Lake Louise on to Jasper

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Lake Louise

After our stay in Banff we made the short trip over to Lake Louise. It is only 36 miles from Banff to Lake Louise so it was going to be a short driving day. That was fortunate as it looked like the weather was going to go bad on us at any time. We decided to take a side trip to Lake Moraine. It is a small lake very close to Lake Louise. This is the scenery on the way.

Lake Moraine is a beautiful little mountain lake among all the high peaks. It was quite a drive up there and I found it difficult to park as there were so many RV’s. But with the help of John I was able to finagle into a spot and then we made the short hike down to the lake. There were a lot of people visiting there including several bus tours.

It was still partially frozen although I would not think it wise to walk on it.

Then it was on to Lake Louise. We drove to the Lake Louise Chateau where I had stayed many years ago on a ski trip. It was just like I remembered. Unfortunately it was very cold and raining so took these pics from inside the hotel to keep the camera dry. When I was there last I couldn’t see the peak of the mountains surrounding the lake and it wasn’t any different this time.

Here is a pic of yours truly standing where the river meets the lake.

And here is the camp site where I spent the night. Our entire group was parked further back in the campgrounds, but the ranger made us move because it was a pathway for the bears in the area.

On to Jasper

The next day it was off on a 144 mile trip to Jasper. It rained the entire time we were driving. What a bummer as I know we missed some great scenery of the mountains as we drove. We did stop at this pullout to take a few pics and this pretty much shows what we were able to see the entire trip.

Then we stopped at the Bridal Veil Falls to take some more pics.

Linda saw a man coming out of the woods who mentioned some other falls not to far away. So off we went to get some pics. The water was roaring down the side of the mountain.

Then the water dropped down the cliff to the river below. I was able to get this pic from the edge of the cliff. Too bad I couldn’t get a pic of the water fall going over the cliff.

I took this pic out of the window at about 8,800’ elevation. There was a huge grade we had to climb to get to this spot. That is John and Linda in front.

Columbia Icefields

Then we made a quick stop at the Columbia Glacier. I remember the pics my father took when they visited here many years ago. This is the bus that can take you onto the glacier. It had huge tires. We were able to see a bus way up on the glacier.

Sunwapta Falls

Our last stop before reaching Jasper was at the Sunwapta Falls. That was really spectacular. The pics do not really do it justice as you really need to be there to see the power of the river.

I haven’t been able to post as often as I would like, but Wi-Fi up here is either poor or non existent. The park I stayed at for this post was extremely slow until you walked up to a room next to the office. So I will do the best I can when WiFi is available. My other excuse is that I are just busy doing things or sightseeing. Sorry!

Banff, AB Canada

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Lots of wet weather

We headed off in the morning to Banff. It turned out to be a wet overcast day the entire trip. Fortunately we only had to drive 68 miles. Unfortunately we were unable to see many of the mountains surrounding Banff. We stopped on the way in Canmore, AB. We found some RV parking and decided to get out and check out the town.

I passed this guy who was very frigid but found a different method to stay warm. Not sure I would try this myself. HA!

We had a fabulous lunch at Mountain Mercata and got out of the rain. Afterwards we walked around the town some more and I was able to get these pics. It was cold and wet!

Then we were off to Banff. We are staying at the Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court which is a huge park just on the outskirts of Banff. It rained like crazy when we arrived but soon after it stopped and I was able to take these pics.

I got a close up of the same mountain with my telephoto lens.

Weather is getting colder

The weather here in Banff is colder so I got out the electric heater and the Wave 3 is on low so the rig stays very comfortable for both myself and Chica. When I take her out I make sure she has her coat on. Although it is a battle to get her to wear it, I am sure she is much warmer then without it. We are going into Banff ans spending time just sightseeing.

Cochrane, AB Canada

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Up the Cowboy Trail

We headed north on Highway 22 known as “The Cowboy Trail”. We are now out of the mountains and into the rolling hills. There are many cattle ranches all along the way. Our destination was Cochrane, AB just west of Calvary.

On the way to Cochrane we stopped at the Bar U Ranch Historic Site. They had a very impressive statue on the lawn. The Bar U works in cooperation with Parks Canada to preserve and present ranching history.

They had several horses that both Chica and Sadie were very interested. The breed was a Percheron, which are draft horses almost like a Clydesdale. They were very friendly and almost wanted to play with the dogs.

Here is Chica barking away at them. She thinks she is just as big as them. HA!

Sadie is trying to figure them out as well. Our should I say they are trying to figure out Sadie.

Lots of kids

Just after we got there a school bus drove up with a bus load of kids. They were Mennonites children of all ages. They all jumped out at once and were very well mannered and polite. That was a pleasant surprise with so many kids.

The ranch had a small horse drawn wagon which Chica really enjoyed. Do you think she may have been brought up on a ranch rather then the back alleys of Mesa, AZ? She was right at home.

Bow Riversedge RV Park

We had made reservations for one night only at the Bow Riversedge RV Park. We had full hook-ups for about $35. It is right next to the Bow River on the edge of town in Cochrane, AB. I would highly recommend it.

Just after arriving the clouds opened up and we had a good rainfall. Then it cleared up in time for our happy hour. Then it rained again for a short time right around dinner time. Thus far we have had great weather throughout the trip. It is nice and warm in the sun and then it cools down at night making for great sleeping. This pic was taken a couple hours before sunset.

Off to Banff in the morning

Tomorrow we will have a short trip to Banff where we will spend a couple of nights. It should be a very easy day driving.

Crowsnest Pass

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Our first overnight in Alberta

We stayed at the Crowsnest Pass RV Park for two nights. That gave us time to do some sightseeing in the area and washing dirty clothes as well. We have been doing a lot of driving everyday and a break in that schedule sure is nice. It gives you time to relax a bit.

Frank’s Slide

We drove over to the Frank Slide Interpretive Center. Frank’s Slide is Canada’s deadliest rockslide. It occurred on April 29, 1903 when 30 million meters of limestone from the summit of Turtle Mountain came crashing down on the town of Frank. It covered much of the valley below and many people were killed. These are pics taken from the Interpretive Center.

This is a great view of a snow-capped mountain in the distance. No I have not painted my LD. It was another member of our group.

We saw two movies in their theater. One covered the history of the area and the other was all about the slide. They were both very interesting.

Hillcrest Mine Disaster Cemetery

Then we were off to the Hillcrest Mine Disaster Cemetery. This was a very large cemetery for all the local people. It also paid tribute to the many miners that were killed in the coal mining mishaps.

This cemetery has been here for a very long time and many of the very early grave-sites were caving in.

Washing clothes and relaxing

Then it was back to the rig where we washed clothes and just plain relaxed. I am not sure what the temperature was but it was very nice out in the sun. I looked at our mileage since we left Salida, CO and John, Linda and I have traveled 1,788 miles. Much of it was day after day so it felt very nice to just sit and gab.

The RV park only has two washers and two dryers so everyone was busy. We had to get change as the washers took two loonies ($2) and the dryer took one loonie and two quarters($1.50). I am not sure why they were using quarters for the dryers, but that is what it is.

Starting to get used to some of the exchange rates and the Canadian currency, but still have a long way to go. I will probably have it figured out by the time we leave Canada. HA!

Cochrane, AB

Tomorrow we will be traveling up Highway 22, which is known as “The Cowboy Trail” to Cochrane, AB. It is only a short trip of 141 miles so should get there in no time. We will be in cattle country.

Start of the Canada Trip

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Good bye Baker City, OR hello Winchester, ID

We started our trip into Canada at Baker City, OR. We went through Hell’s Canyon on the Salmon River. What a site! Sorry but I don’t have any pics as my co-pilot (Chica) was too busy sleeping. It is a place I would love to return to some day.

One of two stops before crossing the border was Winchester Lake State Park. It is a beautiful spot and would be a great spot in the summer months where you could enjoy the lake. Day 1 – 268 total miles.

I got confused and went down a frontage road used by the park crew. There was no place to turn both my rig and the toad so it was the first spot I had to disconnect in order to turn my rig around. Fortunately I have got the process of connecting and disconnecting down so it didn’t take me long at all.

This is a pic of my campsite and a another of several LD’s in their sites.

Chica was cold

It was cold out so Chica wore her stylish leather coat. It helps to keep her warm and she does not object too much when I put it on her.

We took a walk down to the lake and Chica even went out on the dock. However she does not want to go near the water. I can’t really blame her as it was very cold.

Second Day – Farragut State Park, ID

Our second day we drove to Farragut State Park just south of Sandpointe, ID. This was a huge state park with lots of loops and campsites. Most of us were able to park in the same loop. Day 2 – 179 total miles.

Once I knew I was going on this trip I made reservations for the Idaho State Parks since we were going to be arriving there on Memorial Day weekend. It is a good thing as both parks were filling up. At Farragut State Park there were a lot of families pulling in with all the kids bikes and toys. Canada celebrates their Memorial Day at a different time so we did not have a problem with reservations at any of the Canadian parks.

I only got one pic of my campsite at Farragut.

Crossing into Canada

On Saturday we crossed into Canada. During our meeting at Baker City we had all discussed what we could and couldn’t bring across the border. I was a bit worried that I had too much wine since John, Linda and I had bought wine at all the wineries on the way to the rally. We were going to split up our wine with some others who were not carrying any, but decided at the last minute that we would just chance it.

The line at the border was very short. I was right behind John and Linda. I was asked if I had any liquor and I did tell her I had 4 bottles of wine. She did not even ask me about Chica (who was sound asleep on my lap), but I had her papers to show just in case. The crossing was very easy and took less the five minutes. The customs people were very friendly.

Just after crossing the border we decided to stop and take a break and let the dogs out. We were now in British Columbia.

I bought Chica a new coat at the Petco in Lewiston, ID. She really doesn’t like it since you have to put her legs through it, but I’m sure she will get used to it eventually.

Crowsnest Pass RV Park

After crossing we drove to Crowsnest Pass outside of Bellevue, Alberta. Most of the time we were in British Columbia until we hit the Alberta border. The Rocky Mountains up here are spectacular and there is no way to describe it. I will get many photos of it before we leave so our first priority was getting to our campsite as it was a very long day. Day 3 – 255 total miles.

The GPS had us driving through the center of Coleman which is right next to Bellevue. We finally found it and got settled in.

Happy Birthday Nikki!!

It just happened to be Nikki’s birthday so we celebrated with a cake and ice cream. It was the first time we all got together as a group on the road and it was a lot of fun.

That is Nikki in the middle cutting the cake.

We will be here at the Crowsnest Pass RV Park for two nights so we plan on seeing some of the sites and museums in the area. This area is know for coal mining and includes some natural as well as man-made disasters. It should be a fun day.

Northwest Lazy Daze GTG

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Baker City, OR

We made it to the small town of Baker City, OR for the Northwest Lazy Daze GTG. It was great fun and I met a lot of new friends there as well as seeing some old friends as well. The weather when we arrived was windy but the second day day was great.

Here is a pic of an entire row of LD’s that were parked at the Mt. View RV Park. It was really cool seeing so many LD’s all lined up.

Meetings and potlucks

We had our meetings and potlucks here. The group also supplied breakfast. What a deal!

Here is their General Store/Office.

Some of us were working

John received a new turret for his satellite TV. I helped him replace it as he has done so many things for me over the years. We got it all hooked up and he fired it up and it still would not work correctly. What a bummer!!! They are going to send him a new unit once he gets home to Colorado.

Learning Genealogy

Donna was teaching the fine points of genealogy. I have done some work on archives.com but was not very good at it. She gave all her students a packet with lots of great ideas on how to create your family tree.

There was also a GTG with Pete Reed for all those that were going on the Canada trip. We all went through our Itinerary together and everyone had a lot of questions. We are all very excited for the trip to begin.

Oregon Trail Interpretive Center

A few of us went up to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center outside of Baker City. It was a very fascinating place and very informative. Here are a couple of pics from the center.

Thank you Northwest Lazy Daze

I want to thank everyone in the Northwest Lazy Daze group. I had a wonderful time and met many new faces as well as some I had met previously. It was a great time. I apologize for posting this so late, but the Internet service since then has been really lousy.

Winery tour from Colorado through Idaho

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Wineries and Farms

When we were at the RV Show in Quartzsite Linda, John and I had met with Don and Kim of Harvest Hosts and told them we were making a trip to Canada. They had suggested we stop at some wineries along the way and had mentioned several that we might enjoy. Linda did the planning including contacting them along the way to make sure they knew we were coming.

Our first stop was at St. Kathryn’s Winery in Palisade, CO which I mentioned in the last post. Now we were headed into Utah where we spent the night at a farm in a little farm community south of Salt Lake City called Santaquin, UT. On the way we saw some fabulous Utah scenery.

We stayed at South Ridge Farms. They had a fabulous store that included all kinds of preserves, great apples and cherries, apple cider and even ice cream sodas. After we ate dinner in our rigs we went in and had an Ice cream soda. Yum!

Stopped at the Elks Club

The next day we had to drive through the Salt Lake City area. Lots and lots of cars. But we made it through all the traffic without a snag.

We stopped at the Elks Club in Roy, UT. We did some shopping at the Walmart in the area. Sorry but I forgot to take any pics of our spots. That ended our trip through Utah.

Off to Idaho

Our first stop in Idaho was Snyder’s Winery located in Buhl, ID. They weren’t open for wine tasting, but they did let us spend the night there. Again I forgot my camera, so no pics.

Then it was a short 57 miles to our next winery and overnight stop. This one was in Hammett, ID at the Cold Springs Winery.

Our favorite winery

Bill was the owner of Cold Springs Winery and he introduced himself and showed us where we could park. After we got all set up we went over to the tasting room, which he had opened up just for us. Bill was a very friendly guy and told us all about the history of the winery as well as the local area.

We really had a great time there. There was a big lawn where the dogs could check out all the wonderful grass smells and romp off leash and they loved it. Here is Sadie enjoying all the smells.

Here are a couple of pics of Chica racing around on the lawn.

We also enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Another whopping 83 miles to the next winery

We only had a short distance to travel to the Woodriver Winery in Eagle, ID. We had to travel through Boise, ID and the traffic was horrible. We couldn’t believe it even though it was Saturday. It was very nice here but a bit more commercial then some of the smaller wineries we have enjoyed.

Heading for Baker City, OR

Today we are heading for Baker City, OR to meet up with the Northwest Lazy Daze GTG. This is where we will also meet all the folks going to Canada. I am really looking forward to this rally and see friends I haven’t seen in quite a while. Fortunately we don’t have to travel very far.

Our travels to the wineries

I really enjoyed all my travels to the many different wineries and farms while heading to Baker City. We did a lot of wine tasting and met a lot of really nice people. It also helped to restock my wine supply with some very good wines. We were really treated well by each winery/farm and I would highly recommend this to others in making their travel plans.

I would also like to thank Linda for making all the plans and calling ahead to verify that we were coming. It was well planned and we had a great time. Now for the rally and then into Canada.

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