Week 36 - week starting on Thursday - September 7- September 10, 2023

Thursday - we finally left for our trip to Canada. Our plan is to drive up to Glacier Park, drive The Going To The Sun Road to the east side of the park, cross the border into Canada at the Chief Mountain border crossing.  Then we will explore the national parks and provincial parks from Glacier to Jasper.  After enjoying all of the mountains, we'll drive to the headwaters of the Columbia River (at Columbia Lake) and follow the Columbia down to the Oregon/Washington border.  We're taking Jack and Zelensky.

Finally left on Thursday at about noon and headed to Costco to get gas.  I just happened to check my email and discovered that the money transfer I made from our Vanguard account to our Schawb account did not work.  We need the money in the Schawb account so we don't incur fees on international transactions.  So back home to make phone calls and get things straight.

The kittens are contemplating their trip.

Got on Highway 84 and drove east to Hermiston, then headed north with the goal of getting to Dusty WA to spend the night at a rest stop.  The wheat fields of Eastern Washington are absolutely magnificent.  All of the wheat has been cut so the fields were covered with the markings of where the tires had gone.

The kittens were pretty good.  Slept a lot.  Bothered Dad a lot

Rainbow over the wheat fields

The Snake River just before it enters the Columbia

Got to the rest area about 9:00  It was hard to drive in the rain, in the dark, with oncoming cars who wouldn't dim their lights.  The rest area was an asphalt parking lot, two porta potties, and a street light.  It worked.

FRIDAY  the 8th

We drove from wheat fields into evergreen forests.  Amazing views.  Took this photo of a really old building that is for sale.

Had lunch at a city park in St Regis, Montana.  The kittens did pretty well on their leashes.  Jack escaped once without his harness and bolted to the tall grass.  But I got him back easily.

The cats really like to ride on his shoulders.

At some point we entered Paradise (Montana)

As we approached Columbia Falls, MT, which is the last big city to the west of Glacier NP, we could see a rain storm in the mountains and a rainbow.

In the past we've had really good luck staying at truck stops called Towne Pump,  There are always big semis parked "in the back" along with an assortment of campers and trailers.  The Town Pump in Columbia Falls was perfect.

The kittens had fun on their leashes playing in the grass at the edge of the gravel.

SATURDAY the 9th

Our plan for the day was to enter Glacier NP, get a yummy ice cream cone at a booth near the visitor's Center, and then drive on the Going To The Sun Road to the eastern side of the NP.  We knew that we didn't have a reservation to drive on the road.....but you never know.  So, turns out, that the NP is so busy and full that we couldn't even drive to the Visitor's Center (or the ice cream shop).  The only option was to wait until 3:00 PM...doing what????...sitting in the car or leaving...and then driving on TGYTSun Road.  We decided to just leave - after all we had been here last year (after reservations were no longer necessary) and we fully appreciate the grandeur and beauty of TGTTSun Road.  We did get a photo of the sign so it looks like we entered.

Jack really didn't care.

We drove on US Highway 2 to East Glacier Park, turned left to go north and passed under this beautifully decorated Amtrack overpass.

The drive from there on to Waterton Lakes Park was spectacular.

Sign says, straight ahead to Babb and left to Glacier Natl Park.

Free range horses...and cows....were alongside the road...and in the road.

In the little town of Waterton Lakes we found the Visitor's Center, and yes, the campsite was full.  

We weren't too sad because the camp site was really a very large gravel parking lot in the middle of town.  We got a recommendation of another place, Crooked River Camping which was a ways out of town.  But it's much nicer.  Our spot is at the edge and we can see prairie grass forever.

The cats preferred dripping water the "plastic bowl" water.

SUNDAY the 10th

Today was our day to do Waterton Lakes National Park.  Who knew - Waterton Lakes NP is famous for it's Waterton Lakes.  But first.....thanks to our electronic warning system in the truck, it appeared that the left front tire had very low pressure.  With barely enough cell service we learned of this bicycle rental place/auto place.

And the guy renting out the bikes found this.

And with his bare hands and a knife and a saw, he plugged the hole with the proper stuff, cut off the extra, pumped it up....and we were saved.

We visited the Visitor's Center (in Canada, they are mostly information centers with very few displays or interactive stuff), but I did like this sign.  "Today is not like yesterday. And today won't be like tomorrow, either.  Every day brings something new.  

Here's Lower Waterton Lake

Who knew about oil wells????

  .

We stopped at a lake

We drove all over the Waterton Lakes roads and enjoyed the scenery.

 As we were coming back into town, we saw our fist wildlife -  blocking traffic.

We finished up Waterton Lakes Park after lunch and then headed north.....along Hwy 22, The Cowboy Road.  We later learned that the name was from a travel magazine which featured the road and scenery.  It was so popular that the highway department took over the name.  Lots of wide open spaces.

We found Chain Lakes Provincial Park...where you have to reserve a spot on line -  no envelope at the info place. ...nope!

We went lakeside thinking we'd enjoy the ambiance, but the wind was blowing, and the cats were only able to tangle themselves up with their leashes in the legs of the bench.

Now - the adorable cat photos.