July 25-26 Yosemite

Incredible! That one word sums up Yosemite National Park for many reasons. It's incredible how many people visit Yosemite. 6,000,000 people a year stop at Yosemite, and one doesn't just stop there on a whim – you must travel miles and miles of rugged, steep, winding, narrow roads to even get into the park. Anyway, we have shared Yosemite for the last two days with a good share of the 6 million! It was like being in Times Square on New Year's Eve – there were so many people in Yosemite Valley, we could hardly move down the trails, and finding a parking place anywhere on the premises after noon is impossible, so everyone is driving around in a kind of gridlock. Luckily we had campground reservations and could park at the campground and take the shuttle wherever we needed to go.

The park is incredible because there are so many things to do. You can hike on easy trails, or choose to hike up a steep mountain; you can go on a lazy raft ride down the calm part of the Merced River; or you can go horseback riding on the many trails. You can take a tour, listen to a ranger talk, watch a video of the park, attend a play about the park, and swim in the river, a lake, or the pool. If you want to drive some more, you can take other very rugged, steep, winding, narrow roads to incredible views, granite cliffs, and sparkling lakes.

Most of all the park's beauty is incredible! There are waterfalls whose water drops for a half-mile. Yosemite Falls – upper, middle, and lower together drop for that distance. If we had been able to come to the park in the spring, we would probably have gotten extremely wet just from the mist coming off the falls. When we went there yesterday in the 100 degree heat, we wanted to get wet, along with the hundreds of other people who were there, but the only way to get wet was to wade in the creek at the base of the falls, which several hundred people were doing.

We thought about joining more of the masses in the float down the creek, but decided we should take another hike, this time to Mirror Lake. We felt like we were walking in Central Park, because there were so many people on the trail. Mirror Lake is pretty, but mostly dried up in the summer., so after wading in the water for a few minutes to cool off, we hiked back down. We did a few other things on the valley floor, but we got tired of the masses, and tired from the heat, so we went back to the campground and treated ourselves to a steak dinner.

Other incredibly beautiful spots in Yosemite are away from the valley floor, so consequently away from most of the people. We drove through the mountains above the valley to Glacier Point where you can look down on the valley floor where it looks like ants are crawling around. We saw not only Yosemite Falls from there, but Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls, both of which seemed to have a lot more water than Yosemite. It seemed like we could reach across and touch Half Dome, the huge granite rock that is such a famous face for the park. We also saw all of the other waterfalls, Mirror Lake, and domes, mountains, etc. from the Point. Until 1969 there was a hotel there overlooking the valley. I would love to have stayed in a hotel up so high, but that hotel burned and was not rebuilt.

After that, we left the park via the Tioga Road which is about 40 or 50 miles long, and connects with a road in Nevada that we had to go on to get to Utah. The Tioga Road wound around in the mountains above the valley, too, but we couldn't see down to the valley from there. We could see the backside of some of the mountains including Half Dome. A large part of the Tioga Road goes through huge areas of granite, some just piles of rock, but much of it huge hills of whitish silver rock that you can easily climb on to the top. Many of these rocks have trees growing right out of the rock! One wonders how that can happen, but it does, over and over! We also saw some beautiful wildflower meadows today, and several large lakes. Just after we crossed out of the park at Tioga Pass, 9900 feet in elevation, we saw Mono Lake which appears to be a large salt water lake.

Now that we have visited Yosemite once, and know what's there and the best time to come, we hope to visit again some time.

At the present time, we are driving across the desert in Nevada on diesel fumes. The last several towns on the map seem to have disappeared. We have one possibility left before we run out, so we're hoping that's not a mirage, too!

Yosemite

Enjoy Yosemite with us!

July 23 –July 24 San Francisco and Placerville

Left our nice beach front campground this morning, drove through more redwood forests on our way south, and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco in time for lunch. We had trouble finding a place to park our RV, but finally found two parking meters next to each other that were free so we went and got $10 worth of quarters to feed the machines, and set off to explore Fisherman's Wharf and have some lunch – clam chowder in bread bowls- Yum!

It was interesting to watch all of the tourists there. It is the same kind of tourist area you would find next to any beach type community – lots of junk for sale, lots of restaurants, and people all over the place. I was fascinated by all of the conveyances people were using in addition to the standard cars, buses, and bikes. There were “duck boats”, a fire engine taking tourists across the bridge, electric bikes, smart cars about as big as a child's wagon which are controlled by computers, segways, roller blades, bicycles built for two, open buses, motorcycles, and I'm probably forgetting two or three more.

The National Park has a nice maritime park on the wharf with about ten or fifteen old boats to look at. I think they also take people out for a sail sometimes.

The most fun we had was driving up, up, up the streets, and then going down, down, down. It was kind of scary going down because you'd come to what looked like the edge of nothing, and then the road appeared to drop off before you went down again. I can see why in the Hollywood chase movies through San Francisco the cars actually get airborne! We were afraid we'd scrape bottom, but we didn't. We also went by the crookedest street in the US, but not down it – I don't think the RV would have fit.

Since we were heading out toward Sacramento, the GPS routed us through most of the city, so we got a good tour – including China Town.

Traffic was horrendous, even though we thought we left town early enough to avoid rush hour. It took 4 hours to go about 100 miles. We stopped near Sacramento because Bob was worn out with the stop and go traffic on the interstate and the morning's drive own windy, bumpy route 101 out of the Redwoods. That road was in such bad shape that everything rattled for two hours (usually nothing rattles in the RV) and gave us both a headache. So the driving was bad today, but we had a great time exploring San Francisco.

Redwoods

Take a drive with us through the Redwood forest!

July 21 - 22 Redwoods, California

We left our campground at Crater Lakes, elevation around 7,000 feet, and drove 160 miles to California. The first town we got to there said the elevation was 320 feet. No wonder my ears were screaming from the pressure change!

Just about as soon as we got into California, we were in a Redwood Forest. These massive trees are found in a band about 20 miles wide just a little inland from the Northern California coast, from about the Oregon border south to San Francisco. The area where we were is part State Park and part National Park. The trees need to be inland as salt water is not good for them, but they need the moisture provided by the coast. A single redwood may consume up to 500 gallons of water in a day. This area of California receives 60-80 inches of rain a year. There is also a lot of fog in the area that provides moisture for the trees.

As we hiked in several of these forests of massive trees, some as old as 2000 years old, standing 370 feet or more in the air, I was reminded of my father's favorite song, “How Great Thou Art.” One verse, which always reminds me of him because of his love for the woods, starts out, “ When through the woods and forest glades I wander...“. I don't think my father ever got to the Redwoods, even though our family lived in the LA area for several years when my older brother and I were infants. I felt his presence in the woods with me. Jodi, who was also traveling, had a similar experience. She and Andy were in Indianapolis with Rob and Katie at a Lillith Fair Concert which features several woman singers. Sarah McLaughlin, whose song “Angels” Jodi had sung with the voice of an angel at my mother's funeral, came on to sing, and the first song Sarah sang was “Angels.” Jodi said she sobbed through the entire song as she felt her grandmother's presence with her there at the concert.

When we were hiking, I felt as though I had been dropped on the movie set of “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” because I felt like an ant compared to the trees. One of the hikes was through an area called The Cathedral which seemed aptly named to me because the tall trees stood like pillars in the quiet peacefulness of the forest. One tree we saw, called Big Tree, was 1500 years old, and 287 feet high with a circumference of 68 feet, and a diameter of 23.7 feet. There were many other trees as old or older, higher, and wider, but they were deeper in the woods, so weren't “featured” trees. We'd be hiking along with our heads bent back looking up at the top of the trees to see how high they were, or if they were still alive, thinking we'd have sore necks from all of the looking. Sometimes we'd look at the base of a tree and have to look several times to determine if it was indeed as wide as it seemed, or if it was two or three trees that had grown together, a common occurence.

It's hard to believe that these majestic trees have been around much longer than the United States has been a country. Even trees that have been dead for 500 years are still standing because it takes so long for the wood to rot. They are not hurt too often by forest fires because their bark is so thick, and their wood doesn't burn well. Many of the trees that have been burned a little are still standing, some almost completely hollow trees that make neat little “houses.” I think perhaps natives used them for shelter sometimes when they were in the woods for long periods of time.

We saw how the trees helped each other, too. Despite their size, their roots are very shallow, and the trees, roots attached, often fall over with the wind. They must make one heck of a noise when they fall because they are so big! Anyway, after they fall, other species of trees and plants grow right on top of the downed tree. We saw lots of fallen redwoods with the roots of other trees wrapped around them, hanging on for dear life, growing tall in the forest because of their “helper” tree. We learned that redwoods will grow from the seeds in the very tiny pine cones they produce, but will more likely sprout from a downed tree.

Several years ago we visited the Giant Sequoia forests here in California, and the redwoods are related to them. The redwoods are taller than the sequoias, but the sequoias are wider and heavier. They have both been around for about the same period of time.

In addition to hiking through groves of Redwoods, we took a few driving tours through some of them. One of the drives was on a narrow, dusty, zigzag lane through several hundred huge redwoods on a road that had once been a stagecoach trail.

We saw a lot of Roosevelt elk here in the park. They almost became extinct years ago, but are now protected in the park, and have come back in huge numbers. There are signs all over saying to stay away from the wild elk, but the elk wander right down to the road, often in big herds.

This morning we took a jet boat ride on the Klamath River to see wildlife. It was a great trip, and we did see lots of animals. We saw many birds like ospreys, mergansers, herons – both blue and green, bald eagles, and a golden eagle, the first I've ever seen. We also saw a seal, a baby bear, a deer climbing straight up the side of a cliff, and several wild cattle that were stranded on the river during a flood about 20 years ago. The captain was very knowledgeable and fun-loving. We had two family reunion groups on the boat with us, with a lot of kids, so he wanted to make the ride fun for them. We did several 360s in the river as well as sudden stops which would make the back row of pre-teen boys get wet. They loved it and so did the rest of us. It was sort of like being on a Disney ride, but the wild animals and scenery were real!

The first night we camped in one of the state parks where the redwood grow. Tonight we moved about 80 miles down the highway, still in redwood territory, but are camped along the sandy beach. Tomorrow we will head to San Francisco.

Oregon

This is the Columbia River

Look for pictures of the cobalt blue Crater Lake

July 20 Oregon

We camped overnight last night in the town of Cascade Locks near the Columbia River. This morning we drove along the rushing, white-capped river for a few miles before heading south. There were many people on boats and other watercraft enjoying the morning sun on the river.

As we headed south we could see Mt. Adams in Washington behind us, and Mt. Hood in Oregon in front of us with acres and acres of fruit trees on either side of us. We stopped at a roadside fruit stand and came away with blueberries, cherries, peaches, marionberry jam, raspberry jam, and assorted baked goods. Yum!

Leaving the fruit country, we climbed higher into the Cascade Mountains with tall trees on both sides of us. This mountain road was not nearly as steep and winding as the one we took yesterday, however. Then we reached a plateau and the landscape changed to desert sand with small evergreen trees of some sort dotting the land. It changed again to sand with low desert bushes, dotted with green agricultural fields watered by huge sprinklers on wheels. We could still see many snowcapped mountains behind, beside, and in front of us. We saw the Three Sisters mountains to the west of us, along with Mt. Bachelor! He must have struck out with all three sisters, but another must have had good luck because The Husband was nearby!

Many of the mountains we've seen are dormant volcanos. We passed an area of huge lava rocks piled up on top of each other with a hill beside it that must have been the volcano in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.. We are in the high desert area now, and although it is 90 degrees outside, a local told us that this is hotter weather than normal and that they often get snow on the fourth of July. They must get significant snow here because we have passed several signs for “chain up areas.

The last half-hour or so before we got to the park, the drive became boring as we drove through a fairly new-growth forest and could only see sand and trees about 8-12 feet tall. So we were glad when we arrived at Crater Lake National Park, and were immediately on the Rim Drive which goes around the rim of the crater for 33 miles. In some places, you're very close to the rim, in others, you're farther down the outside of the crater. We stopped at the first lookout we could, walked up the sandy hill, and Wow!, 2,000 feet below us we saw the bluest lake we had ever seen in the “bowl” of the crater! It's beauty, after such a boring drive, was breathtaking. We could hardly take our eyes off it, except that we were at this point on the edge of the rim, and the sand underneath our feet was so soft and slippery that we feared we might slide down the edge into the craggy rock wall below.

The lake is cobalt blue in color and was so far below us that the ripples on the water looked like white dots, and the few boats there that take tourists around the lake could hardly be seen with the naked eye. It is from 4.5 to 6 miles wide, and contained within the crater. At one side of the lake is a fairly large island called Wizard Island. Across the lake from that is a rock structure that looks kind of like a ship, hence its name, Phantom Ship. Other than that, there's nothing else on the pristine lake. There is only one trail down to the lake from the rim, and you need to walk down it. It descends steeply for over 1 mile, and they compare the climb back up to climbing 65 flights of stairs! I would love to have gone down there to see the lake up close, or even to take the boat ride, but I thought it would take me several days to get back up, so we didn't try that trail!

The surface of the lake is a little over 6,000 ft., and the rim above it varies from 1,500 to 2,000 feet. Some of the time on our drive around the lake we were above the tree line, and some of the time we weren't. There was lots of snow still dotting the sides of the crater, both inside and out, chilling the warm air as we went past the snowy areas.

The snow did not kill the mosquitoes! They were out in attack armies of a million or more to one human! We went on a wildflower walk near the crater, and were swarmed by the nasty creatures! That might have been alright if we'd seen a meadow full of flowers like the brochure said, but we saw only about 5 flowers that were actually blooming!

Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States, is in the remains of a volcano called Mount Mazama which erupted and collapsed into itself 7,700 years ago. It filled with rain and melted snow, and evaporation must keep it at about the same depth from year to year. The area gets about 44 feet of snow a year. There are 16- 20 foot poles stuck in the ground along the roadway every 20 feet or so, so that the snowplows will be able to tell where the road is supposed to be!

The campground was several miles from the rim, and mosquito infested, too! We put on lots of mosquito repellant, built a huge campfire, and managed to keep most of them at bay while we enjoyed our dinner and the night sky. Tomorrow we're headed to the redwoods of California!

Washington

This lake is near Mt. Rainier.

Find more pictures of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Saint Helens, and Kaetlyn by clicking :)

July 16-19 Washington

We arrived at the home of Kaetlyn Spivey, the most beautiful baby in the world, and her parents Kelly and Steve, and big sister Megan, about 6 PM. We spend the next three days and nights kissing, hugging, holding, and squeezing Kaetlyn for all of her aunts, uncles,Byet had the privilege of doing so.

She and her family accompanied us on a few excursions, also. Saturday we enjoyed a trip to nearby Mt. Rainier. We drove up a very curvy road to Sunrise Point, an area that looked a lot like Candor after a late March snowfall. There were patches and piles of snow dotting a geen hillside.

Young and old alike were sliding down the snowbanks, cross country skiing, and throwing snowballs in shorts and T-shirts in the summer sunshine. Standing guard over all of this fun was beautiful, snow and glacier clad Mt. Rainier. At over 14,000 feet it looked close enough to become the local sledding hill, but it was several miles away.

On Sunday we visited the Ballard Locks which are used to get boats from the Pacific to Lake Washington. Several sizes and kinds of pleasure boats went through the locks while we were there. We also saw salmon doing their yearly ritual by navigating up the fish ladder to get to fresh water. Some of the salmon, maybe on their way back to the Pacific, and maybe not, were caught in the water pouring out of large tubes, like rushing waterfalls, back into the salt water from the fresh. We thought some of the fish must have woken up dazed from this mad dash and wondered where they were!

When Kelly and Steve got married two years ago, we had taken the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island, enjoyed the local fish and farmer's market, etc., so we didn't do any of those things this time, but we enjoyed watching the ferries go on their routes while we ate at a great seafood restaurant on Alki Beach.

Monday afternoon we bid our family reluctant farewells, buoyed by the knowledge that we would see them all in early September for our annual Wardapalooza family reunion.

We took the scenic route from Washington to Oregon through the Cascade Mountains. For much of the way we were accompanied by the sight of Mt. Rainier, and then Mt. Adams, both with white gleaming tops. We went up and down mountains and around switchbacks so often that my ears couldn't decide what the pressure should be and stayed plugged for the remainder of the afternoon. The narrow road was lined with straight, tall cedar and pine tree, some over 120 feet tall. Near the bottom of the mountain their massive trunks were mostly covered in soft, green moss. Along the way we saw Mt. Saint Helen's with the forest close to it still showing signs of the wrath of destruction the eruption caused 30 years ago. We also saw many lumber mills as this appears to be prime logging country.

When we finally got down the mountain, we were at the beautiful Columbia River which divides Washington and Oregon. Crossing the river at the Bridge of the Gods, we found a nearby campground and settled in for the night.

Banff and Jasper

Click here for pictures of the Canadian Rockies which were absolutely gorgeous. It's difficult to capture the beauty in a photograph, but we tried. It was all spectacular, especially the Icefield Parkway.

The blog on the Canadian Rockies should be just below this listed as Banff and Jasper.

July 12-16 Banff and Jasper National Parks, Canadian Rockies

Again we are impressed by Canada, but this time by the spectacular Rocky Mountains, and the two huge parks dedicated to preserving the wilderness. We got to Banff National Park in the morning after a short drive from Calgary. We weren't too far outside of Calgary when we began seeing the mountains in the distance. The Trans-Canada 4-lane highway goes right through the center of the park, which seems a little unusual, but they have built special fenced overpasses for the animals to cross over the road to help the animals maintain their territories.

Before we even got to Banff we saw a sign for Lake Minnewanka and drove up to see that and Two Jack Lake, hoping to see some wildlife along the way, but no luck, so we drove into downtown Banff, elevation 4,537 feet, a small well-kept town in the mountains that reminded us of towns in the Alps. Actually this town and Lake Louise, elevation 5,052 feet, population maybe 100, are the only towns within the park's boundaries. They are tourist meccas all year long however, as both have large ski areas in the mountains.

After picking up some information in town, we decided to drive on a road called the Bow Valley Parkway, which sounds like some big road, but is actually a very quiet road with a slow speed limit along the valley leading to several hiking spots, and eventually ending up in Lake Louise. It is known as a place to see wildlife, so of course that would appeal to Bob, the hunter. We tried a hike up to Johnston Canyon which is near the parkway to see some waterfalls, but it was so congested (we learned that a million people a year hike up there), that we decided to just drive farther up the parkway in hopes of seeing some animals, and because it was beginning to be rainy and cold. We didn't see any animals that day, but after checking into our campground, we went back to another road near the town to a place called Vermillion Lakes to go wildlife spotting. It looked like prime moose territory, but we discovered that there are very few moose left in the park and none live around those lakes. We did see a couple of elks, though, so ended our day on a high note.

The next morning was cool and rainy, but we decided to go to Lake Louise, again via the parkway, and hoped that the weather would clear up (it didn't). We did spot several bull elks along the way with some pretty impressive “racks,” but no other animals. We got to the lake in Lake Louise, also called Lake Louise. It was absolutely gorgeous, its greenish turquoise color caused by light reflecting off tiny particles of rock flour (glacial silt) carried down from Victoria Glacier which is at the far end of the lake. Since it was raining, the color wasn't as vibrant as it is on a sunny day, but it was beautiful just the same. The lake is fairly small by Finger Lakes standards – just 1 ½ miles long and 295 feet deep. On the near end is the huge Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and a young couple were having their wedding there under a flower trellis. We walked along the lakeshore watching a brilliant red canoe glide along the lake, complimenting its greenish tint.

We thought that nothing could compare with Lake Louise until we drove around the mountain a little way and got to Moraine Lake. It is more bluish turquoise than Lake Louise, and in our opinion, much more beautiful! It is also fed by water coming off the glaciers, but the glacial water feeding it does not carry so much silt, so the water is bluer. The lake is in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, and five of the Wenkchemna Peaks, all over 10,000 feet high, offer a backdrop to the lake. The mountains were named in 1894 by explorer Samuel Allen using the numbers one to ten in the Stoney Nakoda language (Wenkchemna means ten), but all but two of the mountains have been renamed. At the end of the lake near the inn is a huge pile of boulders which were deposited there by a long-disappeared glacier. By climbing the equivalent of six or eight flights of stairs, puff puff, we got to the top for an amazing view of the lake. Despite the rain, this was the highlight of our day. I'm proud of myself for doing all of this hiking, especially in elevations of a mile or more high!

On the way back to our campground in Banff, we again drove down Bow Valley Parkway, and this time were able to see about twelve big-horned sheep near the road licking the ground to get some kind of mineral. It was really amazing to see so many large rams so close to the road. They were eating a bush and digging up the dirt to eat it. We couldn't figure out whether someone had spilled something there or what. The rams were entertaining as they head-butted each other to gain better access to their gourmet meal!

We stopped in the town of Banff to end a perfect day with a great meal in a place called the The Grizzly Steak and Fondue House. We had delicious cheese fondue to start the meal, followed by beef, buffalo, chicken, elk, and venison fondue, and ending with chocolate fondue for dessert! Yum! Yum!

The next morning, Wednesday, the 14^th, we finally had sunshine and blue skies. We left Banff and again drove up the parkway toward Lake Louise. This time we were rewarded with lots of wildlife to see. We first saw a black bear, with a big bull elk across the road from it – two for one! Then we saw a bighorn sheep and a mule deer. When we got to the Lake Louise area we went to the ski area where we took a chair lift up the mountain and were rewarded with gorgeous views. We had hoped to see a grizzly bear there as we rode up the lift, since a lot of bears live in that area, but sadly did not get a glimpse. We really want to see one, just not up close!

It was hard to leave the stunning beauty of the mountain top, but we had more to see, so we went down the mountain and started driving up the Icefield Parkway 143 miles to Jasper National Park. We are not really sure why Jasper is a separate park from Banff since they adjoin each other, but they are separate parks. The Icefield Parkway is a magnificent, spectacular drive through remote, high elevation terrain, and scenery that takes your breath away. There are rushing glacial rivers, high alpine glaciers, mountain passes, and brilliant bluish-green lakes all along the way. It seems like every time you turn a corner there is something even more beautiful to see. We went from low valleys to above the treeline, and it was easy to see how harsh the weather could be. Today was warm and sunny, but yesterday it was snowing hard on the parkway!

The road was originally built in 1931 when the government of Canada put hundreds of unemployed men to work building the “wonder trail” through the heart of the Canadian Rockies. The men were paid twenty cents a day to use picks, shovels, and horses to hack a single lane gravel track from Lake Louise to Jasper.

We passed through seven different icefields, the Columbia Icefield alone consisting of 30 glaciers, so you can bet we saw a lot of glaciers along the way. The Columbia Icefield is the largest body of ice in the Rocky Mountains at 130 square miles. It is strange in that it drains in three different directions to the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Arctic Oceans. There are 100 visible glaciers on this road. One of the first glaciers we saw was the Crowfoot Glacier, which looks like a giant crows foot. There were many lakes, too, the prettiest of which was the group of lakes called Waterfowl Lakes, beautiful glacial blues.

We were treated to the sighting of another black bear right along the side of the road; that is we and about a hundred other travelers who all stopped to take pictures of the bear, who paid no attention to us as he went about eating his lunch of greens. We could see why it would be easy to all of a sudden come upon a bear in the woods without it knowing you were there because it was so busy eating.

About half-way up the parkway we came to the Icefield Centre, situated right across from the Athabasca Glacier, the closest glacier to the parkway. Athabasca is about 2.5 square miles in size. While there we took the trip of a lifetime, a tour and walk on the glacier via a special snowcoach. A regular bus took us across the road, and up the moraine from the glacier to another point where we transferred to the snowcoach, a specially made transport that goes over the glaciers at the top speed of 12 miles an hour! Once on the snowcoach we slowly made our way down the steep moraine to the glacier, which at first glance looked like we were still on the moraine because at this point the glacier is covered with about 3 feet of rocks deposited there as the glacier slowly slides down the hill. If we looked carefully, we could see the glacial ice under the rocks in a few places. In the 1800s the glacier extended all the way to where the Centre is now. It has receded a couple of miles back since then. It is now 4 miles long and ½ mile wide. Just down from the head of the glacier at the top of the mountain are some ice falls, which look like steps. We got within about a mile of the head of the glacier, but could go no further because of huge crevasses that would have swallowed our snowcoach. We were able to get out of the coach at that time and stand on the glacier at about 7,000 foot elevation. The glacier is 1,000 feet thick where we were standing, but ranges from 270 feet to 1,000 feet thick. It is slowly moving, like a river, but we can't feel it. The water melt we saw came from snow that fell 150 years ago. Above us were two other glaciers, the AA Glacier, a hanging glacier, and the Andromeda Glacier, a cirque (circle) glacier. Even though it was a sunny day, it was windy up on the glacier, and although the temperature was about 50 degrees F, with the windchill, it was about 40 degrees. The wind is caused by the catabatic winds created by the cooling of the air by the icefield. The glacial ice was slushy from all the coaches driving on it and people walking on it, and was quite slippery. The coaches have a “roadway” over the ice they travel on that is plowed a couple of times a day so it won't be so bumpy the coaches can't go on it. The roadway is changed every three years or so, because it wears down the glacier where it goes. The old roadway is covered over with the snow from the new roadway to make it look uniform again.

The coaches run about 6 months out of the year, from April to October, and most of the people who work at the Icefield Centre live on the grounds because it is an hour from Jasper and two hours from Banff with nothing but National Park in between. The road from Banff to Jasper is kept open all year, with crews plowing all day if necessary, but not at night. About 30 feet of snow fall here every year. That is not appreciatively more than other areas, but the difference is that it is so cold here the snow does not melt. It just piles up on itself, and the weight of it creates the ice of the glaciers.

The trees here, Engleman Spruce and Sub-Alpine Fir, are quite thin, and not very tall even though the ones near the glacier are 300 years old. They were probably no more than eight or ten feet tall. This is because the growing season is only about a month long, and the wind blows so strong from the glacier that branches only grow on one side of the trees.

Now, the same day, I sit here by our crackling campfire in the Wabasso Campground next to the Athabasca River a few miles from Jasper. It is almost ten o'clock at night, and the sun is still shining in the brilliant blue sky! What an experience!

Thursday, July 15, started out cold and overcast. We wanted to see some more wildlife, so we took a 30 mile drive on a back road to another pretty lake. Along the way we came across several bull elks, a bear, and some mule deer. When we got to the lake we decided to walk a trail to another lake in hopes of sighting a moose. It was about 45 degrees out, so we dressed in many layers and set out on the hike through SNOW! There was snow left on the ground from the storm 2 days ago. It was really weird walking through the white stuff on July 15 and we didn't even see a moose! These lakes are higher up the mountain ranges than the lakes closer to Jasper where there is no snow on the ground so we drove back into town. By the time we got there, it was sunny and about 70 degrees out!

We took another hike in the afternoon in short sleeved shirts, wishing we had put on our shorts because we got so hot! What a change! The afternoon hike was pretty strenuous, but we got to see a chain of lakes – The Valley of the Five Lakes, appropriately call First Lake, Second Lake, Third Lake, Fourth Lake, and Fifth Lake! Later we drove to two other lakes that we hadn't seen, Patricia and Pyramid, and ended up having a “cocktail hour” at one of them to celebrate our last night here. We have seen so many beautiful lakes with mountains in the background that as Bob says “you don't even really look anymore”, so I guess it's time to head somewhere new. Seattle, here we come!

Spent all day on the 16th driving out of the mountains to Seattle. At one point we were literally going down a steep incline, some of it an 8% grade, for twenty minutes straight. Arrived to enjoy dinner with niece Kelly, her husband Steve, and 7 week old daughter Kaetlyn.

Calgary July 8-11

July 8-11 Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Incredible! Funtastic! That's what I think of now when I think of the Calgary Stampede. It is so much more than a rodeo, or even a state fair. We saw and did so much in the three days that we attended, but we we still didn't see everything even though we stayed until midnight every night!

It started with a huge parade on Friday morning. We were glad we had purchased bleacher seats from the Boy Scouts because the parade lasted for almost 2 ½ hours! That's the longest parade I have ever seen! There were 350,000 people watching the parade and 10,000 people and 750 horses in the parade! Actually, there was even pre-parade entertainment to keep us occupied while we waited for the parade to start – dancers, singers, clowns, musicians.

I loved the fact that they celebrated all of the ethnic groups that make up Calgary, a city of a million. There were floats for Danish Canadians, Brazilians, Chinese, Indians, Southeast Asians, Native Peoples, and even the descendants of the first pioneers, all dressed in their colorful native costumes.

Horses were a huge part of the parade, with people riding horses of all colors and breeds. There were also lots of teams of horses, both large and very small, pulling beautifully decorated wagons with their passengers equally dressed up. The horses sported lots of shiny silver buckles and bangles on their harnesses along with brightly colored ribbons that often matched the “socks” around the bottom of their legs and the ribbons woven into their manes and tied up tails. Drivers and passengers usually wore ties and shirts, or dresses in the same color as the horses ribbons, and the ribbons usually matched the color of the wagons.

Bands, bands, bands! I love bands in parades, and I was not disappointed here as there were numerous marching bands in colorful uniforms. There were also about 5 or 6 bagpipe bands with the pipers in their plaid kilts. There is a special Calgary Stampede Showband made up of boys and girls ages 14 to 21 who led the parade, and then entertained us day after day at the Stampede grounds.

Now for the entertainment provided at the grounds! There were at least 15 different things going on every hour, and they change every few days, so we had to pick and choose carefully. A lot of the events held were for national championships, so the competition was very tough. One of our favorite competitions was the “heavy horse” Clydesdales, Belgians, Percherons, and Shires) competition, with horses, drivers, and wagons all colorfully attired as I described above. It was really amazing to watch the drivers, with multiple reins in hand, driving 6 horse teams accompanied by the music of the live Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra! The music was a very nice bonus to an already beautiful event.

We also saw miniature horses pulling wagons their size, going through the same paces as the huge horses, although the normal size drivers did look a little out of place! There were several events where cowboys and girls were competing in things like team penning where they had to get three calves with the same numbers on them into a pen at the other end of the arena in under a minute. It sounds easy, but calves are not as cooperative as you want. Another event was the “Cowboy Up” which is where horse and rider must go through an obstacle course within a certain time. It was very difficult, and many horses didn't complete the course.

Another favorite event was the sport dog trials. This is where border collies have to get sheep to go in certain areas with just whistles and minimal commands by their owners. The dogs reminded us of our border collies, Holly and Mitz, who were very smart, but not trained to commands like the dogs we saw here. These dogs are real athletes.

There was also an ice show, with the Canadian Olympic stars past and present; Nashville North, with famous singers performing; an Xtreme games kind of circus; comedians; magicians; ventriloquists; military demonstrations; The Royal Canadian Mounted Police doing their musical ride; vintage tractor pulls; horse pulls; two midways; sheepshearing competitions; blacksmithing competitions; a dog show; a whole village devoted to the local Indian tribes showcasing their dances, crafts, and way of life; special events for little kids; and the list could go on and on.

Regular admission to the park got you all of those activities. The two showcases activities held at the grandstand, the rodeo and the evening show, cost extra. We went to the rodeo every day. The second day we were just going to pay for the cheap tickets that let you stand and watch the rodeo, but while we were in line, a stranger came up and offered us two tickets. I thought he wanted to sell them to us, but he gave them to us! He got them from a corporate sponsor and said he didn't like to watch the rodeo from where the seats were located, so he always gave them away! Lucky for us, because the seats happened to be in the best location in the grandstand. Those seats aren't available for normal people to purchase (we wouldn't have wanted to pay $200 apiece anyway), because corporations buy them up and give them to people as gifts. So we were gifted with great seats right above the chutes! It was kind of neat seeing the rodeo from 3 different angles as each day we sat in a completely different area. This is a big rodeo as it pays out over a million dollars in prize money. The first four days there are ten competitors in each event who must be invited because of their high standings in rodeo competitions to be in it, and the next four days a different group of ten competitors for each event comes in. The top ten qualifiers from those two sessions are in the final two days of the rodeo to decide the winner. I'm sure that will be great entertainment as in the three days we attended, several world records were broken.

The evening show was actually two evening shows. The first hour and a half were the chuckwagon races. These rival any stockcar races for speed and excitement. Four chuckwagons, each pulled by six former race horses, must race around the track to see who will come in first. Each team is accompanied by four “outriders” also riding former race horses. At the beginning of the race, one outrider holds the team in place, the other three must place certain items in the wagon as it would have been in the days when chuckwagons were used, and then all four chuckwagons and sixteen outriders race around the track. At the end, the winning team's outriders must be within a certain distance of the wagon or points are deducted.There were several exciting heats, often won in the last few seconds, with the winners getting pretty good prize money.

The other half of the evening's entertainment rivaled anything you could see in New York or Las Vegas. I was surprised that it had nothing to do with horses! It was called “World Party” and the costumes, lighting, special effects, singing, dancing, and talent were amazing. There were a few “stars” like the winner of Canadian Idol, but most of the singers and dancers were kids who are members of the group Young Canadians. They ranged in age from about 7 – 18, and sang and danced their hearts out as well as any Broadway performers I have seen. Often when they did their musical numbers all 200 of them were on stage at once. I couldn't figure out how that many kids could do costume changes at the same time, especially given their ages!The show featured lots of special effects with fireworks, aerialists traveling up and down on wires, 4 motorcyclists racing around inside a small metal ball at the same time while other motorcyclists did aerial tricks over them, gymnasts doing tricks on movable, flexible balance boards, and two young people doing all kinds of gymnastic maneuvers in the air above the stage and above the crowd with the help of some long fabric and wires. The whole thing was energetic, colorful, amazing, joyous, and lots of other adjectives. We actually saw it twice because the first evening the special effects were cancelled due to rain, so we bought standing room tickets for the second night and were extremely pleased that we did. There was just so much energy and pride for Canada coming from the stage.

The whole three days were fantastic, and we'll try to come again some time. Everything is very well planned, and thought out. What I like best was that this wasn't just about a rodeo, it was about celebrating. The Stampede Committee really values young people, and raises lots of money in order to have the Stampede Showband and the Young Canadians, both groups of kids who spend the entire year performing, not just the ten days of the Stampede. These kids are encouraged to be musicians, or dancers, or singers, not cowboys and cowgirls. But the kids who want to be cowboy and cowgirls are encouraged, too, as there are events for them.

This was truly an unforgettable time for us, and we're so glad we came.

Calgary

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Glacier National Park July 3 to 8

See the blog below about our wonderful time in Glacier National Park.

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Glacier National Park

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July 3 - Arrived at Glacier National Park in Montana about 7:30 PM after driving most of the day. Had spent a little time in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, ND in the morning before heading west across the top of Montana not too many miles from the Canadian border. Saw a lot of trains going by, some carrying coal to faraway places, and others carrying passengers to and from their families or on adventures like ours. Most of the towns we passed were small and very poor looking. No campground was available in the park so we found a spot in a private park near St. Mary. Windy and cool. We put the comforter on the bed for the first time this trip. We'd been in 90 to 100 degree weather all along until today. The temperature fell 50 degrees on us today!

July 4 – Happy Independence Day from Glacier National Park!

We caught the shuttle at St. Mary Visitor Center on the east side of the park about 10:00 AM. Our RV is not allowed on the road because it is too long. We got off at the Sun Point stop and hiked from there beside Lake St. Mary to Baring Falls, then St. Mary Falls, and finally Virginia Falls. The sun was shining as we hiked a few hundred feet above the lake, but the wind coming off the lake forced us to put on both our fleeces and our windbreakers. The trail was fairly level at this point, and it was gorgeous as we hiked with wildflowers of all colors of the rainbow on both sides of the trail and the turquoise glacial waters of the lake below. The trail was not well—marked, so we kept asking other hikers if we were going the right way to get to Virginia Falls. By the time we got to the end of the lake, the trail was uphill, but worth the climb. Each waterfall we came to was better than the last.

At the end of the trail we found Virginia Falls. It is at least 100 feet high, and had been visible from the trail along the lake. To get to the falls we had to cross several log bridges, which were slippery from the spray. The spray was being blown all over, and between that and the wind, we needed the windbreakers we'd shed in the sun, on again. The spray reminded me of the spray from Niagara Falls which feels really good on a hot day. It is not hot here, so I didn't want to get too wet from the spray! We ate our lunch on the rocks far enough away from the falls as to not get wet, but close enough to enjoy the grandeur.

We hiked back to St. Mary Falls to get to the road to catch the shuttle, but somehow missed the bus stop. We ended up hiking north toward the next stop, uphill in the pouring rain, for about a half-mile. When we saw a bus coming toward us, we flagged it down, and thankfully the driver stopped and let us get on. She was not supposed to stop there, but thankfully she did as we were soaked and tired by that time. We had been hiking for 4 hours and were cold and tired, so were very grateful that she stopped. We decided to go back to the RV, register in the St. Mary Campground and then dry off a bit.

After that, since it was raining and we didn't want to hike any more, we decided to catch the shuttle again and go past the Loop to the other side. That meant we had to take the shuttle about 45 minutes up to the top of the mountains at Logan Pass where the Continental Divide is, and transfer to a smaller shuttle that could get us through the tunnels and loops to the downhill side of the park towards the west side taking about an hour. (We started on the east side). By the time we got to the top at Logan, it was still raining, and very windy. The temperature was about 40 degrees and the windchill must have been in the 20s. There was still two to three feet of snow on the ground at the pass, too, so besides the fact that it really was extremely cold with the windchill, the packed snow made us feel like it was winter!

We waited for the smaller shuttle, huddling behind a sign which was about the only protection we had from the wind and blowing rain. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only fifteen minutes, the smaller shuttle appeared. We hopped in, and told the driver we were just going down to the transfer place, but would be returning to the top with him because we definitely did not want to miss the 7 PM bus back to St. Mary. Who knows what would happen to people stranded on at Logan Pass after 7PM when the shuttles stop running!

The small shuttle driver told us that during the year he was a school bus driver. Bob and I sat behind him, and Bob kept asking him questions, so he gave us a “guided” tour. He said he wasn't supposed to give guided tours, but would gladly answer any question we asked, so we did learn a lot about the park.

It was raining pretty hard, but I still used the opportunity to take photos. The weather is supposed to be worse tomorrow, so this might be my only chance. We went by bird woman's falls, haystack falls, the weeping wall, and heaven's peak, to name a few of the places. Haystack Falls is a huge waterfall cascading over what looks like steps, or haybales piled on top of each other in an uneven stack. The weeping wall is a long wall of rock next to the narrow road that appears to be crying because water is coming out of the wall for a long way. I would be afraid the skinny road would be icy there if the temperature was much lower. There is a lot of snow still visible on the peaks. The road is very narrow, just one lane in places. I'm glad I'm not driving!

When we got back to Logan Pass, we had to wait for the eastbound shuttle for 15 minutes. The wind was blowing so hard, we were freezing, and glad when the bus showed up a few minutes early.

When we returned to the campground we had a Fourth of July celebration dinner of steak and fresh vegetables. It was still very windy and cold outside, so we sat in our warm RV and enjoyed the mountain scenery around us. It does 't get dark here until about 10PM so it didn't seem that late for dinner. At 10:30 we heard fireworks, and looked out of the huge windows of our cozy RV to see a spectacular display of fireworks culminating our extraordinary 4^th!

July 5 - Glacier National Park

Today we decided to go across Logan Pass to the west side of the park and hike. It had rained most of the night and early in the morning, but for the time being the sun was out. We again caught the 10AM shuttle, and stopped on the East side at the Jackson Glacier Viewing Spot. By then it was raining again, and we knew we'd have to wait 30 minutes for another shuttle just for the privilege of stopping to take one picture, but Jackson is the only glacier that can be viewed from the road, and since this is Glacier National Park, we wanted to see at least one glacier! Today we were prepared with rain pants as well as rain jackets and several other layers, so we weren't too worried about the rain. That turned out to be a good thing as we got rained on over and over all day. The sun would come out for a few minutes, then a rain cloud would let loose, then the sun appeared followed by another rain cloud, and that went on all day.

When we got to Logan Pass, it was so foggy that none of the mountain tops were visible. We asked a ranger about going to Hidden Lake near there, but she said the trail was covered with snow. We decided to head down the east side, hoping the sun would be shining there, so we hopped the smaller “Loop” shuttle. The fog was so dense we asked the driver if he had radar to find his way down the crooked mountain roads that literally hug the side of the mountain.

When we got to the transfer point, we started up the trail to Avalanche Lake. A rushing creek with the same name went along the path for most of the way. The woods were mostly cedar and pine, and it must be very moist there much of the time, because most of the trees and shrubs were covered with moss. The trail wound around through the forest, climbing higher and higher, and most of the time we were being rained on. It wasn't a cold rain, however, so we didn't mind it. As a matter of fact, it served to keep us cool on the long uphill trek. When we finally got to the lake, it was spectacular! The mountain walls form a semi-circle around the green waters of the lake. When you first see the lake, the background of mountain with green patches of trees and white patches of snow catch your eye, and are reflected in the beautiful lake. We stopped along with most of the hikers and took a relaxing break and a much needed lunch. On the way back we had a couple of encounters with mule deer. First as we came around a bend in the trail, we spotted the deer on the other side of some bushes eating. We stopped and the deer didn't seem to mind our presence as she kept coming closer and closer until she was within three feet of us. Later, a mule deer kept us company by walking beside us on the trail for several hundred feet. I guess they are used to visitors!

After the 5 mile hike we were ready to head back up the mountain to go to the other side. That of course meant 2 different shuttles, and for some reason the shuttles were running late, so what should have been at most 2 hours, took us 3 ½ hours! Luckily Logan Pass was clear and sunny when we got to the top, so the hour wait there wasn't bad. With the sunshine, snow, and visitor center there, I was reminded of our ski trips in the Alps when the sun would be beating down, making us sweat, while we were surrounded by snow!

Bob was happy as he spotted two mountain goats on the hill across from the bus stop. Then on the way down, we saw a big horn sheep, and the driver kindly stopped to allow passengers to take pictures.

July 6 - Glacier National Park

We got up early today so we could drive 22 miles to the area of the park known as Many Glacier. For the past few days we had been in the main part of the park, at least the part of the park that you can get to by road. Most of the park is accessible only by walking. The middle of the park has the Going-to-the-Sun Road connecting the East and West sides, and that is where we had been. Farther north on the east side, is a road going just a few miles in to the Many Glacier Hotel, campground and motel. We are going to camp here for two days, but need to arrive early to find a spot, since it is very popular, and they do not take reservations.

After obtaining a nice site at the bottom of one of the mountains, we headed over to the corral to go on a horseback ride. On the way there, some people who were admiring our RV turned out to be from Alexandria, Louisiana, near Bob's hometown! His LSU cap has helped him find many fellow Louisianans on this trip!

Our two hour horseback ride was just the right length, and we passed through some great scenery. The route took us along the side of one of the many lakes here, and then up into an area called Cracker Flats, which was full of wildflowers of all kinds. Our horses were well-trained, and it felt good to take a “hike” without actually having to walk! Most of the area we went through is prime grizzly country and the guides thought we might see one, but told us not to be scared because the grizzlies were scared of the horses, who appeared to have two heads with the rider on top! For good, or bad, we didn't see one, although we did see lots of trees with claw marks on them several feet above the ground where the bears had scratched their claws. We also saw a few places where rangers have put barbed wire with the sole purpose of catching a bear's fur. That helps them know in what areas the bears are roaming.

After our ride we sat outside and ate our lunch while looking up at the mountainside, trying to spot a sheep. They are so plentiful here that there are signs all over saying “Do not feed the sheep.” Of course there are also “Warning, Bear Country” signs all over the whole park, too! Bob found signs of a bear behind our campsite which backs up to some trees and bushes and a creek. I'm glad we are sleeping in an RV, not a tent. Actually, everyone has to be careful to not have any food in their tents. Everything must be kept in the cars, as food, even water bottles, draws the bears. Of course back country hikers don't have a car, so they have to put their food up in a tree a long way from where their tent is. All of the rangers, and most of the back country hikers carry bear spray as a deterent. I, myself, have no desire to hike where there are not a lot of people, or to sleep far away from civilization!

Later in the afternoon we took a 3 mile hike around Swiftcurrent Lake. Even there we saw signs of bear, though thankfully none in the flesh! This is the lake the hotel is on. The Many Glacier hotel was built in the 1915 in the style of a Swiss Mountain Lodge. This was because Americans at the time were encouraged to come to America's Alps, the Rocky Mountains! We went to the hotel for a dinner of wild game – venison, elk, and buffalo, then sat on the great porch to scout for bear and sheep. Much safer!

July 7 - Glacier National Park

This morning we decided to hike up the side of the nearby mountain. Luckily when we started out, someone told us that though the bottom part was pretty steep, the trail after that was just a gentle incline. If she hadn't said that, I might have backed out, as we are also scheduled for a boatride/hike this afternoon, and I don't want to be too tired out. Anyway, I'm glad we took the hike because it was my favorite of all the hikes we did. This reminded me of Heidi in the book by the same name, my favorite book as a child. I pictured Heidi and her grandfather hiking up the mountain among the wildflowers. It also reminded me of when Bob and I hiked in the Austrian Alps about ten years ago. Actually on that hike, we took a cable car up to nearly the top of the mountain and then hiked amount the wildflowers and the cows with their clanging cowbells. Here we hiked among the wildflowers, but the bells we heard were bells warning away bears!

Today's hike was awesome as once we got up a ways, we hiked across the mountainside, and besides the wildflowers nearby, could see mountains and glaciers in the distance. We also saw some wildlife – a buck with his velvety horns didn't even move away from his tasty snack of leaves as we walked by and snapped his picture. Later I saw a coyote cross the trail ahead of us. We also saw a lot of marmots, which are a type of ground squirrel. We were hoping to see a grizzly in the distance, but didn't. As we were heading down the mountain, some uphill hikers told us they had seen one down the mountain away from the trail, but we didn't spot it when we went by.

We got down from that trail, and hurried over to the boat dock for the next adventure. We took the boat to the end of Swiftcurrent Lake, got out and hiked a quarter of a mile to Josephine Lake, then took another boat to the end of that lake, got out and hiked a mile to Grinnell Lake. We had a guide with us the whole time, so learned quite a bit more about the park.

Many Glacier Lodge was build in 1915 by the man who owned the Great Northern Railroad as a way to get people to use his train. Cars weren't plentiful then, so if people wanted to come to America's Alps, they would need to come by train. Since rich people were going to Switzerland all the time back then, he decided to bring Switzerland to America, and the hotel was designed to look like a Swiss Chalet. It almost burned in the great fire of 1936, but was saved by the employees. The owner was mad that they saved it because his business was so slow he was losing money, and could have used the insurance check!

Snow drifts at the lodge during the winter can reach 100 feet high. Over the years these drifts had pushed against the building so much that it had to be straightened up in the 1970s! Many Glacier is east of the continental divide and gets a lot more snow each year than the west side does. This part of the park is only open from June 1^st to mid September.

We also learned at different times during the week, that to protect a lot of the investment here, they dismantle a lot of things before the heavy snow hits. They even take the railroad ties off the guard rails, because if they didn't the rails would be lost in the avalanches that happen each winter. Avalanche Lake, and Grinnell Lake that we saw today, are both similar looking – a bowl of mountains, waterfalls cascading into the lake, and surrounded by trees. Avalanches and wind cause the trees to break and fall down the mountain. We noticed that most trees on the mountains are one-sided because the snow pushes against and breaks off the branches on the uphill side.

At the time it was named a national park, Glacier had about 150 glaciers. Last year when they counted, there were 25, but they think when they count this year, the number will be in the teens. They estimate that in about 20 years there will be no more glaciers here. That will mean the end of the turquoise colored water in the glacial lakes, and many other changes besides.

We saw Salamander Glacier, and because it just looks like snow pack to us, the guide explained that in order to be a glacier, the snow must be at least 100 feet thick, at least 25 acres in size, and be moving. The glaciers here have shrunk so much they no longer look like that.

I have been amazed at the bright turquoise and bright red rocks here. The guide explained that they are a type of iron, and depending on when in the geologic cycle they were laid down, they are either the beautiful shade of green or bright red. I have also seen some rocks that look like shale, but look almost fake because they are so silver in color.

The boat they keep on Josephine Lake was destroyed by an avalanche one year. They had originally gotten it there down an old logging road, but that wasn't available any more, so they took it apart and floated the pieces down the creek to Swiftcurrent Lake where they then gathered them up and took them somewhere to be made back into a boat. When the boat was repaired, they hired a bunch of college guys to strongarm it down the creek and back into Josephine Lake. The creek held two feet of water and the boat needed 5 feet to float, so you can imagine what a hard time it must have been to get the boat into the lake. It now has a winter boat house away from the mountain!

We have really enjoyed Glacier, and will be sad to leave tomorrow. I have become so used to hiking that I think if we stayed here a few more days I could build up the strength to go on some of the longer hikes and see things I would really like to see. Another time....

North Dakota - Medora

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Medora, North Dakota

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July 2 - Medora, North Dakota

Pitchfork Fondue! Check in post above for more pictures.

This little town is beautiful. It's in an area of North Dakota known as the Badlands, but this is nothing like the South Dakota Badlands. These badlands are painted bluffs, and much prettier to look at!

Medora had a very nice benefactor, the owner of Gold Seal, give them lots of money to spruce up the town and make it into a tourist destination. He died a few years ago, but his widow still lives here, and we met her. She's a real character, passionate about the town, and a strong supporter of the Medora Musical, which also draws hundreds of people every night. We sat near her at the musical last night, and she knew all of the workers by sight and name. She is so proud of all of them. I talked with a couple of the young workers at the musical and other venues around town. Most of them are employed by the Roosevelt Medora Foundation, and they all seem to love their jobs and it shows in how they treat the tourists. I think this is largely due to the ideals of the foundation. One young worker told me they pay $3.50 a day for a room, but get half of that back if they're good!.Most of them had worked there for many summers.

There have been many other individuals who have given the town money to keep it going. It is famous for being a favorite hangout of Teddy Roosevelt, and many of the buildings were used by him, and have names associated with him (RoughRiders bar, Bully Pulpit Golf, Theodore's.) In the winter there are only about 200 residents, but from late spring to early fall, they are a booming city. The buildings have been preserved and/or built to retain the western flavor. They have boardwalks instead of sidewalks.

The musical and the Pitchfork fondue dinner take place on a picturesque bluff overlooking the town and its surroundings. It was an incredible , indescribable, view from there in all directions. Between dinner and the musical we were entertained by two large elk grazing on the hill.

Our dinner was pitchfork fondue – steaks skewered on a pitchfork and deep fried in hot oil for about 4 minutes. Each pitchfork held about 10 steaks, which were cooked and then handed out to the diners. We also had lots of salads, potatoes, beans, dessert and drinks! It was great fun as we sat at outdoor picnic tables admiring the view!

The musical has been going on for 45 years in a beautiful amphitheater build into the side of a bluff. The escalators that take you down go down the length of 7 stories. The musical was fun – full of jokes, dancing, great songs, and beautiful sets. Among other things it tells the history of the town and a little bit about Theodore Roosevelt's connection to the town. It shows the Roughriders in battle and compares those men to today's men and women in the armed forces. Again Bob and other vets were asked to stand and be honored. We really enjoyed the evening,

Earlier in the afternoon as we were parked in town, a couple was admiring our RV so we gave them a tour. We talked to them about 20 minutes and found out that they are grain harvesters in Fargo, ND. They invited us to come visit them, and even offered Bob a job if he could come out in six weeks! So if we've run out of money by then, he might take them up on the offer!

We also toured Theodore Roosevelt's National Park for a while. It consists of painted bluffs and scrub brush. We saw lots of prairie dogs and some wild horses, but didn't stay long as we wanted to head to Montana.

South Dakota Black Hills Wild Horse Sancturay

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