Pacific Northwest,
Canada, & Alaska

Today I left Spartanburg on a sunny and very warm day dressed for much cooler weather. When I arrived in Charlotte the airport was too warm and the thermometer read 92 degrees. My plane was on time and I quickly settled into my 1st class seat (compliments of United) and read and ate and drank my way to Denver. I was expecting cooler temps but was so surprised when the captain sid it was a balmy 96 outside when we landed. I had a quick layover with 2 gate changes and soon was settled on my flight to Calgary. I was dressed appropriately for their weather as the temp was 44 and it was rainy. I cleared customs quickly and my bag came on the first round of luggage. Hugh had been in Idaho paddling his kayak so his trip started two weeks earlier as noted below. Hugh met me out front and soon we were on our way to the hotel. It was well after midnight and I was exhausted but not sleepy. Read for a while and then it was goodnight all.

Hugh's addition: "On Saturday May 27 I started my trip by driving to Georgia and Alabama to see family. Then I headed north to catch the TransCanadian Highway in Winnepeg which I took into British Columbia and to camp and paddle with Rex, Jim, & Lee in northern Idaho. We had a great time and on June 9 I drove to Calgary to await Susan to begin our trip together. At the end of this story I have placed links to places and sites I visited."

We slept in this morning and had a late breakfast. We got in the car and headed to the downtown area where we parked and spent the next many hours just walking and exploring. Our first stop was the Calgary Tower for our orientation to the area. It was a beautiful day and we could see everything the audio guide was talking about. When we left over an hour later we felt we knew the city much better. We headed to Stephens Street which is a great pedestrian street. We stopped into the shops and had a late lunch at an outside restaurant. The food was delish and we had restored energy for the rest of our exploration. We covered Stampede Park and then we rode to the Olympic village. It was late when we finally stopped for dinner. After dinner we took a walk around the area near our hotel before retiring to hot baths and reading.

This morning we were up much earlier and after a great breakfast we headed to Lake Louise. This is my first time on this road and I can hardly stop making pictures out the car as the mountains are so lovely. It is June but there is snow everywhere. The temperature is in the 40's and the sky is a bright blue. There is not a lot of traffic so we are surprised when we get near Lake Louise that there are shuttle stops because the lots are all full. We board our shuttle and after a short ride we arrive at the Fairmont Lake Louise and the beautiful lake as the backdrop. After exploring the hotel, we decided to make the hike around the lake and we took longer than necessary because we made so many pictures. The trail was well maintained and at the far end of the lake we made the turn toward the tea house and watched the climbers. When we finished the hike we stopped at the hotel for a snack and then took the shuttle to our car and drove to the Lake Louise ski resort and checked out the gondola. We were not impressed so we travelled on to Banff. We stopped at the information center and the lovely lady there told us to park in the lot and walk into town. We took her advice and took our time exploring the town before we continued our walk to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Hugh has stayed there several times and he was surprised how much it has changed. Since Fairmont bought all the old wonderful Canadian Pacific Railroad hotels they have upgraded them and now they are looking a little generic on the inside. We were disappointed that we could not make a reservation for tea tomorrow because they are using the whole area for a convention. From the hotel we walked to Bow Falls and continued on the Bow Trail back into town. We explored the shops and ended our time in Banff with pizza (not a good choice). We strolled back to our car and decided to go to the Vermillion Lakes for sunset. The mountain reflections in the lakes were fabulous and as darkness settled in we headed to the hotel. We spent some time on pictures but mostly we watched the basketball game and my Golden State Warriors won the championship in this fifth game. Game over, lights out, good night!

This morning we got up early, grabbed a breakfast sandwich and headed to Lake Louise village. Yesterday we could not drive or get a shuttle to Lake Moraine so we decided to try much earlier today. There are some clouds and they must have frightened everyone away because we were waved right on to the road and soon we were parked and ready to explore. We made our way down to the lake and it was amazing. This may be even prettier than Lake Louise. We made the walk around the lake and then made the climb on the rock-pile trail to get the last and one of the prettiest views of the lake. We made a stop at the general store before heading to the parking lot. It was much, much busier at this time with a huge number of buses unloading. We made our way back to the village and stopped for lunch at a deli... excellent hot soup and a panini. We also found the post office and mailed Bill's father's day card. It was raining when we left the village but we were not daunted by the weather. We headed north to Field where we made a stop at the Canada National Parks info center. We were told there was not much in Field proper but 2 km past here is Natural Bridge and Emerald Lake. We headed that way after Hugh admired a train that was stopped on the tracks in Field, actually blocking the road into town. We got back on the TransCanada highway and exited at Natural Bridge and Emerald Lake. The Natural Bridge was the first parking lot we came to so we stopped. This was an amazing and frightening natural occurrence with water rushing through this hole with such force that the sound was deafening and the whirl pools it created were deadly. There were bridges for viewing and you could even climb above the falls area. From here we stopped at Emerald Lake and walked around. We were not able to take a long hike as it started raining very hard. We drove back to Field and Hugh went to a coffee shop and by the time he had his coffee everyone in the place had spoken to him. We drove back to Canmore and had dinner before retiring for the night. We journaled, bathed, and read just a bit before we crashed and burned!

This morning we awoke early with high expectations for our day. We are driving north through the Jasper National Park on the Icefields Parkway. Once up and the window open we found out that it was raining. The forecast is for off and on showers and we are hopeful that by the time we get to the park it will have stopped. We stopped for breakfast and some sandwiches for a picnic before heading up AB 1 to our turn-off. It is still raining when we enter the park and the clouds are very low. There are signs everywhere to look out for wildlife on the highway but we did not see any. We made our first stop at Bow Lake and donned raincoats over our jackets and headed up the trail. The path is narrow with snow on each side and in a lot of places snow and ice on the path. It was slow going in the rain and up the slick hill. We finally arrived at the top with several other people and were so disappointed that there was nothing to see. We were totally engulfed in a cloud and it was a complete whiteout. We laughed with everyone else and then decided to "take a shortcut" back through a closed parking lot. It was much longer and of course it started raining harder. Back at the car we dried off and continued on our way. As the morning progressed the rain stopped and we were able to stop at several of the turnouts for amazing views. As we were approaching the Columbia Ice Field we saw a grizzly bear scavenging along the bushes just off the road. We sat and watched for a while and got a couple of pictures from the car. Unfortunately, it was behind the bushes too much for a great shot, but by head shape and color we know it was a grizzly. The sun was shining when we stopped for our picnic at the Icefield Center. We bought tickets for the SkyWalk and were immediately able to board the bus for the tour. Our guide told us that the ice covers an area twice as large as Paris and is an average of 100 meters thick. We got off the bus and made the walk along the edge and saw many amazing waterfalls. We stopped to talk to a naturalist and she said that the goats that are usually out on the cliffs are not out which was a disappointment. We made our way to the glass part of the sky walk and loved the wonderful view and of course we made the silly pictures along with everyone else. After about an hour we caught the bus back to the center. We were going to hike to the large glacier but when we arrived at the car it started raining again hard so we headed north for more adventure. We saw a sign for a turnout called Goats and Glaciers and we both laughed and said, "there won't be any today". Just as we came over the hill there was a goat standing in the road. I jumped out of the car and followed the goat to the roadside and up and over the hill where he and his buddies disappeared down a steep hill to the river's edge. I got some great shots but was disappointed that Hugh did not get to see them more. We waited for a while and made some scenery pictures and just as we were leaving the goats climbed back up the bank and I got some terrific shots. We continued our journey with big smiles on our faces. We stopped at several waterfalls and even got caught in a construction traffic jam. When we arrived in Jasper, a city in the park, the sun was shining and we went to check out the Jasper Gondolas and on our way up we saw a blck bear just walking on the road. The gondola was stuck about 10 feet from the end of the ride so we decided not to take a chance. As we were heading down to town we came across a mother black bear with 2 very small cubs. We drove along beside them as they foraged and I got some great pictures. Once in town we parked and set out on foot. There were trains to see, shops to visit, hats to purchase, and we did it all. We stopped for dinner at the Canadian version of IHop. The restaurant was called Smitty's and the food was great, especially the maple syrup they served with the pancakes. After dinner we made our way to Hinton and our hotel for the evening. On our drive there we saw 2 carribou just sitting in some tall grass. The noise of the cars did not bother them at all. We were tired but very happy when we reached our hotel. It was truly a great day.

Today we are heading toward Glacier National Park. There are several routes we can take but the most interesting one is back through Jasper National Park because today it is sunny and hopefully we can do the things we could not do yesterday. We would also like to see that wildlife that is supposed to be on the roadway. After breakfast we made our way into the park and started our drive. The sun was in and out and we were able to see the tops of all the mountains we could not see yesterday. We made some stops along the way but our first major stop was at the Ice Field where we were able to make the hike up to the glacier. It was windy and very cold and we had on our toboggans and gloves. It was neat to see the ice field so up close even though we were not allowed out on it. Time was of the essence as our drive was long so we did not stop any more until we arrived at Bow Lake. There was a backup at the parking lot so our hike to the trail was almost as long as our hike up the trail. The trail was still covered in snow and ice in some areas but it was easier today without the rain. When we reached the top the view was spectacular. We made lots of pictures and we were very pleased that we made the second effort. Today we went back the same way we came up and it was much quicker than yesterday's shortcut. We drove out of the park without seeing any animals today and that was a disappointment. There were signs everywhere for Moose crossings, Elk Crossings, and even one Carribou Crossing. Not sure where they were for the last two days! We continued our journey south and stopped for lunch at Canmore. We were amazed how long we were in the city of Calgary as we made our way through. This is a very spread out city to have only 1.3 million people. As we exited Calgary the terrain changed from sharp peaked, snow covered mountains to rolling hills then to flat plains. The ranches each went on for miles and the road could be seen for long distances. We could see the mountains in the distance to the West all day. We went through some small towns but nothing was open as it was past 5 pm. We made our way to Fort McLeod where we were spending the night. Our hotel is straight from the 50's but it is clean and has all the modern conveniences. We checked in and then walked around the town and fort which was built as a training facility and housing for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the 1800's. We stopped for dinner at the Fort MacLeod Restaurant and we had great food and the cutest waitress. She was so friendly and wanted to know all about us as she shared her story. Back at the hotel we decided to drive out to see a sight we saw advertised as we drove into town... the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. We had no idea what to expect and we were surprise that it was a World Heritage site. This is a place where the Indians ran the buffalo off the cliff to kill then. There is evidence that this occurred for over 5700 years at this sight. It is named for a brave that hid under the hills to watch the animals fall and he got caught between the cliff and the large heap of animals and his head was smashed, thus the name. You just never know what you will find until you investigate. We made it back to the hotel and Hugh uploaded the pictures while I journaled. Another great day!

Up early this morning and we were packed and ready to hit the road before the breakfast was ready. Just as we were getting in the car they opened the door and we had a bite before hitting the road to Waterton Lakes National Park for a boat ride around the lake to see the Canadian portion of Glacier National Park. When we left the forecast was for some clouds and wind but less than a 20% chance of rain. We had high hopes for a sunny day beginning to end. The drive went fast and along the way we saw bison. We liked the little village of Waterton as we drove in. We found the boat and bought our tickets. We had 45 minutes to walk around before boarding. We looked in shops, found our restaurant for lunch, and started to walk along the shore to make pictures and the rains came. It was so windy that the clouds moved in and out quickly so it was sunny, raining, sunny, and then more rain. We saw more rainbows today than we have ever seen before. Our cruise around the lake was on a 90-year-old boat that was built for just this job. It is well maintained and the commentary was very good. It rained off and on but the views were fabulous. After the cruise we had lunch at Wieners of Waterton. They had the best sweet potato fries with aioli that you can imagine. Hugh said the hot dog was excellent also. From Waterton we drove south to Glacier National Park in Montana. We hated to leave Alberta and as we entered the US part of the park we realized how poorly the USA maintains some of its parks. The roads were so bad; large potholes, washed out areas, and just poor maintenance all around. Our first area to explore was Many Glaciers. It was too windy and rainy to hike so we drove from viewpoint to viewpoint. The clouds were low and it was hard to see anything. We moved on to St. Mary and the entrance to the Going to the Sun Road. We checked in at the ranger station and we were told that the middle portion of the highway is still closed because of snow. We were able to drive 12 miles and see a lot of lovely sights including Jackson Glacier and several deer. We are getting tired of seeing signs for animals on the roadway when for the past 5 days we have not seen any. Where are all these moose and elk that are supposed to make our driving hazardous??? The views along St. Mary Lake were breathtaking but the wind picked up and so did the rain so around 5 we headed to our hotel... The Glacier Park Lodge. This hotel was built as the show piece of the Great Northern Railroad in 1913. We had planned to camp on the Western side of Glacier (the other end of the Going to the Sun Road) but of course snow blocked our path. Thus we found these accomodations at the last minute. The Lodge is very grand in a rustic type of style. We checked in and decided to have dinner in the main dining room. The food was wonderful and our waiter was a charmer from Nebraska. He and his wife and 3 daughters live full time in New Zealand but came over to the states for a wedding, bought and outfitted a school bus as a mobile home, and have been traveling for the last 6 months. They will spend the summer here and when the hotel closes for the winter the end of September they will head back to NZ. After dinner we got our computers and headed to the main area and a big fireplace to journal, drink wine, and edit pictures. What a way to end a great day!

This morning we got up early and packed for another adventure. We checked out of our lovely lodge and stopped at the "famous" Whistle Stop Restaurant for huckleberry stuffed French toast. It was wonderful and we sat with extra cups of coffee just to linger a bit. We decided to take a drive through Two Medicine Lake before we left Glacier and we made some great pictures but the temperature was 40 and the wind about 30 mph and it was too cold to hike as much as we wanted. We did take a mile hike to one waterfall and it was lovely and we were glad we made the effort. As we left Glacier National Park before the rain started and we were glad for the warmth and safety of our car. We had not been on the road more than an hour when the sun came out for a little while and warmed things up. We were amazed at the different terrain we saw and made pictures as we went along to document. We especially enjoyed hiking to see the scenery of the Missouri River Canyon. We stopped for a quick lunch in Great Falls and continued on to Helena, the capital city. We arrived in West Yellowstone about 5:30 and drove through the town on a scouting expedition and then made our way to our campground and pitch our tent and ready everything for the night. We then drove back into town and visited the shops and searched out a restaurant for dinner. We enjoyed our evening and before long it was after 9 and we were ready to get to bed. We arrived back at the campground and everyone was out and about so we walked around and checked out the whole establishment. Very nicely done! We brushed teeth and climbed into our tent. It was cold and the sleeping bag felt so nice. We read a bit before turning out the lantern.

This morning the alarm went off at 7 and we both looked at each and wondered if we really wanted to crawl out of our warm bed. We did and were surprised that it was not as cold as we expected. We headed to the showers and did not have to wait in line. We cooked our breakfast and by 8:15 we were heading to Yellowstone for a full day of animal viewing we hope. We made our first stop at the Yellowstone info cnter in town and the ranger mapped out 2 days for us. We headed into the park and before the cell phone coverage ended we called our parents. We had not gone more than 15 miles when we hit a huge traffic jam. We were concerned that our whole day would be like this but after an hour of inching forward we found out that it was a wreck and we were being diverted through a campground. While we were inching forward we saw our first bear. It was a large black bear eating his way along the meadow. He would not cooperate and hold his head up. We continued our drive and our next encounter was with bison and there were a lot of them. Some cooperated better than others. The calves were the cutest. I think adult bison look perpetually sad. After our animal encounters we stopped at a geyser field and hiked up the mountain for a birds eye view. The bubbling mud pots, hissing pools, and the geysers are interesting but the backdrop of the beautiful mountains was the true star. Our next stop on this adventure was a raging waterfall and it was truly spectacular; but an adorable marmot on the cliff stole the show. This was our first marmot and it was so much fun watching him on the rocks above the Yellowstone River. Our drive took us higher and higher and the terrain changed and the snow covered peaks were right outside our window. There were beautiful meadows at over 8000ft. with deer and elk grazing. We saw two black cubs playing ring around the rock. While we were watching the bears the park ranger that was directing traffic started to holler "get in your car, get in your cars now. A fox is coming down the road". We jumped in our car and sure enough a yellow fox walked right past us down the road and then into the woods. That was a real surprise! We were driving past a field that was covered in bison and their calves when all of a sudden they decided to cross the road. We stopped and I stood on the seat and shot pictures out the sunroof. They were so slow and all of a sudden they reversed direction and then reversed again. We stopped for lunch at Canyon Lodge before we made the circle back to West Yellowstone. On the last leg of our journey we saw Mammoth Geyser and Hot Springs, pronghorn antelope, more bison, mule deer, and sights too lovely to describe. We spent 12 hours in the northern part of the park today and we were tired when we stopped for dinner. We made it back to the campground late and I just took time to wash my face and brush my teeth before I crawled into my sleeping bag. Hugh stayed up for a bit to upload the pictures that we had taken. It was cold and we snuggled in for a long snooze.

This morning came much too early for me as the large campers decided to move out very early and dogs started barking before 6. So much for the quiet time restrictions. I made hot water for tea while Hugh started breaking down our tent. We had our oatmeal and coffee before we finished packing and then heading to the shower. We reorganized the car and when we drove off we were all neat and tidy. We stopped at the park information to buy some Montana tee shirts that we had seen yesterday. Then it was off to explore the southern end of the park. This area of the park is filled with geothermal spring, bubbling mud pots, and geysers. The terrain is very different from the mountainous terrain we saw yesterday. We saw bison and mule deer in this area but most of our time was spent hiking around geothermal areas and looking at beautiful lakes. We had lunch at the lodge at Old Faithful. After lunch we walked out to the geyser and then walked around the area stopping in the information and education center for a movie on the area. Then we said a sad goodbye to Yellowstone and made the short drive, 29 miles, to the Grand Teton National Park. We stopped in at the information center for a map but this park is small and it only takes a little map reading to get oriented. We stopped at Leeks Marina first and checked out a pizzeria for dinner. We then headed to Colter Bay and checked in to our tent cabin. We unloaded our sleeping bags and sleep clothes before we headed back to the Colter Bay Village to explore. There is a nice information center and we got recommendations for hikes for tomorrow. We then checked out the swimming area and the showers and laundromat. We have to drive to the showers and the last one is at 5:30pm. Morning showers for us, no doubt. We then drove to the pizzeria and had a great meal which we stretched out by editing our pictures. We decided to drive past our village and we were so glad we did. There was a group of people on the side of the road with a park ranger. They were watching a huge mother grizzly with her 2 cubs. They were far enough away that binocular had to be used so we felt safe. Hugh used his new long range lens and we hope he got some great shots. I used the binocular and just enjoyed the show. We then drove down to the lake and got a few sunset shots. What a fabulous day! We dressed for bed and then journaled and read until lights out.

This morning we stayed in bed for a while after the clock went off. We both slept so well we did not want to get up. I decided to set the kitchen up and get water on the stove for tea while Hugh dressed and got the pictures ready for me to view. We had breakfast and then decided to go for at least 2 of the hike that the ranger told us about. We drove to the trailhead nearest us and made the lakeshore hike 1 mile roundtrip for a warm up. It was an easy trail and we were just walking along when a fox came walking down the left-hand side of the trail. He did not even bother to look up at us but just kept walking. He was a variation of a red fox and had the bushiest tail. We walked to the marina store to check out boat rentals but made the decision to hike first and decide about boating later. We then drove to the trailhead of the Lake Leigh trail. We thought we would just make this 1.5-mile hike and then decide about another one. This was an easy hike and when we came to the fork we had the option of continuing on for 3 more miles; this circumnavigated the lake. We decided to continue and this trail had more climbing and there was a lot of runoff from the snow that was making streams across the trail. There were a lot of park workers on the mountain digging runoff channels to control the flow. As we ascended our last upward portion we saw the cutest marmot digging for grubs. He did not pay much attention to us until I climbed on a rock and he saw me. He stood straight up and struck a pose. When we finished our hike we came out in a different parking lot than the one we expected. We were disoriented for a minute but then realized we just needed to walk past several parking lots until we came to the final one and yep, there was our car. It was almost 2 and we decided to drive to Jackson Hole rather than make another hike. We drank water and had snacks as we drove. Because the scenery was changing as we drove south through the park we stopped for pictures along the way. We made a detour into Teton Village and we would have appreciated the village more if the road going in had not been so rough and a good portion dirt. We walked around the village and soon we were on the final leg to Jackson Hole. We drove into town and knew immediately that it would be a fun place to explore. We walked the streets and visited a few outdoor shops and gift shops. When we finished our exploration it was not yet our dinner time so we drove through a National Elk Refuge. It was huge and the road dusty. This would have been fine but we saw no elk but a family of pronghorn antelope. We explored the neighborhoods before heading to a fun Mexican restaurant for dinner. We sat at the bar and watched the college world series and talked while enjoying delicious food. After dinner we took the shorter route back and stopped and hiked to see a group of elk grazing and also to see our mamma grizzly with her cubs. They were in a different location tonight but drawing just as large a crowd. Today we found out this bear is numbered 396 andd she is 21 years old, the oldest in the park. We made the decision to get up early and get on the road to Spokane which is over 9 hours away. We backed the car leaving only what we needed for in the morning out. I journaled and then we looked at pictures. Another great day in Wyoming!

This morning we woke up at 6 am and finished our packing before heading to the bathrooms to wash faces and brush teeth. We were on the road by 6:30 and this was a good thing as we had a long 9:40 in trip to Spokane. The route we had to take took us back through Yellowstone but at this time we did not have too much traffic to contend with. We also did not see any animals. The elk must be on vacation also. We had breakfast in West Yellowstone and continued on our way to Missoula. The scenery was ever changing and this was a section of the country we had not seen. We had lunch in Missoula and made only a stop for fuel and a stop at the Coeur d'Alene Mission in Cataldo which is the oldest building in Idaho. It was a Jesuit mission that ministered to the Indians. We arrived in Spokane at rush hour and we had to take an alternate route to our hotel. Once we checked in I took a long shower and Hugh took a nap. After his shower we went to downtown and visited the Riverfront Park built for the 1974 world's fair. We saw the power plant from the 1920's and also the dams. We took a long walk throughout the park and only stopped when it was time for dinner. After a great dinner we headed to the hotel but when we arrived we saw a car wash across the street. We took the time to vacuum the car and give it a first class carwash. Boy did it sparkle and shine. Then it was off to our room and some journaling and reading before saying goodnight.

This morning we woke up early because we have a drive to get us to Seattle and we have some stops we would like to make along the way. Unfortunately, I woke up with an upset stomach and general malaise. This means that I slept or reclined most of the way and poor Hugh had to do all the driving. I will let him tell you what he saw along the way. We arrived in Seattle and found our Airbnb and it was very nice. I immediately climbed into bed and just when I thought I was better the vomiting started for real. Hugh went to dinner with our friend Tom Sutton who lives here and I stayed in bed sleeping and reading until Hugh was home safely and we turned out the lights.

Hugh's story: "I very much enjoyed the scenery of crossing Washington. On the western side of Spokane are high mountains with high snowfalls and lush forests but as soon as you go west from Spokane you are in a desert till close to the coast. I loved the deep canyon views of the Columbia River and I saw war games being played on the rolling plains. The high passes at Cle Elum and Snoqualmie were amazing. We stopped in Snoqualmie so I could see the famous waterfall and train museum. We were on I-90 almost all day."

We slept in a bit this morning and decided to put some clothes into wash before we headed to breakfast. While our clothes washed we walked to a great bagel shop for breakfast arriving back just in time to put the clothes in the dryer. By 10 we had clean duds and were off to take the duck tour of Seattle. We decided to walk there and Siri provided the directions. Unfortunately, they were the wrong directions and it took way too long to get to the Space Needle. Not sure what the issue was but now I will be skeptical about her directions. We purchased our tickets and were lucky to get on the noon tour. Our guide was entertaining in a loud and silly way but provided a lot of information. We got to see a large part of the city and even take a ride on the water to see the houseboats and barge houses along with multimillion dollar yachts and seaplanes. It was a great 90 minutes and our next stop was the armory building where there are some great little restaurants. We ate at one called Meat Pies. From there we walked through the Mo Pop, a museum of pop culture. It is a strange looking building designed by the same man who did the Guggenheim. From there we walked to Pike Place Market and all of these areas have changed so much since Trey lived here 14 years ago. The market was crowded and we soon decided to walk up the street to the original Nordstrom's to see if it was better than the one in Charlotte. I am happy to say all 4 floors of it are better! By the time we had finished exploring the downtown area I was fading and Hugh was ready for his vacation nap. We caught an Uber ride back and rested for a bit. I ironed and packed while Hugh wrote his picture pages. Not having electricity while camping we had gotten behind. After showers we went out to explore the area we were staying in. We found a great crepe restaurant and settled in for dinner. It was full with a waiting line so we sat at the bar which was a good choice as one of the bar tenders was so friendly and helpful with our choices. Dinner was fabulous and we took our time walking back. Once in for the night we read and journaled did the last minute packing. A good day and good night!

This morning we were up and on the road by 7:30. We waited until we were well out of Seattle to purchase fuel and get some breakfast. We were amazed at the snow-covered peaks we saw all along the way. The drive to Vancouver was not too long and we found ourselves in the area we were staying by lunchtime. We walked around China town and explored some shops before deciding to eat at a food truck that was parked at the cultural center. It was doing a brisk business and we found out why. The Thai food was delicious and reasonable. While we were eating I got a message that our Airbnb was ready for us and we could check in. We did so with a few issues... our issues not the place. It was country come to city as we tried to figure out codes and parking garage openings and closing. We final got it together and even made it up the elevator which only works with the key fob or a code... who knew! We put our stuff in and admired the lovely apartment but were dismayed to see we did not have a/c. No-one around here bothers because the weather is so mild but today it it quite warm, a Pacific NW heat wave. We opened windows and decided to go out and find the hop-on hop-off bus and take the tour. We spent the afternoon exploring every corner of Vancouver and ended at Gastown near our apartment. We walked around and had dinner at an Irish pub before we headed to the apartment to organize or bags for our cruise. Out with the camping and in with the cruise wear. We consolidated into 2 bags and I think we still have more than we need. I did a load of wash and Hugh worked on pictures until bed time.

This morning we awoke with great anticipation. The next chapter of our adventure begins today as we board the Zaandam for our cruise and land tour of Alaska. We showered and dressed and walked to breakfast. After indulging in doughnuts we packed the car, checked out of the apartment, and drove to Canada Place where we left our car for the next 2 weeks. We had decided to explore a bit after we checked our bags but our plans changed when we got off the elevator. There was no line for 4 star mariners and we were soon checked in. We still had our bags as we went through immigration and as we exited we were ushered onto the ship. Our cabin was waiting for us and before lunchtime we were unpacked, room organized, pressing sent out, and the few pieces we needed immediately were ironed and hung. This was the easiest embarkation we have ever had. Those 4 stars made a big difference. We also had a bottle of champagne waiting in our room. We decided to eat some by the pool and after lunch we explored the ship until time for our 3-5-star mariner cocktail party to welcome us aboard. There were less than 20 people at this lovely affair and we wondered if this was a first cruise for a lot of people. We met some fellow travelers and sat and talked until they closed it down. We went out on deck with our cameras and walked and made some pictures of the port. We purchased 3 bottles of wine and then I scheduled a pedicure. Hugh went to nap and I stayed on deck. There were several raffles and I attended those but as usual did not win a thing. Hugh came up for sail-away and we enjoyed the changing scenery until dinner time. We showered and dressed for dinner and we were seated with 4 other people and it was a great combination. We had a long lovely meal and then went to the showroom for the usual introduction of the entertainment staff. This looks like a talented group and we will be visiting all the venues. After a walk around the deck we headed off to bed.

Today was our first at sea day and we woke up at our regular 7 a.m. and dressed and went to the dining room for breakfast. The food was wonderful and I like the coffee here so much better than the LIDO. After breakfast we walked around and explored the ship some before ending up poolside and Hugh worked on his computer and I checked out the Alaska sale. At 10 we went to a Journeys Ashore presentation to find out the highlights of each area. After the presentation we went to an informative talk on Ammolite the gem of this area. There was a raffle that followed but of course we didn't win. We then went to a game show sponsored by the BBC called "What on Earth". It was a fun game and we were able to answer most of the questions. We then went to the dining room for lunch and sat with some lovely people and talked and ate for much longer than usual. At 1:45 we were invited to a private wine tasting and the sommelier was great and the white wines were wonderful. Hugh enjoyed the reds very much so we were both happy. We went to the top of the ship to see if there was anything to see but it was cold and dreary so we went to the library and I got a book and we retired to the cabin. We read and rested (slept) for much too long and then it was showers and I had a pedicure. We dressed for the gala dinner and we had to wait a good while to be seated. We listened to Adagio while we waited. This is a duo we have seen before and really loved. We were seated with an odd mix of people but everyone was very nice except a sulky 18 year old boy and a whiney teenage girl (poor mom). After dinner we went to the show and it was the entertainment team in a country musical production and they were absolutely wonderful. It was a show I could have seen twice had we been able to get to the earlier show. It was late and we went to the cabin and readied everything for our adventure in Ketchikan tomorrow.

This morning we were up and at breakfast very early as we had set our watches for the correct time but Hugh did not set his phone which was on airplane mode when he set the alarm. This turned out to be a good thing as we had time to get a good walk around the town in before our excursion at 9:30. This is a funny little town and all the stores opened at 8 just for us. There are no red-lights but there was a red light district in the old days which is fun to read about. The signs all say Ketchikan... where the salmon and the men come to spawn. At 9:30 we joined 13 other hardy souls and headed out of town for a kart adventure. Our bus driver was named Loren and he had the driest wit imaginable. He was a great guide and provided a lot of info on the drive. Ketchikan, Alaska's first city, got this name because it is the first city you come to on the inside passage. It averages 137 inches of rain a year or approximately .5 inches per day. It get very little snow and is considered a temperate climate. We arrived at our destination and Loren left us to be outfitted for our adventure. We donned or helmets and went to our karts for a safety talk. Our karts were Israeli desert scout vehicles called Tomcars. We had Jackson and Stephanie as our guides. They were enthusiastic and when we took off on the logging roads filled with potholes, Stephanie set a fast pace. Hugh drove first and he was cautious because of my neck but he soon realized he just had to drive. We saw one vehicle from another tour being pulled out of the bushes... oops. We stopped at a beautiful overview about ¼ of the way through our trip and we had a group picture made. We had time to talk to the guides and they both grew up here, went off to college, but come back to work each summer. They both love ocean kayaking and don't mind the rain. Our halfway point included a stop to walk to a waterfall and change drivers. They even fed us knowing that cruisers can't go over 2 hours without food. I drove on the way back and again it was fast paced. We were sorry to see our adventure end. We didn't see any wildlife but we had a great time. After looking at our pictures we boarded a bus driven by a woman who had retired from the US Coast Guard. Back in town we walked over to the Creekside area we missed this morning and arrived back at the ship shortly before our sailing time. We sat up by the pool and had some lunch as the ship prepared to sail. We made some pictures as we left the harbor and enjoyed the beautiful views. We attended a lecture on Alaskan wildlife and where to find them by our naturalist Wallis. Then we went to the cabin for a short rest and shower before dinner. We ate in the Lido so we could sit by the window and watch for whales. We did not see whales but we did see a lot of different pods of Dell Dolphins. We also saw a lot of eagles flying around the salmon packing plant. From dinner we headed to the 8 pm show. Tonight's entertainer was Rodney Johnson a wonderful comedian. We laughed our heads off as did the rest of the packed audience. From the show we headed to Mix and Andy on the piano. It was name that tune and Hugh and I came in second! We were tired and headed to the cabin around 11 to journal and sleep!

This morning we awoke with the idea of a slow morning as we were not to arrive in Juneau until 10 am. We had breakfast in the dining room and then went to the Crow's Nest to do some computer work and we were so surprised when we docked over an hour early. We rushed to our cabin and got our things together so we could go out and walk around before we left on our excursion. Our excursion today took us to a salmon hatchery. They produce over 120,000,000 little frye each year but only about 10% survive to return to spawn. They had a nice aquarium and touch tank area. We also got to see the fish ladder. From the hatchery we had about a 15 minute drive to the Mendenhall Glacier. This glacier is one of 38 large glaciers that flow from the 1,500 square mile expanse known as the Juneau icefield. It was easy to see where the ice flow in the lake came from as the glacier had recently calved and the area was a lovely blue color. We walked the 2 mile trail to Nugget Falls and had a great view of the falls and glacier in one scene. It was cold and misty there but the sight was incredible. These glaciers like the ones we visited in Montana are melting at an accelerated rate. After the falls we walked the 1 mile trail through Steep Canyon in hopes of seeing some bear. There are black bear in this area and the moms have cubs. We did not see any though. From the glacier we headed to a salmon bake and the food was delicious. The salmon was cooked on the grill with a delicious glaze and the baked beans had reindeer sausage. The dessert was blueberry cake and roasted marshmallows. After lunch we walked to a waterfall that was nearby before taking the shuttle back into town. We went to the cabin to drop off our cameras and backpack before walking around town. We decided to rest by the pool and have a hot tea; no need to rush. We walked around town looking in the shops, stopping by the Red Dog Saloon where Wyatt Earp's gun hangs over the bar, and just exploring the area. Soon our feet were tired and we headed back to the ship. We decided to look at our pictures and journal and before we knew it time had slipped away and it was 7. This would not have been a problem but at 8 there is a show we wanted to see. We showered and dressed for dinner and ate in the Lido because it is so much quicker than the dining room. We took our wine to the showroom and the show was just starting. This was a BBC production to celebrate HAL's first voyage to Alaska 70 years ago. The band and Adagio provided the music for accompaniment and it was spectacular. The scenery was breathtaking and the photography of the animals was amazing. After the show we went to hear Andy the piano man in Mix. It was request night and he played a wide assortment. We sailed at 10 and we went out to walk around on deck to see the sights but the cold and wind drove us back inside. We retired to the cabin and readied ourselves for our day in Skagway.

We awoke this morning early as we were docking in Skagway around 7. We wanted to see the town as we sailed in but we were surprised that we were already docked when we got up. We dressed and had breakfast before we walked into the town to explore. We had been here before but the town seemed much different than we remembered. The walk in along the waterfront was nice and we saw the trains that we would be on in the afternoon. We looked in the train station and visitors center and had plenty of time to look into some shops although we were not looking for anything. We walked back to the ship in some drizzle and had a very early lunch. We went out to find our tour group and learned that there were 11 of us on the train and bike trip. Our guide Lauren was very nice and made sure everyone signed their waiver and knew that it was a costly thing to have to be air-evacuated if you get hurt...$85,000. On the train we each had window seats and the scenery was wonderful, waterfalls, trestles built in the 1800's, and snowcapped or covered mountains. It was 1.5 hours up and when we reached the top the temperature was much colder and windy than at the bottom. My first thought was "I had not planned on doing a bike ride in these conditions after Hobart." We were given gloves and beanies along with our helmets. Our bikes were sized for us and of course we got the safety lecture and the rules of the road. We started our descent and our guide stayed with us and we made several stops for pictures, plants lectures, and to just regroup. Although we are by far the oldest we are not the slowest or the least adept on the bikes. There was one very steep hill and I was so happy when I made it to the top and did not have to get off my bike; thank heaven for gears. We rode over 15 miles, having to go through passport control as we re-entered the US from Canada, and it took almost 2 hours for us to make it back to the bike shop in town. The scenery was wonderful and at one of our stops we saw a black bear with her 2 cubs. Back in town we stopped at the popcorn shop and enjoyed some great chocolate covered popcorn as we explored the museum and still more shops. We were tired so we slowly made our way back to the ship to shower and rest for a bit before dinner. We decided to eat in the LIDO and not dress for the dining room. We had a great dinner and then it was off to the 8 pm show. The entertainment was a magician/comedian and it was truly a family fun show. We then went to listen to the pianist and again this was the busiest venue on the ship. This guy is fantastic and we stayed through the last set. We walked around outside as we sailed away but it was raining and windy so we decided to head to the cabin and read. A very good day!

This morning we awoke at 6:15 because we are sailing through Glacier Bay. When we open the drapes it was a whiteout and we decided to go back to sleep but sleep did not come so we dressed and headed to breakfast. We sat by a window but there was not a lot to see. We saw the spouts of several whales but clouds covered the mountain. We took cameras and sat in the Crow's nest and in the window seats of one of the bars so we could catch a glimpse of anything there was to see as the weather constantly changed. We went outside when the scenery called and then back inside to warm up. When we passed the glaciers it seemed the weather improved and the captain did circles so everyone could see. We saw sea lions on rocks and ice flows, more whale spouts, and a lot of beauty. The day was spent photographing and reading and it was quite nice. It was gala night so we dressed up and went to dinner early so that we could make the 8 pm show and have time for music afterwards. We were blessed with a table for 2 so we had a leisurely dinner, walked around the ship to make pictures of the beautiful snow-capped mountains and the glaciers we are passing. This is a new area for us as we have not made the sail to Seward before. We are in open water and the seas are not as calm but the scenery is spectacular. The show was Rock Legends and this talented group did a great job. Andy at the piano was doing Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra and we listened for a while before going to Adagio and listening to them and playing Kings on a Corner. Soon it was 10 and we decided to upload pictures and journal before we settled in for the night.

This morning we decided to keep to our schedule and the alarm went off at 7 but we did not get up until almost 8. We dressed and went to breakfast and we were seated with 2 lovely couples, one from Seattle and one from Fargo, ND. We talked and stretched our breakfast time out for a long while. We then went to the cabin and got a head start on our packing. We have to have a bag for Denali and the other will join us in Fairbanks at the end of our land journey. We made short work of this and before long it was time for our Mariner's cocktails and luncheon. The cocktail time was for 4-5 star mariners and there were only about 20 of us. The luncheon was for 3-5 star mariners and it filled up more. The food was delicious and we had great tablemates. After the luncheon we went to the future cruise desk to sign up for a January cruise but Joey was not at his desk again until 3. We then went to the cabin and Hugh napped and I colored my hair. A girl has to look out for her hair!!!! At 3 we went to a presentation on Being a bush pilot in Alaska.

Up this morning at 7 and we were sad as this is our disembarkation port...no more housekeeping, food choices, and pampering. We went to the main dining room for the last time and then we made our way off the ship and onto our bus to our shore excursion. The weather was cloudy and cold but we checked in for our Kenai Fjords and Fox Island dinner cruise. Kenai Fjords National Park would be another park to add to our list. This was an all-day affair and so well worth it. The boat was not full and that was a good thing in more ways than one. The seas were rough when we made it into open seas and there were more than a few people using the paper receptacles and looking very green. Hugh and I did fine and even enjoyed our lunch. The trip was amazing and we saw Dall Dolphins, humpback whales, orca's, sea lions, and otters. Sometimes we were seeing both types of whales at the same time. We had so much fun photographing and the crew even scooped up a large piece of the bergy (glacier bits from the calving) bits for us to hold. Our trip was made complete when we saw a huge eagle scoop up a fish and fly off. Hugh got great pictures. When we were at one of the three glaciers we saw, it was sleeting. Aiklik Glacier was breathtaking. Some kayakers paddled in front of it and looked like tiny dots the glacier was so large. We have seen hundreds of glaciers in our travels but this was likely the cleanest-looking one ever! We ended our trip at the Fox Island Lodge where they served smoked salmon, prime rib, mashed potatoes, and salad. It was a big lodge with pot-bellied stoves. We had a great talk by the ranger on the history of the area. We had time for a walk on the "world famous" rock skipping beach just steps from the lodge. We boarded our boat for the trip back into Seward and they served us dessert as we sailed, hot out-of-the-oven cookies. We arrived back in Seward's small boat harbor and found our shuttle to the lodge where we are staying, Windsong Lodge. We went to the lodge and then took the shuttle back into town. It was Sunday and a lot of the stores were closed but we got a great feel for the town and also looked in a great outdoor store. We walked back to the small boat harbor and purchased some yogurt and sweet rolls for breakfast. We got the shuttle and when we arrived at the lodge we arranged our clothing for the next day, bathed, and went to bed and read. It is so hard to go to bed when it is still light outside.

Today we left the Windsong Lodge. It was bags out at 6 but we did not actually leave until 8:45. We ate breakfast in the room and spent the time journaling and reading and most importantly looking at our pictures from yesterday. We boarded our bus for Anchorage and it was an easy ride of just over 3 hours. The commentary was good and even though there were no animals to see the scenery was nice. We arrived in Anchorage and were met by the HAL team at the Westmark. This is the largest city in Alaska and the land area is larger than the state of Delaware. The rooms were not ready so we stored our backpacks and took off to explore. We walked all around the city and peaked into to some shops before we stopped for lunch. We shared nachos which were great and then stopped for a pretzel as the aroma was so enticing. We visited the mall. We made it back to the hotel around 2:30 and our room was ready. We were surprised to see a 2 room suit when we arrived. Our bag was waiting on us so we felt like there was nothing holding us so we again went out to explore. This time we headed to the river walk area and made a 2.5-mile hike before the wind and cold got to us. Oh, did I mention the temperature was 48 and windy! We then went back to the hotel and rested and cleaned up for dinner. We walked to the river one more time in hopes of catching a glimpse of Denali but the clouds still impeded our view. We went to Humpy's Pub in hopes of having dinner but it was so crowded and it was seat yourself so you just had to wait to grab a seat. We decided to go to the Glacier Ale House and the wait was 1.5 hours so we gave them our phone number and took off. We looked in some shops, purchased a knife for Noah, and even looked into the French bakery where we plan to have breakfast. We walked back to the restaurant but we were told our wait was still 30 minutes. We just left the building when I got a text that our table was ready. Pays to check. The service was good as was the food but it was quite late when we finished. We walked back to the hotel and it is so strange to need sunglasses at 10 pm. In the room, it was bath time and relaxation. We had to work on the curtains to get it dark enough to sleep but we were soon out for the count. Tomorrow Denali!

This morning bags had to be out early again so that means we were up and dressed well before our train departure. We walked to the French bakery we found yesterday and had coffee and cinnamon rolls. Oh, were they good. There were other couples from our excursions there also. We boarded our bus to the train station at 8:15 and it was just a short drive to the station. We were assigned cars and seats so boarding was easy. We were in this glorious dome car with glass side and ceiling. We had magnificent views all around. Our narrator for the trip was Carmella, from Wasilla, AK and she was adorable. We were in a car with a bar and bartender and the lower level was a full-service restaurant. This was travelling in style. When we left the station, Carmella started with stories of growing up in Alaska and as we were leaving Anchorage, which is the largest city in AK, we saw a moose by the roadside. Carmella told us it was not uncommon at all to see animals in the city and the bears can be a real problem. The countryside was a lush green and the mountains were all around. We saw a great number of lakes and glacier fed streams and rivers. The silt from the glacier make the water opaque. We saw golden eagles, one caught a rabbit! There were more moose and before long it was late lunch time. We had noticed that most of the people had eaten but we were seated and the food was great but the service was poor. It was such a small area that the number of servers were limited and even though they were pleasant they had trouble keeping the orders straight. After lunch Carmella played her banjulele for us and sang. In the off-season she is an entertainer and travels around for shows and festivals. She is very good and we enjoyed her singing and playing. It was almost 5 when we arrived in Denali. We were met with our coaches and delivered right to our building where our luggage was waiting. The way transfers are handled is so nice on Holland America cruises. We are given our itinerary and our room keys at each destination and there is no check-in process. It was too late for a lot of exploring but Hugh and I did walk around the McKinley Chalet grounds and then we ventured up the hill and across the street to a Thai restaurant we had seen as we arrived. This was more appealing to us than the restaurants in our complex. There was only one other couple there when we arrived but the place was packed with people standing for a chance of a seat. We ate with some young couples from California by way of India. They were so friendly and we had a blast talking about India with them. We walked to the store to get some breakfast foods for our room as we have the 5:30 am park drive in the morning. It started to rain as we headed out so we made a quick trip down the hill and back to our room. We journaled and edited pictures for just a bit before we headed off to bed. 4:30 am will come much too quickly.

This morning we were up before the sun... or we weren't. It was a sunny day even at 4:30 am. We dressed and had our coffee and breakfast before heading to our coach to the park. We were seated in the back of the bus which was great and we had windows all around us. Our guide, Jennifer, gave us the safety speech that we all know by heart and we were off. She was not a guide who promised us the animals and she also said we had to be the spotters as she had to drive, but this proved not to be the case. She was a terrific spotter and before we were prepared she had pointed out our first animal. It was an owl. We got great shots of him. Just down the road she found the Alaska state bird, the Ptarmigan, for us to see. We stopped at the ranger station and the ranger came on the bus to welcome us. He had a light saber so we called him Darth Ranger! Jens next spot had us stopping for a while. It was a mother grizzly with 2 cubs and also a large male grizzly that seem to be bothering them. The mother stood on her hind legs and let him know she meant business and started up the mountain with her cubs. The male, even though larger, followed only half-heartily and mom and cubs disappeared. As our trip progressed, the fog and mist we had earlier over the mountains gave way to sunshine and we had the views of a lifetime. We saw braided rivers and dry river beds. Our bus was stopped by a caribou in the road and we looked behind us and there were 2 more. We saw Dall sheep on the hillside and several more bears both moving about and sleeping. We had rest stops at frequent intervals and the facilities were very nice. We were blessed with a full-on view of Denali in all its white glory and it just made our day. We were told only about 1 in 10 people actually see the mountain completely. Usually just the tips of the 2 peaks above the clouds. We were so blessed and we saw it throughout our journey into the park. When we arrived at our turnaround clouds were coming in and the view was obstructed but as we drove away the sun came out and the clouds parted for one last look. Our tour could not have been better and everyone was in high spirits as we made our way out of the park. We arrived back at our lodge around 2:30 and because we had eaten our snack boxes on the bus we were ready to explore. We dropped off raincoats and big cameras and took the park bus to the information center. We watched a movie on Denali and the we went to see the sled dog demonstration. The sled teams roam the park in winter to watch for poachers. The kennels are a short bus ride and the show was great. These dogs are bred for endurance and love to run. We were told that they were the happiest government employees in the world and they are called "Bark" Rangers. They showed us how they are set up as a team and they pulled a training sled around the track for us. They each one showed that they wanted to be picked to run by jumping and howling. Evidently teaching them to run takes about a minute but teaching them to stop takes about a year. We took the bus back to the center and from there we hiked the Horseshoe Lake trail. This is a beautiful hike but has a steep descent at the beginning so that means a steep assent at the end. Oh Joy! As we came to the overlook we could see a moose in the water. We hurried down the trail and were overjoyed that she was still there when we made it to the lake. We got some great moose shots and as we continued our hike we saw beavers swimming in the lake. One was towing a branch for his dam. There were active beaver dams everywhere on the lake. We saw an arctic hare and just as we were getting ready to start our climb up we saw a duck family sitting on a log by the lake... so cute! The climb up was not nearly as bad as I had imagined although it was long! We got to the shuttle pick-up just as the shuttle arrived. We made it back to the McKinley Chalet and decided not to go to our room but to head across the street to the pizza place that everyone has been talking about. We had to wait about 20 minutes but it was worth it. We each had salads and split a Margherita pizza which was just right. Did I mention they have great wine? We walked in some of the shops before the 4:30 am wake-up call got to us. We headed back to read and sleep. We have an early morning tomorrow also.

This morning was a bummer as we had to have our bags out at 6 am and our trip is not until 2:30. We got the bags out and then sat and had coffee and edited our pictures from yesterday. Time flew by as we enjoyed reminiscing and soon it was time for lunch. When we finished we decided to hike to the Wilderness Center and that was about 2 miles from our room. We dropped off our backpacks at the front desk before we started. We stopped on the bridge to watch the rafts get ready for their trip and then we made our way onward. We arrived at the center hot and sweaty. We stopped to watch their movie on life in Denali before we took the shuttle back. We walked through the Princess Cruises side of the complex and decided to go back to our Thai restaurant and split a dish. The place was busy and we enjoyed talking to everyone as we shared the bench style seating. After lunch, we did some shopping for tees but left empty handed. We went back to wait on our coach and while we sat Hugh read news and I played games on my phone while it charged. Our coach arrived and we were all ready to get on the way. Our driver was Brad and he was just a freshman in college but very professional. He told corny jokes and he was amazed when we could answer all his question. It was a 3-hour trip but we stopped a little less than half way and I found a tee at the gift shop. Back on board we rested and read and soon we were in Fairbanks, Alaska's second largest city. We were surprised how quickly we made it to the hotel. Anchorage was so large in land area that it took almost an hour to get out of town. We went to our room which is very large and has a sitting area, a kitchen area, a bath, and a bedroom. We dropped off our backpacks and headed out to explore. We walked into town and found that because it was almost 6 everything was closed or closing. The town is just a few blocks but there is a Riverwalk nearby so we headed there. After our walk, we ate dinner at a small Mediterranean restaurant where the owner waited on us. The food was great and we enjoyed the service very much. We headed back to the hotel to get ready for our excursion tomorrow and to catch up on some journaling and reading. After a warm bath I did not accomplish nearly what I had planned.

It was so nice not to have to get up and get bags out early. We dressed and walked to the bagel shop nearby and got in the drive-up line with the cars. We placed our order and were served just like the commuters. We walked across the street and ate our bagels and drank our coffee. We headed back to the hotel in time to board our coach at 9:15. Our first stop was Gold Dredge No. 8. When we left the coach the first thing we saw was the Aleyska pipeline. We had a nice explanation of how this operation came into being and how it is managed with smart and dumb pigs to keep the pipe clean. It is often in a zigzag orientation because of expansion and earthquakes. We then boarded the Chakitna (not the Chattanooga) Choo Choo. This train took us through the process of gold dredging from the prep of the land until the dredge comes in to do the work. We stopped at the dredge and here we were able to pan for gold. We were so inefficient we would have gone broke in a very short time. We each did a pan and came away with $18 in gold. After our panning, we walked around the dredge and saw a lot of the equipment used in the mining process. This was very interesting but we were glad someone else did it. We then boarded our train and headed back to our station. This was a well-run operation and they handled the crowds very well. Our next stop was to our riverboat adventure. This is a family business and also handled very well. We arrived and were given tickets to our cruise and also for our lunch. We had lunch in a dining hall and it was all you can eat. The food was good and the service was handled nicely. From lunch, we boarded our paddle-wheeler, Discovery 3, to begin our 3- hour cruise. The boat was 4 stories and each one had its own crew. We sat by a window and had a great view. The narration was wonderful and each time we came to something to see the people on shore had microphones and we could hear them very clearly. Our first stop was the kennel of famous musher Susan Butcher. She died of cancer in 2006 but had the distinction of winning the Iditarod 4 times. The tee shirt commemorating this said "ALASKA where men are men and Women win the Iditarod"! Her daughter runs the training kennel now. The dogs were so cute and exuberant. We saw a team pull a four x four without an engine around a track. From there we traveled down river to a Chena Village. We were divided into groups and toured the whole village with great narration. It was interesting to see how they lived before the white men came. My favorite was the pelts and clothing made from then. One of the women's coats was modeled and it was so lovely. It took 3 women working 8 hours a day 6 months to complete but lasts a lifetime. This one was considered museum quality. We also saw a fish wheel and how they preserved the fish. Then it was back onboard and our return to the landing. We were served salmon dip and crackers and homemade blueberry doughnuts. We were back on the coach by 5 and heading to our hotel. It had been a long day and we took some time to work on my computer which decided to quit. No luck there so Hugh went to the Ice Museum and I sat and journaled on his; I am still several days behind. Hugh did not last too long at the museum and I met him at a Thai restaurant where we saw a large number of our fellow travelers. The food was good and it was very cloudy and windy when we left. The dust was really flying so we headed back quickly. We readied ourselves for our excursion to the Arctic Circle in the a.m. and then off to bed.

We were up early this morning and downstairs waiting when John our guide picked us up at 7. We are the only explorers today so we got to set the pace. John was a character, a solo canoeist who has travelled all over Alaska including a 700 mile paddle from Old Crow in the Yukon Territory to midAlaska. Most of this trip is above the Arctic circle! He and Hugh had a lot to talk about. Today's trip allowed us to see a lot of virgin forest that went on for miles and miles. Then the scenery changed from the lushness of this to spindly black spruce and not much else then to no trees at all as we climbed into the tundra. One of our favorite stops was at Finger Rock, a formation that the bush pilots use for navigation. This area afforded us great vistas in all directions and granite outcropping everywhere. On the trip we saw a moose, a fox, and an owl. We were travelling on the Dalton Highway which was built for the construction of the Alaska pipeline which we could see the whole trip. This road is also known for the reality show Ice Road Truckers. We stopped for breakfast at the Hilltop Truck Stop also made famous on this show. It was filled with... truckers! About halfway to the circle we stopped at a café, hotel, campground, and ordered our lunch/dinner which would be ready when we came back by. The road is gravel and these huge trucks just fly down it. John pulled over for the trucks and let them go. It was rough and dusty and I was glad someone else was doing the driving in their vehicle. We reached the Arctic Circle and there was a ranger there that was making pictures. One end of the sign is below the circle and one is above the circle so you had to switch sides and get 2 pictures. Besides trucks the vehicle we saw most was motorcycles. They must have lungs full of dust at the end of the day. We made it back to the café and had our lunch/dinner at 4. The food was great and we sat and enjoyed a rest for a bit. Soon we were back on the road passing active gold mines and not much else as we made our way back to Fairbanks. We were back at the hotel by 7:30 p.m. and we were happy that we had not stretched it out for the whole 14 hours that were advertised. We walked into town for ice cream before showering and packing for our flight tomorrow. We journaled and read before settling in.

Today we had to have our bags out at 6 am so we packed them last night, set the alarm, set the bags out, and went back to bed. We did not have to check out until 11 and we had nothing that needed to be done so we rested in preparation of our long day. We showered and dressed and walked to the grocery for some yogurt for breakfast. At noon we caught our shuttle to the airport and our bags were waiting for us curbside. We had checked-in on line so we dropped our bags off and showed our passports and were soon in the security line. This went quickly and we had time to sit and have a sandwich and read before we boarded our flight to Seattle. It was a 4-hour flight and it went smoothly. We arrived in Seattle and we had a 3-hour layover. We had dinner and then went to our gate. The flight board said the plane was at the gate and on time. At the gate an announcement that confirmed the plane was here but the pilot and flight attendants were in San Diego. We had a long delay and it was well after 2 am when we arrived in Vancouver although our flight was only 30 minutes. Our luggage arrived early and we headed out to grab an UBER but to our surprise Vancouver does not have UBER. We got a taxi and arrived at our hotel sleepy and tired. We were through check-in quickly and off to our room. This is a modern boutique hotel right downtown and I can see some fun walking on tomorrows schedule (whenever we get up). Good morning!

We slept in this morning after a late night. Once we showered we walked to a cute bakery for a late breakfast. We then walked to Canada Place to get the car. The car started right up and we were off to the Capilana Suspension Bridge and Park. We were not sure what we would see but this was an area of Vancouver that we had not explored. We parked and paid the admission and boy were we surprised. What a wonderful park with lots of history and a great number of things to do. We spent our afternoon walking the trails, going over the bridge, and even taking the treetop adventure. The trees here are amazing, straight and tall with base circumferences of over 20 feet. After we completed all the hikes and trails we made a stop at Cleveland Park and Dam, and then we made our way to Grouse Mountain. It was a great day but by 4:30 we were tired and decided to go back to the hotel and rest before heading out again. After some reading and napping (Hugh) we headed out to explore the downtown area. It is a wonderfully busy place on a Monday evening. After checking out the Arcteryx store and Nordstrom's we stopped at a quaint little crepe café and had wine and crepes. It was the perfect ending to our day. Back at the hotel we reorganized our suitcases for the rest of the trip which will mainly be warm weather. We packed away the down jackets and polar fleeces and added in the shorts and short sleeved shirts. We put the big green bag in the car with all the cold weather and cruise stuff in it and the 2 roll-a-boards are ready to go. It was then time to read and get ready for our trip to Whistler tomorrow. The Blue Horizon Hotel was a great find!

This morning we decided to get up early and head out to Whistler so we could stop whereever we wanted along the way. Our drive through Vancouver took us out the same way we had travelled yesterday. Once across the Lions Gate Bridge we turned north toward Whistler. The scenery was familiar and we soon stopped for sweet rolls for breakfast. We stopped at this little bakery that smelled so good I didn't want to leave. We continued on our journey and soon the scenery changed and we were right along the water's edge. We stopped at Furry Creek and made pictures at a housing development that was a riot of color from the loveliest flowers I think I have ever seen. Snowcapped mountains were just visible in the distance. We headed on and our next stop was at a waterfall in one of the many provincial parks. The waterfall was wonderful and we were looking forward to stopping at the next one on the map. We arrived at the next provincial park with a waterfall and we made the walk out to the viewing area. We were above the falls and it was magnificent. We were amazed that such a small fast-moving stream could end in such a huge falls and then continue as a small stream. We continued our trip and arrived at the turn to Whistler Olympic village. We made the decision to go visit since we are so close. We were so disappointed that we did not see any bears even though there was a sign saying to look out for them at every turn. At the village we were amazed by the height of the ski jumps and all the trails that were still in use. This area was the site of the biathlon, the cross-country skiing, and many other sports. In the summer the trails are used by the athletes to roller blade train. After the park we headed into Whistler and checked into the Aava Hotel right in the village. Once our bags were settled in we headed out to explore. We stopped for ice cream at Cows and looked into all the outdoor shops. We opted for an early dinner around 6 and we went to a Zagat rated platinum restaurant called Mongolia Grill. It was fun and the food was delicious. The weather even cooperated for us to eat out on the balcony. After dinner, we explored the north village and then headed back to the hotel around 8. After a bath, we settled in to read and watch PBS. What a wonderful day.

This morning we woke up in beautiful Whistler and made one quick walk around the town before getting in our car and heading out. We decided to drive north on the Sea to Sky Parkway to see Narin Falls. We arrived and changed into hiking shoes and boy we were glad we did. This was a longer hike than we expected and it pushed our time table out the window. Oh well, the best laid plan of mice and men! The falls were lovely and so were the surrounding mountains. Once on the road we made pictures out the window and even stopped at a few overlooks because the light was better than the day before. We had to drive through Vancouver and we stopped for lunch before the border into the US to use all our Canadian money. Tummies filled and pockets empty we crossed in to the USA and the crossing guy was so nice it shocked us. We were heading to Seattle at a good pace and then it was stopped traffic, stop and go traffic, and just plain slow traffic from Seattle to Tacoma. We were happy to find our hotel and get checked in. We had a huge room and we were close enough that we could walk to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. After dinner we made a trip to a laundromat and did our laundry so that we would have clean clothes for Portland. Then it was off to bed!

This morning we got up and readied ourselves for our adventure to Portland. We were excited to see Barb and Ken but the best part of the trip will be seeing Ron and Lori. We made a stop at Point Defiance Park and drove through the whole park stopping at the fort where Hugh played with the deer and then on to the marina to see the view of Puget Sound. When we left the park we thought we would have an easy trip to Portland but it was stop and go traffic all the way through Washington and we arrive at Barb's later than we had planned. It was a wonderful reunion and we decided to head into the city for dinner. We went to a nearby IKEA and parked and caught the light rail into the city. This is such a smart thing to do as it is only $2.50 roundtrip for the old folks. We arrived in the city and walked around a bit before heading to a restaurant that the Cherry's love. We had a great dinner and then made our way back to the train. The trip back was very slow due to delays that no one could explain. Hugh and I stayed on the train when we arrived back at our initial stop and B&K went home. Hugh and I went two stops more to the train and met Ron and Lori. After hugs we reboarded the train and went back to our stop. We drove to B&K's and were so pleasantly surprised that their son Neil was there. What a great reunion. We had wine and stayed up way too late. What a wonderful day!

This morning everyone slept in a bit to recover from our late night. Lori and Ron had work that had to be done so we left them the Subaru and the rest of us headed to Oregon and a drive along the Columbia River Highway through the Columbia River gorge. We stopped for waterfalls and scenic views but the main attractions were Vista House and the Multnomah Falls. We stopped at Vista House which is a museum and memorial to the Oregon pioneers. Built in 1918, this marble structure sits on a rocky promontory 733 feet above the Columbia River and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It had a wonderful view. Next, we made our way to Multnomah Falls. Ken had trouble parking so we got out and started the climb up the stairs for the best view. We were so surprised when Ken found us very quickly after securing a parking spot right in front. This is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon and it drops in two major steps, split into upper falls (542 feet) and lower falls (69 feet). At the top of the steps is a 45-foot long bridge that allows visitors a great view. Back in the car we headed to Hood River and when we arrived we were able to go out to the river and watch some kite surfers practicing for a competition. This looks like way too much work for me but they seemed to have it mastered, flying over the water at great speeds on just that small fin. We then made our way into town and stopped to eat a late lunch at a cute diner. We then drove straight home as Ken had to drive to Seattle for the start of his bike race tomorrow. Once we had him packed, Hugh drove him to meet Neil who was also racing much to his dismay. Once Hugh was back we drove into Washougal and walked around the cute town. We stopped in a great antique store and we would have stayed much longer but it was closing time. We went to a great Thai restaurant for dinner and then it was back to Barbara's for wine and some time on the patio. Soon we were all yawning and we said our goodnights.

This morning dawned sunny and everyone woke ready for adventure. Barb was going to see her grandchildren and then picking up Ken after his first day of racing. Lori, Ron, Hugh, and I head out to the Pendleton Woolen mill outlet and had fun checking out the merchandise. We then headed off to Mount St. Helen. The drive was lovely with snowcapped mountains and adorable little towns. We made the turn to the mountain and started our ascent. There was a visitor center about half way and we enjoyed the exhibits and the rangers showed us just where to go for the best view. We continued our climb and when we arrived at the next visitors center the view was spectacular. We listened to a ranger talk before going in to the movie. The movie gave us insight to the mountain and how it is still classified an active volcano. At the end of the movie they open the drapes and there was the mountain... pretty spectacular! We went through the exhibits here and the personal stories were so moving. So many people caught in the eruption. We then hiked on the path to get different views and the mountain was fabulous but the wildflowers were a perfect contrast. Soon it was time to head down the mountain and find some lunch. Not a lot of choice so we ate light and decided to head into Portland for some exploring and then dinner. We parked right downtown and shopped and explored before settling on a delightful small pizza restaurant. The food was great and as we walked back to the car someone mentioned ice cream so of course we had to find the best in the city. Lori new about Salt and Straw ice cream and when we drove up the line was around the corner; if not the best at least the busiest. Hugh & Ron waited in line and Lori & I walked around this cute neighborhood. We arrived back at the shop just in time to make our choice and then head in to order. The ice cream was wonderful and we were happy the guys waited so patiently. We drove back to B&K's and readied ourselves for bed. Barb and Ken were already in bed because they have to get up by 3:30 am to get Ken back to the race.

This morning we slept in and Barb was up also for breakfast. Our adventure for the day is a trip to Mt. Hood. We made the trip along the same highway we had traveled two days ago and then made the turn up to the mountain. The day was sunny but it was chilly. As we drove up the mountain we stopped for pictures because the mountain is never as lovely when you are high up on it. We made our way to Timberline Lodge where they filmed The Shining. People were skiing and the wind was blowing cold air down the mountain. We explored the lodge, enjoyed the views of Mt Adams and Mt Jefferson, before heading in for some refreshment. It was a hot chocolate kind of day and we enjoyed big mugs. Soon it was time to head back as Barb had to pick up Ken and Lori & Ron had a flight back to CA. Back in Washougal we dropped Barb off and Ron and Lori grabbed their bags. We headed into the town and had a late lunch at a cute brewery before we said our goodbyes at the airport. With sad hearts Hugh and I decided we needed to get some planning done for the rest of our trip so we found a fast food place with Wi-Fi and drank coffee and made reservations. Barb called and asked if we could follow her to Neil's house so she could return his car. We accomplished this task and even got to play with the grands before we headed back. Barb was falling asleep so we did pick up food and went home to eat. After a good meal and some wine, we all headed upstairs. Hugh and I packed and were ready to head out in the morning. What a great day and a great visit with great friends and family.

This morning we showered and dressed and packed the car for the next part of our adventure. We had a great visit with Barbara and Ken and it was bittersweet to say goodbye. We headed out of Washington and started our trip to Bend Or. We stopped along the way to make photographs of the snow-covered mountains we were seeing. On this trip we saw Mt Hood, the 3 Sisters, Mts. Adams, Jefferson and Washington. We also stopped several times to photograph the changing terrain. Our longest stop was at Erickson Air Museum. The museum was closed on Mondays but we walked around the building and they had the hangar open and were giving rides in 2 of the vintage planes. We made lots of pictures each time they swooped down over our heads and also as they landed. It was a great visit even though it was not an official one. We arrived in Bend mid afternoon and our first stop was at Tumalo Falls. Getting to the falls was an adventure in its self as we had a long drive on a 25 mph road, and then a long, dusty drive on a gravel road. The falls was not far from the parking lot and our visit was shorter than our drive in even though the falls was quite lovely. Our next stop was at the waterpark on the river in downtown Bend. We walked the river walk and watched the tubers and kayaker, and surfers as they played in the cool water. It was a lovely reprieve from the long day in the car. We then headed to our hotel which was a funky old style 50's hotel that had been redone and turned in to a modern facility. Once we checked in we headed to the Old Mill area and shopped some and then it was on to Spoken Moto, a motorcycle shop/coffee shop that Lori had put on our list of things to see. We had fun looking at the bikes and the coffee was great too. We then made the short trip in to the heart of Bend and walked around and looked into shops. Soon it was dinner time and we had a great meal at a pub right in the heart of the city. It was packed but we agreed to take a small table near the door so we didn't have to wait. After we lingered over wine we headed back to the hotel and a long bath and some reading. Hugh worked on my computer that hasn't booted in over 2 weeks. He had left it in the freezer of the hotel all evening. Just like magic it is working fine now. Halleluiah!!

This morning we awoke late and had coffee in our room while we edited pictures from the last several days. When we finished we packed the car and headed to the Sparrow Bakery for an Ocean Roll. Lori and Ron told us about these delicacies and we enjoyed them very much. We ate as we began our drive to Crater Lake National Park. It did not seem we had gotten very far when we saw a sign for Lava Lands, Newberry National Volcanic Monument. We decided to make a stop and take the tour. It was an incredible place and the lava fields we saw reminded us of Hell on Grand Cayman. We listened to the ranger talk about the 7700-year history and then we took the shuttle up to the top of the butte. The volcano blew out the side so the caldera is intact. We were able to see other buttes in the area and then take a hike around the rim of the caldera. We took the shuttle down and then walked in the lava fields a bit before we were on our way again. The drive was still almost two hours so we opted for lunch in route and continued into the Crater Lake National Park. We have been so blessed to have the National Park senior pass. It has saved us so much money on this trip alone. The ride to the lake took us up to almost 7800 ft elevation and past a lot of snow covered areas. Our first glimpse of the lake was breathtaking and we were so glad we decided to make this trip. Some very interesting lake facts include: 1. Formed from a volcano eruption over 7700 years ago, 2. 6.02 miles across at its widest point, 3. 1943 ft deep making it the deepest lake in the US, 4. Holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water, 5. Tallest point on rim 1,978 feet above the lake. On our journey around the lake we stopped at each view point and also at the waterfall called Vidae Falls. We were disappointed that the road was partially closed and we had to exit on the southern end. The drive from the lake to our overnight in Albany OR took us over 4 hours and the road for over 85 miles was 45 miles an hour and filled with switchbacks. Wouldn't you know I had chosen to drive. We stopped for dinner and arrived at our hotel at 9. We promptly unpacked and I started washing our dirties in the hotel laundry. It was a time to journal and switch between washer and dryer until about 11 when it was off to bed.

Today we awoke knowing we had a long day of driving ahead of us. We had breakfast and started off on our journey up the Oregon and Washington coast. Before we traveled very far we made a side trip to a covered bridge that was mentioned on a sign post. It was lovely and not very far off our path. We drove across to highway 101 and started our northern quest. The coastal towns reminded us of the Northeast with their shops and restaurants selling all things nautical. The restaurants did not have lobster and lobster rolls but plenty of clam chowder and fish and chips; the difference here the chips are not French fries but homemade potato chips. The air is cool and crisp with the high in the 60's and not very many clouds floating about. The towns are colorful and the beaches lovely with a few hardy souls enjoying the water. We stopped above Newport and went to Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. Again, our park pass got us right in and the view of the tallest lighthouse was spectacular. The cliff was high and below children were playing in the tide pools and seals were sunning on the rocks. We hiked around the area making pictures but soon realized our day was slipping away and we had miles to go. We continued our drive up the coast until the road split and we decided to take the shorter inland route to our destination as the sun had set and it was getting dark fast. We finally arrived at our hotel, which was another mom and pop quirky local establishment. We woke the innkeeper and got our key. We washed our faces and brushed our teeth before falling into bed and going immediately to sleep.

Woke up in Sequim, WA on the Olympic peninsula. We had breakfast at the Sunshine Café and the hostess was so sweet and lovely that we tipped her also. We walked around this cute town and looked into some great shops for gifts and household items. Our first stop of the day was the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge to hike and see the famous Dungeness Spit with its lighthouse which is in the Strait of Juan De Fuca. This spit of land grows 13 feet a year. We saw a Bald eagle sitting up in a tree and it seemed he was posing for us. Next, we drove around to look at the lavender gardens. This was the lavender festival weekend and the plants were in full bloom and the air smelled sweet. After lunch, we drove into the Olympic National Forest to the Log Cabin Campground. We set up camp and then drove back to Port Angeles to eat at Kokopelli's. The restaurant was very crowded and we had a 45-minute wait. We walked down to the water and around the town before heading back to the restaurant. We were seated immediately and we each had crab cakes (Hugh's came on a seafood platter). After our delicious meal and some us time over a glass of wine we drove back and readied ourselves for bed and it was off to sleep. A glass of wine with dinner puts me right out.

This morning the clock went off at 6 and we were up quickly. We broke camp and showered before heading to the ferry in Port Townsend. The drive went much more quickly than we expected and we had time to look around this town and even try to get breakfast at a local restaurant at the marina. It seems like the whole town is out on this Saturday morning and they are all hungry. The wait was 45 minutes and we did not have the time. We headed to the ferry terminal and ate near there. We then lined up with the other cars and soon were driving aboard. This is a large ferry and the cost was only about 15 dollars for the 45-minute ride to Whidbey Island. Once on Whidbey we got on the North Cascade Scenic Parkway, highway 20. We made a stop in the North Cascade National Park and saw some waterfalls at Gorge Creek. We also stopped at Thunder Creek and saw the glaciers. The mountains were jagged and high. As we continued our drive we got out of the Cascades and into the high desert. This was very different terrain. The lush green gave way to golden grasses and few trees. The jagged peaks turned to rolling hills and buttes. The temperature continued to rise and this was our first real taste of summer heat. As we traveled further, we came to the Columbia River again. It seemed smaller than in Portland. We followed the Columbia River for a long time before getting to the Grand Coulee Dam. We stopped at the overlook and checked out the surrounding area. The terrain flattened out as we continued our trip and each little town seemed to have trains that we had to photograph. Our arrival in Sandpoint, ID was late. We stayed with Rex and Karen. Rex is a paddling friend of Hugh's. We sat up and talked for a while then it was off to bed.

Today we got up early and got on the road. As we were leaving the ski resort we saw deer just walking along the road. We stopped in Sandpoint for breakfast before getting on the road to Billings, MT. Our first stop was at the Moyie River canyon near Bonners Ferry, ID. We hiked to the bridge and along the trail to get some pictures. The canyon was so deep that we did not like to get too close. Our first planned stop (we stop at every interesting thing we see) was at Kootenai Falls Park near Libby, Montana. We hiked to the swinging bridge and then to the falls. The swinging bridge was supposed to have a great view but it was not of the falls. We hiked back to the falls and saw kayakers running the lower part of the rapids. This was a beautiful area and we were glad we made the hike. We continued driving toward Billings and the terrain was dry and the temperature was going up fast. The terrain was dry and desert-like and we arrived in billings late. We had a great hotel and even though it was after 10 I decided to do our wash. This hotel had complimentary laundry and it was not commercial machines which are much better than the laundromats. After the laundry was done it was off to bed!

Up early and stopped at a carwash to get the car cleaned up and filled with fuel. The car just drives better when it is clean. We stopped for breakfast and then hit the road. This is another driving day but with at least one planned stop. We made it to the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument and arrived just in time for a wonderful overview by the ranger. We then watched the movie that was offered before venturing out in the 90 plus heat to the monuments. This is a monument memorializing a major battle fought on June 25th, 1876 between Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians, against the US Army. We made our way to Last Stand Point and then on to the Indian Memorial. We drove out of the park with heavy hearts over the treatment of the Indians in our country. We continued our drive toward Rapid City with only one other stop. We had a late lunch at a funny restaurant in the tiny town of Belle Fourche which touts itself as the Center of the Nation. A granite marker marks the geographic center of the 50 United States. We arrived in Rapid City and checked into our hotel. It was only 6pm so we headed to Mount Rushmore for the evening. We stopped in Keystone for a bite to eat before traveling up to the mountain. We parked and we were surprised how easy it was to access the monument. The temperature was nice and the light was good for photography. We visited the exhibition hall and watched the movie before attending the evening service and light show. A ranger did a recall of the historic significance of each of the presidents, we watched a 20 minute video, sang the national anthem, and then they lit the art. It was a lovely evening and we were back at the hotel before 11.

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband, Hugh! We slept in this morning and had breakfast at the hotel. This morning has been set aside for maintenance tasks; Hugh got the car oil changed and washed while I did my hair and journaled before both of us went to the mall and Hugh got a haircut and I got a pedicure. Once we were all maintained we headed out on our next adventure, a trip to Wall Drugs in Wall, SD. This is such a tourist thing but if you are in the area you have to visit. After a brief stop we headed to our next national park, Badlands National Park. We had no expectations as we knew very little about this park. We drove into the park past vast grasslands and high plains that seemed to continue forever. We could see some mountains in the distance as we continued to drive. We stopped at the first overlook and in a matter of inches the ocean of prairie transformed into a vast and jumbled wilderness of impenetrable Badlands terrain. There were buttes, spires, valleys, and pinnacles, so many that the eye and mind have trouble comprehending. We continued along the loop road and stopped at most of the overlooks and took the walks into the area. The temperature was high and so was the wind. It is dry and in the prairie we could see hundreds of prairie dogs playing. We stopped to make pictures of some long-horned sheep grazing by the road and then we stopped at the most dramatic of the sights, the pinnacle overlook. The view is vast and I only hope the pictures do it justice. From Badlands we made our way back to Rapid City and had dinner before we drove out to the Crazy Horse Memorial. This memorial was commissioned by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear in 1939 when he invited sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to the Black Hills. The dream of this man became real and is an on-going project. The face is complete and stands 87 feet, 6 inches. When finished the entire carving is planned to be 563 feet high and 641 feet long. The sculptor and his family made this a lifetime ambition and his children are still actively working on it. At about 9 pm we decided we had seen enough and made our way back to the hotel. It was a great day and Hugh talked to the kids and grandkids and had wonderful birthday messages from all his friends. Off to bed with a big smile!

Today was the beginning of another adventure. We had breakfast at the hotel and then drove to the Wind Cave National Park. The scenery in the park was so interesting with rolling plains and buffalo. The main attraction is the Wind Cave so named by the amount of air that goes in and comes out of the cave. It was explored for the first time in the 1800's and by the late 1800's was a tourist attraction. There was discussion about how to preserve this natural treasure and it was declared a National Park in the 1920's. We went to purchase our tickets and discovered that I needed a park pass also. This was accomplished without incident and soon we were at the meeting point for our tour. We donned our down jackets and descended 204 feet in a constant 53 degree cave. There are no stalactites or stalagmites because the rainfall is so low in this area. The tour was 1.5 hours and very enjoyable. There is still 85 to 90% of the cave that has not been explored. It is an on-going project. From the park we started our journey to North Dakota and also our next adventure with Gabriel Allon our favorite Daniel Silva character. The drive was over 5 hours and we enjoyed the scenery. We reached North Dakota and the scenery began to change yet again. We had rolling prairies, rolling hills, green fields, gold fields, and only a few farms to be seen. The towns were few and far between. We had our cameras at the ready and I am sure we will have a lot of pictures to choose from. We arrived at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park which was our destination about 6 pm. We stopped at the visitor center for the Painted Canyon. Why did it take 68 years for us to find this beautiful place? We stayed here for a while getting some great shots as the sun was going in and out of the clouds. From here we made our way to the Medora Campgrounds and set up our tent. Once we were set for the night we headed into Medora to explore and have dinner. We walked through the town and then settled on Boots Saloon and Café for dinner. It was a great choice and we talked to some of the locals after we finished while we finished our beer and wine. After walking around town some more we headed to the campground and showered and readied ourselves for tomorrow. We journaled and edited pictures until time to crawl in our sleeping bags. Good Night. Tomorrow Minnesota.

This morning we were up before the alarm and decided to go ahead and break camp. We were surprised that the tents on either side of us had the same idea. We showered and had breakfast before we hit the road. By 7:15 we were driving in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We were not prepared for the beauty this place has. It is very different terrain from all the other places we have visited and our first stop was at a prairie dog town (we think it has reached city status). These little darlings were popping up out of every hole and some just stood up and posed for pictures. We were trying to see everything in the park and we stopped at each turnout and even made 2 of the best hikes. We saw buffalo on the road and in the fields and on one of our hikes we saw some sort of horned lizard. This was an amazing place and we spent every minute enjoying the sights and made way too many pictures. At the visitor center on our way out of the park we visited Teddy Roosevelt's cabin that he used in 1843 when he lived here after losing his mother and his wife on the same day. He credits his time in the Badlands for inspiring him to preserve the natural gifts that our country is blessed with. After leaving the park we hit I-94 and did not turn until we reached Minneapolis. The terrain changed from mountains to flat land, flat land to rolling farms, and then into a large metropolitan city. It was a long day of 8.5 hours of driving and when we reached the Hyatt Regency we were tired and hungry. We checked in and quickly stowed our bags before we headed off to dinner at... wait for it... The Mall of America which is only 1.5 miles away. Back at the hotel we ordered glasses of wine to take to the room and I had a hot bath and Hugh uploaded pictures. I heard from Lori that Tony Dicicco, the USWNT coach in the 90's had died at age 68 of cancer. She was sad to hear this as she attended his goal keeper camp and enjoyed working with him. Wine glass in hand I headed to bed to read.

This morning we awoke and had a leisurely morning drinking coffee and editing pictures. This was a nice reprieve from getting up early and breaking camp, and then hitting the road. After showers we headed out to explore this large city. We purchased a day pass for the MRT and boarded a train headed for downtown Minneapolis. On the train, we met a local gentleman who made a suggestion for a stop before town. We took his suggestion and stopped at a small restaurant he recommended for an early lunch (we skipped breakfast). We had a delicious meal and then we went across the street to the Minnehaha Park (also his suggestion). And walked to the waterfall. It was a great hike and the falls were lovely, and we enjoyed the John Stevens house which is a replica of Longfellow's home. We explored more of the park and then boarded a train to town. We got off at Target Field and walked the length of the main street. This was a busy city with a lot of office buildings and restaurants. We did not see people just hanging out or shopping; people were moving about with purpose. We stopped at the Minneapolis Visitor Center which is now the home of the bronze statue of Mary Tyler Moore. Of course, we had our pictures made, I even had a beret to toss. We walked around some and ended up at the library and the government buildings. The government buildings were beautiful and had a tremendous clock tower. We then boarded the train to Fort Snelling. When we got off the train we thought it was close but we had a very long hike to get to the fort. The weather had heated up and we were thirsty and tired. After purchasing some sodas we started to the fort. Just outside the visitor center a friendly docent in a golf cart gave us a ride. We checked out each room at the fort and I really enjoyed the commanding officer's family home. There was a wonderful docent in the kitchen that gave us a lesson on how to cook over an open fire. After the fort we visited the fort chapel before hiking back to the train. We went back to the hotel and cleaned up and rested some before going to the Mall of America on the train. We checked out each floor and our favorite part was the huge amusement park in one section. It had a log flume ride, 3 roller coasters, a zipper type ride, and more rides than I can remember. We ate at a great Mexican restaurant before we made the long trip through the mall to the train. We had sort of decided to head south and start winding down our adventure but tonight we decided to go north instead. We had a wonderful day in Minneapolis-St. Paul and went to bed with fond memories.

Today was a travel day and we checked out of the hotel early and did not stop for breakfast until we had some distance behind us. Our plan was to get to Duluth around lunch time and we made it just about on time. As we drove into town we stopped at the old train station for pictures and while Hugh finished his last shots an excursion train came in. After the station stop we made our way to the Lake Walk and parked. This was my first time to see Lake Superior and I was thrilled. It looks like you are at the ocean minus the waves. The tee shirts they were selling said "No salt, No Sharks, No problems". We made some pictures at the waterfront and then walked on the boardwalk dodging families in bicycle surreys. We stopped for lunch and ate out on the terrace under an umbrella enjoying the view. After lunch we visited shops and walked along the water some more before it was time to get back on the road. On our way out of town we made a side trip to see what kid of building had the huge clock tower we could see from the beach. It was another one of the elegant government buildings like we saw in Minneapolis. Just out of town we visited Glensheen, the mansion owned by Chester and Clara Congdon. We were running late and decided we needed to drive straight through to Thunder Bay but again we saw a sign for Gooseberry Waterfall and we had to stop. We started up the trail and when it split for the upper and middle falls we split up. I took the stairs down to the middle falls and Hugh went to the upper falls. We also spent some time at Split Rock Lighthouse. We rushed back to the car and continued our drive. It was after 8 when we arrived at the campground in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We set up our campsite and then drove back into town to find something to eat. Strange town but things were closed at 9 and we ended up eating frozen yogurt with all the trimmings for dinner. We went back to the camp and readied for bed. Our neighbors had a blue light flashing in their truck but when we mentioned it they quickly took care of the problem. It was cool and good sleeping weather. We both went to sleep quickly but were awaken several times in the wee hours of the morning with kids squealing and dogs barking. We ended up getting up early and showering before hitting the road.

We broke camp early and hit the road. We did not even fix breakfast but picked something up an hour or so into the trip... thank heaven for Tim Horton's, there was nothing else on this highway. Even though we had a good distance to cover today we made several stops. Our first stop was at Rainbow Falls. We walked out on the bridge to see these falls and it was lovely but hard to photograph as there was a tree in the way. Back on the road we made some progress but we kept seeing advertisements for a train museum. When we reached Schreiber we had to stop. We found the museum and they were just opening as we drove up. Two high school boys were the docents for the day and we enjoyed our visit with them very much. Hugh is a big fan of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. We were drawn off our schedule for a stop at Chippewa River Falls. This was the central point of the trans-Canadian highway. As we were approaching Sault Ste Marie, our destination, we saw an abandoned lighthouse and of course we had to stop. We have had a great time checking out the lighthouses on this trip. When we arrive in Sault Ste. Marie we quickly checked into our hotel, dropped our bags, and hit the Riverwalk which was only a block away. This is a walk along the St. Mary River and the other bank is Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan USA. Here three of the great lakes come together. We met a local couple on our walk and they recommended a walk on the main street to see the courthouse and the sports arena, and then a meal at the Thai restaurant in the area. We took their advice and made the walk and as we were approaching the courthouse we encountered a fire and all the fire trucks and EMS that were in the town... at least we thought there were that many. We walked on and came across a 2 car pileup and realized there were more firetrucks and ems in this town. We had a great dinner at the Thai restaurant and then walked back to the hotel. We spent the evening journaling, editing pictures, and catching up on the little things you have to do when you travel. Then it was off to bed.

Today we were off on a new adventure; but no National Parks. We had breakfast at the hotel and then started our drive in to the USA. It was easy clearing the checkpoint and we were on our way to the ferry for Mackinac Island. We arrived at Ignacious and the Star Ferry terminal. We purchased our tickets and before long we were on the water heading to the island. We saw 2 lighthouses and the view of the Grand Hotel was truly grand. We docked and we immediately made our way to the carriage ride ticket booth and purchased our ticket for the next tour; unfortunately it was for 12:05. We took a hike around the island and ended up on the porch of the Grand Hotel. We made lots of pictures and then made our way back to the town. Our carriage tour was boarding and we hopped on. Our guide was very funny and had great information. Our horses were a little testy with each other and she said they like people more than each other and they do not always play with others. Our tour took us past all the historical buildings and gave us a great overview of the island. We visited the state park and the fort, saw the hotel, and had a great stop at Arch Rock. We changed to a larger 3 horse carriage for the tour of the park and fort. When we reached the governor's house we walked back into town and did some shopping... looking and then had ice cream before we caught the 2:30 ferry back. When we got back on the road we were surprised that we had over 6 more hours to reach our campground for the night. We drove across the Mighty Mac bridge which is the longest suspension bridge in the northern hemisphere. We had only been on the road a short time before we saw a sign for a historic lighthouse so of course we had to stop. So it will be a little late when we arrive, who cares! The light house was in Michilimackinac Colonial Village established in 1715. We walked around the park area and then it was back on the road for us. We truly tuned in to our Brad Thor story and drove for the rest of the afternoon and evening. At 9:15 we stopped for oatmeal and wine at the Kroger in Port Clinton and then went to the campground to check in. We found our tent site and were set up in record time. We heard from the Kimmels that we would get together in the morning so we edited pictures and Journaled before getting ready for bed. We had a glass of wine and read in the tent before falling asleep.

Woke up late this morning because I had set the alarm for p.m. instead of a.m. Ate our breakfast before we showered and dressed for the day. We walked over to the Kimmels' motor home and were surprised to see it was a new one not the one we had seen in Spartanburg. After a tour of the home and some catching up we were joined by Patrick and Daniel and we headed off to the ferry terminal. Tickets in hand we boarded the ferry to Put-In-Bay. It was a 30-minute ride over flat water. The sun is out and the sky is a bright blue and it looked to be the perfect day. When we arrived we walked up the hill to a golf cart rental and got a 6 passenger one for the day. The 2 dogs, Link and Paula were happy to ride along. We toured the island stopping at the Perry Memorial for some pictures. Jeffry, the ranger there, gave us some history and also some history of the Cooke Castle that we could see across the bay. We then headed to the beach and soaked our toes. The water was warmer than expected and there were a good number of swimmers, jet skiers, and parasailers out. Our next stop was the wharf and a restaurant that featured perch which is the local specialty. We ate at the bar and shared perch platters and sweet potato fries. Another of the Kimmel boys joined us and we got to meet his wife and precious little 7-month-old daughter. We continued our tour around the town before it was time to get the ferry back. The guys returned the cart and we waited for a short time before the ferry arrived. An easy trip back and Hugh and I headed out to explore Port Clinton and surrounding areas. We had read about a Confederate Cemetery nearby so we looked it up and found ourselves heading to Johnson Island. When we arrived, we found it was a private island and we had to pay to cross the causeway. The only thing open to visitors was the cemetery but it had great markers and we enjoyed looking around and looking at the names on the markers. After leaving the island we continued on the lighthouse search we have been on this trip and went to Marblehead where we found a wonderful old lighthouse. The keeper's cottage is next door and everything is maintained very well. We walked along the shore and watched some sailboats out on the lake. Our next stop was dinner at a fully restored 1950's diner called the Tin Goose. We had great summer salads and soaked up the atmosphere which was red vinyl banquets and Formica tables. After dinner we visited the Port Clinton marina area and found another lighthouse. We walked along the shore and through town before it was time to head back to the campground. We got all our clothes out for the next day and then took our computers and sat by the pool and edited pictures. After our faces were washed and out teeth brushed we fell into bed. Hope we sleep as well as we did the night before.

This morning we awoke before the alarm but we were well rested. We broke camp and then showered before we went to say goodbye to the Kimmels and got on the road. We have a short driving day and we are excited about our visit to the US Air Force Museum and Memorial. We stopped for an early lunch before we made our way to the museum. When we arrived it is so much larger than we expected and covers 4 very large interconnected buildings. It is free and we started in the room that covered early flight. Four hours later we finished in the missile room with the latest Minute Man III on display. This museum had every kind of plane you can imagine and a tremendous number we had not heard of including prototypes. We got to go inside the Presidential planes of Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. Kennedy's was the first one called Air Force One and it was used for 8 presidents before a new one was commissioned. We saw bombers old and new and even some that were tested but never commissioned. I highly recommend a visit to this museum. At 5 when the museum closed we made our way out and both of us stated we could have stayed several more hours. Our next stop was the Wright Brothers Memorial and the world's first airport. We decided to check into our hotel and spend some time journaling until rush hour was over and we could head to dinner. We went to dinner at a wonderful restaurant in the Oregon district called The Corner Kitchen. The food was fabulous and the dessert was the best! After dinner we walked around for a bit before heading back.

This morning we were up on tie and had breakfast in the hotel. We then drove down town to the Wright Bros. bicycle shop and to the visitor center of the Dayton Aviation Heritage Museum. The movie about the brothers was most interesting and the exhibits were first class. The exhibit on poet Paul Laurence Dunbar was exceptional. We then drove to the Dunbar house for photos before heading off to Louisville. The drive was not exceptional in any way and the only traffic was in Cincinnati. When we arrived in Louisville no one was at home so we unpacked the car and read a bit before Elyse and the boys came in. It was a whirlwind of hugs and talk as everyone had something to share. We then went out to the pool for the rest of the afternoon and the boys showed us all the pool tricks; swimming up and down the length of the pool, doing flips, and swimming on their backs with their toes out of the water. A rain shower came up and we went in and read and played with the guys until Trey came home. We had Mexican for dinner and then it was time for bed. What a great day. We would stay in Louisville until Saturday afternoon and arrived safely home in Spartanburg, SC, USA just before midnight to find the house in great shape. What a wonderful trip we have had but how great to finally get home! Can't wait to get to Church tomorrow morning. /susan

Hugh's addition: "We certainly did have a wonderful couple of months traveling over 15,000 miles in the Subaru. Above Susan's navigation menu below are links to the palces and sites I visited on this trip before I picked up Susan in Calgary."