Jasper NP and on to B.C.

5/26/2018 Saturday through 5/27/2018 Sunday Banff to Jasper NP then to Whitecourt BC

We are so lucky this trip, the weather has been beautiful, sunny, clear days and cool nights. We went on to Jasper N.P. via the Icefields Parkway, stopping by the Albathers (?) glacier for lunch. Once again, stunning scenery.  We spent the night at the Whistler Campground in Jasper National Park and left in the morning for Whitecourt, British Columbia.  Here's some views from the Icefields Parkway:

We did a short hike in Maligne Canyon.  It's a narrow slot canyon formed by a glacier with multiple waterfalls thundering just off 6 different bridges spanning the gap.  

We plan to make it to Dawson Creek and the beginning of the Alaskan highway Monday.  

Oh, Canada! Banff National Park

5/22/18 Tuesday through 5/25/18 Friday Oldman River PP to Banff NP

After hanging out in Great Falls, MT for two nights, we headed north again a few hundred miles and crossed into Canada.  We spent Wednesday evening on Oldman River Provincial Park outside of Fort McLeod, Alberta, Canada, a solitary place near the highway.

We drove on Thursday to Banff National Park.  The mountains here are beyond description!  Carved by glaciers, they tower over the Bow River Valley, tipped with snow and ice.  We spent two nights in Banff, soaking up the tourist spots for a little bit the first day and had lunch downtown.  We stayed at Tunnel Mountain Trailer Park Campground.  Canadian parks are the best I've been to!  Clean, spacious, friendly and beautiful settings.  We hiked to a waterfall in Johnson Canyon and soaked up the mountains.

As I write this, we're planning on going to Whistler campground in Jasper National Park, taking the Ice fields Parkway.  I'm having trouble uploading pictures to the blog, I'll add them when I get a faster internet connection.    Connectivity, yeah, here's some pics of Banff and Johnson Canyon and Banff:

Mountains of Montana

5/20/18 Sunday thru 5/21 Monday Twin Falls, ID to Malmstrom AFB, MT

We left Twin Falls and took the backroads to Craters of the Moon National Monument.  It's a giant lava field, thousands of years old, that stretches for miles in the sagebrush plains.  We drove through the 7 mile park road loop, stopping to walk a couple of the trails and have lunch.  Unlike two years ago when it was cloudy and rained, the weather has been clear and sunny. 

hole in the rock at Craters of the Moon

Lichen on lava

 lic

collapsed spatter cone

We went to the last national forest campground in Idaho for Sunday night and had the place to ourselves.

Targee National Forest, ID

Monday morning we headed into Montana, landing in Great Falls at Malstrom AFB for a couple nights to catch up on some housekeeping.  The mountains here are blanketed in yellow flowers and green shoots.