THURSDAY, SEPT 26

THURSDAY, SEPT 26:

     Our last morning waking up in the RV; tomorrow we’ll wake up in our real home – the one without wheels!  Will it seem surreal??  Will we feel disoriented and wander around from room to spacious room, trying each one on for size, seeing if it feels as snug as the 400 sq foot RV?  It will certainly be a transition.  But a good one.  Despite what we’ll miss, Dorothy was right:  There’s no place like home.  (I’m writing this as we travel south on I-29.)

     We are so enormously grateful for the opportunity we had to take this trip!  It was everything we’d hoped for, and more.  From our first ferry ride to our last glacier view, we got to see and experience some of the most spectacular scenery on this planet.  We were treated to extraordinary views of wildlife, furred, feathered, and finned.  And we were exposed to wonderful cultural and historical enrichment.  All the while coming in contact with absolutely wonderful people!      We’d love to return some day.  But if we don’t, we feel that we really got to experience and know Alaska (and, to a lesser extent, the Yukon), in all of its richness and variety. 

     We’re especially grateful that we had the chance to see Alaska in the way we did.  The RV allows us to take extended trips like this one affordably.  We gladly trade the luxury of clean linens and a clean room each night for the luxury of time.  There’s no substitute for it when you want to really see a place more in depth!  Plus, it gives you flexibility.  If the weather is temporarily crummy, for instance, you have time to just wait it out (as we did, for example, in Denali).  Or, if you want to add something to your itinerary that you learn of on the way, you can go for it!  (as we did numerous times – e.g., Wrangell-St. Elias, Pack Creek from Juneau, Stewart-Hyder, etc.) 

     And, we’re so glad we took the trip on our own, and not part of any tour group.  We were definitely among the minority.  Especially in SE Alaska, with all the cruise passengers.  But even in the interior, we saw that the majority of folks were there either as part of a cruise add-on, or as part of an RV organized caravan.  They even have a word for people like us:  “Independent Travelers” or just plain “independents.”  We’ll claim it!  (At one RV park, Bill started schmoozing with the “wagon master” of one of those caravans. And found out that for a typical 12 week Alaskan trip, RV owners pay around $9,000.  That covers campground fees, most excursion costs, and someone doing all of the itinerary and activity planning – in other words, a tour director.  So I asked  Bill when I’d get my $9k.  He replied, “When I get my $60 per day for driving!”

     I remember one of our National Park Rangers – Meredith, in Skagway – when talking to us about the gold rushers who helped settle that town and left its colorful history for us to enjoy saying, “It was all about their dreams.  That’s what Alaska is about.  It was my dream to come here back in 1998.  I hear so many people who are travelling through here say, ‘This trip to  Alaska is my dream trip.’  If it’s your dream trip. Congratulations!  You’re here!”

     I don’t know if this was our one dream trip.  But it certainly is one of them!  We are amazed, glad, and most grateful for the past 18 weeks.  (And all under budget, too! J)           

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 25

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 25:

     Drove just over 550 miles today.  Crossed So Dakota and most of Iowa (north to south).  Windy again in places, so we couldn’t go faster than 45 sometimes, even with the pedal floored.    Lots of cornfields.  That brilliant, blue sky which has canopied us for months now is gone – a typical Midwestern anemic, washed-out blue has replaced it. L  But means we’re getting closer to home J   Stopped a few miles south of Council Bluffs IA.  Had a heckuva time finding a campground tonight.  The only ones we could find in the Good Sam book around Council Bluffs were State Parks, with no hook-up’s, mostly small back-in sites, it sounded like, and several miles from the interstate.  And it was starting to get dark, so we didn’t know how much trouble we’d have locating them on back roads, etc.

     We’d about decided we were going to drive into St. Joseph MO, even though we knew it would be dark when we got there; the RV Park I called there was right off the Interstate, and the owner said it was easy to find, and had some pull-thru sites, so it wouldn’t be hard to get to. So we resolved to drive another couple of hours.  But just then, an Angel intervened, and called our attention to a sign on I-29 which said “RV Park” at the next off-ramp.  So we followed the signs, crossed over the border into Nebraska, and found it.  Even so, it was nearly 8:30 . . . actually, the clock said 9:30 since we crossed a time zone.

     Fixed chili stuffed potatoes, and relaxed a little and went to bed.     

TUESDAY, SEPT 24

TUESDAY, SEPT 24:    

     A much better day for driving than yesterday!  Drove just over 650 miles.  Got a campground in Wall, SD.  Got here about 8:30, and pitch black.  What a difference from a few weeks ago! 

     Drove mostly through Montana & Wyoming high plains – lots of  sagebrush-covered rolling hills, open cattle country.  Drove past places we stopped at on our way up – Little Bighorn Monument, Mt. Rushmore.  Mixed emotions passing these landmarks . . . wistful that our trip is over, but thankful that we went so far and now this close to home, safe, and with very few mishaps. 

     We’d thought that we might be able to make it home tomorrow.  But don’t think that’s possible now – nearly 900 miles to go.  And Bill is having some difficulty at night without his glasses.  Not much of an issue during the daylight.  So we can’t drive long once night falls.   

     Getting very anxious now to get home.

MONDAY, SEPT 23

MONDAY, SEPT 23:

     Karen made us a lovely breakfast – blueberry scones, eggs scrambled with fresh tomatoes & spinach, bacon, toast.  Had a great time sharing stories.  We also heard much about Canada’s semi-socialistic system, especially medical care, from Rob’s point of view. 

     They are lovely, gracious people.  We only met them briefly way back in Wrangell, but something clicked with us, and they made us feel that they truly wanted us to visit them in their home (which is absolutely gorgeous – custom-made cherry millwork, stairs, moldings, etc., done by Rob himself.  He’s has the precision of an engineer, but with an artistic eye.  A Renaissance man!)  We mentioned that we might be back up this way again next summer, and they encouraged us to let them know, and they’d show us some neat places that most tourists don’t know about.                                                   

 

 

                                                    Our private RV space for the night :)

     Hit the road about 11:00.  Stopped at Great Falls, Montana . . .  Back in the U.S.A. – and the Lower 48!   Only went a little over 300 miles today, as there were terrible winds most of the way.  Rob & Karen warned us about wind – said that the area we were travelling through had the worst wind of any place on the North American continent.  It’s not unusual at all to see 4 or 5 semi’s overturned on the side of the road when the wind is really up.  As it was today.   I don’t know how today’s wind compares to the maximum they can get, but it was surely bad enough!    We could feel it slamming into the truck at times.  But what concerned us more was that it kept tilting the kayaks on top, and swayed the center bar of the rack holding both the bikes and the kayaks.  Poor Bill had to stop several times to try and secure the kayaks more, and just about got blown away.  The last time, his glasses were blown right off of his face; he was able to catch them, but one lens has fallen out, which he couldn’t find.  Thanks be to God that nothing worse than that happened. 

     So Bill was exhausted by the time we reached Great Falls.  Had initially thought and hoped we’d be further down the road, but it wasn’t to be.  Made stuffed potatoes for dinner.  This place has a great internet connection, so I was able to get everything done on on-line that I needed to tonite, in nearly record time.

      We’re definitely in Big Sky Country!

 

     We plan to get an early start tomorrow and cover more ground than today, if possible.            

SUNDAY, SEPT 22

SUNDAY, SEPT 22:

     Our last views of the mountains here in our campground, especially Tunnel Mountain, from which the Tunnel Campground gets its name (so named because when the Canadian Pacific RR first surveyed this area, they thought they’d need to blast a tunnel thru this particular mountain.  They later revised the survey, but the name stuck).  The light on the mountain was exquisite  this morning.

 

      Went to church this morning.  For various reasons, it’s been a while since we’ve done that, and we’ve missed worshipping with fellow believers, no matter where the location.  We’d passed a Presbyterian church right downtown several times, so that’s where we went.  They’re affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of Canada, which seems to have much in common with PCA; they retained their independence and Reformed tradition when many other Protestant bodies joined the union which created the United Church of Canada.

      They are a unique congregation, in that during the summer, and to a lesser extent, during the ski season, their Sunday attendance swells with visitors from all over the world, and from many denominational backgrounds.   The core of the congregation, however, is “a small group of faithful people who love the Lord and want to serve Him in this part of His kingdom.  It is their faithful stewardship of time, talents, and money that makes possible the continuing ministry of St. Paul’s” (taken from their church bulletin). We loved this statement of their calling.  We indeed experienced both of these aspects of their ministry:  we sat next to a couple from Tennessee (whose daughter lives in the Central West End in St. Louis!), and we also visited for a time with one of the elders and the pastor.  Very warm people.  We will remember them in prayer, as they are concerned that their core congregation is growing older, and therefore, smaller.

 

     After the service, we strolled around town some.

 

 

       I showed Bill the river walk that Loretta & I went on yesterday, and we continued on it all the way down to the Bow Falls and the hotel, and back to town.

 

    

Went into the McDonalds to use their WiFi and get something to eat.  We were definitely among the minority there, as English-speaking Caucasians, as was true almost everywhere we went in Banff.  Many, many Asians, many French, lots of other sundry languages.   Stayed there til 5:00, and then we decided we’d better get going, as we didn’t want to be too late arriving at Rob & Karen’s.  Was cool & overcast when we came outside.

     Took us about 2 ½ hours to reach Rob & Karen’s.  Our last glimpses of the Canadian Rockies.  So breathtaking.  We’ll be back!

     Arrived about 7:30.  They have an RV spot on their property (with electricity), so Rob helped Bill back into it.  It took us way back to our days on the ferry, with Rob giving Bill all kinds of hand signals for backing into a tight spot.  When we got out of the truck, I told Karen that I felt we were on the getting on the ferry again . . . where was the elevator to the upper deck?  She laughed.

     We shared a glass of wine and some homemade berry cobbler and shared our overlapping adventures.   They of course got home much, much earlier than we, and even started another trip down to Santa Fe.  Had only been there 2 days, however, when they got word that Karen’s dad had suffered a serious stroke.  So she flew home immediately, and Rob followed with the RV.       

SATURDAY, SEPT 21

SATURDAY, SEPT 21:    

     Looked a little cloudier this morning, but warm in the sun.  Bill & I took a little walk around the campground here.  Very nice grounds, including some short trails.   

      L & S picked us up a little after 11:00.  The main thing on our agenda today was a visit to Lake Minnewanka, the largest lake in the National Park.  More beautiful turquoise water set against the mountains.

 

 

 

We walked along a nice trail which paralleled the lake on one side and the woods on the other.

 

We noticed that much of the snow that we saw on the nearby peaks on Thursday has disappeared.  So we couldn’t have timed our days here any better – especially our gondola ride!

     We’d picked up sandwiches at Subway, and sat down at a picnic table next to the lake for our lunch.  As we were finishing up, we saw that the small grey clouds which had been present all morning were suddenly getting bigger and darker.  And the wind really came up all of a sudden.  So we hurried up finishing our meal, and ran back to the car just in time for the heavens to let loose.

     It was a perfect time to visit the Whyte Museum in town, which Loretta said was highly recommended.  It was a really wonderful little museum.  About half was dedicated to art work (paintings) of the Canadian Rockies.  Were some really, really nice pieces, a couple of which had been in the Parliament building in Ottawa.  It added to our enjoyment of the works to be able to recognize many of the places we’d seen, especially Lake Louise, Castle Rock, and Moraine Lake.  There was some gallery space dedicated to showcasing art pertaining to the Canadian Pacific Railroad, which played such a big part in this area’s history.  

     The other half of the museum housed exhibits & artifacts which commemorate the history of the Canadian Rockies.  It included a vintage touring car (from the same company which guided King George VI & Queen Elizabeth around the area when they visited in 1939, and which is still providing tours to visitors today) and a mannequin of a well-respected First Nation chief dressed in the full costume he would wear when meeting with Caucasian political leaders (the clothing, made from many different animals, depicted his philosophy that he wanted to communicate that all and varied peoples can and should cooperate and play a part in the tapestry of settling the land.

     By the time we walked out of the museum, the skies had mostly cleared.  The air and flora all smelled refreshed, and Loretta and I went for a little walk along the Bow River while the guys scouted out a place to eat.  We ended up at Tony Roma’s, and all had ribs . . . 3 of the 4 of us had the St. Louis Ribs . . . surely in homage to our humble hometown.  Loretta & Steve might be surrounded by all of Southern California’s color and flair and natural beauty, but Bill & I have ribs and the Cardinals as our claim to fame!  Whoo hoo!!

     They drove us home, and we said good-bye.  They’re leaving for Jasper tomorrow, and we decided to head for home.  We feel the tug.  Nevertheless, it was hard saying good-bye.  We had such a wonderful time together;  the 4 of us got along great.  It was so gratifying to spend time with my dear “old” friend – more time than I’ve spent in at least 3 decades.  I felt that we renewed our friendship on a deeper level than we’ve had the chance to do in a long time.  And it was wonderful getting to know Steve better.  He was easy to be around, and we really enjoyed his dry sense of humor.  We made a pact to get together once a year from now on.

     And our time here at this particular place at this particular time was perfect.  If we had been just 1 or 2 days off at either end, we would have missed the first snowfall of the season on the nearby mountain peaks, which added so much to our enjoyment and pleasure when looking at them.  And we had perfect weather for the days we spent exclusively outside.  Thank you, Lord, for Your bountiful provision and Providence!  And thank you, Loretta, for acting as tour director and selecting the perfect things to see and do – it couldn’t have been done better!

     We’ll leave for Calgary tomorrow afternoon, after spending some time here in town at a WiFi café.  Will stop at Karen and Rob’s place, and spend the night there.  Then it’s really homeward-bound.  Even though it’s definitely time and we’re ready, I still get sad and teary-eyed.  I will so miss the mountains that we’ve been amongst for so long now.  They’re where my heart is, and, increasingly, where Bill’s is as well.

 

FRIDAY, SEPT 20

   FRIDAY, SEPT 20:  

     Loretta & Steve picked us up at 9:00.  Another gorgeous day! 

     We drove up to Lake Louise, by way of the Bow Parkway, which was a wonderfully picturesque drive, with very little traffic.  We made frequent stops along the way. 

                                                                        

 

One was at Castle Rock, a well-known landmark here.

                                                                      

      Then we arrived at Lake Louise, parked, and walked up to the lake.  Oh my – the setting just in itself is spectacular – the lake at the foot of a beautiful glacier valley.  But what really adds to the indescribable beauty and tranquility of the lake is its exquisite turquoise color. We’ve seen lots of turquoise-hued bodies of water on this trip (rivers, lakes, ocean inlets), but this has got to be one of the most magnificent. And it has that characteristic milky quality of a glacier-fed lake, which adds a dimension of heft and substance to its gracefulness. We meandered long enough there to watch the water subtly change, both in color and in how its surface reflected the changing angle of the sunlight. It’s one of those places where I could just find a bench, bring a book, and stay there for hours

                                                              

 

                                                                                   

 

       Went inside the Chateau there (another extravagant lodge built by the Canadian RR) to have lunch.  We ate outside, even though still felt cool, as we wanted to indulge ourselves with the view as long as we could.  And, as we were waiting for our orders, the sun inched its way over the patio, so that by the time we were half-way through eating, we were basking in perfect warmth.  The food was way over-priced and not that great (at least mine wasn’t), but, in truth, what we were really paying for was the incomparable view and the fresh mountain air surrounding us.  How often do you have a chance to lunch in a setting like this??    

                                       

                                                                         

       Then drove on to another close-by lake, Moraine Lake.  More spellbinding scenery.  This small lake is even a deeper turquoise than Lake Louise, and clearer, since it’s not fed by glaciers for the most part.                                         

                                                                            

 And it’s surrounded by some of the most jagged peaks we’ve seen around here.  They’re called “Ten Peaks.”  Unfortunately, the midday light was such that the pictures don’t really do justice to this lake and its environs.                                                                                        

       Drove back into Banff on the main highway.  Saw some of the wonderful scenery we missed  due to the rain and clouds when we drove this on Wed.  Picked up our truck, and then we all went to a little pizza place to eat.  Was really good.  Got soft-serve ice cream across the street afterwards.   

 

 

                                       

     Came back to the RV about 7:30, which gave us some time to unwind, reflect on the last two days’ adventures via pictures, and go to bed a little earlier. 

 

 

 

 

 

THURSDAY, SEPT 19

THURSDAY, SEPT 19:

     What a gorgeous day!  Yesterday’s rain and clouds gone – blue, sunny skies with just enough fluffy clouds to make it interesting.  Could see the gorgeous  mountains surrounding us here in the campground, with fresh snow no doubt from yesterday’s storm.

                                                                            

                                                                         

 

     Loretta & Steve met us in town at 11:00.  We had driven the truck to a gas station/repair shop recommended to Bill by some guys working on the road here at the campground.  Late yesterday the brakes started making a grinding noise.  Bill was obviously concerned & wanted to get it checked out.  Not good news – pistons were frozen, brake pads were worn through.  Metal on metal.  Even though there’s always a nagging question if a mechanic in a tourist place like this is being straight with you, Bill didn’t think it was worth the risk of trying to drive to Calgary to get a second opinion and having the brakes fail or seize up.  So he authorized the guy here to do the work.  It’s a blow, but not a huge one.  We’ve been very fortunate on this long mountainous trip, with minimal unexpected vehicle expenses.  Not like horror stories we’ve heard along the way – wrecked axles, tie rods, blown engines, multiple sets of tire replacements . . . we’ve felt divinely protected.  Plus, if this had to happen, it couldn’t have come at a more fortuitous time & place.  Loretta & Steve were already planning to act as our chauffeurs.   And we were in civilization, where help was available.  What if this had happened on one of the more remote places we’ve been?  Where we might not even have had cell phone coverage to call anyone.  Scary to think about.

     So once the truck was left at the garage, we drove up to the Banff Gondola. 

 

 

 We took it to the top of Sulphur Mountain, where we had absolutely spectacular views.  We stayed outside in the brisk wind for as long as we could stand it, simply soaking up the breathtaking scenery in front of us.  The stunning beauty here matches the most breathtaking scenery we saw in Alaska.  And 360 degrees of it – all around us.  I had moments (Loretta said she did too) where it almost seemed as if I were in a movie observing this – with the snow-frosted jagged mountain peaks surrounding us, vista after vista, the turquoise Bow River below us, the pine, spruce, & fir forests below us - it was almost too perfect a scene to be real.

 

                                                          Happy faces:

 

 

 

 

 

 

         Went inside to have lunch, where every seat had a marvelous window view.

          Reluctantly left & came back down.  But no need to feel bad – there was more to come!  Drove over to the Banff Springs Hotel, a historic grand hotel built in the late 19^th century by and for the Canadian Railroad to attract wealthy visitors. Still attracts the affluent today!  As Bill said,  “Would you like to trade in all that we’ve spent in the last 16 weeks for one grand weekend here at this hotel?”

      Walked on a little trail behind the hotel which led to the Bow River and Falls.  Again, words fail to describe the total picture of grandeur we looked out upon.  

 

                                                                           

                                                                                     

 

                                             Rainbow created by sunlight on the rushing water:

                                                   Is this a foretaste of Heaven??!

 

     It was late afternoon now; on our way to pick up some groceries for dinner at the market, we let the boys off at an Irish Pup to have a Guinness, and Loretta and I went back to the same coffee shop to get a cold drink. Gave us a chance to catch up. Picked up a large Steelhead fillet, veggies, salad ingredients, and rolls for dinner; came back to the RV and got the grill going.  A lovely ending to a wonderful day.