May 22, 2013 - Updates and Changes to our Itinerary

Since my first entry, we have now changed our tour from 20 days, starting in Toronto (flying there from Edmonton and catching the bus there) to actually catching the bus at its first stop in Edmonton. We have added 9 days to our trip with stops across Canada on the way to Toronto and in the US for stops on our way back from Niagara Falls (where were were going to leave the tour) I`ve begun my scrapbook already with maps from Google and pictures of stops (overnights) from the Internet. This will not surprise a few of my friends...ok, many of...

May 19, 2013 - The Uncharted Journey Begins

Today we began our venture in uncharted territory ... places we have never experienced before. Most of our trip so far has been in areas of the US and Canada that we have visited before ... some new sights ... but territory we've experienced before. Beginning today it feels like the real trip to Alaska begins. Drove from Hinton AB to Grande Prairie AB, a city of 55,000 ... didn't know there were that many people in AB. As you can see from our pics, we saw some beautiful territory. We finished the day in Saskatoon Island Provincial Park...

May 18, 2013 - Mtns, Sheep & Hot Springs

Our final day in Jasper Nat'l Park ... we visited the Jasper Tramway location to look over the settlement of Jasper ... we visited Maligne Canyon / Falls ... both areas we experienced when here in '88. Along the way to Miette Hot Springs we got some great mountain pics and saw a small herd of Bighorn Sheep near the roadway. Miette Hot Springs was a destination and a pleasure ... enjoyed the wonderful warm waters of this popular hot springs in NE Jasper Nat'l Park. We spent the night in Hinton AB and planned for all new experiences when we...

May 17, 2013 - Columbia Icefields / Athabasca Glacier

We woke up this morning viewing in full sunlight, Athabasca Glacier … an accessible glacier as thick as the Eiffel Tower is tall. It is one of the most visited attractions in Canada … maybe even North America. We took a trip up to the glacier and walked on it back in ’88 … decided to save the money to use for something we’ve not seen or done before on this bucket-list trip. Last night the glacier was partially covered in snow and clouds at times … this morning it is crystal clear, not a cloud in the sky. Enjoy the pics …

May 17, 2013 - Jasper National Park

This is another park we visited on our honeymoon in 1988. It remains as beautiful as it was then … so it wasn’t just “stars in our eyes” on that trip. If anything, this area is more beautiful to us now than it was then. The town of Jasper itself is much more commercialized now than it was in ’88 … kind of a “Wisconsin Dells” atmosphere … with shops and eateries that charge “whatever the traffic will bear” and much overcharged for what you get 50 miles down the road. But … it is a delightful town. Extraordinary is a better word for the area...

May 16, 2013 - Lake Louise / Icefields Parkway

The trip north from Banff toward Jasper today was “for old times’ sake” … we honeymooned in this area in July of 1988. This is year number 25 … what a great trip to celebrate our Silver Anniversary. We stayed at Lake Louise and stopped for the glaciers along the Icefield Parkway … great memories as we saw it all again today. It was an interesting day weather wise … cool this morning, but plenty of sun and blue sky. We ran through rain and snow … mountain tops in the clouds much of the day. As I write this log, it is snowing on us and you...

May 15, 2013 - We’re in the Canadian Rockies … Woo, Hoo!!!

We have visited the Canadians Rockies on more than one occasion before now … and still, this beautiful location in Canada nearly takes your breath away. We are in Banff National Park … our campsite tonight is in full view of magnificent snowcapped mountains. During supper tonight, several female elk chomped their way across the campground within feet of our camper … what a fun connection with nature on this stint in the Canadian Rockies. Check out the pics … and go ahead … get jealous!!! We love it.

May 14, 2013 - Eh!!! … we made it to Canada!!!!

We crossed over into Canada after getting the skylight repairs done on the camper … took all of 45 minutes for the repairs with the right parts in hand … Western Trailer Sales in Havre treated us well … I’ll recommend them to anyone. Wild Horse Port of Entry into Canada is one of the little used ports … small, as you can see in the pic. Roads in Southern Alberta are flat out straight, as the pic shows, unless there are mountains or valleys to avoid. We spent the night in Tillebrook Provincial Park … a nice green oasis in this semi-arid part...

May 12, 2013 - Banff

After a slightly more leisurely wake up, we went for a morning stroll in beautiful Banff, followed by a lovely home cooked breakfast provided by the b&b owner. Another couple from San Francisco were also guests, so we got some travel advice about their city which will come in handy later. We hired bikes and rode around town, the golf course and some trails. We are now in Calgary Airport waiting for our flight to Toronto.

May 11, 2013 - Rocky Mountaineer day 2

Soon after leaving Kamloops at 6.30 am the landscape began to change back to green and lush again. The mountains gradually got taller, snow began to appear, and then mid afternoon we reached the Rockies. The scenery is stunningly beautiful. We saw a black bear (as opposed to a grizzly - black bears are smaller and less dangerous) and several elk quite close to the train. We arrived in Banff at 6.45, and went for a walk after checking in at our B&B. The weather continues to be unseasonally warm. There are spectacular mountains all around us....

May 10, 2013 - Art and Goodbye Chicago

Our last day in Chicago. The rain stopped overnight but the city lived up to its nickname of "The Windy City" and that wind was brutally cold! The perfect day to spend at a museum. So after another Eggsperience breakfast, we headed to the Art Institute of Chicago. Our approach to museums is to use a guide book to choose the 10-20 things we most want to see and then go on a treasure hunt using the museum map and guide. This is a wonderful museum with great Impressionist, early American, Andean, African and Asian exhibits. We saw some well...

May 2, 2013 - Setting up my Journal

Just over 4 months until we leave on this vacation. As usual I plan, plan, plan. We hope it will be a relaxing holiday as no one will have to drive and everyone can enjoy the scenery. No cooking or cleaning for at least 20 days. Packing might be a challenge, but that's my next site to look up. :)