Apr 20, 2013 - A short hike to Lethbridge in wind

Date: April 20, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Lethbridge, Alberta Mileage: End - 15628 Start - 15356 Total Miles for the day: 272 Weather: early dark clouds, some sunshine, strong winds, rain/show Temperature: start 43º High 55º, then falling temperatures as the snow/rain mix began at 4 pm. Wildlife count: Pronghorn, Mule Deer Year List: 187 Birds: American Robin, House Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, Magpie, Raven, Osprey, Canada Geese, Golden Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Wild Turkey, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Dove,...

Aug 13, 2012 - Disconnected

Lethbridge, AB. Since we are in Canada and do not have cellphone service, we feel a little disconnected. We had not realized how much we use the phone - especially since we get lost so often. Now we have just have to hope we can find places on our own without technology. We are staying in a Quality Inn that is a little different experience for us. We have a nice room but it is still a typical motel room. What is not typical, however, is the snack the hotel provides each night. We are treated to slices of strawberry-rhubarb pie, mini...

Aug 12, 2012 - Up and Over

Lethbridge, AB. Crisp clean air, the smell of pines and wild flowers, 52°, vividly blue skies, puffy white clouds, beautiful scenery, and hordes of tourists. On our way to Canada, we took the 50-mile long Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier National Park up through Logan Pass. Naturally the 50-mile drive took us hours. Because portions of the road hug the mountainside and there are a few tight curves, vehicles are limited to 21’. The Suburban is a little over 18’ so we were fine. Heading east toward Logan Pass, the passenger, Jim, was...

Jul 4, 2012 - Lethbridge to Edmonton

Getting into Canada was much easier than we had anticipated. There was no American departure only Canadian entry, they asked if we had guns, capsicum spray or bear spray, the answer was of course no and off we went. We belong to a group called Western Horizons Resorts (WHR) which gives us cheaper rates to stay in affiliated resorts. The Bridgeview Resort was one such place we could get cheaper rates and we had booked in weeks prior to arriving. Because the phone lines were out for a number of days our booking was never made through WHR. The...

May 20, 2012 - Big Timber, Mt. to Leathbridge, AB. (May 18)

Update for Friday May 18. The drive from Big Timber, Mt. to Lethbridge, Ab. Canada was good day. We took a cutoff on a two lane highway for 160 miles in Montana which saved us about 50 to 80 miles. We hit a high spot in a mountain range and stopped at the top. While Joanna was putting her coat on I found some snow and threw a snowball at her when she got out of the camper. She said I have to sleep sometime! Oh! Oh! We stayed overnigt at a Walmart in Lethbridge. Also bought a new GPS because I cound't reload the software update I have to...

May 11, 2012 - Rocky Mountains and Customs

Our day got off to an early start, we had a 7:45 appointment to have the motorhome serviced. While that was being done we went across the street and had breakfast at a casino. Great Falls is like most cities out here, there is a casino on just about every corner and almost every restaurant is connected to a casino. We gassed up and then went back to the campground and got the LP tank filled and got on the road at 10:15. Our constant companion on this leg of the trip was the glorious Rocky Mountains. They loomed on the western horizon,...

May 8, 2012 - Lethbridge, AB

Tue, 08 May: Canada here we come! No reason to tarry any longer in "lovely" Shelby. we outta heah... We got things ready and went through our checklist. Waste tanks dumped and fresh water tank filled. Bob drove Carpe across the street to the Cenex outlet where we bought 11.8 gallons of propane. Dinkum got hooked up and we were underway at 0915. We joined I 15 north for the 35 mile drive to the U.S./Canada border at Sweetgrass, MT and Coutts, AB. There was only one lane open and about seven non-commercial vehicles in line ahead of us. Once...

Oct 22, 2011 - Lethbridge Canada

Left Helena Saturday morning 22nd of October and intended to get to Calgary Alberta Canada.. Everyone very excited to be crossing the border today... Made it over the border very easily with the usual questions at the border.. Are we carrying weapons, $10k in cash or more.. What were our plans in Canada.. Usual questions.. The border officer thought it strange that a family would be traveling into Canada this time of year especially from Florida... After we explained.. He wished us a safe journey and we were on our way.. Or so we thought......

Jul 7, 2011 - Great Falls, Mt to Granum, Alberta, Canada

Left Great Falls, MT early morning. We saw eagles, antelope, 3 pheasants and a fox along the way. We had an easy entry into Canada. We were at the campground early afternoon. We had a nice spot overlooking a small lake. We headed outside and I promptly fell down the steps after turning my right ankle. I fell on my left side and arm. I had a couple of big knots on my arm and a swollen ankle for a few days. All is much better now (7/15). Jim installed a new bathroom faucet because the original one had started leaking a couple of days...

May 18, 2011 - Areas around Lethbridge

Today we made a little trip around the countryside. First we stopped at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. It is a 1000 ft. cliff where the Indians of the Plains drove the Buffalo off a cliff to their death and then butchered them to keep their people supplied in meat and hides for the winter. Then we drove to Waterton Park which is part of the Glacier Natl Pk. You can cross the border in this park also. But we did not go all the way to the border. Next we visited Cardston and went thru the Musuem of the old carriages. It was the best one we...

May 15, 2011 - Crossed the Border

Left Great Falls this morning after paying bills online and eating a good breakfast. Marvin cooked eggs, bacon, home fries, coffee & juice. Used up all the eggs, thawed out bacon, and potatoes left from last night. I made a meat loaf which used up the sausage and unmarked ground beef. Also, cooked up the carrots and asparagus. Made a salad and only had three tomatoes, some celery and a few onions. Guess what? They didn't even ask or inspect the coach for that stuff. We were lucky today! Didn't even ask if I had any house plants--so still...

May 14, 2011 - Lethbridge, Alberta

May 12, 2011 We had a good night at the rest area--very restful. There was one tractor trailer rig who kept us company. One other rig came in during the wee hours. The border crossing went smoothly. There was a very long line of semis, but only a few in the other lane. We waited maybe 10 minutes and then had our three minutes with the border agent. She asked a few questions, most of which we anticipated--where are you from, where are you going, how long are you staying, what’s your purpose for being in Canada. They always ask about tobacco,...