New Blog for 2009

Follow our 2009 Canadian adventures here!

Jan and Mark

AUGUST 29

The "Flying Pig" and her weary occupants are back at the "Pig Pen". After a thorough clean up, she will be put to bed for a short rest. Plans are already underway for an October trip to the Great Smokey Mountains.

We had a FABULOUS trip!

We hope you enjoyed the blog. If I ever get all the photos labeled on onto a site, I will let you know.

We have enjoyed your comments and welcome more!

(This posting covers from August 14Th to 29Th)

Love to all,

Jan and Mark

AUGUST 28

Other than overnight accommodations we only made one other stop...(1). Almost a perfect record!
Mark felt and heard something amiss and upon inspection found that the right tire on the "PIG" was balding on the inside edge. Apparently it was out of balance. We let the "pros's" switch it out for the new spare.(Hey, have you ever tried to switch rims?!)

AUGUST 27

Happier thoughts!!

A stop at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota !

Mitchell has been decorating its Corn Palace with local corn, grain and grasses since 1892.(1,2)
The planning process is very precise.(3) We even saw part of the process they use putting it up. (4)
Inside is a performance venue. They also advertise for the local Model Car Museum...do you see a familiar vehicle?(5)(Top,Far Right)

AUGUST 26

Traveling across South Dakota on I-90, we made a quick stop at a deactivated Minuteman Missile Launch Site.
This is a remnant of the cold war. Very interesting!

AUGUST 25 (PM)

Mt. Rushmore, in the Black Hills of South Dakota is one of our nations symbols of Democracy.(1)
The story of its design and completion is fascinating.
We toured the entire monument and then stayed for the evening program. Patriotic music, the entire audience reciting the pledge of allegiance, and finally, the lighting of the monument.

AUGUST 25 (AM)

We arrived at Devils Tower around 9 PM last night. We could see the dark outline of the tower in the dark. Strange!(As is Close Encounters of the Third Kind!)
The scientists have not agreed on what formed Devils Tower, but the most popular opinion is that it is the hardened remnant of volcanic magma.(1)
The local Indians consider the area sacred and tie prayer cloths to the limbs of trees surrounding the tower.(2)

AUGUST 24

Traveling east across Montana we made a stop the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This is where Custer made his last stand. (Did you know that Custer graduated last in his class at West Point?)(1)
The area had a very somber feel to it, knowing that so many lives were lost her.

AUGUST 21,22

We slipped back into Glacier National Park for a couple of nights. We hiked to Avalanche Lake(1), via the Trail of the Cedars(2). We walked along a quickly moving stream(3) for a good bit of the hike.
At Avalanche Lake we watched a black bear cub feeding along the shoreline.(4)

AUGUST 19,20

Our destination is West Glacier. Bruce and Judy fly back to Jacksonville tomorrow. We have had a BLAST with them here. They even put up with our "tree hugging" tendencies!
Thanks to them for joining us!

AUGUST 19

Time to start back toward Montana! Our return route starts on the Icefields Parkway. It was one of the very few rainy days we had on this trip. Oddly, the weather provided some beautiful views of the mountains.(1,2,3) The weather also seemed to bring out the wildlife. We saw a small grizzly bear cub walking along the roadside. Sorry, we were moving in traffic and I missed the photo opp!

We stopped over night a Radium Hot Springs, where we enjoyed a long soak in their Olympic size hot pool. No photos permitted due to a prior agreement with all involved!

AUGUST 18

We did something very uncharacteristic while we were in Jasper National Park. We rode a gondola. Mark has serious issues with heights,but insisted on doing it!(1) The gondola took us up to Whistler Mountain, which offers a fabulous view of Jasper.(2) Picture number (3) is of Mark on the way up. Picture number (4)(the smiling one!!) is on the trip down. Quite a different state of mind!

AUGUST 17

On to the Columbia Icefields!!
This may not be one of the most attractive pictures, but it is very descriptive of the glaciers' rate of receding.(1)
The second picture is the Athabasca Glacier today.(2)
I just love the contrast of the flowers,rocks and ice.(3)
We stopped at Sunwapta Falls(4) ad Athabasca Falls(5), before arriving at Jasper National Park.

AUGUST 16

We traveled the Trans-Canada highway to Lake Louise today.(1) The beautiful jade green lake with Victoria Glacier hanging above it must be one of the most photographed views in Canada!(2)
The crowds here were larger than anywhere else we have been!

AUGUST 15

Waterton National Park is the Canadian portion of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
We were told that the best way to view the parks majestic landscape, was to see it from the Waterton Inter-Nation Shoreline Cruise.(1) We cruised up Waterton Lake,back into the United States, all the way to Goat Haunt in Glacier Park. The jagged glacial peaks that surround the lake are breathtaking.(2,3)
The view of the historic Prince of Wales Hotel from the water was fantastic!(4)