My Journey

[andysgreenxj]

Hey there Jerry! glad to see that you're back on the road! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, great write-ups, and photos. I have plans for taking a trip out to B.C. myself for next spring, and plan on taking part of my time there to explore some of the places I had been to as a kid. Thanks again for sharing... :coffeedrink:

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Jason....thanks so much for that very kind offer. I had met a guy in BC that I had a long conversation with and he gave me his phone number and said the same thing. You people up north are too generous. Anyhow I called him and he's been amazing in showing me Edmonton.

Andy....hey....yes back on the road again and thanks for enjoying and commenting on my blog.

Like I was saying, I hate driving in the inclement weather so I never left Grand Prairie on Friday. I took a short break, fell asleep for several hours, woke up and realized that I'd forgot to reset my clock when I entered a new time zone. So we spent the night there and that was a good thing since we were able to check out yet another town.

The next morning we woke to blue skies so we drove east for Edmonton, Alberta. I've always been interested to visit Edmonton and Alberta so I was fairly excited. The highway across Alberta is awesome and the miles and miles of wilderness are so enjoyable. I spotted several moose in a roadside lake.....always a treat to see the wildlife. In the evening we caught up with the storms that had passed across Grand Prairie and were also moving east.



B



So I met up with my new friend and that evening he showed me all around Edmonton. The dogs loved it cause we walked for miles, until I think 1:30 a.m. What a beautiful city at night and this was definitely an unusual experience for me to be out that late !







This bridge is very nice. It changes color like every (10) seconds are so. There were a variety of colors which of course I won't show them all....





The following day the weather wasn't great so this guy asked if I'd like to see the Edmonton Mall which apparently is a tourist attraction. So I spent the day at the mall or long walks with the dogs. Today is a rest day, hanging out at Tim Hortons and took that guy out to lunch to say thanks for all his hospitality.

One thing I've learned from my decade of this type travel, when you meet a nice person, take the time to get to know them. They really can enhance the quality of your travels...

 

[digitaldelay]

Good to hear you are enjoying Edmonton. You are getting hooked on Timmy's, aren't you? :coffeedrink:

Jason

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hell yea....that free wifi costs me about $7 in coffee and donuts....oh my gosh...those Canadian Maple donuts are my weak point. I tell myself each time I'm not getting donuts. I currently have (5) in the camper and (1) in the stomach !

 

[digitaldelay]

Hell yea....that free wifi costs me about $7 in coffee and donuts....oh my gosh...those Canadian Maple donuts are my weak point. I tell myself each time I'm not getting donuts. I currently have (5) in the camper and (1) in the stomach !

LOL, just order a dozen. Nobody will judge!:chowtime:

Jason

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Finally made it out of Edmonton and headed south for Calgary. The view coming into town is amazing. Actually Calgary is amazing. I spent the afternoon cruising through town but with a 45' rig it just wasn't working too well. So we left the city and drove south to a Walmart not more than (6) miles from the city center. This would be our campsite for the next (2) nights.







That evening I walked around the Chinook Mall. Like all of Calgary, so nice and clean. And I found the people in Calgary to be so very friendly. The following morning I decided to detach the Jeep and spend the day walking around Calgary. The weather was fantastic and it was a great day in the city. In the afternoon we made it to Fort Calgary and the dogs got a swim in the river. I need to come back here one day.....this could be a nice place to retire for the summer months. And the mountains are but an hour west of here !









So today we are headed south for the states.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Just not too sure why I even bother making plans when I travel....shortly after leaving Calgary I decided to have a look at Waterton Glacier National Park. So yea I loved it and decided to spend the night there in a campground. As soon as I set up camp I was in for a hot shower. Temperatures had fallen significantly and with wind gusts in excess of (60) miles per hour and rain, the visit was quite interesting. We detached the Jeep and took a drive up to Cameron Lake. I about froze to death. Here's a few pictures of the wonderful park up north.....









This I found hard to believe. When I entered the park they warned me about the aggressive deer. I saw plenty of them but not a one got aggressive with us. Obviously they were serious since I saw this sign in the campgrounds.



And here's some pictures of Cameron Lake.







I wanted to do some hiking around the lake but once I saw this sign I decided against it. Hiking alone in Grizz. territory sucks....



After so many days in the cities of Edmonton and Calgary (which I thoroughly enjoyed) it was nice to get back into the woods again....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The winds pounded us all night and have let up just a little today. Last night we saw multiple tents blowing through the campground. I talked to one guy that said his pop up camper was ruined as it bent the steel frame. But we were still able to get in a few walks this morning as we departed Waterton and headed south into Montana. The border guard told us that they had snow yesterday in the afternoon but they're at a higher elevation than the campgrounds. Here's a few more pictures taken along the way. It's just hard to beat the scenery around Glacier.....









We did some hiking along this stream this morning but I turned back after a bit cause I just get spooked with the Grizzlies. One encounter is plenty for me.....





We crossed back into the states with no issues at the border....



And an amazing mountain along the way....



So it's 11:21 a.m. And we're sitting on the side of Route 89 in Montana and just not sure where to go from here. Maybe I'll have an early lunch and see what I can come up with....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

As I sat in my truck yesterday wondering where to go next, I realized that I was at the entrance to Many Glacier, an area of Glacier National Park that I didn't know. Although it's only (12) miles, of rough road since it's not been repaired, the drive is quite scenic. Unlike national parks in Canada which I had quickly become accustomed to, the dogs weren't allowed on the trails once again, so we did nothing while we there. The views of the lakes and mountains were well worth the drive and after maybe an hour, we returned to the park boundary.

The first (2) pictures are Lake Sherburne which is along the road into Many Glacier.....





And then Swiftcurrent Lake which is at the end of the road at Many Glacier.....











In the late afternoon we found a gravel road along the eastern boundary of the park which were able to walk along. We came across this original ranger station which was built in 1913. This place had amazing views and you can't help but wonder what it was like to have lived there (100) years ago.



In the evening I was really feeling like I needed a good home cooked meal. I asked around St. Mary's and was told to try Johnson's Cafe on the side of the mountain.



I went with the Buffalo Burger with bacon and Swiss cheese and French fries. Damn it was good !



After dinner I drove south through the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. I came across a pick up truck which drove off a 6' high embankment. I roped the guy up and was able to yank him out. Turns out he was a reservation police officer that had been called out due to an aggressive Grizzly in the road. He had attempted to run the bear into the woods and had inadvertently slid down the embankment. Afterwards he said that the aggressive bear was right there in the bushes next to the road. I never saw the bear but I guess that explains why he stayed in his truck while I hooked up the tow rope between our trucks. I left shaking my head.

Last night we stayed in Browning in a casino parking lot on the reservation.

•••••I have no idea why some pictures are posting sideways. That's a new one ! I hope to correct that soon.•••••

 

[AA1PR]

havent been here to catch up in quite a while

glad to see you're still out there living the life & having fun

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hey....yes out here wandering around again for a bit....

Got out of Browning and drove south to Choteau, Montana. I was lucky that it was a Saturday as I was able to get fresh homemade bread and organic vegetables from the Amish looking guys. Last year I passed through here on a Saturday and bought baked goods from the same people. Afterwards we headed west on a gravel road for (20) miles to Pishkun Reservoir. Nice drive.....

A little wildlife on the way.....



Decided not to stay in the campground so we found ourselves a good spot at the opposite end of the reservoir. We had great views and a private beach to ourselves.



But the best part of our stay here were the Loons. I've never seen so many in one spot. Their singing is one of the best sounds in the world. I heard the wolves howling in Idaho but thought that I was going to miss the Loons this year. Yea it was awesome.



In the evening the three of us took a dip in the ice cold water. It's unreal the way that water refreshes you after a day of being so dirty.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The following day we continued west and the road quickly deteriorated and became a rough one lane dirt and stone road. It followed a man made canal for miles and miles. There were several spots where the canal was tunneled underneath the mountain.....



We eventually came to the Sun River. I'd never heard of it but it was so beautiful as it worked it's way down the mountains.



I came to this old bridge and had no choice but to continue on. With the weight of my rig I was definitely nervous.....







Crossing this part was the most stressful. I could see way down into the canyon where the boards were missing and broken....



The river became more violent and scenic as we continued up the mountains.....





And then we came to Gibson Resevoir. This one was massive and from an overlook above you could see for miles....



We headed into Lewis & Clark National Forest and called it a day. Actually I called it a really, really good day.

 

[memetotes]

Hey Uncle Jerry! It's Lauren - just catching up on your blog posts and awesome pictures of your travels. Glacier National Park has definitely bumped itself up on my must-visit list. Also wanted to let you know the exciting news that you'll need to start sending three postcards to Atlanta for your nephews and new niece/nephew...Albert & I are expecting in early January! Wilson can't wait to be a big brother

Lots of love from all of us!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

That's fantastic news Lauren ! Post card is in the mail.....

The following morning we took a drive up to the Continental Divide and did some hiking on the Continental Divide Trail.



Beautiful trail and plenty steep since I'm so out of shape. I guess I've spent way too much time in the cities and towns this year as opposed to past years.



Next was a return to Helena. I needed some food and other supplies, and while I was there I decided to revisit that church I saw last month. Last time I couldn't figure out how to get inside but this time the door was wide open. It reminded me so much of the Catholic churches in South America. Of course I took pictures.







Since it got late I decided to spend the night in Helena, so we found a vacant lot which was quiet and dark, and we pulled in there and had a peaceful night's rest.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I continued south this morning and made my first stop in Boulder, Montana. It's a really small town at the base of the Elkhorn Mountains. I figured this might be a good spot to get me some Elk antlers. I asked around town and finally hooked up with Bill Kremer of Northwest Antler. He didn't have antlers for sale but he did have amazing antler products. He's been making jewelry and all kinds of stuff for decades. Most of his stuff is sold by a shop in Jackson, Wyoming for 3 to 4 times what I paid. I spent $200 in there.



Bill had some great stories to tell and we got along just fine. His shop is small but the quality of his work is top notch.....









I bought myself several necklaces made with bear claws and elk antlers. He has lots of stuff and everything is handmade in his shop. Even every little bead is handmade from elk antlers. Bill has battled cancer twice now and thinks it's back for a third time. But at 70 years old he's still fighting the fight. Bill is super cool ! Call him at (406) 225-3208 if you're interested.....

After Bill's shop we continued south where I meet yet another interesting Montanan......