Ride the Dream and Live the Magic

Several years ago we saw a documentary on how a community got together and resurrected an old carousel. They rebulit the mechanics piece by piece and carved and painted all new horses. From that day we have wanted to see and ride that carousel. Today was that day. It is located in downtown Missoulo,MT. What a site to see and even better to ride. I didn't even get to grab the brass ring but it was still worth it. Over 100,000 volunteer hours were spent on this endeavor and well worth every one.

 

 

 

 

"My Montana"

Up to this point this trip has been Darcy's....I have been a willing participant and chaufeur but it has been hers. This part however is mine. I have always wanted to see the big sky of Montana. If I didn't have committments in Maine I would not leave. We were both afraid since we have just left the Canadian Rockies that Montana and Glacier National Park wouldn't stack up. We were wrong. It has lived up to all of my expectations. Very few thing in life have...We rode the bike 7 hours to go 13 miles up the mountain into Glacier as Logan Pass at the Continental Divide still has 80 feet of snow. They hope to have it open by June 16th. The ranger showed us a picture of her back yard 5 weeks ago with 2 deer walking across the lawn...the only thing that you could see were their heads! The trip still was beautiful. I love snow when it is 75 degrees outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Rail service is alive and well

It's been nice to see the Canadian Railroad actively hauling people as well as freight. Actually, it was the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific Railroad who created the first East-West route across Canada. After spending all that money and time, the owners were eager to get pay back. "If we can't take this fabulous scenery to the people, we'll have to bring the people to the scenery," became their watchword. Thus the birth of the grand hotels in Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff... the steamy mineral water soaking pools... and the promise of exploration of the wilderness caused the Canadian Rockies to become the playground of the wealthy and adventurous.

 

 

 

 

From Vancouver, British Columbia to the Canadian Rockies

From Vancouver, we began our trip to Jasper and Banff National Parks in Alberta by following the muddy Fraser River up Rt. 1 to Lytton. This First Nations town is where the clear-running Thompson River merges with the muddy Fraser and for a while the two share the same riverbed without mixing. Quite a sight! This phenomenon is so unusual that the native peoples must have honored this spot as sacred waters. We continued up Rt. 1, now following the Thompson River, and Saturday night we camped at the Kamloops Exhibition Fairgrounds amidst horserace competitors. We came into Jasper town site on Rt. 16 and through Yellowhead Pass, having stopped to admire the spiral patterns of Mt. Robson, the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. Jasper has Canadian Northern Railways service, bringing goods and people to the park every day. The opulent Jasper Park Lodge has provided plush accommodations for more than a hundred years. Many other motels, bungalows and Nat’l Park campgrounds round out the overnight options. We loved relaxing in the 104 degree Miette Hot Springs north of town; plunging into the 65 degree cool-off pool was shocking, to say the least. Most of the soakers were from foreign countries, so, alas, we had little chance to converse. Canadream out of Edmonton, Alberta has sewn up the market on RV rentals. We are surrounded each night by visitors from around the world proclaiming Canadream’s motto on the front and back of their RV: “Experience Canada at your own pace”. That is exactly our motto, too!

 

 

 

 

Jasper National Park Alberta, Canada

The Canadian Rockies always get the highest of praise from visitors. Now we know why. There are more WOWs! per kilometer than any other place we’ve ever visited. They begin with towering, rugged snowy peaks (many with glaciers) that march on and on, milky-white glacial streams and fast-flowing crystal-clear emerald rivers, limpid reflection pools and lakes and breathtaking falls; they continue with road-side sightings of herds of big-horn sheep, grazing elk, posing white-tail deer, and foraging bears.

 

 

 

 

Keeping in Touch

Two other couples were on Darcy’s “Must See” list. Gwen and Don Callahan now live in Bellingham, WA, but they were on the infamous Parking Committee with us on our Escapees Adventure Caravan into Mexico in Feb. 1999. They paid us a visit during our B&B years as they traveled with friends to explore the Maritimes. We just seemed to always “hit it off”; our visit with them in their lovely Sudden Valley Golf Resort home was equally enjoyable. Don re-routed us to Jasper Nat’l Park so we could drive the magnificently scenic Icefields Parkway to Banff Nat’l Park. We headed off with full tummies, with freshly-washed clothes and without, sadly, a group photo.

Our friendship with Jennifer and Martin Cuthbertson of Richmond/Vancouver, BC goes way back to the late 1970’s in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. They visited with us shortly after we moved back to the coast of Maine, and we have kept up a yearly correspondence ever since. Since leaving Arabia, they have both served on the mission field for Youth with a Mission (YWAM). Our arrival in Vancouver coincided with their return from a family celebration in The States. Blessings all the way around! Martin has been wheelchair- bound for 20 or more years. He and Jennifer live in a downtown condo that is complete with gardening space. The location makes them very accessible to their work and daily needs. We walked and rolled two blocks to the Speed Skating Arena that has just been built for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics and marveled at its beauty and expansiveness. Time just fell away as we shared grandbaby stories, our own “growing up” stories and reminisced about days gone by.

 

 

Our round-about trip through Seattle, WA

We were so eager to tell about our long-awaited reunion with Jeff and Diana Holmes in Anacortes, WA that we jumped right over how we got there from the Olympic Peninsula. Anacotes is on Fidalgo Island. Ordinarily, three toll ferries and two bridges make it easy to access Anacortes. We arrived, however, during repair season. Since half of the choices were out of service, the bridge was our most affordable alternative. To reach the bridge, we had to drive around Puget Sound...south to Olympia, east to Tacoma and north to Seattle. Wally has never passed by an exhibit of airplanes and Boeing’s Museum of Flight in Seattle was no exception. During that afternoon, we even had the rare chance of seeing a B-17 in flight. Rides were being offered at $485 for 20 minutes! At 3:30, Interstate-5 was choked with most of the city’s 1.5 million residents as we made our way north, reminding us of why we avoid most congested areas.

 

 

Canadian Rockies

We made a slight detour and now are in Jasper, Alberta Canada at the top of the Ice Fields Highway leading south to Banff and Lake Louise. We will therefore be without reliable internet for a few days. Will catch everyone up when we get back into Montana later this week.

San Juan Island National Historical Park

This park celebrates how nations, and hopefully individuals, can resolve disputes without resorting to violence. The first photo tells the story of a British/ American negotiation that brought about a peaceful 12-year joint military occupation of San Juan Island from 1860-1872. The American Camp and the British Camp were 13 miles apart, but they celebrated the 4th of July and Queen Victoria's birthday at each others camps. Today the islands continue to be home to a diverse population made up of
actors, alpaca ranchers, artisans, farmers, fishermen, loggers, movie producers, pilots, shopkeepers, writers and many more.

 

 

 

 

From Anacortes, WA to the San Juan Islands

It's always a treat to reunite with friends from our Saudi days. Joining Jeff and Diana Holmes at their lovely hand-crafted home in Anacortes was no exception. The 27 years fell away and we were back "in country" reliving our life and times. Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island in Puget Sound. The Washington State Ferry System can take you from Anacortes to the San Juan Islands and on to Victoria, British Columbia and back. Our first day was spent seeing the highlights of Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands... Deception Pass State Park, Mt Erie Viewpoint, stunning harbors and beaches and nearby hiking trails. By our second day Jeff was driving his vintage 1984VW Vanagan (remember ours!) onto the ferry bound for Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. We went directly to the Whale Museum and our understanding of Orca whales grew and grew. We continued on to Roche Harbor; our love of the seaports of Maine swept over us as we walked the docks admiring the graceful boats in their slips. The sun warmed us, gracious homes looked down from the hillside and the sea breezes snapped at the flags and pennants. What a delightful place.