September 6, 2017. Riding through the Rockies!

CAMPGROUND:  Riley Creek Army Corps of Engineers Campground.  Nice, wooded sites.  Very clean bathroom.  Outdoor dishwashing area.  Picnic tables and fire pits.  Electricity and water.  $27/night, $13.50 with Senior Pass.  Some sites on lake.  4 out of 5 stars.

 

LOCATION:  Northern Idaho, near Sandpoint.

 

WEATHER:  Mild; high about 75.  Smoky!  

 

Our plan was to leave Jasper at 9:00 AM as we have a long day driving.  One of the tires was a bit flat, so George had to pump it up.  Consequently, we ended up leaving at about 10:00.  We said farewell to Uncle Leo and Aunt Martha and headed out.  

 

For some reason, our GPS kept telling us that we were going in the wrong direction, and the spunky voice demanded that we make a u-turn.  We were going south, so felt certain that we were ok.  Our only fear was that the GPS was trying to re-route us due to road closures.  There was no one to ask, so we continued onward.  We were on the beautiful Icefields Parkway that goes between Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff.  

 

We saw lots of high mountain peaks with glaciers clinging to their sides.

 

Closer to Banff, we saw the famous Columbia Glacier with a glass-floored overlook.  

 

We drove through a few towns in southern British Columbia famous for their hot springs, like Radium Hot Springs (sounds a bit scary, doesn't it?). 

 

It was smoky all the way.  At one point, there was a sign warning of wildfires along the highway for the next 15 miles.  It instructed us to not stop and to hurry through.  Side roads and scenic look-outs were roped off to block entrance, with policemen watching.  One town appeared to be evacuated.  We didn't see any actual fires, but the smoke was very thick.

 

Even though it was mid-afternoon, the sky was dark with the sun appearing as a big, red ball.  

 

We were lucky at the US Border and breezed through without much hassle.  Since we weren't carrying any fruit, vegetables or weapons, I guess we were a safe bet.

 

We finally arrived at our destination, this lovely park, and met up with our friends Tony and Jenny.  The drive took longer than we had planned, but it was comforting to know that we had a reserved campsite and a meal waiting for us compliments of Tony and Jenny.

 

After setting up, we ate dinner with them on a picnic table (so nice to do that) and caught up with each other's travels since we were last together on Haida Gwaii.  

 

Note to "bonkers" - one of my blog readers.  She/he asked me about how we handle health insurance while traveling.  We are covered by Medicare.  Luckily we haven't had to use it much.  We also have supplemental insurance through Mayo Clinic, our former employer, which covers what Medicare does not.  Thankfully, it also includes international emergency treatment.  I twisted my ankle about 10 days ago.  Now that we are back in the US, I'm going to an Urgent Care Center to get it x-rayed as it has not healed very well.  I'm not sure if insurance would have covered the x-rays in Canada.  

 

DINNER - a la Tony and Jenny --- grilled chicken and a Caesar salad.  I must get Tony's recipe for the chicken sauce.   

 

 

September 5, 2017. Beautiful Lake Maligne in Jasper

LOCATION:  Tekarra Lodge in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

WEATHER:  Picture perfect!  Couldn't have asked for anything better.  Highs in 70s.  Sunny

 

After a hearty breakfast in our cabin, we were off for the day.  Our destination was Lake Maligne, part of the Jasper National Park.  We stopped several times along the way to hike and admire the canyon and views.    

 

The lake itself is sheer beauty.   We had lunch in their cafeteria overlooking the lake, then hopped on board this boat to take a tour.      

 

On the way, we passed several canoes and kayaks.  We slowed down each time so our wake would not inadvertently knock the riders into the cold waters of the glacier-fed lake.    

 

We passed by receding glaciers.       

 

Then - the highlight.  We disembarked near Spirit Island to take photos.  This is the iconic picture of the area made famous by many professional photographers.  They say that this photo is the second most photographed view in Canada, second only to Lake Louise.      

 Uncle Leo and Aunt Martha......

There are more non-English speakers here than Canadians or Americans.  A couple from Holland took this picture for us.  We then took one for them.      

 

On our way back into Jasper town, we stopped at the Fairmont Jasper Lodge, a super deluxe resort.  We sat on the patio overlooking a lake and swimming pool and enjoyed cocktails.  Wow!    

 

The resort was showcasing this old car that George admired.      

 

I bonded with the bears standing under the lodge's beautiful flowers.    

 

Back at the cabin we relaxed, soaking up the beautiful day on our cabin's deck.    

 

For dinner, we picked up a take-out pizza and enjoyed it on the deck.  

 

We read that Marilyn Monroe, John Travolta and the Edmonton Oilers have stayed at our lodge.  Maybe Marilyn slept in our very bed?!  

 

 

 

 

September 4, 2017. Jasper's jaw-dropping beauty!

LOCATION:  Tekarra Lodge in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

WEATHER:  Perfect!  Sunny.  High about 75.

 

We drove about 5 hours south to Jasper National Park.  The scenery was just jaw-dropping beautiful.  Right as we entered Jasper we spotted a huge elk alongside the road.  

 

We are staying in a darling , cozy cabin in the national park. The cabin has a bedroom for Leo and Martha, a bedroom alcove for us, a small kitchen and living room with a fireplace.  

 

We walked around the lodge area, admiring the Athabaska River.    

 

Then, to the lodge for a "meet and greet" with a great musician on the patio.

 

Later, we returned to the lodge for dinner ---- arctic chard with grilled veg.  Very nice.  

 

Before turning in, we lit a fire in our cabin's fireplace.  Cozy! 

 

 

Since it is the end of August, and the beginning of September, it is time to review a month and talk about next month's adventures....

 

It is hard to believe that we started August finishing up housesits in Thailand  and Singapore -followed by a trip to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.  We spent a few weeks in Boise housesitting, then headed north through Canada's Okanagan Valley to Prince Rupert where we met our camper friends Tony and Jenny.  From there we spent a few days in Haida Gwaii, checking off items on our mutual bucket lists.  Wonderful trip.  From there, we went to Hyder, Alaska to watch bears eating salmon, then back north and east to Grande Prairie, Alberta to visit with our Aunt Martha and Uncle Leo.

 

September -  we will spend a few days in Jasper National Park, then meet up again with Jenny and Tony in Idaho.  Our plans are a bit fuzzy for September, only including some plans to camp out in breweries/wineries through a new camp group we have joined, and then wind our way south to Yosemite National Park.  

 

 

 

 

 

September 3, 2017. Peaceful, pretty Peace River

LOCATION:  Visiting Uncle Leo and Aunt Martha in Grande Prairie, Alberta

WEATHER:  Sunny.  High 70

 

Grande Prairie is a city of about 80,000 people situated in a big valley in west central Alberta

Industry seems to be geared around the oil fields, farming and logging.  Today we drove about an hour north to the Peace River area.   We visited historic Dunvegan, known to be a gathering place for native Indians for thousands of years.  Since it is down in a valley, the temperatures are milder and many different crops are grown.

Here is Martha admiring the river....

The river is high right now.  This is the view from the provincial park there, quite busy today due to the Labor Day weekend..

Adjacent to the park is a famous farm garden.  We lucked out as they were having a corn fest today.  Free corn on the cob!

The setting is beautiful, with hanging baskets and flowers all over.  George and Leo basked in the sun while Leo finished up his ice cream cone...

On our way home, we saw this unusual site....a small airplane parked next to the highway.  We assume that the pilot had to make an emergency landing here.  Nothing in the news, though, about it.

Back home, we had a campfire in the firepit and enjoyed the perfect weather.     DINNER:  Asian fried rice.  Salad with cucumbers fresh from the garden.     Martha has taped the last season of "Call the Midwife" so we watched a few episodes.  Fantastic!  

September 2, 2017. Making the most out of a rainy day

LOCATION:  With my Uncle Leo and Aunt Martha in Grande Prairie, Alberta

WEATHER:  Rain all day.  The farmers need the rain (but not those out harvesting).  Cool.  High 60

 

It was a bit of a  dreary day with rain most of the day.  Leo picked blackcurrants and Martha made a pie out of saskatoon berries.  I read and did computer work.  My ankle is still swollen, and is now black and blue from the fall I had last week.  Once we get to the USA, I'll probably get it x-rayed to make sure no bones are broken.     We went into town to buy supplies for an outing tomorrow with another cousin, and for our trip to Jasper.  On our way home, we looked at some of the new subdivisions near Uncle Leo's farm.  This is a "boom or bust" town and now it is really "booming".  New houses are being built all over.  There obviously is a lot of money, mostly from oil.  All of these big houses have boats and huge mobile homes in their driveways.

  George washed down the Airstream as it was muddy from our trip to Stewart last week.  

In the afternoon, we popped popcorn and watched TV.  Canadians are fascinated/appalled by Trump, so he is prominent on TV here.  

 

Later, I made some stir-fried rice for our outing tomorrow.  

 

DINNER:  Leftover ribeye steak and ribs from the steakhouse restaurant meal the other night.  Pasta in butter sauce on the side plus salad and cucumbers marinated in yogurt.  

 

The rain stopped and we watched a glorious sunset.

 

September 1, 2017. Small towns around Grande Prairie

LOCATION:  With Uncle Leo and Aunt Martha in their home in Grande Prairie, Alberta

WEATHER:  Very windy.  High around 70

  Today's plan was a lunch trip to a Norwegian community about an hour away.  The fields are so beautiful.  Many crops have already been harvested.

Valhalla is a tiny community settled by Norwegians.  The Historical Society has refurbished the old mercentile buidling and converted it to a cafe.  It is known for its wonderful, home-made food.  We each had a hearty bowl of soup with homemade bread.  

George ordered a piece of home-made saskatoon pie...

And LOVED it!

On our way home, we stopped in another town called Beaver Lodge.  Lots of small towns in Alberta have some sort of statue or other funny landmark attracting tourists.  This guy looks a little evil to me....

We visited an art gallery there showcasing a local famous painter who had just died.  Then, back to Grande Prairie.  

This is the business that my cousin (Martha and Leo's son) owns and runs.  It is a company that distributes tools and supplies to the oilfields up north.  It is a huge business and he does quite well.  It is called a "hot shot". 

We picked up our Airstream from the RV shop.  They "sort of" fixed the refrigerator.  It is a bit cooler than before, but the freezer is still not cold enough to make ice.

George grilled some chicken for dinner.

DINNER:  Grilled chicken, grilled celery (George's invention), and leftovers from the restaurant dinner - potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms and Yorkshire pudding.  

   

August 31, 2017. Getting things done in Grande Prairie

LOCATION:  With Uncle Leo and Aunt Martha at their home in Grande Prairie, Alberta

WEATHER:  Very windy, but pleasant.  High about 70

  We got up early to take the Airstream into an RV dealer/shop to see if they can repair the refrigerator.   Great customer service.

I did some more work on the computer.  I lined up a campground in northern Idaho for the time after our visit to Jasper.  We will meet up with friends Tony and Jenny again.  Campgrounds still are very busy, even after Labor Day.   Martha went shopping and bought us some beer brewed in Grande Prairie...

Then, in the evening, we met up with some of Leo and Martha's children (my cousins) for dinner at a rib and steakhouse.  

It was great getting together with them.  We ate too much!