Canada at Last

We got up and ready to go before 8 A.M., but as I tried to close the driver's side slide, it just stopped about 8 inches before it should!  Uh oh.  Steve and David pushed and pulled and banged and called a Newmar dealer for advice, all to no avail.   Some 4 hours later, they had disassembled enough stuff to be able to push the slide in, and with great apprehension, off we went.

We passed Canadian customs with no problem, and arrived at our beautiful campground, Canyon RV Resort in Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia,  about 4 pm.   Our rig does seem a bit smaller with only one living room slide out, but I'm sure Steve and David will come up with something if we give them time.   Poor guys.   They were too tired to really enjoy this pretty place.  It is literally in a canyon with a stream rushing through it.  We can see traffic passing by up on the cliff, but it is quiet down here except for the sound of the stream.  Tomorrow we hope to be off to Banff.

The Canadian Rockies have some
beautiful scenery.  

One of the mountains that form the canyon.  

Looking down into the canyon RV park.

This bridge over the stream is right by
our campsite.  

The stream is running fast down off the mountains. It is
also very COLD.

Waiting for UPS

We had to stay in West Glacier today to wait for the delivery of a part for David and Jackie's RV, so we will leave for Canada tomorrow.  Bonnie and Jim had breakfast at the campground with us and then left for Spokane and points west.  Safe travels to them!

We went to see the Hungry Horse Dam, and in the process we saw some really spectacular scenery.  Hungry Horse is an arch dam on the south fork of the Flathead River, and driving up the east side  the views were breathtaking.

We actually saw a deer or elk in this meadow, but were not quick
enough to get a picture.  

After UPS brought the part, we had happy hour and dinner in the campground, then sat around the campfire and talked to Catherine, the owner.   Tomorrow we hope to be off to Canada at last.  

Columbia Falls and Kalispell, Swimming and Badminton

Some of us needed to do a bit of shopping so we headed for Kalispell (about 30 miles away) to go to Wal-Mart.  We decided to stop on the way at Columbia Falls to see the falls, but when we got there, guess what!   There are no falls in Columbia Falls!   OOPS.  Jim and Bonnie didn't need to shop, so they went back to the campground while the rest of us went on to Kalispell.

Later in the day, the six of us walked down to Lake Five so that Corky could go swimming.  Naturally she LOVED it!   

We decided to have dinner at the Dam Town Tavern in Hungry Horse just because we liked the name, but unfortunately they do not serve food--it is just a bar.  We ended up at the Glacier Grill and Pizzeria and all enjoyed a good dinner.


Back at the campground it was time for a fire and more badminton.   This time the Gormans challenged Steve and David.  In spite of protests to the contrary, the Gormans were clearly the winners even though Bonnie DID lose the birdie in a tree.   Fortunately Steve was able to retrieve it by squirting it down with a hose!




The campfire felt good as the evening cooled down and we relaxed.

Glacier National Park

If we could have chosen our weather for today, it could not have been more beautiful!   We had blue, blue skies, puffy white clouds, and temperatures in the low 80's!

The day started on a very pleasant note with a homemade breakfast at the campground with a
 beautifully set table and our choice of biscuits and gravy, Belgian waffles, pancakes, omelets, or huge (homemade) cinnamon rolls.

 An unusual and special treat was offered at the end of the meal, presented as "salmon eggs" or "frog eggs".  This turned out to be something called boba balls which are translucent gummy balls that contain flavored juices in the center which pop and ooze with every bite. 
  
Somehow tapioca is involved in the boba balls as well.  The so-called "frog eggs" were kiwi flavored and the "salmon eggs" were mango.  They were a new item for all of us.

After breakfast we all headed for the park to set up tours and see what we could see.  First stop was the Canadian Visitor's Center which has great exhibits and a very helpful staff.  They also had a toboggan from the 1988 Olympics in Calgary!  Fun to sit in, but not easy to get out of!

At the Visitor's Center we heard a very informative ranger talk about predators of the park and what to do if you encounter one of them.   Then Bonnie (and helpers) made reservations to take an afternoon tour on the red bus.  

How many SMART members does it take
to make a reservation????

Steve and I rode the red bus several years ago, so we opted to take a hike to McDonald Falls while the others took the  tour.  

The hike was great and it was fun to see the others as the bus passed while we observed the falls from a bridge.  

After a long day of sightseeing and hiking, it was good to relax and share our stories at happy hour.  Everyone was tired so it was an early night for all.  

West Glacier at last!

I do hope this was our last LONG day!  Glasgow, MT to West Glacier MT--about 390 miles or 8 hours. At least the 2nd half of today's trip we had the view of the snow-capped Rockies to keep us entertained.  

We were up and ready early this morning, and when we arrived at San-Suz-Ed RV Park in West Glacier our friends, Jim and Bonnie Gorman, were already there and had a hot dog dinner waiting for us.  

After dinner, Steve built a fire in the fire pit and we enjoyed catching up on each other's travel tales.  

The campground owner joined us and gave us lots of information about the area.

Later, we witnessed the most pitiful badminton game EVER!

 

Grand Forks, ND to Glasgow, MT

Another LONG day!  From Grand Forks, AFB to Cottonwood Inn and RV Park in Glasgow, MT is toooo far for one day, but we made it.  The weather was good, the road was good, and the scenery was boring except for a few oil wells along the way.  We did pass a stone monument that marked the geographical center of North America in Rugby, ND, but we went by too fast to get a picture.

This park is very nice but the view is of lots and lots of farm equipment for sale next door.  However, they provide a hose and equipment for  washing your vehicles and ours really needed it.  That was a nice bonus.

We enjoyed happy hour outside in about 78 degree weather with a good breeze, then feasted on a good pot of chile made by Jackie.   We are all exhausted from the drive today, so it will be an early night.  We should arrive at West Glacier tomorrow.

Shopping and fox watching

Today was kind of a "catch up" day after our long haul yesterday.  We had a leisurely coffee time and then went shopping at the base exchange and commissary.   David and Jackie are having a problem with their generator, so Steve and David spent some time working on that.  It will be remedied by a part being shipped to our campground at Glacier along with the one we need to fix our jack problem.  I suppose it is good to get these things out of the way while we are in more populated areas.

We went into Grand Forks to pick up a prescription at CVS, stopped at Sam's Club, and had an early dinner.  Then it was back to the rigs for fox watching.  They are so cute!

Two more long days on the road before we arrive in Glacier and finally catch up with Jim and Bonnie Gorman.