After a wonderful visit in THAYNE (we wrote about that in the last issue) we moseyed north and east just a little to the town of RIVERTON. Wind River RV Park was very comfortable and I liked that it was within walking distance of the downtown shopping area. I have this love affair with old fashioned towns and hardware stores with creaky wooden floors. We loved taking our morning walks in town, but completely undid our exercise when we couldn't pass up the local donut shop. Did I tell you that on a long drive one day we saw our first moose? It was a big (aren't they all) bull moose and he was alone in a clearing. I have been looking for a moose since we started full-timing so you can imagine how excited I was.

We happened to be in Riverton during the annual Mountain Man Rendezvous (last week in June and first week in July) so wandered over the confluence of the Popo Agie and Wind Rivers to see what this re-enactment was all about. This was the actual site of the 1838 rendezvous and is one of the few such historic meetings which has been maintained close to the original site. Men and women dressed in 1838clothing were set up at their tents to sell their wares much like the trappers and Indians did long ago. Skins, leather, knives and other such goods were for sale. Everyone was in character much like living history so it was fun to chat with the participants. One was willing to go out of character for me and explained that while camping in Yellowstone a while ago, he was invited to attend a Mountain Man Rendezvous. This retired Boston policeman, found his niche. He now travels full-time in his Southwind motorhome and goes from show to show. At the show he sets up his cloth tent like the others, but prefers to stay in the motorhome with his companion, a wolf. I will post some good pictures and more on this happening in the web page later.

Our next stop was THERMOPOLIS and the Country Campin' RV Park. This new campground (three years old) was a ranch and is about five miles from town. We found it to be a nice, quiet haven over the4th of July weekend. We checked out the town's famous hot springs. Billed as the World's Largest Thermal Hot Spring we nevertheless decided against taking part in any soaking. The free pool allows a 20minute soak then you can come back for another 20 minutes if you go away for an hour. The two commercial pools next door and across the street from the free pool have water slides and much more; they were packed with young kids. No thank you. Our idea of a soak in hot springs is Hot Springs, Arkansas, where we get to soak and be pampered.

From Thermopolis, we drove to Cody. Absaroka Bay RV park on the east side of town is in a perfect location. It is quiet, but within walking distance to the Albertson's and much more. And the park's big sites made it easy to get in. We were also impressed that the owner had gone to the trouble to have a dedicated phone jack and a little table set up so we who use e-mail could do so. We stayed in Cody a whole week and took lots of long drives. One drive went over the Beartooth Mountains and we saw wonderful waterfalls and thunderous rivers. We waited until 7 p.m., to take a drive to the east entrance of Yellowstone (a road we had never driven before) thinking that there would be little traffic and we were right. On our trip we saw a big bull moose and he was very close. We also saw our first grizzly bear. He was at the edge of a river probably looking for a fish. The weather was so warm and wonderful while we were there that we didn't do any of the museums, but enjoyed the shopping area. I found a store I love. SCARY MARY'S specializes in adult hippy clothing or at least that is what Ron calls it. I inquired as to the name and it seems that when the owner was in college there were four Marys on her dorm floor so each got a special nickname. Yes, I bought a few things there and would go back again.

We ate the most terrific lunch in Cody at MAXWELL'S downtown. We both ordered the mesquite smoked chicken salad which was huge. It had huge chunks of warm mesquite smoked chicken breast, avocado, sprouts, tomato, olives, several kinds of greens, cheese and home made dressing for $5.75.Thick, yummy, homemade bread came with the salad. Although we only had a salad, it was so huge and filling we didn't eat a real meal for dinner that night; we just had some cheese and crackers and were completely satisfied. We would definitely go there again too.

MONTANA

While we were in Cody, we got a message from our friends the Mencimers and the Stewarts who were anxious for us to join them in Canada so we moved along. Except for an overnight stop somewhere near Billings, we stopped a few days in GREAT FALLS. DICK'S RV PARK there is a popular one again because it is so near town and points north. I was anxious to get to Montana because Ron had promised me that when we got to Montana, I could buy a color printer. There is no sales tax in Montana. We bought a Hewlett Packard Ink Jet 722 and we both love it. We are now a two computer, two printer family. We also got the American Greetings card program and some special paper. We won't have to visit card shops any more. Our cards are very professional and they are fun to make especially when we can add the digital photos we take.

One day while in Great Falls we rode out of the park on our bicycles and followed the bike path all the way to the end of the trail on the other side of town (nine miles each way). It was a wonderful trip and the waterfalls are super. Again, because it was so nice outside, we did not visit the Lewis and Clark center. We had visited a big one somewhere else, but neither of us can remember where.

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CANADA

BANFF

We caught up with our friends in Banff. Dick and Carol Stewart and Gary and Maryellen Mencimer had been in Calgary for the Stampede and said it was fun. One note: they were both stopped at the border crossing and both of their motorhomes were searched completely. The customs people delayed them for one hour while they searched through every single drawer, cupboard, closet and so on. None of us carry guns, but that is what the Canadians were looking for. The Stewarts and Mencimers think that they were stopped because they are from Texas. We crossed at a very small entry point, and were not stopped. It is best to leave the guns somewhere else if you intend to enter Canada.

The TUNNEL MOUNTAIN TRAILER PARK in Banff is not what it sounds like. There are many pull through sites with full hook-up. It is wooded and pleasant. When we arrived there were elk everywhere. It was such a treat to see them. No matter where one walks in this campground, we see big mountains. I couldn't get over how much of a resort Banff is. It is called a national park, but to us it was like a resort town. Friends had told us to be sure and hike the Johnston Canyon trail so we started out to do just that. I still can't get over the fact that at the beginning of the trail there was an ice cream booth. There was also a lodge and restaurant there. The hike was beautiful, but crowded with people. We should have known; there were three tour busses parked in the parking lot.

If you have never been to Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay national parks, you will be surprised at their pass program. First of all the entrance for Banff is on Highway 1. That is the Trans Canada route. We hadn't done our homework and when we stopped to pay the fee, we were confused. The rate to visit the national parks is five dollars a day per person. So when the gal at the gate asked how many days we were staying and we were thinking of Banff only, we answered "three days" and she charged us $30. The campground was $22 per night so it seemed that the stay would be expensive. When we read the park brochure we learned that we qualified for the senior rate (good discount) and if we bought an annual rate at the senior rate the cost was only $53 instead of $70 ($35 each) and we could up grade our daily pass to get the annual pass. When Ron went to do that at the campground, she gave him a coupon book for $10off two nights camping (which we had already paid for) so the difference we had to pay for the annual rate was only $13. They won't ask you if you are a senior; you have to volunteer it. While in Banff, we took some lovely drives and saw some Rocky Mountain sheep. The scenery is breathtaking.

The dollar in Canada (called the "Looney") has been slipping a lot lately, so we were pleased that our money went so far. That $22 per night campground rate translated into about $15 per night (American)and for a full hook up, pull through site, in a beautiful place that was okay. We stayed clear of the town of Banff; it was like Disney World.

LAKE LOUISE

Our next stop was Lake Louise which is a part of Banff. The campground there only had electric hook ups but they were big sites. Lake Louise is a color of blue that is hard to describe. I will put some good pictures in the web site when I up date that. Lake Louise and all of the lakes there are glacial fed and have a lot of ground up rocks (called flour) floating in the water. That gives the water a cloudy look, but the color is a bright green blue. It really is a magnificent sight, but as Ron says, we nearly had to stand in line to see the lake. Lake Louise was jam packed with people. We took off on a hike to the tea house at  Lake Agnes. The trail began at Lake Louise and at 3.5 K one way (about 4 miles round trip and steep) we were surprised how many were on the trail, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the Johnston Canyon trail as far as people went. Half way up we got a spectacular view of Lake Louise. It was a tough hike and when we got to the tea house we still had 65 more steps to do. The tea house is a log cabin built near a waterfall and has been serving lunches, pastries and teas for years. There is no electricity, no running water, but we had a terrific lunch. The tuna sandwich was made with home made thick brown bread and the strawberry teawas just one of several dozen varieties and was served in a pretty tea pot. In fact, everything came on real plates not paper. I was impressed with that since they don't have hot and cold running water. I asked the
waitress ( a college age girl) if she and the other workers stay at the tea house. There is a loft above the tea house and a bunk house behind and that is where all the help stay. She went on to explain that they get two days off each week and hike down the hill and back each of their days off. I groaned at that thought. That is the only chance they have to shower, do laundry and make phone calls. The tea house gets its supplies by pack animals and helicopter.

The Stewarts and Mencimers were heading north to Jasper National Park along the Icefields parkway. We decided that we would stay back and not go any further north except to drive to the Glacier visitor center and the Athabasca Glacier. We got up early, packed a lunch and took off before they did. They had to get their motorhomes ready to roll; we just jumped in our car. We stopped at every overlook on the trip and were amazed at the amount of snow on the mountains late in July. All of the lakes were that special blue color from glacier melt. Our first stop was the Bow summit. We hiked a short but steep trail to the overlook and I cannot describe all the colors of the wild flowers which covered every inch of the ground surrounding the walkway. Oh and the beautiful fragrance of the pines and flowers, the sounds of the birds- - - well it was just spectacular. Words cannot describe the sights along the 78 miles from Lake Louise to the Glacier. When we got to the Ice field Center we were amazed at the number of people, busses, RVs and cars in the huge parking lot, but it was easy to get to the exhibits in the center. The big thing to do there is take the snow bus that rides on the glacier. We decided to hike to it instead. The Mencimers and Stewarts caught up with us just as we were finishing lunch so they went into the center and we went to the glacier. Signs all around warned that we might be comfortable at the center, but we would be very cold on the glacier. It was suggested that we have coats, hats, gloves and so on before we started up the trail. The trail wasn't very long (although steep) and we had sweat shirts on and like the sign said, we were comfortable. We ignored the sign and started the climb. Half way up it got terribly cold and we weren't on the glacier yet. We went back down and got our coats and hats. Even then, when we were actually on the toe of the glacier, the wind was brisk and very, very cold. I have always wanted to touch a glacier, now I can say I did and it was neat. But I think I would rather view it from afar.

INTERESTING FACT

Believe it or not, the Columbia Ice field is 325 square kilometers and up to 350 meters thick. If every one in North America (over 285 million people) was given 1 square meter to stand on we could all fit on the glacier and have room for more. That is amazing!!!  But we would be cold.

Another treat near Lake Louise was our drive into Yoho National Park to see the Takakkaw Falls. On our way we stopped at the overlook to see the spiral tunnels the railroad built long ago so the trains could manage the steep grades at Kicking Horse Pass. We were lucky enough to see a train going through. I don't know if I can explain the process with words, but imagine a tunnel which curves and falls in elevation at the same time. The train goes in the tunnel at one point and comes out underneath itself. The long freight train we saw seemed to be in two places at the same time. I can't wait to post some pictures of the falls on our web page. It really is spectacular and words do not describe it. I probably won't be able to update the web page for a few weeks though, and I will notify everyone when I do. Better yet, take a trip up to Canada and see them for yourself. I have to mention our last big treat while at Lake Louise.

We drove north about 22 miles to the Num Ti Jah Lodge at Bow Lake for one of the best dinners we have ever had. Pat and Woody Wooden had told us about this place and now we get to share it with you. It was gourmet from the minute we sat down. We ordered drinks and an appetizer to start. The deep fried Brie cheese was served on a bed of fresh greens with a raspberry dressing. I ordered a New York steak with a green pepper sauce and Ron ordered coho salmon and prawns. Our rolls were fresh and heavy with grains, just the way we like them, the meats were perfectly prepared and hot and the vegetable  medleys (Ron's was different than mine) were crisp cooked to perfection. Ron's wild rice was tasty and my browned potatoes couldn't be more delicious and perfectly cooked. For dessert we shared a large piece of bumbleberry (mixture of berries) pie ala mode. We left Lake Louise and went back to the Tunnel Mountain campground in Banff. We had liked it there so much that we decided we would stay a week and work on the book in the quiet of the campground. We were able to walk a good one hour walk each morning by just walking up and down some of the very long rows in the RV part of the campground. We stayed away from town and just enjoyed the wooded setting and the peace up on the hill.
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SO HERE WE ARE IN WASHINGTON

Now as I write this we are in Kettle Falls, Washington, visiting our old friends, Jack and Esther Perram. We will head back to Wyoming on Friday, August 7. We plan to work a solid month on the book and have it ready for the editor early in September. For some reason, after we got on the road again it was much easier to write and we are making terrific progress. You are gonna love it. It will be new and wonderful and there will be lots more pages.

EMAIL ON THE ROAD

We continued to have great luck getting email even in Canada. We could not get snail mail though. Actually we didn't try because we heard of others whose mail came in the large priority envelope and when customs opened it and saw all the individual letters, they just sent it back to Texas.  So just today we got one month's worth and that has made for a busy day. We also got a Wal Mart fix today. Funny what you miss when you are in a resort.
 

Until next time.....Happy trails!