Tripping with MikenJudy 2012: September 2012

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Home - Earlier Than Planned

From Bend, OR we drove to Crater Lake, OR, arriving late afternoon and planning to sightsee the next day.

UNEXPECTED CHANGE OF PLANS

August 31^st Mike’s stomach was bothering him and he was in pain and didn’t sleep most of the night. It only got a little better as we got to Lake Louise. He took a nap after setting up. The next morning the pain was gone.

On Sept 9^th Mike’s stomach bothered him for the second time this trip. He was in extreme pain so we cancelled our dinner reservations. The pain lasted for three days before disappearing, so we decided to head home cutting the trip short by two weeks

On Tues Sept 12th we drove from Crater Lake straight through to Bakersfield. By the time we reached Bakersfield the pain was gone but Judy thought it should be checked out. He will see the doctor on Friday. We hope it’s nothing major!

We have seen wonderful places, and will forever remember this trip. We would like to thank all of our followers for spending 89 days and traveling 10,893 miles with us. It was great seeing family, spending time with friends, seeing how beautiful our great country is, enjoying interesting sites and people. We hope all of you had an enjoyable summer as we did. It's time to start planning next year's trip.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Bend, OR

After leaving Coeur d’Alene our next stop was Bend, OR. We visited Newbery National Volcanic Monument where our first stop was Lava Lands Visitor Center. Mike enjoyed climbing a hill of lava.

Next stop was Big Obsidian Flow. This is Oregon’s youngest lava flow (1,300 years old). Over 170 million cubic yards of obsidian and pumice erupted from a vent within the caldera of the volcano. We hiked the one-mile loop walking to and on some of the flow.

Our next stop was Paulina Falls which is a ‘twin’ falls that drops dramatically nearly 100 feet over volcanic cliffs.

We were only a few miles from LaPine, Oregon, which is where our friends, Karen and Dick (members of our Bakersfield Camping Club) moved earlier this summer. We gave them a call and they asked where we were. McDonald’s was the first place we got service on our cell phones. They had just been there picking up there dinner, so we got ours and brought it to their home. After eating, they gave us a tour of their home, their rv garage, their two car garage, their horse stable (with two miniatures in it), their new ducks and their new chicks in their coops. After spending a few hours visiting we headed back to the campground.

Thats A Lot Of Lava

Paulina Falls

Our Friends - Dick & Karen

Friday, September 14, 2012

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

We drove to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (on Idaho’s panhandle) and went to Capone’s for pizza. We’ve been here before and as usual it was VERY crowded when we arrived (because of a football game). The pizza was still good, as we remembered it. Yum! Thanks Guy Fieri! When we left Naples this morning it was 46° and here in Coeur d’Alene it got to 80°. What a difference. We even turned the a/c on in the truck this afternoon.

Mike brought the truck in early this morning for an oil change and tire rotation. As we did the last time we visited here, we went to Hudson’s for hamburgers. The line wasn’t too long and it was worth the wait. They only serve hamburgers, double hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double cheeseburgers and pie. The only additions to the sandwiches are sliced dill pickles, raw sliced onion, catsup, spicy catsup and/or mustard. They’ve been doing this for 60 years and are still doing well. There is only one counter, one waitress, and one cook.

After enjoying our lunch we walked the street checking out the stores. Then down to the lake, pretty park and the boat dock. Our next stop was driving to the Coeur d’Alene Golf Course and Spa, which has a gorgeous setting by the lake, and a unique 14^th hole, which is the world’s first moveable, floating green. We watched golfers ferried to the island, which is placed 100-175 yards from the shore to complete their play. The island is moved to one of seven different locations each day.

Hudson’s

Downtown Coeur d'Alene

Downtown Park

Coeur d’Alene Golf Course and Spa

14th Hole Floating Green

(Boat is ferrying golfers to Green, from TeeBox)

Friday, September 7, 2012

Canadian Rockies – Banff National Park

Our first stop was hiking Johnston Canyon, which was absolutely gorgeous. We took many pictures and met many nice people along the way. Not only were the lower falls extremely pretty, but to the right of them was a tunnel you could walk through to get closer to the falls. The cat-walks we were on cling to the canyon walls. The upper falls were another mile and a half uphill, so we turned around and took our time walking out of the canyon.

One of our stops on the road was overlooking a small lake. A sign suggested looking on the mountain wall across the parking lot for mountain goats. Mike used the binoculars, didn’t see any goats, but did see something yellow that didn’t belong! He then looked through his camera lens and spotted two people rock climbing. You could barely see them with the naked eye, but that yellow jacket that one of them was wearing sure made it easier.

Next on our agenda was Mount Norquay, where on our last visit we saw mountain goats. We weren’t that lucky this time, but did see a beautiful view of Banff from a high elevation.

Next was Cascade Rock Gardens in downtown Banff. This is where the Banff National Park administrative building is located and it is surrounded by the gardens. It is still as beautiful as we remembered, but all the ponds and streams were dry. They need repair and they have to wait until the monies are available. The gardens are built in a series of rock terraces with beautiful flowers in nice displays. There are rustic bridges, pavilions, gazebos and walkways.

Our next stop was Banff where we walked up and down the main drag, stopping in some of the shops. We met a couple from Germany that told us that the setting reminds them of a European city tucked away in the mountains.

We then went to the Banff Springs Hotel and walked around inside and outside. The décor is castle-like and you have to be royalty to stay there as the prices START at $400 a night! We shared a vegetarian sandwich to spend the remainder of our Canadian cash. The sandwich was good, but the bread was a little soggy since it probably had been sitting all day!

The last stop of the day was fueling up so we can drive back into the United States tomorrow! YAY!

It was sunny for quite a bit of the day, but we also had light showers with many clouds all day long. Judy wore her winter jacket on many of the hikes and was glad she did!

Johnston Canyon Pix

Lake Reflections

Rock Climbers

Looking Down On Banff From Mt. Norquay

Cascade Gardens

Downtown Banff

Banff Springs Hotel

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Canadian Rockies – Kootenay National Park

Today after a leisurely morning at the trailer, we drove to Kootenay National Park and took a beautiful hike up Marble Canyon. There was a forest fire here in 2003 that raged for 42 days. When we last visited the area in 2006 this hike wasn’t possible because the bridges that cross the canyon had burned and had not been replaced. Today we were able to enjoy hiking. As you proceed you climb higher and higher paralleling the canyon. The several bridges that cross allow you to look down at the depths to the raging water below.

Below Are Pix From Our Hike

Canadian Rockies – Yoho National Park & Lake Louise

Leaving the rig after breakfast and showers, with the temperature on the truck showing 35°, we headed to Moraine Lake in the rain. About halfway there we ran into snow flurries for a short time. All day it rained on and off. On the road to Moraine Lake you have to drive up a switch-back that is so tight, the buses have to go up backwards because there is no room for them to make the turn. We remembered this from our 2006 Calgary Stampede Trip, since we experienced this while on a bus. Most of the sights we saw today brought back memories from that trip.

At Moraine Lake there were many huge logs by the edge of the water and Mike decided to walk on them to take a picture. Well, he first got one shoe wet when he stepped between the logs, and then the other one followed. He went back to the truck to put on his dry hiking socks and boots. Luckily for him we keep them in the truck! Moraine Lake is nestled in the Valley of the Ten Peaks and is a glacial lake.

Next stop was Spiral Tunnels viewpoint. It was an engineering marvel constructed in 1909 for rail safety. It enabled the trains to climb Kicking Horse Pass. It is like our Tehachapi Loop, but with two spirals!

We then headed to Yoho National Park to see Takakkaw Falls, Canada’s second highest waterfall with a total drop of 1,250 feet. It was gorgeous and you could see it from many views from the road. It was even more beautiful from the hiking trail that went to the base of the falls, since you could see the entire length all at one time. It’s name comes from the Cree word meaning “magnificent’ which it certainly is.

Next on our agenda was Emerald Lake, the largest glacier-fed lake in the park, named for the color of the water. It, too, is gorgeous.

Our final stop was Lake Louise, a jade-green lake surrounded by towering, glacier-hung peaks, and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, the legendary storybook castle that sits by its side. What a view. All this beauty in one day is pretty amazing and breath-taking! The lake sits at the base of Victoria Glacier, hanging just above the lake’s western shore. As we were there the clouds made the glacier disappear from our view. Glacial stream water tumbles into the lake, carrying finely ground minerals, which create the lake’s brilliant and almost eerie blue-green hue.

The hotel stands like a palace on the edge of the lake, its Edwardian profile punctuated by turrets rising into the crisp (40°) mountain air. We walked through the high-ceilinged lobby that was filled with tourists and carved chandeliers.