We elected to drive the fastest route to Denver in order to get our rental car back in time. I'd hoped to take a more scenic route through Ouray and the Eisenhower tunnels, but due to the car rental time, I agreed the faster route is best.
Not a lot of significant things to report about today. We ate lunch in Fairplay Colorado at a Subway today which brings me to my promised rant...
Colorado has gone to pot... Every town, no matter how small, has its own recreational marijuana dispensary now. You can spot the green cross logo (think red cross logo, except with a green cross) on some building in each town. Let's be clear... Everyone is entitled to their opinion on the legalization of pot, the pros, and cons, the good and bad. It became comical to see the potheads, and I truly mean potheads, in both Durango and in Fairplay. These kids (21+) work at the fast food places and honestly couldn't get your order right if they had to. It was ridiculous. I may post again later about this with some specific stories... Long story short, Durango is not a place I want to spend time with my family anymore. I can't recommend the town other than to ride the train.
We made it to Denver around 3pm, checked into our hotel, and emptied our rental car. Dad and I went and filled it up with fuel, cleaned it, and took it back. We were back to the hotel by 5pm. We ate a Ruby Tuesday then off to bed for an early flight back to Atlanta.
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Day 12: A Train, A Train
This is the day we've all been waiting for; the icing on the cake, our steam train ride from Durango to Silverton.
We started out eating breakfast at McDonald's. We parked at the lot next door, with McDonald's conveniently located in between the lot and the train depot. Time for another side-bar... We thought we were being so smart by getting a VRBO rather than staying at the Best Western right next to the train station, economically we seem to have broke even, but next time we'll just stay next door (details to follow).
The train ride (as expected) was awesome. Our seats were on one of the enclosed coaches. Sarah and I learned on our last trip to Silverton on the train (June 2014) that it can get very cold. We all dressed warm and were thankful for the enclosed car, especially when it sleeted/snowed and rained in Silverton. We ate lunch in Silverton at a small buffet, walked the town, then came back down the mountain. Sadie sat with her daddy the entire trip and when asked, later on, daddy said that was his favorite part. We saw some elk on the way down the mountain and the conductor said it was rare to see them this late in the year.
A couple of interesting notes about the train ride. The trip goes alongside the Animas River. The conductor said the river was as high as they had seen it in many years. The high river was attributed to the large snowfall this past winter. We saw a significant amount of snow near the tracks. Secondly, after some investigation, we found out that each train now has a service team following it with fire fighting equipment. This is due to a fire caused by the railroad last year.
Anyway, back in Durango we decided on pizza at Home Slice pizza. That place is a disaster, (another rant coming, be prepared). You can look up my review on Trip Advisor, it was not good. Sarah and I ended up going to the local Kroger, picking up stuff to make chicken Alfredo and cooking it at the house. Mom, dad, and Jenn got their pizza and ate at the restaurant, we weren't so lucky. I think I'll leave the rant about the state of Colorado to tomorrow's post.
On to Denver tomorrow, it will be our last driving day.
We started out eating breakfast at McDonald's. We parked at the lot next door, with McDonald's conveniently located in between the lot and the train depot. Time for another side-bar... We thought we were being so smart by getting a VRBO rather than staying at the Best Western right next to the train station, economically we seem to have broke even, but next time we'll just stay next door (details to follow).
The train ride (as expected) was awesome. Our seats were on one of the enclosed coaches. Sarah and I learned on our last trip to Silverton on the train (June 2014) that it can get very cold. We all dressed warm and were thankful for the enclosed car, especially when it sleeted/snowed and rained in Silverton. We ate lunch in Silverton at a small buffet, walked the town, then came back down the mountain. Sadie sat with her daddy the entire trip and when asked, later on, daddy said that was his favorite part. We saw some elk on the way down the mountain and the conductor said it was rare to see them this late in the year.
A couple of interesting notes about the train ride. The trip goes alongside the Animas River. The conductor said the river was as high as they had seen it in many years. The high river was attributed to the large snowfall this past winter. We saw a significant amount of snow near the tracks. Secondly, after some investigation, we found out that each train now has a service team following it with fire fighting equipment. This is due to a fire caused by the railroad last year.
Anyway, back in Durango we decided on pizza at Home Slice pizza. That place is a disaster, (another rant coming, be prepared). You can look up my review on Trip Advisor, it was not good. Sarah and I ended up going to the local Kroger, picking up stuff to make chicken Alfredo and cooking it at the house. Mom, dad, and Jenn got their pizza and ate at the restaurant, we weren't so lucky. I think I'll leave the rant about the state of Colorado to tomorrow's post.
On to Denver tomorrow, it will be our last driving day.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Day 10: The Canyons
Today we're making it up as we go. Our original plan was to have spent the night in Orem, Utah. Since we went to Jackson Hold a day early, we decided not to stop in Orem, but to keep going. We made it all the way to Cedar City Utah. By making this change, we were able to go further south.
We started our day at the Abby Inn in Cedar City. It's a nice place, maybe a little dated, but the owners have put a lot into it to make it a great place to stay. After breakfast, we hit the road headed south to Arizona. We took the time to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Sadie is starting to feel better, but I ended up carrying her most of the way. We picnicked at the North Rim and had a great lunch. It was much warmer than it has been being, so everyone was exhausted when we left.
We hadn't thought about it earlier, but I decided to get Sadie a National Park Passport at the Grand Canyon. She started her stamps there; I only wish I had thought about it at Yellowstone and the Tetons.
After we left the grand canyon, we headed back north to Utah and to Bryce Canyon. We just made a quick stop there, it was very crowded and we didn't have time to do any hiking. It's a great place to visit and I'd like to go back and hike some. I'd also like to go back to the Grand Canyon and hike rim-to-rim, but not sure that will ever happen; one can dream.
We at supper at the Cowboy's Smokehouse in Panguitch Utah. It's a neat little place and I'd happily eat there again. The ribs and Brisket could have been more tender, but it was still a great place.
We drove on to Richfield Utah for the night at stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites. Good day and all were tired.
We started our day at the Abby Inn in Cedar City. It's a nice place, maybe a little dated, but the owners have put a lot into it to make it a great place to stay. After breakfast, we hit the road headed south to Arizona. We took the time to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Sadie is starting to feel better, but I ended up carrying her most of the way. We picnicked at the North Rim and had a great lunch. It was much warmer than it has been being, so everyone was exhausted when we left.
We hadn't thought about it earlier, but I decided to get Sadie a National Park Passport at the Grand Canyon. She started her stamps there; I only wish I had thought about it at Yellowstone and the Tetons.
After we left the grand canyon, we headed back north to Utah and to Bryce Canyon. We just made a quick stop there, it was very crowded and we didn't have time to do any hiking. It's a great place to visit and I'd like to go back and hike some. I'd also like to go back to the Grand Canyon and hike rim-to-rim, but not sure that will ever happen; one can dream.
We at supper at the Cowboy's Smokehouse in Panguitch Utah. It's a neat little place and I'd happily eat there again. The ribs and Brisket could have been more tender, but it was still a great place.
We drove on to Richfield Utah for the night at stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites. Good day and all were tired.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Day 9: Driving
Sadie woke up feeling a little better this morning. We decided to start a little later to give her a chance to settle in and make sure she was up for the ride. We got on the road around 7:30. We stopped at McDonald's again and then hit the small supermarket for some children's Tylenol.
We planned for today to be a driving day, so not much to report as far as sights. We drove down the Idaho side of the Tetons, through Salt Lake City (which is HUGE). We stopped for lunch around 1:00 and then stayed on the road. It's easy to cover some miles at 80mph (that's exactly 347 kph for our Canadian friends - sarcasm... I'm still ill over the Canadian rest areas).
We drove to Cedar City Utah today which is somewhere around 550 miles from West Yellowstone. We at Mexican food for supper at Brody's Mexican Restaraunt. It was good, but just okay service. We had ice cream at sub-zero, ran to Walmart, then in for the night. Though everyone but me slept today on the road, I think we're all tired.
Not much else to report for today... Tomorrow, we're doing some great adventuring though! I can't wait to report on it!
We planned for today to be a driving day, so not much to report as far as sights. We drove down the Idaho side of the Tetons, through Salt Lake City (which is HUGE). We stopped for lunch around 1:00 and then stayed on the road. It's easy to cover some miles at 80mph (that's exactly 347 kph for our Canadian friends - sarcasm... I'm still ill over the Canadian rest areas).
We drove to Cedar City Utah today which is somewhere around 550 miles from West Yellowstone. We at Mexican food for supper at Brody's Mexican Restaraunt. It was good, but just okay service. We had ice cream at sub-zero, ran to Walmart, then in for the night. Though everyone but me slept today on the road, I think we're all tired.
Not much else to report for today... Tomorrow, we're doing some great adventuring though! I can't wait to report on it!
Day 8: Jackson Hole
We tried for an early start this morning; we knew we'd have to in order to beat the crowds at Old Faithful. We stopped at McDonald's for a quick breakfast, then into the park. The businesses have a hard time finding workers during the peak season, so places like McDonald's have to find foreign workers to staff their stores. It's borderline humorous to watch the foreign workers deal with the many different American dialects... Anyway, I digress...
We stopped at Grand Prismatic Spring for a quick hike, then on to Old Faithful. We beat most of the crowd, but the geyser went off just as we were walking up so we didn't get to see it. We decided to wait until the next eruption. We stopped by the visitors center to kill some time, then Sarah, Sadie, and I walked around the geyser basin. Sadie was a trouper and walked most of it by herself. We knew what time Old Faithful was supposed to go off again +/- 13 minutes. We got back just in time because it went off around 20 minutes early.
In an effort to gain time tomorrow and the next day, we decided to go on to Jackson Hole and the Tetons. That's always a pleasant trip. They were doing a raptor show at the visitor center at Jackson Hole and Sadie loved seeing the owls, hawks, and eagles. We had a picnic lunch while we were at the visitor's center. We did a quick tour of the town, then back through the Tetons to Yellowstone.
We stopped by the mud volcanos which Sadie was really looking forward to. She liked seeing them but hated the smell. I haven't mentioned it yet, but we've noticed the park has had a lot of rain and snow run-off, so there is a lot of water. The mud volcanos and all the pools have been full and running over.
On our way up to the waterfalls, Sadie started complaining of a headache (which she never has before). We suspected she was just getting tired because we walked so much. We made the waterfalls a quick stop, then headed back to West Yellowstone. Sadie was not feeling well and let us all know the entire trip back.
To save time, we decided to eat at the Buffalo Bar. While dad was carrying Sadie in, she couldn't take in and threw up right as they walked in. I took her and Sarah back to the hotel and came back to pick up mom and dad. Sarah and I placed a to-go order. I don't think any of us thought the food or service was any good.
It was a late night trying to wash clothes. Sarah and I got two loads done and Jenn got one. We are all tired and frazzled. We're going to get Sadie some children's Tylenol for the fever and maybe some pedia-lax in the tomorrow.
We stopped at Grand Prismatic Spring for a quick hike, then on to Old Faithful. We beat most of the crowd, but the geyser went off just as we were walking up so we didn't get to see it. We decided to wait until the next eruption. We stopped by the visitors center to kill some time, then Sarah, Sadie, and I walked around the geyser basin. Sadie was a trouper and walked most of it by herself. We knew what time Old Faithful was supposed to go off again +/- 13 minutes. We got back just in time because it went off around 20 minutes early.
In an effort to gain time tomorrow and the next day, we decided to go on to Jackson Hole and the Tetons. That's always a pleasant trip. They were doing a raptor show at the visitor center at Jackson Hole and Sadie loved seeing the owls, hawks, and eagles. We had a picnic lunch while we were at the visitor's center. We did a quick tour of the town, then back through the Tetons to Yellowstone.
We stopped by the mud volcanos which Sadie was really looking forward to. She liked seeing them but hated the smell. I haven't mentioned it yet, but we've noticed the park has had a lot of rain and snow run-off, so there is a lot of water. The mud volcanos and all the pools have been full and running over.
On our way up to the waterfalls, Sadie started complaining of a headache (which she never has before). We suspected she was just getting tired because we walked so much. We made the waterfalls a quick stop, then headed back to West Yellowstone. Sadie was not feeling well and let us all know the entire trip back.
To save time, we decided to eat at the Buffalo Bar. While dad was carrying Sadie in, she couldn't take in and threw up right as they walked in. I took her and Sarah back to the hotel and came back to pick up mom and dad. Sarah and I placed a to-go order. I don't think any of us thought the food or service was any good.
It was a late night trying to wash clothes. Sarah and I got two loads done and Jenn got one. We are all tired and frazzled. We're going to get Sadie some children's Tylenol for the fever and maybe some pedia-lax in the tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Day 7: Awesome Day
We made our start today in Billings Montana. We all seemed to sleep well and had a good breakfast. After a short stop at Walmart for much lunch supplies and ice, we were on the road.
We stopped again in Red Lodge Montana to fuel up and grab a few snacks (Sadie wanted some doughnuts, so guess who gave in...). On to the Beartooth Pass.
We've only been into Yellowstone through the Beartooth Pass one other time. We are convinced this it the prettiest way into the park. I don't intend on going any other way again. There is one small caveat to using this entrance, you have to be okay with narrow roads and heights.
We made a stop at one pull off where the chipmunks begged for snacks and would almost crawl on you to get them. Sadie received much joy by throwing small snowballs at us all.
The thing about the Beartooth is, once you think you are near the top, you really aren't. We thought we were close to the top once we hit snow, but then kept on going. There is a ski lift near the top, and sure enough, there were many people skiing. It is kind of wild to see people skiing in the middle of June, especially off the side of a really steep mountain.
Once we reached the summit, Sarah and I walked about half a mile to the true peek where we had an unencumbered 360-degree view of the mountains... It was spectacular. I think the peak is somewhere around 11,000 ft. We even got snowed on while we sat on the summit taking pictures and met a small mountain rodent called a Pika who lives at the summit and comes out to meet guests.
On the way down, we stopped at "The Top of the World" where we used to the outhouse. Even though this was a small latrine, it was Amazingly much better than any we experienced in Canada... (Yes, we're still ill about the Canadian "Rest Areas").
As we were leaving the "Top of the World", it started to snow/sleet/hail. It made the hood of the car white, along with the road. We drove in this winter wonderland for nearly 30 minutes.
It was late (1:30) before we got down the mountain to a good spot for a picnic. We stopped, but the mosquitos were bad, so we ate quick. On our way down the mountain, we saw a pretty good sized bull moose and stopped for some videos and pictures.
Once in Yellowstone, we went to tower falls first, then to the Roosevelt Gate. If you haven't had your picture made at the Roosevelt Gate, it's worth the short trip from Mammoth Hot springs. While at Mammoth, we saw plenty of elk wandering around and enjoyed climbing the thermal feature's boardwalk.
We saw another bear on the road in Yellowstone and plenty of Buffalo.
We at supper at Firehole BBQ which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It certainly lived up to our expectations! I'd recommend it and can't wait to go back.
We're staying at a condo Jenn found on VRBO and are looking forward to being here for two nights.
We stopped again in Red Lodge Montana to fuel up and grab a few snacks (Sadie wanted some doughnuts, so guess who gave in...). On to the Beartooth Pass.
We've only been into Yellowstone through the Beartooth Pass one other time. We are convinced this it the prettiest way into the park. I don't intend on going any other way again. There is one small caveat to using this entrance, you have to be okay with narrow roads and heights.
We made a stop at one pull off where the chipmunks begged for snacks and would almost crawl on you to get them. Sadie received much joy by throwing small snowballs at us all.
The thing about the Beartooth is, once you think you are near the top, you really aren't. We thought we were close to the top once we hit snow, but then kept on going. There is a ski lift near the top, and sure enough, there were many people skiing. It is kind of wild to see people skiing in the middle of June, especially off the side of a really steep mountain.
Once we reached the summit, Sarah and I walked about half a mile to the true peek where we had an unencumbered 360-degree view of the mountains... It was spectacular. I think the peak is somewhere around 11,000 ft. We even got snowed on while we sat on the summit taking pictures and met a small mountain rodent called a Pika who lives at the summit and comes out to meet guests.
On the way down, we stopped at "The Top of the World" where we used to the outhouse. Even though this was a small latrine, it was Amazingly much better than any we experienced in Canada... (Yes, we're still ill about the Canadian "Rest Areas").
As we were leaving the "Top of the World", it started to snow/sleet/hail. It made the hood of the car white, along with the road. We drove in this winter wonderland for nearly 30 minutes.
It was late (1:30) before we got down the mountain to a good spot for a picnic. We stopped, but the mosquitos were bad, so we ate quick. On our way down the mountain, we saw a pretty good sized bull moose and stopped for some videos and pictures.
Once in Yellowstone, we went to tower falls first, then to the Roosevelt Gate. If you haven't had your picture made at the Roosevelt Gate, it's worth the short trip from Mammoth Hot springs. While at Mammoth, we saw plenty of elk wandering around and enjoyed climbing the thermal feature's boardwalk.
We saw another bear on the road in Yellowstone and plenty of Buffalo.
We at supper at Firehole BBQ which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It certainly lived up to our expectations! I'd recommend it and can't wait to go back.
We're staying at a condo Jenn found on VRBO and are looking forward to being here for two nights.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Day 6: Back in the USA
We knew today would just be a day of driving and were ready to be back in the US. Canada is always nice and clean, the people are friendly, and its a great place to visit; we were just ready to be back. You eventually get tired of km/h, km to your destination, liters of fuel, bad radio reception, no cell phone service, etc...
We started a little later this morning because Jenn and Sadie wanted to swim. The hotel had a waterslide and Jenn was going to swim or bust. Neither Jenn nor Sadie went down the waterslide, but I put Sadie on the bottom and she enjoyed sliding down the last bit at the bottom. Dad tried to get a picture, but someone came down right as he walked by and completely soaked him. We all had a great laugh at his expense.
After dad cleaned up and we were all packed we hit the road again. We made it to the border a little later than we hoped and we were starved. We got rid of the last of our fruits and veggies before we crossed, so we didn't have a lot for a picnic. After we crossed back into the US, we went on to Shelby Montana for lunch at a Subway.
Our destination was to be Great Falls Montana at the Super 8. I went into check-in to find they had no reservation under my name. I went back through my email and discovered I'd reserved for the previous night! I have never been so happy that I screwed up! This hotel was ROUGH looking and after seeing it, I'm not sure I wouldn't have gone on anyway. We loaded back up, made a stop for gas, then were on our way!
We regrouped and decided to head on to get closer to Yellowstone and came on down to Billings Montana. Since it was Fathers day, we went to the Texas Roadhouse for supper and most had steaks. We stayed next door at the Springhills suits (which was awesome)! Sadie loved the room and insisted on sleeping on the couch, that means Sarah and I each got a queen bed to ourselves. We love each other, but when you're used to sleeping in a King sized bed, it's hard for two people to sleep well in a queen.
We started a little later this morning because Jenn and Sadie wanted to swim. The hotel had a waterslide and Jenn was going to swim or bust. Neither Jenn nor Sadie went down the waterslide, but I put Sadie on the bottom and she enjoyed sliding down the last bit at the bottom. Dad tried to get a picture, but someone came down right as he walked by and completely soaked him. We all had a great laugh at his expense.
After dad cleaned up and we were all packed we hit the road again. We made it to the border a little later than we hoped and we were starved. We got rid of the last of our fruits and veggies before we crossed, so we didn't have a lot for a picnic. After we crossed back into the US, we went on to Shelby Montana for lunch at a Subway.
Our destination was to be Great Falls Montana at the Super 8. I went into check-in to find they had no reservation under my name. I went back through my email and discovered I'd reserved for the previous night! I have never been so happy that I screwed up! This hotel was ROUGH looking and after seeing it, I'm not sure I wouldn't have gone on anyway. We loaded back up, made a stop for gas, then were on our way!
We regrouped and decided to head on to get closer to Yellowstone and came on down to Billings Montana. Since it was Fathers day, we went to the Texas Roadhouse for supper and most had steaks. We stayed next door at the Springhills suits (which was awesome)! Sadie loved the room and insisted on sleeping on the couch, that means Sarah and I each got a queen bed to ourselves. We love each other, but when you're used to sleeping in a King sized bed, it's hard for two people to sleep well in a queen.
Day 5: Malign Canyon, Athabasca Glacier, and Banff
We had lots to do today, so we tried to get an early start. Today was our first day waking up in mountain time, so we overslept by a few minutes and didn't get to breakfast until a little after 7:00. Breakfast was good at the Hinton Lodge. I think it was a privately owned hotel, but it was well maintained and we slept well.
We had to stop by Walmart again to refresh our picnic supplies (Ice and sandwich stuff). After that, we were off to our first stop, Malign Canyon. We saw three young bull elk as we traveled, and stopped to watch them play for a while. We stopped by Malign Canyon which is a must-see for anyone in the area. It's not as big of a waterfall as Athabasca, but the small size of the canyon combined with the volume of water makes the view spectacular. It's a little bit of a hike, but worth it.
We ran into Jasper after the canyon to top off with fuel. As expected, Jasper was crowded, much more so than when we were here in the early 90s.
After a few hours of driving the Icefields Parkway, we made it to the Icefields and the Athabasca glacier. It is so neat to see how it has changed (receded) since the early 90s when we were here last. Also, it is MUCH more crowded. I'll wager there was 50 tour bussed in the parking lot. The visitors center was packed. They did have some good picnic tables and a real bathroom...
I should talk about the rest areas and bathrooms for a minute. Canada, I'm talking to you directly... If you are not Canada, you can stop reading... Canada, hire some engineers and figure out how to build real bathrooms at your "rest areas". The ones you have are just a hole in the ground, don't have any running water, and there is not enough hand sanitizer in the world...
Moving on, we drove to Lake Louise. Sarah and Sadie had not been there. Everyone else in Canada happened to be there today too... It was CRAZY crowded. We parked, went to the lake, took a picture, and left. I'm not sure that place will be on our list to visit again. If you haven't been there, go, otherwise, pass.
We ended our adventuring today in Banff. We stopped in and walked the main drag. Sarah and I bought some cool tee shirts at the "Cool as a Moose" store. We ate supper at "Melisa's Mistake". The supper was good, a little pricy, but the service was good and the atmoshper was good. I'll probably go somewhere else next time, not because it was bad, but because I've been there, done that.
We drove on to the Comfort Inn in Calgary for the night. Jenn hoped she and Sadie could swim and play on the water slide tonight, but it was too late, and too crowded. They are planning on it in the morning.
Great day, good travels!
We had to stop by Walmart again to refresh our picnic supplies (Ice and sandwich stuff). After that, we were off to our first stop, Malign Canyon. We saw three young bull elk as we traveled, and stopped to watch them play for a while. We stopped by Malign Canyon which is a must-see for anyone in the area. It's not as big of a waterfall as Athabasca, but the small size of the canyon combined with the volume of water makes the view spectacular. It's a little bit of a hike, but worth it.
We ran into Jasper after the canyon to top off with fuel. As expected, Jasper was crowded, much more so than when we were here in the early 90s.
After a few hours of driving the Icefields Parkway, we made it to the Icefields and the Athabasca glacier. It is so neat to see how it has changed (receded) since the early 90s when we were here last. Also, it is MUCH more crowded. I'll wager there was 50 tour bussed in the parking lot. The visitors center was packed. They did have some good picnic tables and a real bathroom...
I should talk about the rest areas and bathrooms for a minute. Canada, I'm talking to you directly... If you are not Canada, you can stop reading... Canada, hire some engineers and figure out how to build real bathrooms at your "rest areas". The ones you have are just a hole in the ground, don't have any running water, and there is not enough hand sanitizer in the world...
Moving on, we drove to Lake Louise. Sarah and Sadie had not been there. Everyone else in Canada happened to be there today too... It was CRAZY crowded. We parked, went to the lake, took a picture, and left. I'm not sure that place will be on our list to visit again. If you haven't been there, go, otherwise, pass.
We ended our adventuring today in Banff. We stopped in and walked the main drag. Sarah and I bought some cool tee shirts at the "Cool as a Moose" store. We ate supper at "Melisa's Mistake". The supper was good, a little pricy, but the service was good and the atmoshper was good. I'll probably go somewhere else next time, not because it was bad, but because I've been there, done that.
We drove on to the Comfort Inn in Calgary for the night. Jenn hoped she and Sadie could swim and play on the water slide tonight, but it was too late, and too crowded. They are planning on it in the morning.
Great day, good travels!
Day 4: Athabasca
We woke up at the Riverland Inn and Suites in Kamloops. Breakfast was good though a little crowded. I think we all slept well and were anxious to get on the road.
We went to Walmart to get a few things before we got out on the road. We needed some lunch supplies and snacks. We went ahead and got some fuel in Kamloops before we got started and we were ready to go.
Not much to do today but drive. We had lunch at a small rest area near Thunder Creek. Sarah and Sadie enjoyed playing with the Gophers whose holes were everywhere in the little picnic area where we ate.
After lunch, we continued our drive making it all the way to Jasper. We didn't go into town but instead decided to go on down to Athabasca Falls.
If you haven't been to Athabasca Falls, you need to go. The river is generally swollen in the spring due to the snow melt, and here at the Falls, it just decides its time to go down a narrow canyon. The sheer power of this fall is unmatched. We think it is as impressive, if not more so than Niagra. Words can't really describe it.
On the way to Athabasca, we saw two bears. It's always neat to see wildlife, but Sadie was so thrilled since bears are all she's talked about for the last four months.
We had a little rain on the road today, but nothing major. Driving was good overall except for some construction going to the falls. After our adventure in Jasper national park, we drove on to Hinton for the night.
Hinton is the furthest north we'll be, and all of the parking spots at the Hinton lodge had plug-ins for engine block heaters. We ate at Mr. Mikes and had a good supper. After that, it's off to bed.
We went to Walmart to get a few things before we got out on the road. We needed some lunch supplies and snacks. We went ahead and got some fuel in Kamloops before we got started and we were ready to go.
Not much to do today but drive. We had lunch at a small rest area near Thunder Creek. Sarah and Sadie enjoyed playing with the Gophers whose holes were everywhere in the little picnic area where we ate.
After lunch, we continued our drive making it all the way to Jasper. We didn't go into town but instead decided to go on down to Athabasca Falls.
If you haven't been to Athabasca Falls, you need to go. The river is generally swollen in the spring due to the snow melt, and here at the Falls, it just decides its time to go down a narrow canyon. The sheer power of this fall is unmatched. We think it is as impressive, if not more so than Niagra. Words can't really describe it.
On the way to Athabasca, we saw two bears. It's always neat to see wildlife, but Sadie was so thrilled since bears are all she's talked about for the last four months.
We had a little rain on the road today, but nothing major. Driving was good overall except for some construction going to the falls. After our adventure in Jasper national park, we drove on to Hinton for the night.
Hinton is the furthest north we'll be, and all of the parking spots at the Hinton lodge had plug-ins for engine block heaters. We ate at Mr. Mikes and had a good supper. After that, it's off to bed.
Friday, June 14, 2019
Day 3: Grand Coulee
Today seemed like our first real day of riding. We left Spokane around sometime around 9:00. We were hoping for a much earlier start, but we had such a long day yesterday and had to get some things for picnic lunch; leaving early didn't happen.
Our first stop was the AWESOME Grand Coulee Dam. I cannot recommend this place enough. The engi-nerd in me was so impressed with the scale of this dam. You see it from miles away, and then when you get to it, it's hard not to stare in awe. The second thing that really impressed me was how pretty it is. The Grand Coulee Dam is not only an engineering masterpiece, but the grounds are also kept up like fine park. Finally, the visitor's center was great. Lots of fun stuff for Sadie, but also interesting for the adults. The department of the interior has its act together here. We had our lunch at a picnic table at the foot of the dam; it was GREAT!
We were looking forward to eating Washington cherries going up the road, but none of the fruit stands were open yet. They all seem to open around the third week in June.
Our next significant waypoint was the Canadian border. After months of planning, getting passports together, reading up on border crossing, double-checking that we had no fruits, veggies, or uncooked meats, we made it across. It took 2 minutes, a scan of our passports, 8 or 10 easy questions, and we didn't even get our passports stamped.
Rest stops aren't the same in Canada as they are in the US. We ended up stopping at a small visitors center in Summerland, where we all had to "rest". There, the helpful attendant reminded us of the local legend of the Ogopogo! The Ogopogo is the Canadian version of the Loch Ness monster. Fun stuff and Sadie made up songs about the Ogopogo the entire way up the road.
By the way, cell phones stop working as soon as you cross the Canadian border. We are wifi only, wherever we can get it. It's kind of refreshing not having to deal with any emails or phone calls.
We ate supper at the Boston Pizza in Merritt, BC (Americans eating Italian Pizza, with a Boston flare, in Canada... go figure). We spent the night at the Riverland Inn in Kamloops. The hotel was a little dated, but clean, and obvious the owners were trying to build a great place. I'd stay there again.
PS. While riding we saw several deer and three moose (Sarah and Sadie were so happy)!!!
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| Mom and Sadie looking at the dam |
We were looking forward to eating Washington cherries going up the road, but none of the fruit stands were open yet. They all seem to open around the third week in June.Our next significant waypoint was the Canadian border. After months of planning, getting passports together, reading up on border crossing, double-checking that we had no fruits, veggies, or uncooked meats, we made it across. It took 2 minutes, a scan of our passports, 8 or 10 easy questions, and we didn't even get our passports stamped.
Rest stops aren't the same in Canada as they are in the US. We ended up stopping at a small visitors center in Summerland, where we all had to "rest". There, the helpful attendant reminded us of the local legend of the Ogopogo! The Ogopogo is the Canadian version of the Loch Ness monster. Fun stuff and Sadie made up songs about the Ogopogo the entire way up the road.
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| The view from the Riverland Inn, Kamloops |
We ate supper at the Boston Pizza in Merritt, BC (Americans eating Italian Pizza, with a Boston flare, in Canada... go figure). We spent the night at the Riverland Inn in Kamloops. The hotel was a little dated, but clean, and obvious the owners were trying to build a great place. I'd stay there again.
PS. While riding we saw several deer and three moose (Sarah and Sadie were so happy)!!!
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Day 2: Sadie's First Flight
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| Sarah and Sadie riding the escalator at the airport |
We checked out bags and then waiting in line for security at the airport. It took about an hour from the time we walked in the door until we actually made it through security. It wasn't too slow, but probably the slowest I'd seen the security lines move. We got some snacks as Chic-fil-a then boarded the plane.
We experience a bumpy flight from Atlanta to Sandiego, especially over Oklahoma. The landing was a little rough, but otherwise good. The free inflight movies on Southwest are a great thing, Sadie and I watched the new "How to Train Your Dragon" move and then she watched several cartoons. We flew the US-Mexican border coming into San Diego and could see the border and a good way into Mexico.
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| Sadie conked out on the plane |
The flight from San Diego into Spokane seemed to go quickly. I watched "Ocean's Eight" and Sarah and Sadie watched "Smallfoot". We landed, got our rental car (after we finally got our car seat) which was a nice, big, black Ford Expedition (4600 miles on it). We checked into our hotel (Fairfield Inn and Suites), went to Wendys for supper, then Walmart. We finally got in bed about 10pm local (1am eastern). We were all exhausted, but a great day!
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Day 1: Work then Play
We all had to work today, even mom and dad kept Sadie which is a full-time job! As always before a big trip, it's hard to focus on work knowing that in a few short hours we get a taste of freedom and a chance to feel what retirement might be like one day.
We assembled at mom and dad's house after work and had supper. Mom had barbeque left over from dad's 70th birthday party a few weeks ago and had it ready to go. We wolfed down a few bites and were ready to go. Like always, Sadie was too busy thinking about her next big adventure to worry about eating. We made her finish her grilled cheese before we would leave.
We had to wait for Jennifer (my sister) before we could leave. She had some last minute things to get ready so we didn't get gone from Lake Toxaway until 6:20. A stop at Jake's off of highway 11 to gas up ($2.39/gallon) and we were Atlanta bound.
Traffic wasn't bad and we were in and out of showers the entire way. We arrived at the Country Inn and Suites near the airport at around 9:30 and got checked in. After our baths, we said goodnight and hit the sack ready for our real adventure to start in the morning. We plan on getting up around 6:30 (yay, we get to sleep in!), breakfast, the shuttle to the airport.
Looking forward to whatever tomorrow holds!
We assembled at mom and dad's house after work and had supper. Mom had barbeque left over from dad's 70th birthday party a few weeks ago and had it ready to go. We wolfed down a few bites and were ready to go. Like always, Sadie was too busy thinking about her next big adventure to worry about eating. We made her finish her grilled cheese before we would leave.
We had to wait for Jennifer (my sister) before we could leave. She had some last minute things to get ready so we didn't get gone from Lake Toxaway until 6:20. A stop at Jake's off of highway 11 to gas up ($2.39/gallon) and we were Atlanta bound.
Traffic wasn't bad and we were in and out of showers the entire way. We arrived at the Country Inn and Suites near the airport at around 9:30 and got checked in. After our baths, we said goodnight and hit the sack ready for our real adventure to start in the morning. We plan on getting up around 6:30 (yay, we get to sleep in!), breakfast, the shuttle to the airport.
Looking forward to whatever tomorrow holds!
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