Banff National Park, Albert, Canada

June 19th, 2009 by bob

The scenery in and around the town of Banff is so impressive. Every direction you turn is another picturesque Kodak moment.
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This is not a traffic jam, it’s a car show in town.
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Cascade Gardens
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Johnston Canyon (We had to check this one out!)
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Lake Louise
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Moraine Lake
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View from our campground
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This beautiful quilt is hanging on the wall at the library where we posted these pictures.
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Waterton National Park, Alberta, Canada

June 15th, 2009 by bob

Oat ‘n aboat in Waterton National Park, eh?
We’re discovering on this trip that the scenery just keeps getting more and more spectacular. The waterfalls are full, everything is fresh and green, and the wildflowers are in bloom.
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This is cool … really cool. That’s actually ice on the lake!
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This is a view of the campground/village as we hiked up to Bertha Falls.
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Waterton Campground and Village
These playful ground squirrels are so entertaining as they dash in and out of their tunnels.
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We have seen so many deer here. These gentle creatures roam freely throught our campground and the village (which is only a block away).
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Playin’ it cool … parkin’ with the big guys!
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Glacier National Park

June 11th, 2009 by bob

This is the awesome view from our campsite.
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Here is a glimpse of just a few of the many scenes inside the park.
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There’s a deer here.
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There’s a bear there.
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We had hoped to be able to drive the entire 51 mile “Going-to-the-Sun-Road”, but it hadn’t yet opened for the season. We were able to travel in 13 miles, which still allowed us to see some beautiful scenery.
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Note: We will be heading to Canada tomorrow, so we are not sure when we will be able to post more pictures.

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Montana … Big Cold Country

June 10th, 2009 by bob

Entering Montana

On our way to Billings, Montana, the temperature kept dropping (to 34 degrees) and rain turned into snow. This is June?!!!
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Great Falls, MT

The rain dance is over. The sun is shining in Great Falls!
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Is this a day-care for goslings?
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We visited the Louis and Clark Interpretive Center (which was very well done) and learned that when their Expedition came up the Missouri River and reached Great Falls, they encountered 5 huge waterfalls, requiring them to “portage” their heavy boats 18 miles across land.
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Was that the 8th blast? We better hurry up and get that last picture of Ginny by the Great Falls.
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Whew! We made it to the malt shop.
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Black Hills of South Dakota

June 6th, 2009 by bob

Mount Rushmore

On our first day, as we eagerly headed out to view Mount Rushmore, our spirits (and bodies) were quickly dampened. It was foggy, drizzly, and cold. Fortunately, the next day was sunny and bright.
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What a difference a day makes.
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Models used for the faces sculpted on Mount Rushmore.
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We had the privilege of meeting 88 year old Nick Clifford, who actually worked on the Mount Rushmore sculptures as a driller and winchman. He was kind enough to autograph one of his books for us.
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Crazy Horse Memorial

The Crazy Horse sculpture is far from completion, but it is a remarkable sight. It’s difficult to visualize just how big this sculpture is from a distance. His face alone is almost 9 stories high, and when fully completed the entire monument will be 563 feet high (taller than the Washington Monument).
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This is a model of what it will look like.
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Bear Country USA

This is a spectacular wildlife park where the animals roam free and you drive through in your own car (with your windows up!).
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Custer State Park

This was a beautiful scenic drive that gave us the opportunity to see a variety of animals (up close and personal), drive through some tight tunnels, and enjoy the picturesque countryside.
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