Two of Us

Cypress Hills Provincial Park rises up out of the prairie. It is the highest point in Canada between Labrador and the Rocky Mountains. During the last ice age, this land was one of the few areas not covered by glaciers. Today there are species of plants that are found only in this area. We drove to a high cliff and watched a storm roll across the prairies. As a child, I remember our whole family watching summer storms especially at our cabin at Buffalo Lake -- the booming thunder, incredible lightening strikes and driving rain. I love the movies, but my memories of nature’s shows are seared into my mind.... read more

So I thought we tried to see everything the first day! Today, we actually did! Norris Geyser Basin is like walking through The Land that Time Forgot. The most recent volcanic eruptions have taken place in this area leaving the earth’s crust very thin. Much of the path system has raised platforms to keep visitors from possibly breaking through into the subterranean labyrinth of boiling water or superheated steam. I love the names of the various thermal features -- Whale’s Mouth, Crackling Lake, Whirligig Geyser, Green Dragon Spring, Hurricane Vent, and Black Hermit Caldron. The air is laced with acidic smells and gurgling, hissing, burbling, popping and sizzling noises. Steamboat Geyser gives off a constant rumble and plume of steam as it shoots water 10 to 40 feet high. However, on the very rare occasion when ... read more

Today we left Glacier and drove about 5 hours to the Lewis and Clark Caverns. We arrived at our campsite around 3:30 pm. Located in a very dry desert area of Montana, it was hot! Over 30 degrees Celsius. We unhooked the trailer, climbed back in the air conditioned truck and headed for somewhere cool -- the caverns. It seemed like a good plan ... but before we got to go underground, we had to walk up a very steep hill (a 500 ft gain) for nearly a half hour in the very hot sun. The tour through the caverns was incredible and deliciously cool! We’ve been through the caves twice before and they are still a thrill. The caves are filled with stalactites and stalagmites and many other wonders that our guide told us about, ... read more

Early the next morning, we were again at Swift Current Lake. This time with our canoe. The waters were calm and we rowed easily across to a little dock that is used by the tour boats that ferry people around the lake. Vacations are where we are challenged by new experiences -- some good, some not so good, and others, well ... they make us think. To get to the next lake, we had to either paddle upstream or portage across a small island. We chose to portage -- something we had never done before. There was a small path across the island that guests of the tour company used to get to the next lake. To get to the path, we had to lift our rather heavy canoe up a small rocky slope. We then ... read more

Watertown is a small park (only 202 sq. mi) that sits in the southwest corner of Alberta on the boarder between Canada and the U.S. It contains some the the oldest exposed bedrock in the Canadian Rockies. Unlike the Rockies to the north which are mostly grey, these mountains have colorful bands of red with green, blue and black running through them. There are no major foothills leading up to the them; they just seem to erupt suddenly from the prairies. They also have the some of the most stunning displays of wildflowers! I could spend days just photographing them! We stayed at Crooked Creek campground just outside the park. Later that evening, we were treated to a spectacular thunder and lightening storm! David was up bright and early the next morning and captured the sun ... read more