Michele & David Buher

Two of Us

Michele & David Buher

Welcome to our travel blog, a place where David and I mix our love of photography and writing. We are all travelers on this little blue planet spinning around our blazing sun in a vast universe. Travel is not just a destination, but a journey. A journey that is full ups and downs, surprises and disappointments -- it is life. We hope that you will travel with us.

Flickr Site for all activity snaps:
Buhler's Flickr World
Website for David's best:
Buhler's World
When not travelling, Michele helps others write and capture their own stories.
Memoirs by Michele




You may have noticed that there are few photos of David in this trip (or maybe not -- go back and look, there's definitely more photos of me.) There's a reason -- and it's a story I can now tell. Well, actually, David's going to start this story; I'll set it up: Near the end of June, we went on our yearly pilgrimage to southern Alberta near Lethbridge where we attended the rocket launch at Rock Lake -- it's not a lake of water, but a "lake of rocks" -- a rock pit surrounded by miles and miles of prairie and rolling hills. (Rocket launches may be a topic I'll discuss someday, but not today.) It seems to be always hot at this event, but this year it was exceptionally hot (I got a nasty burn), ... read more
Perfect day on the lake!
Eagle
You can see the bottom!

North America » Canada » Alberta » Jasper National Park August 28th 2015

The plan had been to canoe Maligne Lake today, but (as fortune would have it) it was too windy and starting to look like rain. The hike from the day before had left me quite sore, and really not in the mood for a long paddle. We did, however, drive to the lake. David took a few photos, and we browsed the souvenir shop. The first thing I saw as I stepped in the shop were some coffee cups (the only coffee cup we had in the trailer had broken a few days earlier). I picked one up and it was perfect – I could just feel the warmth it would radiate when filled with a hot cup of coffee. And, there was a moose adorning it! – a perfect match for our moose wine glasses ... read more
Maligne Canyon
Maligne Canyon
Maligne Canyon

North America » Canada » Alberta » Jasper National Park August 27th 2015

Our first choice for a hike today was Wilcox Pass. This hike has views of the Athabasca Glacier and seven of the 25 highest peaks in Canada. But there was too much smoke! And, as bad as it is here in Jasper, it is much, much worse in other parts of the province, including Calgary. Our sons sent a message to us saying it was almost blocking out the sun! The smoke is coming up from the northwestern United States where huge fires are burning - amost 1million acres so far. So we chose the Beauty Creek Trail. There was still smoke (you can see it in some of the photos), but we we were down in the trees and weren't trying to see something in the distance like a glacier. Beauty Creek Trail This trail ... read more
Falls on Beauty Creek
Stanley Falls
We made it!

North America » Canada » Alberta » Jasper National Park August 26th 2015

We have visited Jasper several times over the years -- I never tire of it. Today we set out to canoe on Pyramid Lake. After getting the canoe off the truck again, we then hauled it down a steep hill. (I have to mention the wheels David straps to the bottom of the canoe. Without these there would be no way to get the canoe into many of the lakes as his paddling partner lacks some basic lifting skills.) This was the first lake David and I canoed with our current canoe, and it was an interesting experience – not one of those “peak” ones I talked of earlier. (It had something to do with his partner’s lack of lifting skills.) Today, went much smoother. Out on the lake, we saw two sets of loons – ... read more
Peaceful paddle

North America » Canada » Alberta » Jasper August 24th 2015

We arrived in Jasper today. We decided to do a bit of grocery shopping and catch up on some laundry. The first laundry we went to was closed for renovations -- seriously, at the height of the season, it was closed! There we were standing on the sidewalk with our blue laundry bags wondering, "Where do we go now?" David took out his cell phone and thankfully found another laundry a couple blocks away. It has been some time since I was in a coin-laundry, and they've definitely upgraded. It was like a swanky little coffee shop where you could wash your clothes and catch up on your email. And, it only took a little over an hour to get all our laundry done -- it takes me hours (sometimes days) at home -- I might ... read more


This park’s reason for existence is massive Mt. Robson – the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The peak is often obscured; however, as we drove up the highway towards our first glimpse, there it was, jutting out from the clouds! This is one of the more unique mountains I have seen. It reminded me of a temple with a spiral staircase leading up to its peak. Kinney Lake Trail – This is a marvelous trail that leads up to a beautiful lake at the foot of Mt. Robson. The weather was perfect with barely a cloud in the sky making the top of the mountain totally visible. We hiked the 12 km round trip and headed back to our campsite to have a tasty steak dinner. Over the years, David and I have had some ... read more
Jewel at the foot of the mountain
Kinney Lake
Contemplation

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Clearwater August 17th 2015

If ever you start to think there are no places on Earth that can surprise or inspire you, you need to go to this park. Again, we need to thank our friends, Mark and Judy, for recommending we visit. Here are the highlights: Clearwater Lake – We drove to the lake and took our sturdy red canoe off the truck again. (Well, actually, David does all that on and off stuff, I push a little bit up and a little bit down and try not to get in the way.) Fortunately, this lake did have a dock we could use and David kept his feet dry. This is a great lake for canoeing on and there were others out enjoying the day. Some of the canoes were loaded with kids, dogs and camping supplies. For most ... read more
Helmcken Falls
Moul Falls
Bailey's Chutes

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Salmon Arm August 13th 2015

David and I had been persuaded to attend this festival months ago by our friends, Mark and Judy, who had attended it a couple times before. As you’ll see, we were not disappointed. Before I get to that though, I must mention an unfortunate incident. On the road to Salmon Arm, we had a text saying that Jim (Mark’s brother) and Lisa’s trailer had separated from their truck while going through the Roger's Pass. Apparently, there was a bad weld on the frame and it separated from the trailer. Very scary! The trailer was totalled, but miraculously, no one was hurt. And, most importantly, Jim and Lisa were able to join our group for the festival. We were all very thankful! This festival provides camping right on site. So you can come and go from the ... read more
Boggie Barn
Listening to some tunes
Camper's Village with a few inhabitants


Takakka Falls is loosely translated from a Cree expression meaning, “It is wonderful.” And it is! This is one huge waterfall! At 302 m it is the 4th highest waterfall in Canada. Yoho National Park is not far from our home in Calgary, but we’ve never stopped at these falls. I’m not sure why. I’m just grateful that we did stop today. To get to the falls, we had to unhitch the trailer and leave it in a parking lot as the road up to the falls is steep with tight turns. However, it's not a long drive, and the walk into the falls is short. This also means there are a lot of people at these falls. I suspect that we will be back to see these falls on a future trip in the spring ... read more
Takakkaw Falls
Takakkaw Falls
Truck with canoe

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Revelstoke August 12th 2015

Canyon Hot Springs Oh, how I love hot springs! This privately owned oasis was a treat on a hot, (over 30 C) summer day. First, we had electricity, so we could use the air conditioning – the only time we did on the entire trip. Second, later in the evening, we had a soak in the pools looking up at the surrounding mountains. Third, ice cream. And finally, we watched the Perseids meteor shower. (We did get a few odd looks as we hauled our low-seated chairs out, extended them back, and set them beside the road -- it was the best view of the sky.) It wasn’t a great year as we saw only a about a dozen or so shooting stars, but sitting out on a warm summer evening looking at the universe is ... read more




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