Alaska to Colorado: Yellowstone to Longmont

We awakened to a gorgeous morning-perfect for seeing Yellowstone, this country's first national park.  We knew all the campgrounds were full but we decided to drive through anyway and camp near the eastern side.  As we went through the entrance there were herds of antelope and elk.  We drove towards Madison, through Mammoth Hot Springs and it seemed that there was steam coming out of the ground everywhere.

Yellowstone is a fascinating study in various eco-systems.  It sits atop a volcanic hot spot that could blow any time we've been told.  There are dramatic canyons, lush forests, hot springs and geysers and
beautiful lakes and rivers.

It was slow going through large portions
of the park under construction.

Doesn't this one look right at home here?!

And the buffalo roamed the highway, slowing us down a bit, too!

These are Yellowstone Bison.  This breed has lived in Yellowstone continuously since prehistoric times.  They
can weigh up to 2,000 lbs.  It is the National Mammal of the United States.

Our destination:  Old Faithful
Jim had not been here before.  A little too crowded for
our taste, but it never fails to amaze.

Yellowstone Lake

The section of road from the Lake to the eastern entrance is very narrow and windy.  I drove and was exhausted by the time we left the park.  There are a whole lot of campgrounds on the road to Cody, which is our destination for tomorrow.  We decided on a fabulous campground, Eagle Creek.  The host told us that we got the "honeymoon suite".  It was a great site, a pull through right on the North Fork of the Shoshoni River.  We figured out that we had been on the road since Anchorage for 17 straight days and only stayed more than a night in Edmonton with Bill and Cheryl.  Therefore we decided to stay two nights.  We had hamburgers and a fire by the river and then were lulled to sleep by the sounds of the river.  The next day we made Bloody Marys, a big brunch and sat by the river reading.  A hike on the other side of the river rounded out the afternoon.  It was hard to believe that this was our last night on the road!

The North Fork of the Shoshoni from our campsite

Beautiful hike through the woods
There are lots of small summer cabins up here.

How cute is this picture!

We drove down through Buffalo Bill State Park, with the fog just lying on the water.  We had camped here before and loved it.

We stopped at Cody, as Jim had never been to the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum of the West, one of my favorite museums.

Buffalo Bill

We drove down through the Wind River Canyon which is just beautiful

We found a perfect spot right on the river at Boysen State Park to
spend our last night on the road.

The Twin Peaks welcome us home!

Alaska to Colorado: Alberta to Great Falls, Montana

We thought that the end part (or the beginning for those going northwest) of the Alcan was a little boring, considering the drop dead scenery of the Yukon, Northern BC and Alaska.  However, it is obvious that the Canadians think about the beauty and safety of their highways.  They mow from the highway back about a hundred yards. We supposed as a fire break, to keep wildlife from dying on the highway and/or to control the freezing of roads.

Our planned campsite for the night (Kitskamawi) was closed for the season so we drove on to the Swan Lake area and found that one closed, too.  We decided to go on anyway and just boondock at the gate or something.  Luckily an angel flagged us down coming the other direction.  He told us that the powers that be closed these campgrounds and that there was no real place to boondock.  He said that there was a "sweet campsite" just over the border into Alberta.  A few minutes later, the alarm goes off again warning us that something is wrong with the braking system.  This time, as before, it was telling us that the battery was dead.

We stopped alongside the road at a turnout, disconnected the car, jumped the car with Maxine and Jim drove up the road to find the campsite.  It was already dark and pouring rain.  He found it, came back for me and off we went to find that it is an abandoned (or it was closed for the season) Visitors' wayside picnic and camping spot.  It was a miracle.  We had a nice chili dinner and went to bed, hoping not to wake up to snow!

It was cloudy and cold but the snow storm was now projected for the 12th or 13th so we had the day to get to our friends' house on the other side of Edmonton.  Bill and Cheryl are the friends we met at "K21", where you get your visas, the first year we went to San Carlos.  It turned out that we had rented in the same condominium-Serendipity!  They very sweetly had followed us on our trip through the blog and offered to put us up whenever we got there.

Bill Thomsen

Cheryl Howell

Bill and Cheryl are an amazing couple, in many ways.  One of the most extraordinary things about them is that they bought a house out in the country in Sherwood Park and they have been slowly tearing down walls, removing loads of junk, transforming rooms and, little by little, remodeling the inside to be an incredible investment.  They live there and work on it during the winters, then go to Las Vegas for a month or two and then to San Carlos for another 3 months.  The sweat equity will make a significant contribution to their retirement.

This was the view from their dining room window the day we arrived.

This was the view the second day we were there.

And, on our last day, it looked like this!

They treated us like royalty.  Not only did we do a few loads of laundry, we were treated to fabulous meals and wines (made by Bill, in his "spare" time-ha!) and even a "spa" day with robes and slippers  and wine and various good smelling things to add to the water.  We were in heaven.  We watched movies, laughed a lot, got some "handyman advice", a tour of what they call the house, "The Project" and were eventually sent on our way with birthday gifts for me and some homemade jellies, wine and syrup!

I had my spa day while the others shopped and Jim got his eyes and ears
checked out.  (He's fine)

This part of Alberta is mostly prairie and farm land.  We were told that the crops along the way are what they make Canola oil from.  The only thing fairly interesting (to Jim) was Vulcan, Alberta, which is known as "The Official Star Trek Capital of Canada".

They have a tourism building that looks like a space station, a statue of
the Enterprise and other Star Trek themed attractions.

The Star Trek Museum

Jim and Boo with Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise

We camped at Little Bow Provincial Park near Lethbridge for our last night in Canada.  Miraculously, the sun came out for our arrival!

Little Bow Lake

Our campsite
We had the incredible good fortune to be the only ones in this loop along the
lake.  The host had just closed it for the season but opened it up for us, since
we wanted to be near the water.

We were greeted by a herd of deer

.

There is a great walk up the hill and down around the lake.

What a looker!

We had a wonderful happy hour complete with a campfire!

This was our view across the street-no one home!

It really has been fall this whole trip back!

This is Jim's "Arduro Lounger", a gift from Janet
and I.  This is how he watches movies in Maxine!

More rainy prairie, nearing the border

What is it about old barn buildings?  I love them!

We finally made it to Great Falls, Montana.  We secured our site at a downtown RV park (awful place) and then left for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center.  One of us walked with Boo along a fabulous path along the river, while the other enjoyed the museum.

Rabbitbrush along the trail

It is still very overcast but not raining, thankfully.

The berries were bursting out everywhere!

The waters are so much calmer since the various dams were built.

Boo had to get his feet wet and take a sip
from the famous Missouri River.

Inside you are greated by this wonderful artistic bison and one wall of
pictures of the five falls before the damming of the Missouri and
another of the five falls at the time of Lewis and Clark.

There were exhibits of how the natives lived in the time of Lewis and Clark.

This was a canoe the natives used and the method of getting them up
and down the steep banks of the Missouri.

A view east

We decided to take the quick way through Montana, down 15 and then onto a blue highway to Livingston and Gardner, with the idea of camping in or close to Yellowstone.  

The Yellowstone River

The elk near Gardiner

We drove up and up a windy, hairpin-turn kind of road to Eagle Creek,
about 3 miles from Gardiner and found a great small campsite with
mind boggling views!  And, the sun came out-Glory Be!

Hiking up above our campsite