Day 9

Today we started from Canmore, a town that was devastated by the south Alberta flood last week. The Bow River washed away part of Highway 1 as well as homes close to the river basin. The same river flooded downtown Calgary. We stopped in Banff for Starbucks coffee and a couple sandwiches. Then we went on to explore three of Canada's Rocky Mountain national parks.  Banff, Kootenay and Yoho. The towering mountains and ice fields along the Kootenay Highway were spectacular. We passed by the Radium Hot Springs and followed the Colombia River valley north to the town of Golden. From there we turned back east to see famous Lake Louise. But a big thunderstorm followed us back into the mountains and we decided to stay at the Continental Divide Lodge for the night. While we were having dinner at the lodge a beautiful double rainbow marked the end of the storm and we decided to end the evening with a short trip up the Yoho valley to see the majestic Takkakaw Falls. 

Downtown Banff

 Castle Mountain

 Road up to the Continental Divide at Kootenay N.P.

 Max at the gate to the best place on earth

  Happy Max

 Wild rose, the state flower of Alberta

 Radium Hot Springs

Colombia River Valley

Storm bound

 Double Rainbow!

 View from our room at the Continental Divide Lodge in Yoho N.P.

 Takkakaw Falls

Day 7 and 8

After a homemade mountain breakfast of eggs and peppers, we were ready for our first hike- Avalanche Lake. It was a 5 hour hike with magnificent views of the glacier-carved valleys. We met many friendly hikers along the way including a couple from Florida who shared with us their knowledge of the best trails in the park (along with half of their Subway sandwich!). At the end of the main path, we found a little side trail that led right to the the edge of a small waterfall. It was a bit tougher to climb than the well-maintained route but we made up there and got some great photos. Once we got back to camp, we were starving! Fortunately we had some bratwurst to grill on the campfire. The next morning we decided to head off to Canada and set off on the Going to the Sun Road. The views at the top were breathtaking! Soon we crossed the border and we were in Alberta. Right on the border we got a great view of the Chief Mountain, a peak in the Rockies that seems to be separated from the nearby mountains. After a bit of driving, we finally found a Holiday Inn in Canmore to stay the night.

 Happy camper

 Another happy camper

 Avalanche Creek

 Thanks for the sandwich!

 Avalanche Lake

 My Dad & Howard

 End of trail

 Mule Deer Buck

 and his girlfriend

Howard and I talking music

 no comment! (Dad)

 Views from Going To The Sun Road

 Last snow just before the summit

Lake Saint Mary

 Mountain beauties

Chief Mountain

Canada! 

Day 6

We finally made it! A place filled with roaring waterfalls, towering mountain peaks, and as you all probably have realized, no internet reception. Glacier National Park! We left from Missoula, Montana on Route 93. On the way we passed Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River (but nothing compared to Lake Michigan back home!) Shorty afterward, I drove through my first big rainstorm. Luckily it only lasted for about 20 minutes but there were times where I had trouble seeing through my windshield! At the end of the day we arrived at Glacier tired, but excited to explore the park. We had time to see an amazing series of rapids and waterfalls before we set up camp and went to bed. As we were setting up our tent, we met Howard- a fellow camper from North Carolina- whose company we greatly enjoyed during our time at Glacier. I loved taking to Howard about music and guitar playing while he and my dad bonded over motorcycle riding. I'll post pictures of Howard in tomorrows post. Time for our first night camping!

 Taking care of the Jeep

 Colorful fields of Montana

We made it!

 Roaring rapids!

 Our camp

 Jamming in Glacier