Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Ft. Steele, British Columbia
On day five we finally leave the United States and move north into Canada. Our border crossing was uneventful and soon we were ready for lunch.
Enter Ft. Steele Heritage Town, a restored mining boomtown of the 1890's. I'm quoting now, "... that will stimulate your senses with the sights and sounds of frontier life. Feel the rhythm of western life through the town's scripted street dramas, by joining tours aboard horsedrawn wagons, or by listening to costumed townfolk in lively debate over the controversies of their day."
We had a beautiful sunny, but cool, day to walk through the town, making our way to the International Hotel which housed our restaurant. Every now and then a costumed group of children would appear, or a blacksmith or shop owner would explain his craft. It made for a very pleasant break in the day.
Enter Ft. Steele Heritage Town, a restored mining boomtown of the 1890's. I'm quoting now, "... that will stimulate your senses with the sights and sounds of frontier life. Feel the rhythm of western life through the town's scripted street dramas, by joining tours aboard horsedrawn wagons, or by listening to costumed townfolk in lively debate over the controversies of their day."
We had a beautiful sunny, but cool, day to walk through the town, making our way to the International Hotel which housed our restaurant. Every now and then a costumed group of children would appear, or a blacksmith or shop owner would explain his craft. It made for a very pleasant break in the day.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Glacier National Park
Following this post is the slide show from Glacier National Park. It was the most beautiful place, with every natural element you can imagine. There were mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, trees, trees, and more tree! There was still snow on the ground in some places, though the lakes that we saw had thawed. We didn't see any wildlife inside the park, though. All our sightings were on the road and from the bus. There were so many of them, that will have to be another slide show at another time! Enjoy the pictures from the park!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Next Stop, Kalispell, Montana
Sorting out photos for the blog and my other projects is so hard. Graham took over 850 pictures, I did the same, and Bill hasn't sent me his thousand or so yet, so I have spent a full week just uploading my pictures and then filling in the spaces with Graham's. So I'm having a difficult time choosing just a sampling of photos to post here. Bear with me, as it will seem that I'm skipping over a lot of places (which I am, but for your sake!).
As we left Spokane, we also left the state of Washington. Our next stop was just outside of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at Cataldo State Park. This mission church is the oldest building in the state. It was built between 1848 and 1853 of straw, mud and saplings. It has been restored inside to its original appearance and many of the items inside are original.
Russell had the bus turn into this tiny little town that was of great interest to us, as the name of it is Wallace, Idaho. Bill got some teasing on the bus because one of the buildings is the Oasis Bordello Museum! I'm sure it had something to do with the Gold Rush!!!
We kept telling Russell we wanted to see snow, so he made a quick stop at Lookout Pass Ski area. We were here the end of May and the season had ended just a week before. There was still plenty of snow on the slopes, though it probably wasn't cold enough to be safe. Graham sure enjoyed throwing a snowball!
Next morning we spent half a day in Glacier National Park. I'll have to divide my post with those pictures as there is just too much to share. I'll try to make a slide show or two, especially if I combine Graham's pics with mine. Our first stop was at McDonald Lake which is where the Going to the Sun highway begins. Here are the first of our pics from the Lake area.
Here we have stopped at the north side of the lake. We are still traveling on the Going to the Sun highway, which has a rich history in and of itself. That's another post altogether. This view was another "to die for" photo opportunity and we got lots of them!
I'll close this post for now. There is so much more, and I'll try to put a lot of it in a slide show to conserve space. Do enjoy the scenery and maybe appreciate how much we were loving our trip.
We kept telling Russell we wanted to see snow, so he made a quick stop at Lookout Pass Ski area. We were here the end of May and the season had ended just a week before. There was still plenty of snow on the slopes, though it probably wasn't cold enough to be safe. Graham sure enjoyed throwing a snowball!
After lunch we enjoyed an hour at the National Bison Reserve in Montana. They have an interesting visitor's center with lots of historical information about the Bison (or buffalo). As we were leaving we came across this trio with a newborn calf.
Next morning we spent half a day in Glacier National Park. I'll have to divide my post with those pictures as there is just too much to share. I'll try to make a slide show or two, especially if I combine Graham's pics with mine. Our first stop was at McDonald Lake which is where the Going to the Sun highway begins. Here are the first of our pics from the Lake area.Bill and I were exploring a little before getting on the Sun Peaks tour bus.
The moment we arrived at Lake McDonald the waters were perfectly still and looked like glass. But by the time we had all piled out of the bus there were ripples in the water and the mirror effect was lost. Still, the pictures we stook (and there were many) of this view of the lake are magnificent. Don't you agree?
Here we have stopped at the north side of the lake. We are still traveling on the Going to the Sun highway, which has a rich history in and of itself. That's another post altogether. This view was another "to die for" photo opportunity and we got lots of them!
I'll close this post for now. There is so much more, and I'll try to put a lot of it in a slide show to conserve space. Do enjoy the scenery and maybe appreciate how much we were loving our trip.Friday, June 13, 2008
Moving on Toward Spokane
Continuing on our journey, we left Leavenworth and set across Washington State until we came to a place called Dry Falls. Apparently this whole area had been under water that melted after the "Little Ice Age" and caused this massive canyon. After moving through mountains and forests, this place looked awfully barren.
Our next stop of the day was the the Grand Coulee Dam. Now I never knew this dam existed and was even more surprised to learn that it's bigger than the Hoover Dam. It was built after that one, and was part of the work program following the Great Depression. This one is on the Columbia River and provides electric power for a broad area of the northwest US. There is a wonderful Visitor's Center with all kinds of interactive display and history.
We arrived in Spokane with time to wind down at our hotel before enjoying a "champagne dinner" with our group. This was a Red Lion Hotel and it sprawled along the banks of the Spokane River which was running fast and high. A combination of snow melt and heavy rains had the river out of its banks in some places. Graham and Bill are discussing the intensity of the flow!
I really loved Spokane. The climate is wonderful - nice and cool. And the flowers are splendid! All along the river bank were wild looking bushes with fragrant flowers fully in bloom. Around the bend from our hotel is the Gonzaga University. Its most famous alumnus was Bing Crosby!
The hotel gardner has a big job keeping track of all the landscaping. There were beds of flowers everywhere. The rhododendrum were magnificent, and the irises were just starting to bloom. In the front of the hotel are hanging baskets with these lovely purple and scarlet and white blossoms dripping from the branches. We saw these at Butchart Gardens in Victoria a few years ago and still don't know their names! Aren't they gorgeous?
Here is one of the flower beds with purple rhododendrum and read and white impatiens. I couldn't identify the purple poms or the yellow flowering bush. I couldn't get enough of the flowers. What I would give for a vase and some shears!
Bill and I picked up the habit of walking the grounds both morning and evening and we made friends with this little critter right away. He's called a Marmot and looks like a cross between a squirrel and a ground hog. Tuesday morning after breakfast we discovered he had "tenants" living in his hole! There were eight or nine little marmots out looking for food. I had to run back to my room and bring a package of crackers to share with them!
As we left Spokane our driver took us across a bridge upstream from where our hotel was. Remember the rushing high water behind the hotel? Here is where it was coming from! I wouldn't want to be crossing that footbridge! The power of the water was palpable even inside the bus. This was just the first of many waterfalls we were to enjoy in the days ahead.
All that was left to do now was to sit back and enjoy the view. There's much more scenery ahead.
Our next stop of the day was the the Grand Coulee Dam. Now I never knew this dam existed and was even more surprised to learn that it's bigger than the Hoover Dam. It was built after that one, and was part of the work program following the Great Depression. This one is on the Columbia River and provides electric power for a broad area of the northwest US. There is a wonderful Visitor's Center with all kinds of interactive display and history.
We arrived in Spokane with time to wind down at our hotel before enjoying a "champagne dinner" with our group. This was a Red Lion Hotel and it sprawled along the banks of the Spokane River which was running fast and high. A combination of snow melt and heavy rains had the river out of its banks in some places. Graham and Bill are discussing the intensity of the flow!
I really loved Spokane. The climate is wonderful - nice and cool. And the flowers are splendid! All along the river bank were wild looking bushes with fragrant flowers fully in bloom. Around the bend from our hotel is the Gonzaga University. Its most famous alumnus was Bing Crosby!
The hotel gardner has a big job keeping track of all the landscaping. There were beds of flowers everywhere. The rhododendrum were magnificent, and the irises were just starting to bloom. In the front of the hotel are hanging baskets with these lovely purple and scarlet and white blossoms dripping from the branches. We saw these at Butchart Gardens in Victoria a few years ago and still don't know their names! Aren't they gorgeous?
Here is one of the flower beds with purple rhododendrum and read and white impatiens. I couldn't identify the purple poms or the yellow flowering bush. I couldn't get enough of the flowers. What I would give for a vase and some shears!
Bill and I picked up the habit of walking the grounds both morning and evening and we made friends with this little critter right away. He's called a Marmot and looks like a cross between a squirrel and a ground hog. Tuesday morning after breakfast we discovered he had "tenants" living in his hole! There were eight or nine little marmots out looking for food. I had to run back to my room and bring a package of crackers to share with them!
As we left Spokane our driver took us across a bridge upstream from where our hotel was. Remember the rushing high water behind the hotel? Here is where it was coming from! I wouldn't want to be crossing that footbridge! The power of the water was palpable even inside the bus. This was just the first of many waterfalls we were to enjoy in the days ahead.
All that was left to do now was to sit back and enjoy the view. There's much more scenery ahead.
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