Back In The Good Ole U. S. of A.....

Left the Lake Louise OverFlow Bus Parking area early Thursday morning and drove highway 95/93 south to highway 3 in order to cross the border into Idaho. Of all the roads I've been on this was the most stunning in views. Maybe it had something to do with the eerie nature of smoke from the wildfires with the sun rising. Whatever it was, as I rounded every corner there was another reason to thank God (out loud) for the blessing to view his handiwork.

I have friends, Jan and Sarah, who will be making a trip here soon. Sarah, you have GOT to drive this road -- I know you will have the same feeling as I did. Stop at the rest area on hwy 93, I marked the coordinates for you....  51.025351, -115.982434 (be sure to save it).

Spent the night in Ponderay, Idaho and filled up with gas at $2.34 a gallon, ate at Cracker Barrel and although am glad to have had this adventure -- there is something about being in the USA.  Drove to St. Regis, Montana and checked into a campground.... with a pool and gonna spend 4 nights here waiting on my friends (Laura) to arrive. We plan to drive east then south to see Yellowstone and Jackson, Wyoming. The temperatures are getting hot, when it's around 90 and you are in a tin can (so to speak) it really is hot. The a/c doesn't work as one does in your home and I don't want to run it all day and night. Night time, after the sun goes down, it does cool off and thankfully there is no humidity like Florida or North Carolina. Sooo, will be following cooler weather down through the mountains of Wyoming and Colorado then probably head east on I-70 to North Carolina.

It's 7:15am Saturday morning, I put a roast in the crock pot, am sitting outside drinking coffee and typing this on my laptop. It's quiet in the campground, can see others sitting outside drinking coffee, a couple are walking (1/4 mile loop around campground), birds are chirping, squirrels running and dashing up trees, sun is up but not shinning over the mountains yet and I feel all is right with the world.

Spent the night in the Bus OverFlow Parking Area (along with about 20 other RVers)

Leaving the OverFlow Parking Area.... BEAUTIFUL morning!

Just shots as I drive....

You can see the smoke from the wildfires.

Another to show you the wildfire smoke drifting in.

BEAUTIFUL

Getting away from ice capped mountains.

I wish the colors would show you the pretty water colors.

Tried again to capture the colors.... reckon, it's something you have to see in person.

Sun coming up in an area that was caught in a wildfire last year.... haze is from current wildfires.

I love the mountains....

BEAUTIFUL rest area on Hwy 93... Sarah this is the one you need to visit.

Another view of RestArea

 Not sure this video will play... adding it anyway... It's of the Rest Area

Yoda III nestled in the tree at St. Regis Campground in Montana

Campground has lots of cute things dotted all around for a comfy atmosphere.

Every campsite has several wood sculptures -- they must have spent a small fortune on these.

One of the sculptures by my site.

Until Next Time........... which will be a few days away.

Prince George to Lake Louise, AB

First of all, I have seen all types of RVs in the past 2 months but.... now, I have seen the smallest Class C RV (photo below) and the couple was from Chile (as in SOUTH AMERICA).  Man, they have covered a LOT of miles in that itty bitty thing!

Plan was to drive to Jasper, BC and see the town then spend the night there. Horrors!!!  I will NEVER drive a RV in that town made for tourists (not to mention try to get into a service station). Pedestrians have the right of way and most don't use the cross walks so I was dodging people and traffic. You would have thought it was a major holiday with the amount of people and NO parking anywhere!  Spent a hour there and that was just driving in, waiting on a train (25 minutes), circling a service station several times until I could get in, pump gas then get out of town.

Decided to head to the ice fields and spend the night and when I got there..... no Verizon coverage so that ended that and off I went.... again. Found a place at Lake Louise in the over flow bus parking lot (me and about 15 other RVers).

Beautiful drive.... getting closer to leaving Canada..... and looking forward to USA gas prices!!! 

See how little this is.... fits in a regular parking space -- I bet it's no longer than my SUV!

From Chile....

Prince George celebrates being 150 years old with these cute little Penguins everywhere

Debbie, this is for YOU.... Bales of hay for as far as the eye can see!

I thought these jagged mountains were pretty.

Doesn't get better than this. Wish the sky had been a dark blue.

Another view of same lake with bridge in background

Water was more tourquise than blue... Stunning in person!

Lone Kayaker enjoying the solitude.....

Takes all kinds.... eating dinner on TOP of the RV -- by the way, for those who don't know.... RV roofs are NOT made for this!

IceFields.... sure look different than when I came through in June.

Another shot of the IceFields.... see the bus in the lower left? For $60 it will ride you to the top and back

Showing the Snow/Ice thickness on top of a moutain.

Coming out of the IceFields and on to Lake Louise

First lake as I get closer to Lake Louise.

Monday, July 25.... Still in Prince George, BC

Last night in Prince George and I'm parked, along with a few others, at Wal-Mart as I need groceries. Decided to head east and see Jasper, Lake Louise and Banf again on my way back to the good ole US of A. In hopes the temperatures are cooler in the mountains. I keep hearing how hot and humid it is in NC and Florida -- not looking forward to that. However, if you look at the USA temperature map it's not really much cooler in Montana or either of the Dakotas. 

Meeting my friend Laura at the Cracker Barrel (woo hoo) in Coure d'Alene, Idaho on Saturday. We are both looking forward to eating some good ole CB meals.... me.... it's gonna be chicken and dumplings!  Gosh, just thinking about it..... Plans are 3 more nights in Canada around Lake Louise, AB then cross the border in Idaho.  

Just finished shopping in Wal-Mart and picked up a 26 bottle package of water for what was marked 3.47 -- got to the self checkout and it rang up 3.47 then added 2.60 recycle fee (.10 per bottle)  PLUS another .41 land fill fee. That package of water marked 3.47 was costing me 6.48!!!  Of course, I asked about the fees -- seems all of Canada does this. I hadn't noticed in buying water before. Thinking it was just this area... put the water back. Came to the RV and Googled the fees -- it's in both providences I drive in........ drats....... now I gotta slink back in and buy water as I don't have enough to last until I get to Idaho. Think I'll wait until later this afternoon to do so.

No pictures, just letting you know where I am. If I have Verizon coverage in the mountains around Lake Louise, AB will upload from my trip tomorrow.

 

Good Roads.... FINALLY....

The 230 miles from Smithers to Prince George put distance between me and snow/ice mountain tops. It also presented good roads and the landscaped moved to  anagricultural setting. Saw lot of cows, a few pigs and acres of hay in the process of getting rolled into bales. Also saw a couple small caribou (don't know what you called little caribou) but not in time to take a photo.

In Smithers had an ice cold root beer in a mug at the A&W -- memories of my youth. For those from Live Oak the photo below will mean something. Not the same as when we were growing up but still, it's an A&W which, as I've said in earlier posts, a big franchise in Canada. Can you see the "Grandpa Burger" on the A&W sign?

Am staying 4 nights at the campground in Prince George as I wait for more news on the wildfires. The road in my original plan is still closed so it looks like it's Plan B for me going to Washington and Oregon.

Maybe Live Oak needs another A&W

My camping spot in Smithers, BC

My own little Garden

Glacier view from my bedroom window

No Bear Watching.... And Wildfires Keep On Burning....

I drove to Stewart, British Columbia and viewed another spectacular sight Salmon Glacier along the drive. The Salmon Glacier, the fifth largest in Canada, is a remnant of that last great age of glaciers.

Drove through Stewart then on to Hyder (which is actually right over the border and in Alaska). Hyder is called the "Ghost Town" and if you drove through it would see why. In 2010 the  population was 87 and is the eastern most town in Alaska. Notable thing about Hyder is during an Independence Day fireworks display, couple years back, the organizers accidentally burned down their fire hall with the fire engine inside. One way in and same way out (with a Canadian Border crossing to be processed through). Hyder is visited by masses due to the Fish Creek Bear Viewing Area in the Salmon River. Huge boardwalk over Salmon River allowing people to watch bears below catch Salmon. Salmon begins running  mid July and runs about a month -- I went on the 16th and the Salmon had not started running yet -- so NO bears to watch.

Did eat at The Bus in Hyder.... wickedly cool place to eat with seafood as fresh as it gets. Lady cooks each order one at a time (so the wait can be long -- mine was about 40 minutes). Husband does the catching and wife does the cooking. Seafood is never any more than 12 hours out of the water. And it was WONDERFUL -- had 6 shrimp and 1 halibut ($18.00) and was incredible. The Bus serves daily until the seafood runs out.

The drive was awesome! Stayed the night in the parking lot of New Hazelton Visitor's Center (again.... was not alone camping). 

And am here at Glacier View RV Park in Smithers... could actually get a couple TV channels with my antenna!  Watched a couple of my soaps, Y&R and B&B -- I've missed some things but easy to catch up. Staying here until tomorrow when I head on over to Prince George (about 250 miles away) and will stay until the 24th.

Checked the wildfires situation this morning and they are no better today.  British Columbia remains under a state of emergency as 159 wildfires continue to burn across the province. Almost 40,000 people have now been displaced as one of the worst wildfire seasons in the province's  history continues. 

Salmon Glacier view from the highway (on a hazy day)

Close up and waited for sun to drift over between the clouds -- can you see the Blue Turquoise color in the Glacier?

Downtown Stewart, British Columbia -- no traffic lights!

Welcome to Hyder.... downtown....

The Bus.... Wonderful food... just can't say enough about it.

Beside The Bus.... Owners live in this house.

Leaving Hyder.... Told ya it was a "Ghost Town" -- Canadian Crossing Stop in the lower right side

Yep... really Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- tried to find one to take a photo of but never did.

Sculpture dedicated to the Bears at The River (has a fish in his mouth).

Just another beautiful view on the drive.

At the Hazelton Visitor's Center.... Dedication to the pioneers of this area.