June 26th - to Glacier National Park

Woke up this morning to a BLARING TRAIN WHISTLE at 6:00AM apparently the only negative aspect of this campground is that it is bordered on both the front and back of the property by a very active rail line.  The whistle reverberated on the surrounding hills and unfortunately a tent is NO insulation from sound. 

This bird is awake with the dawn as I am, though maybe the train had nothing to do with it.

 A later start today but we head into Montana and on to Glacier National Park unsure of what access is available in the park due to snow from a hard winter.  (THIS IS JUNE 26TH!!! SNOW? REALLY?)

Into the mountain time zone and one hour closer to the time at home we have definitely made the turn heading east. Less than a week left. 

  

 

Playing tourist but no time to take  the gear off. 


 We are doing a speed tour of a few National Parks in the next few days.  Unfortunately we do not have time to explore or even see many of the features of these wonderful parks.  I guess I will have to bring the family back to explore more.  I feel like an explorer, or a scout, taking as much as possible yet only seeing the highlights to be explored in depth later.  

Rebecca at Glacier



Glacier National Park - beautiful views over the lake toward Logan Pass which we did not see
as it is covered with 50 foot snow drifts and may not be open until the end of July if at all.



On to our campground after a quick visit to Glacier




Farm and ranch land extend from the foot of one mountain to the other - barns with mountains in the background and signs indicating slower night time speeds due to CRITTERS. (Deer are the small critters here.)

The first campground we needed to use a bear box.
Bears are in the area.

One big lake.  Our campsite is on the shore of this 60 mile long lake. 

June 25 - Back to the States (rain suit day)

Leaving Kamloops

Today is a long day with a large distance to cover.  Unfortunately we couldn't do or see everything we had hoped but it was still a good day to travel.  The Clouds again were spectacular - with rain threatening much of the day.  

Brad said it was a rather dry area and it didn't get much rain.
But someone forgot to tell the rainclouds. 

Again we find ourselves being amazed at every turn in the road and every hill we climb to
witness a new breathtaking scene unfold before us.

Even the flowers along the road a re
a beauty unfolding before us

A black bear crossed the road about 25 yards
(oops - meters - we are still in Canada) from where I stopped.  

As we rode through some back country with very little traffic other than some trucks and an occasional passenger vehicle.  As I entered a sweeping right hand turn Brad came across the radio - BEAR!  he was following and had just exited the last left hand turn and was looking directly at a black bear.  We stopped and tried to get our cameras out (as it had been sprinkling) while the bear headed toward the road and where I was stopped.  He continued across the road as we fumbled with our cameras in order to get a good picture.  Now I understand what hunters experience with buck fever.  The bear headed for a poplar grove about 80 meters off the road.

The view over Osoyoos BC
And a road Brad would race his cousin up to the top
around some great corners.  

Brad and Rebecca at Osoyoos

The clouds continue to follow us.

This was a day for the rain suit.  We put them on and took them off at least four times.  Some due to rain others the threat of rain and even for added warmth as the temp was in the 50s.

Twisty road so I pulled off to get a different perspective...

Not a sign you normally see in Virginia and across the road is a is an ICE covered lake. 
On June 25th it was about 42 degrees at this elevation.

We saw a double rainbow in Creston BC on the boarder of Idaho.

Back to the States and still wonderful views as we ride.

We were tired and stopped for some supplies while looking for a campground.  After a quick search online we found our place a few miles down the road.  James the proprietor gave us a great deal and asked if we needed some firewood I declined and said I'm too tired to start a fire even though it was cool and we were a little chilled.  He said you go get set up and I'll bring some wood and kindling and a torch to start a fire for you.  .............. NO CHARGE


We expected a small butane torch and he brought this --- a jet engine from an F14!!!




James started a fire in NO TIME! Thanks



June 24 - Kamloops

Not so many (kilometers) today - we visited Brads father and some friends.  An afternoon shower forced us inside to the mall to do some shopping for T shirts etc for our families.



Heading into Kamloops from our campground.



Brad and his Dad



Interesting flowers



Brad with his adopted Mom

Snow plow parked on the RR tracks - would be interesting
to see this work.

Cool night - and the tents were damp from the afternoon rain  - unbelievably the tents dried over night since the air was so dry.  We were able to pack dry tents in the morning.

Abbotsford to Kamloops - June 23

Since I do alot of work on my own vehicles which are mostly foreign cars

I definitely needed a metric adjustable wrench.  

The only souvenir I wanted to get in
Canada 

Leaving Abbotsford and heading into Vancouver
with threatening clouds and weather for the day.

The Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver toward Whistler
(where the Olympics were held)

Doing alot of miles Kilometers today - so we need to keep moving but also watch our speed.  It is really hard to see those smallish red numbers that designate KM/hr. without my reading glasses.  Alot of ground is covered and so many beautiful places to stop for pictures here are just a few....

Signs in Aboriginal language  



Whistler Ski runs with snow on June 23

 

Whistler is the second previous Olympic venue we have seen - the first was Salt Lake City where we saw the Olympic ski jump. 

Mountains in Whistler





Duffy Lake Road toward Kamloops

  



Lovely roads and incredible views.

 



Crystal clear lakes and stunning skies. 

 


We love the twisty road but need to be careful to watch the road more than the views.

 


Motorcycles were built for roads like these.



Sights take your breath away around every corner  

An environment so beautiful (yet difficult
for alot of things to grow)  



We push on as the surroundings change
from lush to more barren and dry.



Surroundings remind us of Nevada and eastern Oregon.  

The spectacular skies continue to follow us.

Looking for a Campground in Kamloops and Gas at the same time - even motorcycles do not run on fumes.




Vista overlooking Kamloops where Brad grew up.