NORTH TO ALASKA –Banff N P in Alberta, Canada

TRIP DAYS –14&15

DAILY MILES  - 13th 8, 14th 8, 15th ?

TOTAL MILES - 2570

6/29 – We have spent three wonderful days in Banff.  I can’t believe Alaska will have anything that can top this.  Today is our fourth day and tomorrow we move on to Lake Louise, just 36 miles north.  While in Banff we visited the following: Banff Parks Museum, Whyte Museum, Cave & Basin National Historic Site, Cascade Gardens, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Bow Falls.  Also, we had ice cream cones at the Cow, advertised as Canada’s Best, which cost $4.25 a single dip.  Good, but not that good.  Today we are headed to the grocery, gas station and the library to post this update.  It may be a few days before we get another connection, but we’ll see you up the road.
 

Banff Park Museum

Whyte Museum

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Bow River Falls

NORTH TO ALASKA –Glacier N P to Banff N P in Alberta, Canada

TRIP DAYS 12 &13

DAILY MILES  - 388

TOTAL MILES - 2554

6/27 – We are in Alberta, Canada at the Banff National Park.  Drove all day yesterday through the Canadian Rockies and arrived at the Tunnel Mountain Campground at 6:00 PM.  The vistas were breathtaking and the road was actually very good.  We feared winding, narrow roads and were pleasantly surprised to find wide roads with nice shoulders. 

We are in love with the Rockies and may just stay here.  We spent the morning in downtown Banff getting maps and exchanging money.  We couldn’t even buy a cup of coffee in McDonalds until I found a local bank to assist with the exchange.  I need coins for the laundry and car wash somewhere in the future.

The local library is providing our Internet connection and we’ll probably stop by again before we move on as I’m not sure where we’ll find a future connection.  We’re off to see the park museum and then find a local restaurant for lunch.  Banff reminds us of our trip to Aspen, CO many years ago - a pretty alpine village.  See you down the road!

NORTH TO ALASKA –Glacier National Park – Red Jammer Bus to Logan’s Pass

TRIP DAYS –11

DAILY MILES  - 0

TOTAL MILES - 2166

We met this fellow yesterday at Many Glaciers - from a safe distance

6/25 – We returned to the campground to find Internet connection back up so I’m adding this entry.  We rode the red jammer bus to Logan's Pass on the Going to the Sun Road which was awesome.  The weather here was cold and windy with temperatures in the valley only 50 and at the Pass in the low 40’s.  I took a zillion pictures of the Rocky Mountains.  Due to the cold weather and wind we skipped the planned boat trip.  I don’t do well on rocking boats.  Then we spent the remainder of the day hunting an alternate route into Canada as the main highway to Calgary is still closed due to flooding.  We have figured a course, though it adds about 120 miles to the trip.  This also changed our schedule as we had two days scheduled in Calgary which we will now add to our stay in Banff National Park.  We’ll let you know what’s happening when we have the next connection.  See you in Canada!


Our Red Jammer Bus tour up to Logan's Pass

Our driver was the only one with the top open this morning.

NORTH TO ALASKA –Great Falls, Montana to Glacier National Park

TRIP DAYS 9 & 10

DAILY MILES  - 190 & 57

TOTAL MILES - 2166

Day 9 -6/23 – Visited the Lewis and Clark Trail Museum before leaving Great Falls, MT.  We saw exhibits and a film, plus attended a lecture presented by a Ranger.  From there we drove 160 miles to Glacier National Park where we are staying in a KOA campground just one mile from the park entrance.  The campground is surrounded by snowcapped mountains.  I’m sure the pictures will tell the story. . .

Day 10 – 6/24 – Headed to St. Mary Visitor Center to view the exhibits and two films.  We then drove 21 miles to the Many Glaciers park entrance and had lunch at the Many Glaciers Hotel, a historic lodge built in 1914.  The food and the atmosphere were both superb. 

P.S.  We are having Internet connection problems at the campground and may not be back on for a few days.  Today - Day 11 - 6/25 - We are riding the red jammer bus to Logan's Pass on the Going to the Sun Road and taking a boat trip on the St. Mary lake.  Then we must spend the remainder of the day hunting an alternate route into Canada as the main highway to Calgary is still closed due to flooding.  We also are not sure if we can get to Banff  National Park or if the campground is even open due to water.  Anyway, we'll keep you posted when we can.

NORTH TO ALASKA –Theodore Roosevelt N P to Great Falls, Montana

TRIP DAY –8

DAILY MILES  - 420

TOTAL MILES - 1919

Montana "Big Sky Country"

6/22 – Day 8 – Today we drove about 400 miles from the eastern border of Montana across the state to Great Falls.   We took State Road 200 and drove many miles without seeing another vehicle.  The landscape was mostly rolling hills which provided views of gigantic wheat fields, small herds of cattle and a few flocks of sheep.  You can see for miles in any direction which explains why it’s called the “big sky country”.   We experienced our first thunder storm with strong winds, lightning, and torrential rain and survived to tell it.  Tonight finds us settled into a Good Sam campground in Great Falls.  Tomorrow we plan to visit the Lewis and Clark Trail Museum and then head for Glacier National Park. 

This bison was standing beside the road when we left Theodore Roosevelt National Park this morning.

NORTH TO ALASKA – Fargo, ND to Theodore Roosevelt National Park

TRIP DAYS –6 -7

DAILY MILES  - 334 & 38

TOTAL MILES - 1499

Today (6^{th day}) started at 7:00 AM when we left Fargo on the east border of North Dakota and drove across the state to Theodore Roosevelt National Park on the western end.  A stop at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center provided a short overview film of the park and a panoramic view of North Dakota’s Badlands.  Next it was on to the South Unit of the park and a campsite at Cottonwood Campground located in a canyon within the Badlands on the Little Missouri River.  This is totally amazing.  Another perfect day!

We are camped in a canyon down in these Badlands by the river

The Little Missouri River

Camped in a cottonwood copse

On the 7^{th day} we toured the park via the loop drive which is 36 miles long.  We saw buffalo, mule deer, prairie dogs, and wild horses.  Also, took four “easy” hiking trails, which we really enjoyed.  I did one trail alone, a ridge trail that scared the “wazoo” out of me.  The scenery is unbelievable.  It is all located in the Badlands which resemble a landscape from Mars.  Next we are headed to Great Falls, Montana.

NORTH TO ALASKA – Wisconsin Dells to Fargo, ND

TRIP DAYS –5

DAILY MILES  - 448

TOTAL MILES - 1127

We departed the campground at 7:00 AM and drove 200 miles crossing into Minnesota at 11:00 AM.  With frequent snack/rest stops we average traveling around 50 miles in an hour.  Thus far we have gotten between 17 and 19 miles per gallon of diesel fuel.  At 5:30 PM we reached the North Dakota border, making it our sixth state to enter in five days.  The trip crosses into 18 states and three Canadian provinces.

Tonight finds us camping at Lindenwood Park in Fargo, North Dakota.  This is a city campground very near I-94 and really nice.  The temperature is currently 86 degrees which is not what I expected in Fargo.  It usually gets mentioned on the nightly national weather report as one of the coldest places in the lower 48 during winter.  Only sunny skies and mild temperatures have welcomed us to the north this far. 

Most of our journey thus far has been through farmland

 

 

NORTH TO ALASKA – Valparaiso, IN to Wisconsin Dells

TRIP DAYS –3&4

DAILY MILES  - 309 & 14

TOTAL MILES - 679

Yesterday we left Valpo, IN at 5:00 AM and skirted around Chicago before traffic became too hectic.  We crossed into Wisconsin by noon and arrived at the Wisconsin Dells and had the RV setup at Sherwood Forest Campground by 2:00 P.M.  This morning found us cruising the town to see the sights and in line to board one of the Original Ducks for a boat tour on the Wisconsin River.  Riding the Ducks was a hoot and we probably screamed and laughed more than the youngsters on the tour.  The afternoon has been spent planning the next leg of our journey. 

NORTH TO ALASKA – Kentucky to Indiana

TRIP DAY    1 and 2

MILES TODAY              356

TOTAL MILES          356

THE JOURNEY BEGINS -
We left Kentucky and drove to Valparaiso, Indiana to spend Father's Day with our son and his family.  It's wonderful to see our grand-kids as the first stop on our trip.  They are now ages 4 and 6 and we don't get to see them often enough.  We wanted lots of hugs and kisses before we head north.  We plan to leave here on Monday morning at 5:00 A.M. headed around Chicago toward the Wisconsin Dells.

NORTH TO ALASKA – SUMMER 2013

TRIP DAY – 0

MILES TODAY  - 0

TOTAL MILES - 0

The countdown begins –

We are just 9 days away from beginning our journey to Alaska.  Our house is sprouting boxes and cartons containing provisions that would make any “Gold Rush Miner” proud.  When I’m not counting socks and underwear, I’m gathering up maps and travel books.  The excitement level grows with the piles of supplies. . .