G& J go to Canada, Part 2

Welcome back to the States! Montana, to be exact. We drove into Glacier National Park through the East Gate so as to drive the 51-mile-long "Road to the Sun" through the park, down to the West Gate entrance. By my reckoning, Glacier Park is all about that road! Amazing feat of engineering, circa 1930. "Scary" narrow road today with continuing repair and upgrading.
Believe me, I was really grateful for the several "one way only" traffic sections, which really slowed your miles-per-hour! Add rock to a retaining wall, yes! (see guys being lowered by crain and cage, over the side?) "Ground" is probably 5,000 ft. below.


I was SO happy that our direction put me against the cliff wall (lower left corner of my photo shows side mirror just missing the rock as we pulled aside for a dump truck! to pass by)

The "top" is through a tunnel at Logan Pass (so named for the park superintendent William R. Logan who pushed for just such a road to be built in the first place).

Not sure if I can trace our Logan family to his;will try however)

We lodged just outside the park in a 1907 building that had been originally in the park in the town of Glacier and used as a Masonic Lodge.

The Historic Tamarack Lodge and Cabins. http://www.historictamaracklodge.com/

What is so neat about this place is not only the place (great log furniture, a main room with wonderful memorbilia, books, REAL fireplace), but also the hospitality of the folks who run it AND live there! Tis a B&B too, if you prefer that kind of accommodation. Or in family-styled cabins. We stayed in a room upstairs in the main lodge. Check it out for sure if you head up to Glacier.
P.S. Rates are less expensive than those places inside the park.

Well, I've lots more to tell but most is about geology and rocks, so I'll spare y'all. Thanks for reading my wandering memories of our wandering.

Gr & J Go to Canada

Drove first to Canmore, Alberta, Canada where we stayed at one of WorldMark's timeshare resorts is, outside of Banff National Park (which costs something like $15/person to be in!) Resort located below the Three Sisters, actually a single rock formation of three "thrusts."

First on our list was to ride a "gondola' up some mountain so as to see the spectacular view promised in brochures. We chose to skip the more popular, therefore more crowded, Banff Mt. ride in favor of one near Lake Louise.

Not in one of those nice enclosed, safe-looking little thingies, but a ski lift chair. Oh, my. See Judy gripping the chicken bar up AND back down. View...yes, was worth it. And Judy made it to the top and could smile when she got off.....and afterwards at the bottom with Gary. All captured on....as we used to say "on film."

Lake Louise viewed from the top of a ski lift is, well, all-telling.

Once you get drive into the valley, park your car in the very congested parking lot, and walk to the lakeside promenade, which has tons of tourists all taking pictures....the only thing to do is sit down and have a beer and French onion soup at the outdoor Brasserie of the Chateaux facing the end of the lake.









Next stop: Banff, the town. The v. tourist town, with eateries (aka pubs)

and souvenir shoppes, one after the other.

Flowing through the town of Banff is the Bow River, again

with that distinctive turquoise blue water, which I captured at last on my camera!

Once you head south of Calgary towards the States, you're out of the Canadian Rockies and driving along the simply gorgeous " Cowboy Trail" by ranches with herds of handsome cattle and the occasional storefront. For example, Longview's world-famous "Jerky Store" where the fellas workin' were all wearing cowboy hats!

Say farewell to Canada, fellow Road Trippers, we're headed into Montana and Glacier National Park next. Hope you'll come along.