Banff Gondola - Up, Up & Away

Friday morning we headed up the mountain that overlooks the Township of Banff.  It was time to ride the gondola to the top.  The view was great and there was very little forest fire smoke in the area.

Terri did the stair climb to the top of the summit by herself.  It only took her 12 minutes to reach the top.  You go girl!!!

After all that stair climbing (by Terri) we were hungry for lunch.  We had a very good lunch with an amazing view.

The girl earned her beer.

Celebrating Canada's National Parks 150 anniversary.

It was another very nice day.... life is good.

Alberta, Canada - Banff & Jasper National Parks

We are in Banff and Jasper National Parks for the next 7 days.  We are enjoying the mild temperatures and a lack of forest fire smoke.  The Canadian Rockies are stunning to say the least and even though this is a busy time of the year the parks are so big it still seems like the wild.

I'll jump right in and show you photos from our first two days.

Bow Lake on our first days drive up to Jasper.

We're going to  go walk on a glacier.

The only way up to the glacier is in this monster truck.

800 feet of ice underneath Terri.

Looking up the glacier.

Next we went to see the view from the Skywalk.  It is a glass bridge hanging out over a canyon.  It takes a little faith in engineers to walk out there.

The canyon 2,500 feet below a piece of glass.

Looking down at our toes through the glass.  It did not shatter.  Good.

The next morning Terri and I went on a hike to a waterfall in Johnston Canyon.  The colors of the creek that runs through the rocks is amazing.

The lower falls in Johnston Canyon.

The first few days here have been great.  We are really enjoying traveling with Terri's brother and sister-in-law, Shan and Beth.  Preparing and eating meals together is fun.  And the nightly board games make us all laugh.

Shan and Beth on the glacier.

And as all good Canadians would say, "Life is good, Eh."

Canada Trip - First Half

Bison up close.

We're having fun on our Summer trip to Alberta, Canada.  After two weeks we made it to Banff National Park two days ago.  Along the way we went to the Good Guys Hot Rod show in Puyallup before heading to Glacier National Park for a week.

Terri and her brother's 40 Chevy Hot Rod.

We stopped in Spokane so that Shan could put his Hot Rod in storage.  We will be returning in a few weeks to pick it up to attend the Spokane Good Guys show.

Glacier National Park.

We enjoyed a great campground at the entrance to West Glacier.  It was the perfect site for our next five days.

Our wheels for touring.

Last time we were in Glacier we used our Honda to travel over the Road to the Sun, this time we went in class aboard this 1936 touring coach.  The top rolled back allowing a great view as we traveled my favorite road in America.

Terri's toes in the river, as usual.

Next up for us was whitewater rafting down the middle fork of the Flathead River.  It was a blast and Shan came close to falling out of the raft in one rapid.  I pulled two ladies back in that went out in a big rapid.  It was a fun and beautiful day.

More to come as I get the time, too busy playing to write.

As always..... life is good.