We spent the nice in a KOA campground in Billings. What a nice place, lots of activities, clean, and quiet. When we hit the road Sunday morning we noticed the sky over Billings filled with hot air balloons. Check out a couple of the interesting designs by clicking here. Balloons (note: all pics are 80-100K)
It's a long ride to Glacier National Park over rolling hills on some lonely roads. We paused at the start of some road construction wondering if there wouldn't be a better way to get where we were going. Wouldn't you know it, the next car to come along was a State Trouper. After dishing out a little good natured ribbing, he sent us into the construction zone. He was right, it was an easy ride but I wonder if he knew we would end up following that water truck!
If you haven't been to Glacier National Park, (home page link) you are missing some breath taking vistas and an awesome road. Check out some of my pictures from the park by clicking here: glacier pictures
After spending the night at a great KOA in West Glacier, we started for Banff vie the west route. This is an great way to get to Banff and Jasper. It take longer than the east route but the views are great and the roads are good. You travel through Yaho National Park (home page link) on the way back east towards Banff. Most of the road is between two mountain ranges and the views are great. Keep your eyes on the road because a small mistake can be costly. Last time we came through the park we came upon a small compact car that had just missed a curve. It landed in a small pond at the base of a mountain. The tourists made it out safely but I felt sorry for them as we watched the car slowly sink into the pound. Although the sight of the rear windshield wiper still going as it sank out of sight added a little levity to the situation.
We spent the evening in the State campground in Banff. Banff is really suffering from a large influx of tourists each summer. It's interesting to watch the foolish ones try to pet the wild elk. While your in the area, be sure to visit Lake Louise and make a trip up to Jasper. The mountain views are breathtaking. Check out a few of my pics by clicking on the link. It always seems to get cold driving up to Jasper so extra clothing is a must. (Hope you like the picture Pat!). Banff to Jasper
The evening in Jasper found us dashing back to the campground to avoid a sudden strong storm. We didn't make it so we spend a couple of hours sharing a shelter house with some teens from Eastern Canada. The next morning was very overcast with the potential of rain so we dressed warm and headed west then south toward Kamloops.
The road from Jasper to Kamloops cuts between two mountain ranges with occasional small towns. After a rest stop in Kamloops we took the 4 lane toward Vancouver. This route turned into an interesting run. When you leave Kamloops, you start climbing - and I mean climbing. We kept going uphill for about 30 minutes then the road drops down into a small community called Hope. Wow, what a drive into this town. Hope we learned is where a number of outdoor adventure films have been made. Probably the most noted would be "First Blood". This community lies right at the base of some very rugged mountain. We pulled over and stayed at the KOA in Hope. A very nice campground operated by a very friendly family. If you stop here, be sure to check out the odd growths in the trees. We learned the people of Hope are very proud of their movie heritage (as they should be) but are working hard to promote their community as the "Chain Saw Capital of the World". Take a look at Hope by clicking here. Hope B. C.
I would like to have spent more time in Hope but it was time to keep on riding. We took the ferryboat to Vancouver Island and found a campground outside of the city area for the next couple nights. Victoria is an interesting city as far as cities go. I'm not sure if this city ever sleeps. If you visit, be sure to check out the sunrise and sunsets on the older buildings. My main interest however, was to find a way to view the whales. We spent time riding the back roads along the coast and sitting at what we hoped were strategic points but no luck. We decided to take a commercial tour. They put us in bright orange suits and walked us down to the harbor. The skipper of our small boat was a spitting image of one of my former students. He was very knowledgeable and seemed to have a good instinct as to where the whales were heading. Check out my pics of the city and the whales. Victoria and the Whales
We were as far west as our bikes could takes us so we started back toward home. This meant taking a ferryboat back to the mainland (plan ahead because they fill quickly). The San Juan Islands are nice but I was really impressed with the Cascades. The western side of the mountains are great with winding roads and great views. Check out my pics here. The eastern side of the mountains lack water, that's for sure. It's downhill all the way to the dam. Once you crest the "hill" heading east from the dam, I think you can see all the way to Spokane. You might be able to see for miles but it sure is a boring drive through the wheat fields. Cascade Mountains
We spent the night in Spokane and then crossed the boarding into Idaho for breakfast. From there we turned south expecting to find an interesting road through the mountains. Wrong. More wheat fields that eventually turned to just dirt (guess they call it grazing land). By the time we got to Livingston, it was warm. Heading East out of Livingston toward Lolo pass we expected to get out of the heat quickly. Wrong again. Road construction. Great scenery and Lolo Pass is very nice.
We took the Interstate from Butte to Bozeman, then turned South to Garner to take a side trip through the top part of Yellowstone. I've been to Yellowstone several times but have never toured the northern part. The road in is fun and Gardner is an interesting place. It started drizzling so we picked up the pace in hopes of getting to Mammoth Hot Springs before it started poring. Wow, what a disappointment. There isn't much left of the Springs except a large dirt pile. You can really see the effects of the fire also.
We left Yellowstone by the Northeast gate. The road is in "ok" condition and has some fun curves. It started to rain and sleet by the time we got to the entrance. Not far from the entrance area is a small resort area. It could be an interesting place to stop but the temperatures now suggested a much lower altitude. The road from the Northeast gate down to Cody is just great. These are real "cowboy" mountains with deep gullies and bare rock.
After a night in Cody, we decided that this may be a good place to spend more time next year. Roaming the roads and visiting with the people. I hope your travels were as enjoyable as mine.