Days 41-43 – Portland aka. mini San Francisco

The walk in Forest Park which was in the middle of Portland promised the 'True portland experience'!

Forest Park trail was one of many that spanned the well used park.

Is it time to go back?

On the way back down a HHH check was spied ..  Never expected a Hash here but why not.  Looking later it was discoverdd that the America's InterHash was in Portland over Labor Day weekend.  There was no way to register at this late date but it did bring back fond memories of the Hashing life !

Bragg map gets another state of Oregon!

Trail on river front freeked out Zin with noise and moving platforms

Are the trolly cars dangerous to Cyclists?

Meet up with Dave and Ginny Katz for b-fast!

Dinner on the river with house boats lining the shore

Kevin has found his new boat!

It was great to see Portland and also relax and get some chores done while it rained!  

Day 40 – Portland bumper to bumper

In an effort to catch everyone up on what the Smitanic crew has been up to here are is a picture summary of the days drive and set up in Portland.  This port would be home for 4 nights over the long labor day weekend!

Kevin felt like Luke Skywalker using the 'force' to hone in on his target with his x-wing while dogging TIE fighters along his way. 

Space needle landmark of Seattle as the crew headed south to Portland.

another one bites the dust!

there was no distinction from Seattle to Portland other than this bridge!  It was all wall to wall traffic on I5

There will be a bit of reprieve from the blog in honor of labor day!  Who wants to read this stuff anyway???

Day 39 – Back in the USA!

The Smitanic exited the Moonshadows RV park by 8:30 AM one of the earliest departures to date! The mountain valley scenery continued to be breath taking as the route followed a mountain river with curves and twists. The roads were mostly smooth with one or 2 construction sites to pass thru. At one point there was a slowdown due to a very bad accident on the northbound site of the highway. The back up on that side was miles long with police diverting traffic back across the median onto southbound side of the highway. Kevin and Theresa were reminded, as they are daily, that the unexpected can happen in an instant.

After passing the city of Hope, BC the USA border was within 30 miles. Signs announced that delays at the border were 20 min. Not too bad. Following the signs for the proper lanes for RVs, Kevin guided the Smitanic into the right most lane and stopped shy of the railroad tracks . He waited until there was enough room to progress forward so that the 70ft length of the RV and Toad with bikes would clear the tracks. The lanes were not RV friendly, there was a tight turn to the left followed immediately to the right.i Kevin had already recognized the challenge that would be presented. In anticipation he made as wide a turns as was provided to properly line up the Smitanic and toad to slide past the steel posts, the posts barely cleared the RV mirrors! At the booth Kevin handed over the two occupant's passports with a sincere smile. There was a few questions about where was home and then the officer asked why are there 3 bikes. Kevin gleefully responded “There are 4, 2 mountain and 2 road bikes! Got to have your toys!” Guess the guy understood or maybe he thought well this guy is harmless. The Smitanic was granted passage as the boarder crossing guard said “Welcome back Home”. 

As the exit was made Kevin and Theresa noticed another 5th wheeler RV that was being searched... humm wonder what provoked that?

From the border crossing, a narrow 2 lane road with several 25 mph curves/turnes was the route to I-5 and then on into the destination of Mount Vernon, WA. The 2 lane road was 'scenic' meaning lots of twists and turns crossing blueberry and raspberry farms as well as small towns that supported the local agriculture. What was a bit odd was the intersections were roundabouts! This made it a bit more challenging for the lengthy RV but Kevin persevered with a few expletives. A construction detour altered the path to even more narrow roads and at least one more roundabout. What's with those ?,in what seemed to be in the middle of podunk-nowhere! Someone's bright idea!

At last the I-5 south entrance was made and the traffic picked up and the roads were riddled with potholes, bumps and debris. A flashback to I-40 suddenly entered Kevin's head as he dodged obstacles and maneuvered thru traffic like Hans Solo in the Millennium Falcon out witting the Storm Troopers, and unable to accelerate the ship to light speed.

At the Mount Vernon exit, Nora announced each turn as if it was gospel to reach the target RV park.

As instructed Kevin turned right off the main road into a residential area, there were no signs for an RV park, however there were signs saying Dead End and No turnaround. Ut OH! Theresa called the RV park to ask directions. “Oh I dont know why the GPS took you there, you have to turn around and go further on the main street.” The RV with the tow is not allowed to back up, there was no way to turnaround with out disconnecting the Toad. The team worked quickly to detatch the toad, and perform a perfect Y turn in the 40 ft Smitanic. Theresa led the way to the RV park in the detached toad.

Relieved to have found the park the road weary warriors quickly set up the systems and had a chance to relax for a few moments before the task of groceries and dinner were discussed.

Theresa had spotted a CoOp grocery store not far from the park, surely that would have the essentials that they needed mainly wine and coffee cream. The area of town had a variety of eclectic stores including some cafes and a vintage record shop. The CoOp market had a nice wine selection so Kevin selected a few unknown reds that were reasonably priced. Theresa found some of the other items on the list then meant Kevin at the check out. There was a membership required for the CoOp unless you were a Senior (over 62) ! Sometimes age does have advantages! Check out complete and the goodies boxed up the two then walked back to the toad. 

Not wanting the mess of the grill for the one night stay, the Mexican Cafe across the street, that was recommended by the Park manager, was the dinner destination. 

More blog posts and picture uploads were done post dinner and then slumber in prep for a long day of driving!

Day 38 – Moonshadow

Once again it rained the entire night. The now full RV park had puddles and mud to dodge not to mention RVs with their cars and awnings packed into the tree lined spaces. 

The path of least obstacles was for Kevin to back out of the site and try to stay on the gravel then loop around to the paved road to hook up the toad. Theresa signaled the maneuvering with one hand so she could hold the umbrella in the other. The Smitanic was one of the first 3 RVs to exit the RV park before 8:30 AM. 

As soon as the trans Canada HWY was reached and Kevin got the rig up to full speed, the rain let up and even some blue sky was peaking thru. The drive was again up and mostly down the mountain HWY with 6-8% grade signs scattered along the way. Theresa used her limited bandwith on her iphone to check for a Pilot/Flying J station that was on the route. The MyPilot app said it was at exit 276 which was 10 miles away, then Kevin looked up at the next ext and spied a Flying J off in the distance! Was that it? Theresa checked the app again and confirmed the exit. No says there is still one in 8 miles now. As the target exit was approached there was no sign of the Flying J! Desperate for fuel Kevin exited and pulled into the truck lanes at a Shell station. Theresa validated the MyPilot app again to see that it had the station they were at marked as the Flying J. Surely there had been some changes in ownership or and incorrect location in the app. 

The pumps were a bit confusing so Kevin headed inside to explain what he needed and verify which pump nozzle to use. The clerk ran the AmEx card thru to set him up. Back out to the pump, Kevin discovered that the pump needed was still not on... back in the station the clerk indicated she rang up the incorrect pump so she voided the previous transaction and attempted to retry the AmEx on the correct pump. The card came up blocked! Kevin used another card and proceeded to pump 291 L of diesel. All done and back on the road.

About 30 min after gas, Theresa gets a call. This is the Credit Union, we are trying to reach Kevin. Theresa handed the phone to Kevin and the banks security person asked about not only the recent gas purchase but a few other transactions he had made while in Canada. He confirmed the transactions and mentioned that there should have been a note on both his and Theresa's card of all the locations for the trip. She made new notes and all was good. Kevin thanked her for calling. It can be a pain if cards do not work because the bank puts holds on them, but sure glad they keep a very watchful eye out!

The route continued thru the valleys of the lush forests with water falls filling the rushing stream below. The valley then opened up to some high rolling range land with cattle dotting the hills. Theresa had made reservations at Moonshadows RV park in Merritt, BC. It was the name that had her and Kevin singing the Cat Stevens song that brought thoughts of college days when that was a hit. The promise was a pull thru site 30amp with full hook up! The holding tanks were getting to the full mark as it had been 3 nights without any sewer connection...

A map was given to Theresa at check in and Kevin unhooked the Toad. The assigned site was a very tight squeeze between a Tree and the power post for the site. Kevin aligned the rig precisely down the middle with Theresa giving critical adjustment directions. The pad was dirt and rutted so no level spot could be found. The boards were placed under the jacks to have a hard platform for better stability. The electric was hooked up using the 30 amp surge protector. This was also used at previous flood plains RV site from the last 2 days. Water and a sewer line that need all 3 pipe sections were also assembled. Kevin checked the power, nothing.... After a few resets of the surge protector Kevin went to the office to inquire if there was an issue with the power or request a different site. He returned back to the site with the manager. The manager made his diagnostics and even tried the next site over. No luck. OK we can put you on a different site. Kevin walked around with the manager and selected a 50 amp back in site. All the previous set up was undone and packed back up and stowed. Then it was reassembled at the new site which only required one of the pipe sections for the sewer! All this took well over 1 hour. Normally camp set up is an easy 20 min max. 

The wifi was fairly good so Kevin and Theresa were able to do email and blog items. When Kevin checked his email he saw a note from AmEx wanting him to validate some transactions. He promptly went to the AmEx site and marked the bogus gas transactions from early that day as not valid. The site then announced that the transactions would flag a fraud notification and promptly invalidate the card and a new card would be mailed. What? That is not what is needed! It will take weeks to get the new card since it has to make it to the home in Cary and then Jack will pack it up with the rest of the ,if it fits it ships, items and send to Hemet or where ever it can be received. Well that is one less card that can be used!

Frustrated with all the banking processes it was time to take Zin down to see the river on the other side of the park. The water was flowing rapidly over rocks and downed trees. A beaver had been busy as well building a small dam.

Dinner was at a local restaurant attached to a hotel in town called the Coldwater Hotel and Restaurant. It had an old saloon style look with large wooded pillars and ornate steel ceiling. It was hard to make a choice of delectable delights off the many tasty choices on the menu. Kevin had the Bangers and Mash and Theresa had the special Prawns and wings. Needless to say, there were no leftovers!

This was the last night in Canada. Plans for the next nights stay in Mount Vernon, WA were confirmed and more blog posts were completed. 

This RV park was ok but not one that would be recommended for more than a 1 or 2 nights stay.

Day 37 – Out of Order

Rain poured thru the night and had Theresa dreaming that the RV would be swept away in the torrential downpours. She thought again and with the full campgrounds she would not be alone in her circumstance.

The 6am train rattled the coach and woke Zin causing the roust of the the parental crew. The team was informed that the Laundry room was prime wifi territory. With this info, 2 bags of dirties were packed as well as all the laptops so that the most could be made out of the hours it would take to complete the laundry, as well as any uploading and blog posts. The laundry needed Loonies (Canadian Dollars) and quarters. Kevin and Theresa had not exchanged any money so had no loonies (at least Canadian ones). The clerk however informed the two that the ATM would be open at 10 AM, it was currently 8:30 am. The two wifi hogs took over the single table and 2 chairs in the laundry room and proceeded to dominate all bandwidth in the providence. At 10 Am Kevin was challenged to obtain the 2.75 for a wash and 4 loonies for the dry cycles that were needed for 2 loads of soiled cloths, sheets and towels accumulated over the last 5 days. Kevin inserted his card and was asked if he wanted more than the default $20 and he was informed that that was the max that the machine had. Agnes, the camp manager, announced that that Kevin was performing the last ATM transaction for the season, and there was no more money in the machine! Good thing that was all that was needed! Whew!

Back in the laundry there was a total of 4 machines, 2 had 'out of order' signs posted, one looked like had been there a very long time and had standing water in it. The 2 functioning machines were loaded and loonies and quarters were inserted as well and detergent. One of the machines started as expected, yet the other had a light showing it was started yet no water was heard. Kevin discovered that if he pressed a bit on the lower right corner of the lid the machine began functioning. “just needs some weight on it” he said. Theresa placed her computer bag on the corner and wha-la the machine continued to run, that was solved !

All was working well on the wifi for about 2 hours, as pics were uploaded and posts were made. Then without warning in mid picture uploads all came to a screeching halt!

Kevin informed office staff of the issue and Agnes' broken english reply was “I don't know what to do about it”, “wifi is no good in the mountains”. “Wifi satellite wait for storm to pass then maybe wifi”.

One of the dryers did not dry completely so another 4 loonies were deposited while continuing to wait for the wifi to come back on line. Finally after 2 hours Therese checked and the crew was back in business, “wifi Good Now”! All laundry was done and, it was still raining!

As Kevin waited, he checked the retirement 401k. Over two years of gains have been wiped out in less than 2 weeks. Arggh. Theresa must go back to work, and she needs to work harder than ever before to make up for what the stock market has done. Or perhaps Kevin needs to stop spending so much on drones and toys and go back to work himself! Who is the last to edit and post... so there! Kevin gets to embellish (and always gets the last word) so he suggests maybe someone would hire him for drone fly overs while Theresa works 8 – 12 hours consulting and making real money.  speaking of Real money... Kevin could sell many of his toys to cover RV adventures for many years.  Hah who does the final post!

As evening approached Kevin reluctantly set up the grill in the rain so that the Filet mignon (Thanks to Dave Parker) could be prepared for the evening meal. The never ending showers did subside for a brief time allowing the steak to be cooked. Once the delectable delight was consumed Kevin put away the grill and Theresa cleaned up inside so that an early morning retreat could be made from the ever rising waters that surrounded the Smitanic. A constant stream of weary RV travelers arrived and filled every available empty site in the flood planes.

The rain continued into the night as trains periodically rattled the sides of the RV disturbing the tenuous slumber of the two weary travelers, longing for more conducive weather to finish their Canadian Adventure.

Day 36 – Tunnel vision

It was a wet start to the day as the exit from Lake Louise was made.  There was time for one last hike along a nice trail by the campsite.

The rain went from a mist to a drizzel more drizzel and then a steady rain. Kevin was challenged to find the best windshield wiper delay pattern to keep his vision out the front window clear. At least the bug juice would be cleaned off! 

The TransCanada Hwy was mostly a smooth surface that followed a rushing mountain turquoise river. Tunnels carved thru rocks warned of 5.4M clearance so that was no issue for the Smitanic. Further down the road several tunnels were encountered with construction slowing the Titanic to 40 kmh = 25 mph to navigate the lane changes, construction barriers. These same tunnels were also marked as 4.4 meters clearance. Kevin slowed the Titanic to speeds reserved for the Panama Canal as he slowly slid under the opening for the first of many tunnels with only 4.4 meters clearance. Did he hear a scraping noise? Maybe it was just the construction workers machines making noise. Each of the under construction tunnels were unlit, on a curve, and on a steep down hill adding to the excitement that was being dealt with at the helm.

The Canadian Rockies are spectacular. Waterfalls form Glacier melts ran down the steep slopes suppling the river and streams below. Kevin held on tight to the helm. He felt like the captain of one of the ships on the Deadliest Catch managing the surge of 30ft waves! 

The timezone changed near the destination of Canyon Hot Springs RV Resort in Ravelstoke, BC. Large signs pointed to a turnoff for the resort. Theresa checked in at the office while Kevin unhooked the toad. Theresa was given a map and advised to drive the Toad to the site to see if it was vacant then return to get the RV. Kevin parked the RV in a designated RV parking area by the office and then hopped in the car with Theresa. Driving by the assigned site revealed it was a muddy mess with deep ruts and trees that would prevent the slides from deploying. Alternative sites were selected from the soggy low land area for RVs, and the two returned to the office to inquire if those sites were available. One was available so the clerk exchanged the site number and Kevin drove the Smitanic into the flood plains. Only electric and Water were available. Theresa did notice a cable hook up so she attached that as well. Bathroom and Shower facilities were a short walk away. Showers cost $3 CAD but were included in the $13.50 CAD Hot springs daily senior rate.

The 3 hour drive exhausted Kevin so after a quick lunch it was time for a food comma induced nap. There was no break in the rain! Theresa worked on the blog posts then handed her work over to Kevin for his embellishments. This lasted into the early evening with the continuing sound of the pitter patter on the roof top. It was then time to try out the Hot Springs... really just an extra large hot tub, but would warm up the bod even with the cool rain still falling.

Inquires were made at the office on where to get a wifi connection? The clerk replied in very broken english, In the laundry room. Is there cable TV? no (but there was a connection for it, seemed odd) how about satellite? Oh use 175... Huh? Theresa also could only get 1 bar of Bell cell service and found out that she had to turn on Data Roaming to get any text messages to go thru. Truly off the grid. 

A very quick indoor Voila meal was prepared and then with passing trains shaking the RV every 30 min the isolated campers were lulled to sleep.

In hind site one more day at Lake Louise may have been a better option.

Day 35 – In the Clouds

Sunday morning prompted a mass exodus of RVs, allowing the Smitanic crew to slowly break camp and watch the RV migration as the park slowly lost many of its residence. 

The Smitanic destination of Banff/Lake Louise Trailer park was a mere 102 miles away, so there was no hurry in getting down the road...except that Theresa wanted to arrive early enough to absorb the full experience of Lake Louise! There would only be a one night stay so all sightseeing would need to be done after docking the Smitanic upon this days arrival.
Balancing the exodus of the Smitanic against the heard of RV departures and the anxious Theresa who needed to get to her Bucket list, the team set sail just before 11 am with an expected travel time of 1 ½ to 2 hours.

The days drive entered into an even more mountainous terrain with 7-8-11% grades going up then down and winding thru chiseled cliffs that nearly brushed the mirrors as Kevin maneuvered around the protruding boulders encountered on each curve. Highway 93 entered and exited several National parks. Entry gates had pass thru lanes (for those who knew where they were going) and another lane for those less familiar such as the tourists inside the Smitanic . 

The Smitanic crew needed to be sure they were on the correct path and would not miss the destination, so they would elect to wait in line at each park entrance to get confirmation all was in order and they were on the correct path. 

Theresa had booked the nights stay online via the Canadian Parks site and did a best guess at the closest park to Lake Louise. The reservation included a day pass to the park as well. Kevin relayed this information to the park booth attendant and she assure Kevin that the park was straight ahead and could not to be missed. Once again the navigation was 100% by the GPS, Nora. She had the correct location dialed in so every turn was gospel. Theresa was a bit concerned about the accuracy of the GPS as the name of the park was slightly different than the name on the Canadian Park web site where she had made the reservations. The web site reservation system said Banff/Lake Louise Park the GPS (Nora) said Banff/Lake Louise Trailer park.

The crew elected to follow Nora as they were instructed to take a turn for Lake Louise. Nora's directions were spot on for the campground. Validation of the reservations were made at the park gate and Theresa gave a sigh of relief! The site was a shared pad with just enough room for 2 RVs with slide outs. Another travel trailer was already taking up a large section of the gravel pad but there was plenty of room for the Smitanic and toad for the one night stay. Electric was the only thing that could and would be connected, the jacks were deployed ,and all but the driver side slide were extended. Kevin is still a bit leery that that slide has been 100% fixed.

Lunch was fixed and devoured . Plans were made to drive up to Lake Louise to get a map of the area, and figure out how best to get the most out of the limited time at Lake Louise.

“Your mission ,should you accept it, is to Maximize the time you have on this Bucket List”, This message will self destruct in less than 24 hours.

Following the signs, the CRV climbed up the steep road marked to Lake Louise (Lac Louise in French). The parking lot to the Chateau Fairmont was packed as well as most of the overflow parking. Theresa strained to see if she could spy the lake... where is it? She recognize the Chateau from pictures she had drooled at longingly causing her to make this a buck list item.

Circling the parking lot crammed with cars, vans, busses and RVs for the 3rd time Kevin spied someone backing out. Kevin turned on his signal claiming the spot.

Too Cool!

The team contemplated what to bring from the car. “Should we bring the fanny pack and water bottles, Hats, jackets. Should we leave your purse”? Kevin asked in anticipation of all events that might be encountered. “No time for this lets GO” wined Theresa. Theresa strutted down the path like an anxious kid waiting to ride a pony. She was amazed at the number of visitors that filled the pathways and spoke all sorts of foreign languages. Then … down another short path and there it was “WOW”.... “WOW”........ “WOW”............ “WOW”................ “WOW”! 

That is all that could be said. The Lake's grandeur was unveiled! It had an unbelievable natural turquoise color and was caressed between massive cloud covered mountains that were fed by a Glacier seen in the far distance. Just magnificent! Several (100's) photos were immediately snapped being careful not to block any one else's lens line. It had just started to sprinkle as the sun gave up it's attempted to bring some warmth to the wind blown day. More photo opps were made as the wonder struck duo followed a paved path along the right side of the lake. 

The rain went from sprinkles to a steady pour forcing the drenched couple to retreat and head inside to the warmth of the Hotel. The interior was grand and ornate with wood, marble and lush decorations. Crowds of people were scurrying around like ants on an ant hill. Some where fellow sightseers escaping the rain, while others were checking in or out of the hotel and then there those who were there for a wedding! A stop was made at one of the shops to purchase logo t-shirt and jacket for Theresa. The rain had not let up so next stop was the lobby bar for some wine and soup.

Seated at the bar, Kevin and Theresa were able to chat with others who recommended the Tea House trail that took about 1.75 hrs to climb 3.8K up and 1 hour to come back down. Chatting with the Bartender, some interesting facts about the area were revealed. One was that there are 7300 employees who lived year around in the area to serve the hotel and it's guests Secondly, that Lake Louise was the highest elevation in which a Canadian population lives. It was about 4pm, the soup was gone the wine had disappeared, and the sun was starting to come back out. 

Kevin quickly closed the tab and the two were off to enjoy the view again, take more pictures, and walk part of the trail that had been abandoned earlier. The team still had not returned to the car to pick up proper hiking items. Kevin assumed it would be a look at the lake but do not explore the terrain type walk. As the couple walked the paved path Kevin identified a trail mark that hinted the way to the Tea House. Without spoken word Kevin drifted in the direction of the Tea House. No response from Theresa. Kevin continued in the now new direction off of the paved path. Still no discussion. The trail headed up, still no word from Theresa. Kevin stopped turned and asked “would you like me to take your purse back to the car and get the fanny pack and water?”. “Nope, I am good” was the reply. Kevin realized that the mission had just been accepted.

The uphill was grueling for Theresa with her 5lb purse and new purchases in a bag, so she took it at a slow pace while Kevin had high RMPs and strolled right up the climb. 

Every turn revealed a different perspective of the lake and surrounding mountains. The trail climbed up and rounded switchbacks to Mirror lake and then more up. Will the top ever get here?

Finally there were steps that led to the Tea House. The remote house had a full menu in addition to tea. Unfortunately it had just closed at 6pm. In speaking with 3 ladies that run it, Kevin asked “who brings in the supplies?”. He was informed that they get 2 air drops of supplies a year. The rest time they have to hike down and then pack back up supplies on a as needed basis! They did use the water out of the lake no filtering needed, just scoop and go. Impressive.

Several other visitors were looming around the house and water falls, interestingly enough some had there heads buried in their phones checking FB or messaging! Perhaps they thought this was a Starbucks? Amazing how some folks will loose site of this beauty and not take in all that nature offers. Others are constantly talking all the way up and down the trail not stopping to check out the scenery. Mother Nature is not Boring. Maybe these folks are unable to experience life without man made distractions and false stimulus.

As the chateau was in view again, Theresa commented how much the whole seen reminded her of a Disney Park world with everything very picturesque and well manicured right down to the turquoise water color. Perhaps this is were Walt got his idea?

By the time the parking lot was in site Kevin and Theresa's knees were done done done done. The team paused one last time to again look at the lake and capture a few more pictures. It was after 7pm when the hikers arrived to find the Toad was the only car left in the lot. They had seen all they could with the limited time constraint and vowed to return for a more leisurely stay another time.

Bucket list item - Check!

Day 34 – Going Dark

It was a quasi early morning in anticipation of delays and hassles at the boarder crossing. In preparation passports, dog vaccination, and insurance documentation were all placed on the dash for easy access. Only 5 miles down the road from the evenings stay was the crossing inspection station and entry into Canada's providence of BC (British Columbia).

There was only one other vehicle with a trailer ahead of the Smitanic. That vehicle was guided to the rear of the building as 2 officers donned gloves, and began removing items from the back of that truck and its trailer. Kevin waited until instructed to approach the window. Engine was turned off per request. Then Kevin handed the official the 2 required passports. The Holy Grail questioning began. “What is your destination?” “How long will you be in Canada? “ “Do you have any Weapons, handguns or ammo.” Kevin's responses caused no alarm and the passports were returned along with permission to enter the country! Whew that was easy! May be they had there hands full with the guy in front of the Smitanic or maybe it was Kevin's harmless smile that softened the inquisition.

The roads became smoother, wider, with nice shoulders that would easily enable cyclist to share the trail. “Think metric” signs reminded travelers of conversions required on any measurement sign-age. 100 kph(Kilometers per hour) is 60 Miles per hour. 80 = 45, Distance to locations needed the same conversion. Height for clearance also was critical. 4.5 M or more would be an OK clearance for the Smitanic. Theresa normally kept herself busy with blog updates or crocheting during each days drive. With this uncharted territory, she instead helped Kevin read and interpret every sign to help with the navigation.

At first the scenery was very healthy dense forests intermixed with pastures for cows, horses and sheep. The signs for deer, elk, bear, big horn sheep, and moose crossing dotted the Kilometers. The Canadian signs were much more precise in the depiction of a deer, unlike US signs that have dear antlers backwards (in Theresa's humble opinion.) Only one bear cub was spotted laying motionless on the side of the road, an obvious victim of a passing vehicle. Awe.

The highway rest stops did not always allow for large vehicles to make an easy entry and exit, however the Littler Barrel stops served well for a quick bio break without too much maneuvering into or out of the traffic.

Uphill and downhill inclines of up to 8% had Kevin working the gears manually as well as the engine break. Luckily the GPS had the exact address and announced every turn, visual signs were not always helpful nor timely.

Entry into the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort was unexpectedly busy! But this was Sunday and the Hot Springs was open to the public.

The deluxe site with full hook up (30 amp) was quite roomy, level, paved and had views of the mountains. The site also had easy access to the golf course, hiking trails, hot springs , and lots of family activities. The campground wifi was adequate to make posts and upload some pic/videos. Cell phone service was still iffy.

Heavy winds made a drone fly over more challenging, but Kevin prevailed to make a short low altitude fly over that managed to attract a few intrigued on lookers, and initiated conversations.

After a run to the store for essential supplies the team sat down for some of Theresa's Tacos for dinner. Just as the evening was winding down the sun (an unfamiliar object) appeared in the western sky. A drone fly over redo was required. This time the sky was beautiful and so were the mountain views.

Definitely have to return to this area again!

The fires are still a threat as indicated by the maps (see link) but the forecast is calling for rain and cooler temps so hopefully that will aid the fire fighters.

Tomorrow's destination will reach Theresa's major bucket list item of Lake Louise!