May 13-We woke up early to head for the Canadian border from Yellowstone.  Unfortunately, as we began our northern exit out of the park, we encountered an unexpected road closure that forced us to drive the long way around the park adding an extra hour and a half to our trip! The only perk was getting to witness a massive grizzly bear chasing a herd of elk.  Real wildlife is not always a “G” rating.  We stopped near the northern entrance for pictures of Roaring Mountain, Mammoth Hot Springs and the historical Roosevelt Arch built in 1903.  Once we finally made it out of the park we headed north into Montana and drove into a snowstorm that blanketed the forest for miles.  Finally getting above the storm we reached the Canadian border with an uneventful crossing and ended our long day of driving (eleven hours and 510 miles) in the town of Lethbridge in the province of Alberta.  Our reward for the extra-long day was relaxing at a delicious pizza restaurant and enjoying being served.  We found another Walmart parking lot to spend the night at as the skies revealed the most glorious sunset reminding us the journey is about the little things.

May 14-The perk of waking up in the Walmart parking lot was getting to reload on groceries with no crowds at 8 a.m.  After restocking, we aimed for Calgary.  Our plan was to stop at Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) to retool on a few items needed for the expected snow and then to head to Banff.  MEC is the Canadian version of REI and worth a stop for the outdoor adventurist.  Unfortunately, by the time we arrived in Banff, the streets were jammed with visitors who were celebrating Mother’s Day in this picturesque town.  We drove around and around, looking for a place to park our RV so we could enjoy the Banff Hot Springs.  But there was no room at the “inn”.  Disappointed we headed out for our final destination at the Lake Louise Trailer Campground for a total of 270 miles driven.  We ended our evening with some hot chocolate and views of the frozen lake.

May 15-Since we knew we would not be driving as far today, we decided to grab a hearty breakfast in town and get one more glimpse of Lake Louise with hope for blue skies.  Mother nature did not cooperate and we had a mishap with a pothole which resulted in some broken dishes.  Navigational and parking skills are definitely required for the RV life.  We freshened up the RV to prepare for some expected dry camping ahead and started driving on the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic drives in the world! It was a winter wonderland with snow everywhere including the solidly frozen Bow Lake and the Columbia Icefield, the largest icefield in the Rocky Mountains!  Finally transitioning into some warmer temperatures, the lakes began to thaw and reveal beautiful blue colors from the glacier silt.  While viewing a partially frozen Tangle Falls, a bighorn sheep walked right past us.  Finally, at Athabasca Falls, where the “fury of sound and spray, the power of roaring water and trembling earth meet,” waters were flowing freely and did not disappoint.  After a brief stop in the town of Jasper for some maple and walnut ice cream, we crossed into the province of British Columbia and headed for Mount Robson Provincial Park.  We passed a huge elk with velvet antlers along the way. The visitor center redirected us to a quieter and more private campground for our overnight stop and it had just opened the same day.  After 220 miles of driving, we pulled into Robson River Campground and felt like we had the place to ourselves! We did a short hike to the Overlander Falls nearby, where the stunning blue-green Fraser River rushed through moss covered canyons.  After returning later to the campsite for dinner and a campfire, we reflected on God’s glory we had seen all day.

May 16-We are officially half way through our journey! The 440 miles of driving through British Columbia proved to be “beary” rewarding!  We woke up to blue skies and could see almost all of Mount Robson, the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies.  To get a peek of its peak is rare!  We drove the Yellowhead Highway to Prince George, which was dotted with yellow flowers and yielded five separate black bear sightings along the way.  After a picnic lunch overlooking Lake Purdin we took the John Hart Highway to Dawson Creek.  The highway was much less scenic but it gave us glimpses of how forest management works and along the many logging side roads.  A moose sighting was about the only highlight.  We pulled into Northern Lights RV Park for the night and caught up on laundry and emails with the wifi internet.

May 17-We headed into downtown to start at mile zero of the historic Alaska Highway.  The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 propelled the government to connect Alaska to the Lower 48.  The 1500-mile highway was completed in an astounding eight months.  The first half of the drive was uninspiring since we passed mostly logging areas and camps for oil workers. The afternoon drive was outstanding, like a warmer version of the Icefields Parkway with spectacular vistas and a safari ride teeming with wildlife! We spotted blacks bears, grizzly bears, deer, elk, caribou, moose, Stone sheep, bison and even a porcupine.  Because gas stations are not plentiful on the Alaska Highway, we decided to stop for gas at Double “G” Service near Muncho Lake.  Peering into the “hole in the wall” diner, we couldn’t resist the biggest and most delicious grilled cheese and ham sandwich made with homemade bread.  The owner shared stories of life on the Alaska Highway and the isolation that runs most women off.  After 475 miles of driving we pulled into Liard Hot Springs to set up camp.  We crossed the boardwalk to the natural blue green hot springs and soaked away our cares in the beautiful setting.  It was a surreal way to end the day.

May 18-The morning drive would bring us to the last Canadian province for us to cross, the Yukon Territory.  We were rewarded with more wildlife sightings including jackrabbits, red foxes, black and grizzly bears, more bison and moose! We stopped at Watson Lake to view the infamous Sign Post Forest and to grab lunch.  Tourists from all over the world bring their own signs to add to the posts.  We even found one from our own hometown in the Woodlands.  After driving 410 miles, our day ended in the town of Whitehorse.  The Walmart replenishing stop was interesting since fresh produce was almost nonexistent and the number of campers apparently living in the parking lot was staggering. We decided to camp away from Walmart at the Hi Country RV Park. Tomorrow we plan to finally drive into Alaska for our last week of adventures…