From the Wal Mart parking lot in Fort St. John, we started driving
to Toad River, about 375 miles. Along the way, we ran into some road construction....about 5 miles of gravel road...all in all, the roads are no worse than the freeway through Louisiana. They did start winding around through the mountains a lot, we saw a mama bear and her 2 cubs on the side of the road....also some deer and elk.
Then we stopped at the Toad River Cafe, for dinner. Neat little place, it felt like we were in Elmo (like the TV show....Men in Trees). Pulled onto a turnout on the road, with a shot for the satellite, between the mountains, still have HD TV, the little "In-Motion" dish barely works, but the big dish on the hummer still gives us telephone and Internet.

We left Grand Prairie and made it through Dawson Creek and "Mile O" of the Alaska Highway. Stopped in Fort St. John, at the Wal-Mart, to get provisions, and to watch the NASCAR race. We plan to go to Liard Hot Springs on the way to Watson Lake, tomorrow...where we were told by several people, to watch out for bears! Jimmy is going back into Wal-Mart to get some bear repellant!!!

Spent the day in Grand Prairie, even had lunch at Tony Roma's! Jimmy got a tarp that we are going to stretch across the front of the Hummer, so that any rocks that get thrown up while we are towing it, will just bounce off.......washed the bus and the Hummer again, today. (sigh) The road all the way here was really nice, wide two lane with shoulders, but the RV park we are at, it at the end of a 4 mile "country" road. I think it was paved at one point, but now it's gravel. We have lost the satellite internet, but we are slightly east of the "footprint"....we will be going to Dawson Creek, then Fort Smith tomorrow...not sure where we'll stop, yet...still have the TV so I have to see the NASCAR race!

Well, we decided to go a little father North, after all, so we are now in Grand Prairie, Ab. just short of Dawson Creek. We are probably going to stay here, for a couple of days...there's a Costco and a Home depot, so we can get the proper suff to protect us from rock chips, etc. Tomorrow, we will go exploring the town and I'll put up a picture or 2.

Well, we finally made it to the Municipal Campground in Grande Cache! Nearly 300 miles! (not bad, considering we stopped several times, and Jimmy had to go back and get his cell phone.)
we got in our space and got settled, just in time for sunset...about 11 pm...Mountain Standard Time. The sky was amazing....pink and blue all over! We're getting near the land of the midnight sun! The road, all the way here, was pretty descent....2 lane, smooth....however, no shoulders. We plan to stay here a day or two, we are still getting satellite tv, etc. so, we have to have reception, so I can watch the race, Sunday! Jeff Gordon and his wife Ingrid had a baby girl! Maybe he'll win this one for her!

Then, we drove on up to the Columbia Icefields to see the Athabasca Glacier and if it had changed much in 5 years. Got some great pictures on the way, miles and miles of giant snow-topped mountains with Glaciers. Then we continued on toward Jasper, saw a bear on the side of the road, eating, then saw an elk on the other side, a few miles later, munching on the grass. We passed Sunwapta Falls, where the White River is.....(particles of the glacier make it white),then came upon Athabasca Falls, where the 23 metre waterfall has the most powerful flow to be found in any of the mountain parks. Jimmy got a quick shot of a cute little chipmunk, I got a picture of the bus with their cute outhouses!!

Today, We left Johnston Canyon and went North to Lake Louise. We had been there in 2002 with the Marathon "bus bunch", but wanted to see it again. We pulled into the parking lot and Jimmy realized his cell phone was missing. I called it several times....no ring anywhere....so he unhooked the Hummer and got the Road Hog out for me, so while he went back to our campground, I went exploring. After I got back to the bus, I called his phone and he answered! Sure enough, it was on the ground, near the back of where the bus was parked. 30 minutes later, he was back and we decided to go eat lunch at the Chateau. (Fairmont). We had a wonderful Vidalia Onion soup, I had quiche and Jimmy had a great Curried chicken wrap. Then we had a killer Chocolate Fondue with fruit!

In honor of everything being green, up here, I decided to write in green!Anyway, today we drove to the RV park, uh, campground (we found it 3 miles down the road) (there are no plug ins or anything.....just a place to park....and they take your money, as a friend said), but it is really pretty with huge trees everywhere, so we figured...no satellite tv or phone.... but lo and behold....1 campsite had a great shot,So here we are!

After we got settled in, we drove into town. We recognized a lot of it from when we were here in 2002, but the main street with all the shops, is all torn out, so they can re-do it.

We hit the local McDonald's (really upscale, even had a nice rock fireplace with a fire going in it), then the grocery store, before we went back to the bus and cooked steaks on the grill.

BUT>>>on the way, we saw bighorn sheep, a beautiful elk and some cute little antelopes, I think. Tomorrow, we're planning just to chill, and Jimmy is going to work on an air leak on the bus.

Sorry, I missed a day.....Yesterday, we drove up through Banff National Park, saw lots of wildlife, and stopped off for a great hot springs pool experience at Radium Hot Springs....The water comes in at 114 degrees and is cooled to 103...then they also have a "cool pool" at 84 degrees. Then we headed North and saw a Bear! on the side of the road! Spent the night in a turnout area, where the tour busses pick up people.(Couldn't find the Rv park in the dark with 75 foot trees everywhere!) Then,the next morning, for whatever reason possessed him, Jimmy decided to wash the bus! Using our own water from our tank! If I miss out on a shower because of this!!!!!???

P.S. I forgot, When we were at the top of the closed road......Jimmy had to put the satellite dish up so we could get pictures and make a phone call!

Well....the rumors were right.The road was closed about 29 miles in, but it was gorgeous for those 29 miles, anyway! We took the Road To The Sun, started out at about 3100 feet, altitude level, then, where the road closed it was a little over 5900 feet! It was a very narrow road, and the drop off was on my side of the vehicle, going up....so I was leaning toward the center a lot. Finally stopped and got out and moved to the back seat....behind Jimmy!

The way down was a lot more relaxing and We stopped on the turnouts a lot, so I could take pictures! We're still a little early, in the season, so there wasn't a lot of traffic (thank heavens). Pictures don't do it justice, but I've included some, anyway.

On the way back, we stopped for a Huckleberry Milkshake and a look in the gift shops! Jimmy had to have a bottle of rocks! ( it's chocolate candy, that looks like little pebbles).

When we got home, the neighbors, in the RV park, had a little get-together, cooking hamburgers, etc. and some friends, we knew, also came.

I did some laundry, and,after a couple of loads, the dryer started smoking! Somehow, the things I were drying, got caught and the drum bound up and wouldn't turn, so it started smoking and smelling like an electrical fire! We emptied it and set up our Ionic Breeze, nearby. This morning, amazingly, not a whiff of smell, and somehow, nothing was hurt.....I think. It seems to work fine. Today, we watch the NASCAR race and just chill. Tomorrow, we will probably head to Banff, Alberta . (about 6 hours). Jimmy plans to do some organizing of bus storage today,( if he ever runs out of things to do, I'll go nuts!)

Well, gotta run,

Hello again!

Sorry it has been so long, but we have been sort of in a whirlwind, the past few days. After getting to Woodbury, Mn. Visited with our friend Jerry for a few hours, then went on to Alexandria, where Tracy, his wife, was staying with her parents. (Her Father is ill). Then stopped in a rest area before Billings, for the night. When we went into Billings, Jimmy had the Motosat people send us a new dish to go on top of the Hummer. The first one he bought, kept malfunctioning, so they sent him another one, when we were in Charlotte, a few weeks ago. But then he noticed that it was a refurbished one and requested a new one,(since that's what he bought). Spent the night in Wal-Mart parking lot, got out the Road Hog and did our shopping that afternoon. Zipped around to Petsmart, Office Depot, Post office, Costco....all the necessities. The next day, found out that my dad's friend Ardys, was in the hospital, so we parked the bus as close to the hospital as we could. (about 6 blocks away), got out the Road Hog and zipped over there. Had a nice visit, then headed out of town. Stopped by Freightliner for a part Jimmy needed for the bus, then went North. Butte, Missoula, now we are in Big Fork.

We were out exploring the town, when we ran across some friends from our Marathon Coach Club, that live here. Had dinner with some, then ran into others while driving around the Country Club area. The Catletts have invited us to stay on their "lot" for a few days. We plan to drive up to Glacier National Park, tomorrow,in the Hummer, but have heard the road is closed.....Will have to find out in the morning. More tomorrow......

Good evening! Well, after some "issues" were worked out, we stayed at the same campground, again. It is one of the neatest little campgrounds, we've ever stayed at. We met some people from Ohio.....also going to Alaska, and played 9 holes of "Chukker Golf" ,(even if you are a good golfer...you won't be here!)

Jimmy had everything in the bus, strewn out all over the ground....so he could "re-organize" ha!ha! he installed another satellite dish for HD TV, on the roof of the coach....I don't know what he'll do, once he's finished "re-organizing".

Tomorrow, we will leave for Woodbury, Mn. to see some friends, then on to Montana. More soon!

After turning right at Wausau, Wi. We arrived in Antigo,Wi. and spent the afternoon getting the slider trays, that Jimmy ordered, installed. Then, upon hearing that they had even let school out early, because there was severe weather coming. (grapefruit sized hail.) We threw everything in the bus and took off, driving west, hopefully to beat the storm coming from the southwest. We caught just the edge, with really hard rain, but only for about 30 minutes. Tonight, we are at a great little campground, just west of Chippewa Falls, Mn. Plan to see a Hummer friend in Woodbury, then to Billing to see another friend then probably hit Canada about Tuesday or Wednesday.

Good evening!
Today, we loaded up and left Tennessee, drove through Kentucky, and stopped just outside of Gary, Indiana, where we are waiting for an overnight letter from home. Tomorrow, we will fuel up and head for Chicago, where we will pick up some parts for our awning (for the bus) then to Wausau, Wisconsin for a couple of sliding trays, that Jimmy ordered. Nothing eventful, today.

Well, we are starting our trek across the country, we just left our friend Kaye Stevens, in Florida and headed North. We've stopped for the night in a little campground just outside Lake City, Tennessee (just North of Knoxville). It's way down a country road, deep in the trees....I swear I hear Banjos playing in the background, ha! But, it is really pretty and I think we will stay here for a couple of days.

Not much going on today, plan to drive to Lake Texoma to visit some friends from Australia, Rod & Pauline, that are staying there in their RV for a few days.