts

§ Drove back down Icefields Parkway towards Banff.

§ Stopped at Moraine Lake to see it in a different light, and so Mary could see it.

§ Headed for the Lake Louise Lodge for a sort-of lunch (chips and sodas)

§ Mary was wearing her TAMU tshirt. A man with a UT hat made a comment. K said she lives in Austin and from there the Texas party began.

o The man and his wife live in Corpus Christi. Both went to Lake Highlands HS in Dallas (’70 and ’74).

o K said let’s have a Texas connection photo. As we were lining up 3 girls walked by and excused themselves for getting in the way. I said it’s OK, and are you from Texas you can join us. One girl said she was! So she came over and jumped into the photo too! She went to High School in Ft. Worth.

o The man from Corpus said he student taught at Richardson HS and stepped on the eagle on the floor his first day. And he taught at Tarrant County Community College.

§ Drove the rest of the way on Icefields Parkway to Banff.

§ Stopped for photos at ”Weeping Wall” waterfall.

§ Saw goats @12:45

§ Banff Springs Hotel and Tunnel Mountain Drive

§ Walked Banff Ave.

§ Dinner at Wild Bill’s

§ Ice Cream at Cow’s

§ Bow Valley Parkway was closed

§ Vermillion Lakes Drive (view of ? Mountain)

§ Drove up to Banff Gondola and Hot Springs - photos of mountains in distance

§ Back to Vermillion Lakes Drive for sunset then to hotel

§ Very short and small parking garage under the hotel.

HOTEL: Best Western Siding 29

STEP COUNT: 12,338

After yummy breakfast, we head back on Icefields Parkway to go back to Banff. Figured we saw it all yesterday, this is just a simple return drive. Ha!! Still lots of beauty to see plus a herd of mountain goats on the side of the highway. And The Weeping Wall. How did we miss that yesterday?

— withMary Weis and 2 others at Icefields Parkway.

I know better after 30 years of friendship, but somehow I forgot and Dr. Marygot hold of my phone. Silly me for leaving the camera app open. So here's a collection of passenger shots. I'm not including the photo of a parking lot stripe or the video of my phone charging.

Headed to Banff but stop at Moraine Lake one more time. It's just beautiful to see any time, it's not very far out of the way, plus Dr. Mary missed it at sunrise. That's quite a hike up the "rock pile" to get the really good photos.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Moraine Lake.

Cool bridge built just for wild animals to cross the highway. Made it to Banff! Enjoyed checking out quaint shops downtown.

— with Mary Weis and 2 othersat Banff Town Centre.

Dinner at Wild Bill's, dessert at Cow's Ice Cream, and fun at Mary's Popcorn.

with Mary Weis and 2 others at Banff Town Centre.

—

It's our last night all together and we found the perfect t-shirt for our gang! We even put the selfie stick itself in the pic. Who knew it could be so fun? I wonder which of us is the moose and who is the duck.

 — with Rodney Corey and 2 others at Banff Town Centre.

Sunset on Vermilion Lake and a drive around Banff.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Banff Town Centre.

Another nice place to stay, this one with great balconies and a yummy hot free breakfast. Thanks Dungarees Expeditions for all the great travel arrangements!

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Best Western Plus Siding 29 Lodge.

Wednesday June 10, 2015

§ Free full breakfast at the hotel

§ Karen scared Theresa and Rodney at the same time coming out of their room!

§ Sat in the lobby waiting for Mary’s shuttle which was 40 minutes later than they said.

§ Drove Bow Valley Parkway look for bears and other wildlife but saw none.

§ Hiked to the Lower Falls (didn’t do Upper Falls) of Johnston Canyon. Saw a chipmunk. Wildlife sighting for the day.

§ Asian tourists asked about the falls and Rodney and Theresa gave a description and showed photos.

§ Karen met Susan M. Stephens Davis (name on Facebook) outside the park bathroom when she heard Susan’s son say he was from Texas. Susan is a single mom with 6 kids and now RVing and homeschooling full time. Her mom just bought an RV too and is traveling with Susan’s aunt. They were in Canada for 30 days, then Alaska for 30 days then back through Canada. They are from the DFW area (Bedford) and are selling their house there.

§ Drove back to Banff; lunch at the Spaghetti Factory (Rodney’s favorite).

§ Shopping for 20 minutes on Banff Ave for shirts, etc. T bought little stuffable elk bag

§ Drove to Calgary and stopped at Olympic Park on the way for photos

§ Dropped Rodney off at the airport.

§ Karen missed a turn on the highway leaving the airport and got off on a road trying to get back to the right highway. T took over driving and went through many more GPS-caused U-turns trying to get to A&W so Theresa could have a root beer float.

§ Finally back on the right road and drove to Banff.

§ Dinner at Saltlik Steakhouse in Banff after driving around trying to decide where to eat.

§ Then on to Lake Louise Inn - probably the only not-so-good the hotels we stayed in. 3^rd, floor no elevator, but they did offer for a person to help with luggage which we accepted, both coming and leaving the next morning. Old and small room, but nice view out the window.

HOTEL: Lake Louise Inn

STEP COUNT: 12,988

One last round of selfies before Mary Weis takes the shuttle to Calgary to head back to Dallas. Mixed emotions and mixed energy levels as our very full 8 days come to an end.

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Best Western Plus Siding 29 Lodge.

Hoping to see wildlife but no luck. Instead found Johnson Canyon and a great waterfall at the end of a nice hike. Met Susan M. Stephens Davis and her family. She and her six children (plus her mom and aunt) are on an inspiring and exciting journey. Safe journeys new friends!

 — with Mary Weis and 2 others at Johnson Canyon Lower Falls.

Back to Banff for souvenirs and lunch. Then to Calgary to see Canada Olympic Village and drop off Rodney Corey at the airport since the shuttle didn't work out. Now it's down to just Karen Overall and me to return the rent car to Kalispell...the long way.  More adventures!

— with Rodney Corey and Karen Overall.

Elegant steak dinner (Alberta Angus beef) back I n Banff. Great restaurant, great food, great service, weird bathroom monikers.

— with Karen Overall at Saltlik Steakhouse.

Karen Overall and I are on our own now. We had a blast Rodney and Mary! The two of us have a goal of traveling to all the Canadian Provinces and she hasn't been to British Columbia yet. We will take care of that! Tonight we drive back to Lake Louise and find a different section of the Bow Valley Parkway. This one isn't closed at night but we still don't see any wildlife. Our hotel is clean and has comfy beds (2 vip criteria), but it's the least nice accommodations so far. Tiny room on the third floor with no elevator, wifi, or AC. First agenda item: sleep late tomorrow morning.  — at Lake Louise Inn.

Thursday June 11, 2015

§ Slept in. Just had granola bars for “breakfast”. Bellhop carried suitcases down.

§ Got right on Trans Canada 1 heading towards Golden. Passed the sign for “Entering British Columbia” so we had to turn around and go back. But the next U-turn was all the way back to Lake Louise.

§ Stopped for Yoho National Park sign as well as entering British Columbia where a dad took about a dozen photos of his daughter and then her stuffed dog. Huh?

§ Saw cars stopped on the road just after that. Pulled over and saw a bear but not in time to get a picture before he disappeared.

§ Stopped at Spiral Tunnels to see where the train tracks double back on themselves, and to watch for the trains to come down them. Tour bus came in and took all the photo spots then marveled at their timing at being there when a train came and that earlier they saw 3 bears. Hmph. Karen went to the car.

§ Went to Emerald Lake. Gorgeous turquoise water. Ate Lunch at Cilantro On The Lake for lunch. Tried to buy things at the little gift store but the credit card machine wasn’t working due to no signal. Went for a walk and came back and it worked.

§ Stopped at Natural Bridge.

§ Drove to Golden and checked in to the Ramada Inn for the first of 2 nights. Then drove around Golden trying to find “the town” and looking for a dinner location for later.

§ Headed up to Kicking Horse Lodge and saw 2 bears by the side of the road on the way! The lodge and condos at the top were deserted. Apparently it’s only a ski resort and no summer events, at least not in mid-June.

§ Went to Overwaitea grocery store for snacks and ice cream then back to the room for an hour or so. 2 ladies at the store had recommended Eleven 22 so we went there for dinner.

§ Back to the room for wifi and ice cream and relaxing evening.

HOTEL: Ramada Inn Limited

STEP COUNT: 9,320

On to British Columbia! This is Karen's first time to BC. Now we are tied on provinces. We only have 3 to go: Newfoundland and Labrador (that's one all together), Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

I was fascinated by the spiral tunnels. To avoid steep inclines in the railroad tracks, they built "spiral tunnels" where the train goes for a longer distance and a less steep grade and ends up crossing over itself. A train came along while we were there so we could see it in action! It may not make sense from these pics, just know that if you're ever driving from Lake Louise, Alberta to Golden, British Columbia, you should stop and try to figure this out for yourself. In the one photo, if you look real closely, it looks like you see three trains at different heights in the pic. It's the same train (trains are very long in CA...we saw many) in three different planes at the same time. - with Karen Overall at Spiral Tunnels.

Next stop: Emerald Lake. Beautiful little spot tucked along the highway to Golden. We had lunch at the quaint "Cilantro" restaurant next to the Emerald Lake Lodge.

 — with Karen Overall at Emerald Lake.

Fascinating. "This natural bridge was once a waterfall. As water found its way through cracks in the rock, it gradually enlarged them, creating a new channel. Today, except at extreme high water, the river flows beneath the top of the former waterfall, leaving it suspended as a bridge. Over time the passage will deepen, and eventually the bridge will collapse, creating a gorge."  — with Karen Overall at Natural Bridge , Yoho National Park.

We arrived in Golden, BC where we will stay for two nights. Quaint town, gorgeous setting, cool pedestrian bridge and town center.

 — with Karen Overall at Town of Golden.

Explored the Golden area including a drive up to Kicking Horse where we found two bear having dinner on the side of the road and a cute collection of Inuit Inukshuk. Bought road trip food at great local store called Overwaitea. Dinner at former home turned into restaurant that was quite yummy. We both ordered the pasta special of the day.

 — with Karen Overall at Eleven22 Restaurant.

Friday June 12, 2015

§ Slept in again.

§ Went back to town to the Post Office to buy a stamp and mail a postcard. Started the drive from golden to Revelstoke.

§ Photos along the way, at Rogers Pass Visitor Center.

§ Lunch in Revelstoke at Chubby Funsters with free wifi. We split the Chubby Club.

§ Drove around town and up to Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Saw a mountain goat and baby climbing up the mountain (too fast climbing up for a photo)

§ Drove almost all the way back to Golden where there was a police stop checking for ids. That’s when I realized I didn’t have my wallet and was driving without a license. The very kind policeman let us go without a second look. We made a u-turn then pulled over while Theresa set up an international data plan and called Churbby Funster’s. Sure enough they had my walled so we drove all the way back to Revelstoke to get it.

§ On the return trip all the rain and clouds turned into a beautiful sky, and a rainbow! Of course we pulled over to take photos.

§ Stopped at Legendz Diner in Golden for a 10pm dinner, then back to the hotel in Golden.

HOTEL: Ramada Inn Limited

STEP COUNT: 5,541

Today we head to Revelstoke by way of Roger's Pass. More gorgeous countryside. We go through "the other" Glacier National Park (Canada has one, too) and learn how when going through the pass, the mountains on one side are rounded and relatively smooth while the other side is jagged and rocky all due to glaciers. We also met "snow sheds"..."a type of rigid snow-supporting structure for avalanche control (avalanche defense) or to maintain passage in areas where snow removal becomes almost impossible." On this road, they were more like tunnels (sorta).

— with Karen Overall at Glacier National Park (Canada).

Stopped at Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk for a little hike. There were several boardwalk stops along this route. Fascinating to have a group picnic shelter with built-in wood stove. If it's cold enough to need a wood stove, I'm probably not thinking picnic.

 — with Karen Overall at Mount Revelstoke National Park.

Made it to Revelstoke. Had lunch at Chubby Funsters and split the Chubby Club (3 layers: pulled pork, pulled chicken, BLT), drove up to ski area famous for being the most vertical in North America, enjoyed the natural beauty and quaintness of the town including welcoming grizzly bears at two city entrances.

 — with Karen Overall at Mount Revelstoke British Columbia.

A lot of the stops in Roger's Pass are still closed from the winter (campgrounds, rest stops, boardwalks,...), but fortunately enough were open early for us to enjoy our time here. Saw lots of trains, more natural beauty, some interesting road signs and a gorgeous rainbow.

— with Karen Overall at Rogers Pass, BC.

—

Back in Golden, we had a late dinner at a family diner. Its name "Legendz" implies
That there's more than one legend, but they only have pictures and posters of The King, so I think they really believe there's only one. Real diner dinner followed by homemade cherry pie.

— with Karen Overall at Legendz.

Saturday June 13, 2015

§ Diet Pepsis exploded in the too-cold hotel room fridge!

§ Started the 5 hour drive back to Kalispell

§ Stopped in Cranbrook, ate lunch at Fired Up Breakfast & Burgers

§ Stopped for ice cream in Eureka at G’s Homemade Ice Cream and had a great conversation with the owners. They had only been open about a week and only as a “test”; they weren’t officially opened yet. Great homemade ice cream

§ Ate dinner at Loula’s Café in Whitefish, MT

§ Discovered that Going To the Sun Road was open to Logan Pass. Skipped homemade Huckleberry/”every other berry” Pie to head to Glacier National Park.

§ Sunsets on GTTS Road and of the Logan Pass Visitor’s Center.

§ Got back to Kalispell and to bed about midnight.

HOTEL: America’s Best Value Inn, Kalispell

Packing to head back to Kalispell today. Karen opened the fridge to get her Diet Pepsis bought at Overwaitea and discovered what happens when your refrigerator is set to be so cold it turns into a freezer. Good Girl Scout that she is, she cleaned it all up. We rinsed out the cans for recycling.  — with Karen Overall at Best Western Mountainview Inn.

Stopped in Cranbrook, population 19,000 (about the same size as Kalispell with population 20,000). Came across a bizarre structure (featured in the TV show weird homes, according to their own sign), then ate lunch at an "Eatery" called Fired Up. I've been comparing fish n chips. Theirs were good but the side salad was the real winner here.

— with Karen Overall at Fired Up Breakfast & Burgers.

Leaving Cranbrook, we came across Columbia Lake, the source for the Columbia River which empties into the Pacific at Astoria, Oregon. How cool! We are also nearing the U.S. Border. Woohoo!  — with Karen Overall.

First stop in America after crossing the border? G's Homemade Ice Cream! It's Gregg and Ginny's first summer to have this adorable ice cream stand. They haven't even officially opened and they were almost out of ice cream when we got there. Yummy stuff!!

with Karen Overall in Eureka, Montana.

Having dinner at Loula's Cafe (in the old Masonic Temple building) in Whitefish, MT when we find out that the Going to the Sun Road is open 16 miles further than it was 10 days ago when we were here last -- all the way to Logan Pass! Forget the homemade pie! Let's get to Glacier National Park before sunset!! And off we go!

 — with Karen Overall at Loula's Cafe.

Wow! Logan Pass is definitely beautiful. And we made it to the top (the last 16 miles of road are scary driving) by sunset!

— with Karen Overall at Glacier National Park.

Coming down the Going to the Sun Road after dark is even scarier than driving up it in dusk light! There was a half mile stretch that was one lane wide to allow for continued repairs on the road including rebuilding/ repairing/ reinforcing the retainer wall. Fortunately, we passed fewer than 10 cars the whole night, so we could take our half out of the middle. It took two hours to drive from Logan Pass, through the park, and on to Kalispell. We had a nice hotel room to nap in for four hours before our next trip to Logan Pass for sunrise photos!

— with Karen Overall at Glacier National Park.

Sunday June 14, 2015

§ Got up at 3:15am to drive 1:40 hours to Logan Pass. It was fogged in. So sad.

§ Started to go back down the road then decided to try Logan Pass again to see if the fog had lifted (and to be in front of the other 2 cars that were coming up the road). Still fogged in.

§ Took Heavens Peak waterfall photos on the way back down.

§ Stopped at the parking lot at the 170-degree turn around point, we saw a lone bear near the trashcans. Lots of photos! Even had time to get out the telephoto lens!

§ Continued back to the hotel in Kalispell, checked out and went to the airport.

§ T stayed in the car while K checked in, but her flight was delayed such that she would miss connections in Denver. Agents spent forever trying to find alternative flights. K went back out to the car to T could check in.

§ Still no final flights for K. K and T both took the car to the parking lot and found the Enterprise Key Drop in which to leave the rental car key. Gotta love a small town!

§ T left and started her trip home. K stood at the counter some more and finally got boarding passes to Salt Lake City then Phoenix, then Austin arriving at 2am.

§ About an hour later, sitting at the gate, Jeff, the SkyWest agent who finalized my trip walked up to me and said “I found you a better flight”. He found a seat on a nonstop flight from Salt Lake City to Austin! So I got home 2 hours sooner. And my luggage was on the flight!

§ Theresa flew to Boston via Seattle on Alaska Air, then took the bus the next morning to Farmington.

END OF TRIP L

We left our hotel at 3:30am to drive 2 hours to the top of Logan Pass again, this time for sunrise. The fog was too thick to see the top of the mountains or even the sunrise, but we did see great waterfalls, a porcupine, a mama mountain goat with her baby, and a bear!! Nancy Cameron Jones, my new friend from sunrise at Moraine Lake, described some bears she saw as a "cinnamon black bear." Obviously, I don't know my wildlife very well (don't ask me the difference between an elk and a caribou), but I'm guessing that's what this guy is. Nancy is a wildlife photographer, so I totally trust her. We almost accidentally came across this bear in the parking lot, so we just stayed in the car and took pictures as quietly as possible. What an awesome way to end this incredible trip.

 — with Karen Overall at Heavens Peak.

Farewell Canadian Rockies! So long "Big Sky Country!" Goodbye awesome Tahoe from Enterprise that we drove for 2,502 miles! It was an amazing 12 days! Thank you Karen, Rodney, and Mary for a fabulous, fun trip! Thank you God for friends, family, fellowship, and the wonders you allowed us to experience!

 — traveling to Farmington, Maine from Glacier Park International Airport.