Arrived, South by Southeast

We arrived home Saturday, 5:30, August 13th, in time to visit with Jonathan and Christa, Kathy and Craig that evening.  What a great welcome home. 

It is good to be back in Ohio and see friends and family.  But at the same time it is sad to be finished with the relaxed pace, and all the beautiful sights.  God created spectacular world with awesome wonders.  Lets keep as many as we can. 

Helen

P.S.  A farewell photo.

Grand Marais, Michigan

We were so glad to get a chance to visit with Mary Handrich again - this time in her home. Other times included Bolivia in the 80's, Northern Michigan Relief Sales, on a trail at Santa Ana NWR in southern Texas, and in Grand Marais while we were working for MCC Great Lakes. Mary hosted us and cooked up some great pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Thanks Mary - hope to see you in Texas!

Three of the Five

We've now traveled beside three Great Lakes in the last two days.  Yesterday's post featured Lake Superior. 

Here is Lake Michigan.  We only traveled a short while along it's northern shore, then crossed the Mackinac Straits on the bridge.  


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Mackinac Bridge 

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                         Bridge from the shore.

Lake Michigan

 We're camped this night in a State Park along Lake Huron.

And, yes, the rain reached us a bit later. 
Tomorrow we hope to see Lake Erie.  Helen

Upper Peninula of Michigan

500 feet straight down the log slide near Grand Marais



Grand Island and Lake Superior near Munising





Pictured Rocks National Seashore - can you see the two people?

 


Looking out over L. Superior from 500 feet - on the top of a sand dune




Harbor at Grand Marais, Michigan, August 11, 2011

 Today we traveled along Lake Superior's south shore, off and on from Ironwood to Grand Marais. The wind died down, temperature reached 85, with lots of sun. Pictured Rocks National Seashore is amazing, and the road is now paved from Munising to Grand Marais. All the campgrounds were full and G. Marais is hosting a huge music festival this weekend. We called Mary Handrich and spent the evening with her - parked the Tioga in her yard. Tomorrow we will have breakfast with her and head for "the bridge" and drive part way down the east side of the Lower Peninsula - home by Saturday if all goes well.

Left Overs

When we go though the pictures we download onto the computer, we pick ones we'd like to post and put them on our desktop.  I've now accumulated several that haven't managed to fit into a post theme, or there wasn't an opportunity to post them.  So, here are those left-overs! 


Totem Pole in Haines, Alaska.  It was at the library's garden.



High School Diploma, hand lettered on moose hide.



All over Alaska there were little drive though Espresso Coffee Shops. They get lots and lots of business. 

In Banff National Park the four lane highway had animal overpasses; so far, fourteen species have availed themselves of the opportunity to get from one side of the road to the other.  The cars are fenced in!

In June, major flooding inundated Minot North Dakota, the damages are not yet all repaired, nor have all the waters gone down in the countryside. The Mouse river had a bank of sand piled to keep it separate from the town on the otherside.

There are still sand bags left from their protecting task.
Helen

Fields in Color

We're in Michigan, just crossed the border, still on US Route 2.  But we will leave it tomorrow as it diagonals southeast, and we want to stay further north.  We camped last night in Chippewa National Forest alongside one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. 

Now on to the colorful fields.  In Alberta we saw fields of canola just coming into bloom.

And flax just coming into bloom also.

And on into Montana and one of it's wheat fields.

North Dakota outshone all the previous fields with all it's sunny faces.

Helen

And some more from Jasper and Banff

We just never run out of pictures!

Athabasca Glacier



Hanging glaciers



A pack train crossed our trail

Num-Ti-Jah lodge

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Indian paintbrush in the Canadian Rockies was red, not like the yellow variety in the Alaska.

Helen

Some more pictures from Jasper and Banff

I know Bruce posted some yesterday, but the two parks are really special places.  There were totally full of people though, quite a change from Alaska and the north country.

Maligne Canyon was spectacular, from five to forty feet wide at the top, 30 to several hundred feet deep.  A well developed trail gave lots of great view points, and there were built to look into the depths.  We hiked to the fourth bridge, and saw a small black bear come down the side of the hill.  He sniffed around a while, flummoxed by the canyon, ended up on the inside of the fence that was to keep hikers safe, and finally headed back up from whence he came.  Here he was 6 feet outside the fenced trail, about 10 feet from three young adult Asian women.  They didn't quite know what to do, as the canyon was behind them and no where to go. 

The canyon was in a lush forest, the ground totally covered with a mat of green.

The drive through the parks was spectacular, mountains on both sides, turquoise waters in the rivers and lakes (due to the glacial flour suspended in them) and great waterfalls. 

Helen

Clark's Nutcrackers at the posh hotel at Lake Louise



eyeing the left-over french fries





grabbing the french fries before the guy takes them away

 To celebrate our anniversary we ate lunch at the restaurant overlooking Lake Louise. A waiter in a suite was clearing tables near us while several Clark's Nutcrackers helped out by eating all the left over french fries.

Jasper and Banff



Mt. Robson, Jasper National Park




Peyto Lake





Athabasca Glacier, Columbia Icefield




Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta

 It's impossible to catch in photos the incredible beauty in these two national parks in Alberta. We spent two days soaking up as much as we could...

Back in the USA

We crossed the Canada/Montana border this afternoon.  We're traveling east across the northern parts of Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan.

Just realized I forgot to put this photo in the colors of Steward post.  I found this stained glass piece in a gift shop.  Just looked, didn't buy.  :)

The day before, still in Alaska before heading into Canada, we saw this partial rainbow as the sun was low in the sky.

Helen

Colors of Stewart

Made a little side trip yesterday, 35 miles out and 35 return to Stewart BC and ghost town Hyder AK, two towns on the interior end of a 90 mile fjord. Sun was shining, colors were bright.

 Just couldn't resist comparing the size of this firewood to that I see on pickups in Ohio!

One short commerical street in town. 

There was a board walk out into the slough at the end of fjord.  Hawkweed grew in the marginal areas.

This stump was in the middle of the slough. Spruce trees don't survive in such a wet environment, so I fear this little guy will have trouble when his root reach the soil.

Helen