The Grand Expedition Colorado to Alaska to Baja...

[aero]

Glaciers and Wheeling

From Missoula, I drove southeast back towards the Beartooth Highway where I had a hot date with the Morrison Trail. I planned on hitting some other areas along the way but since there was a reported boulder in the trail, I wanted to get down there a little beforehand to check out just how much of the trail was left, and if we would be able to pass it to do the trail.

I drove through Yellowstone, passing through the Roosevelt Arch, and seeing a few more attractions along the way.







My route took me near the Mammoth Hot Springs so I stretched my legs there to check out the scenery. The clouds coming over the mountains did not look promising but for the most part the rain held off.



Stopped for one of the hundreds of bison along the road heading to the northeast entrance. If you want to see bison...this road has had over 500 along it each time I've driven it.



I headed back to the trails near Lulu Pass which led back to Goose Creek and Grasshopper Glacier. I wasn't able to find much information on the length or difficulty of the hike to the glacier beforehand, so I just had to guesstimate once I saw how far the 4x4 trail was.

While exploring the maze of trails in the area, there were scenic lookouts everywhere as well as quite a variety of old mine equipment and mining structures that are always photogenic.

 

[aero]

Glaciers and Wheeling

The trail ended up stopping a few hundred feet short of Goose Lake. The trail was slow and bumpy, and the bugs were insane along the way, but in the end it was well worth it. I didn't feel like putting my boots on for a hike where I needed to cross the stream and did it in bare feet. The water was mid 40s and quickly froze my feet. I took some pictures, worked on dinner and flew the drone around.










In the morning I decided to hike to the Grasshopper Glacier. I had finally seen a glacier while in Glacier NP, but hadn't been able to see one up close. This glacier used to have a specific type of grasshopper that was only found at this site frozen into the glacier. The hike wasn't too long but there was some good elevation and a lot of hiking through snow. The views were amazing, not a soul in sight. I again got some pictures and video of the area, I'm not sure how much longer this glacier has until it is all melted, but it doesnt look like much.









I wanted to make it down to the lower section of the Morrison Trail to scout the boulder and see if it was passable. I drove across the Beartooth Highway which is one amazing view after another. There was residual smoke from the fires in Idaho/Montana but you could still see for miles. The pass reminded me of Rabbit Ears Pass in Colorado where the ascent/descent are miles from each other and you drive at a high elevation for a good period in the middle. The Morrison write-up was posted out of order and comes next. I'll be hanging out in society for the next week, so not much for travel updates but I will update once I'm back on the road and heading for a border crossing to the great white north, eh!

 

[ExplorerTom]

Amazing trip!

 

[El Matador]

Amazing trip man! Living the dream.

I wanted to ask how you're liking the Sparco R100. Been looking at them with bad intentions for a while now


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[aero]

Amazing trip!

Thanks, just getting started!

 

[aero]

Amazing trip man! Living the dream.

I wanted to ask how you're liking the Sparco R100. Been looking at them with bad intentions for a while now


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It's been great. It was a last minute thing that i remembered the stock seat sucked after a few days on the road. I have had zero back pain since it went in. Only small complaint is I lost about an inch of height, but if I get a chance I may look into raising it via a 1" tube steel between the two pieces of the bracket.

The side bolster does force you to get up and over it since it's rigid. A few of the other seats lower bolsters are not structurally reinforced so they end up rolling over after time.

 

[El Matador]

It's been great. It was a last minute thing that i remembered the stock seat sucked after a few days on the road. I have had zero back pain since it went in. Only small complaint is I lost about an inch of height, but if I get a chance I may look into raising it via a 1" tube steel between the two pieces of the bracket.

The side bolster does force you to get up and over it since it's rigid. A few of the other seats lower bolsters are not structurally reinforced so they end up rolling over after time.

Nice! Thanks!


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[aero]

I'm still alive, trying to get some time in the next few days for a few updates and lots of pictures. Currently cruising through rainy Canada.

 

[aero]

Beach Vacation!

One of the reasons for my roundabout travels around Montana/Idaho was that I had a flight out of Missoula that I purchased before the trip and needed to get back there. I was going to be heading from the least populated area to the most populated… Los Angeles for a wedding. But hey, I surely needed a break from work.



It was a great time, hung out with family and new friends. Did a lot of urban hiking, exploring, even got in some boarding. I walked a few miles from LAX… since I first wanted to try In N Out burger since it was one of those “have to try” places. It was decent. Then I walked through Marina Del Ray, Venice and Santa Monica Beaches. It was great people watching, I forgot about the sunscreen and caught a bit of a sunburn.

The skate park was entertaining. Some good talent… all of it being much better than me.



And the painted walls.



There was a skate, bike and surf competition going on at Huntington Beach. Thats where I dropped into a few waves to show them how its done.



Nah… I actually just got a good workout and swallowed a bunch of sea water but had a good time and was able to ride a few waves in.


Sweet truck I came across while walking around.



Sunsets at Venice Beach





Checked out the star walk (I think thats what its called). Saw Shrek's star, the only one I knew. Haha. All serious business.

 

[aero]

Back to the Wilderness

After landing in smokey Missoula after our second landing attempt, I did some maintenance on the truck. Changed the oil, lubed all the lube points and did a general inspection before I headed across the border. I knocked that out pretty quickly and headed north.

I wanted to see Flathead Lake because of the pictures I had seen and the reviews. I drove north on the east side of the lake, through an active fire area. Many of the houses had temporary water pools out front; I assume to help protect the houses if the fires got any closer. Along the road there were a ton of cherry stands, I was a bit late, but found a few open and had to try out some, they were delicious.



I also had a few random people who made for a great picture.



Next up was Dickey Lake… getting close to the border. There were more Canadian license plates in the parking lot than US. Nice huge clear lake and it wasn't too cold. It was a little bit of a challenge with the jet ski's and boats that were making some good wakes to deal with. You could see the bottom in 15-20ft of water.




Time for the border crossing into British Columbia. I figured it would be more than just a quick stop, being my first time, the fact that my truck was packed, and being one of those US people they dont want up north. Not surprisingly, I was selected for an inspection. After about thirty minutes I was free to go… after I put all the stuff back into the truck that was placed on the ground. I hit a little rain, something I had not seen in a while. Once into Alberta, I jumped on Highway 40 which was a wide gravel road that would take me north towards Banff. I randomly stopped for a picture and the serpentine belt was squealing like an idler/tensioner was going out. Perfect place for it! But then it stopped; its never done it before so I figured I would make my way to a town and check them out.



The water on most of the lakes was smooth as glass, and pretty clear.

Spray Lakes Reservoir

 

[aero]

I dropped into the town of Canmore, where I was quite confused… speed limits in KM, petrol advertised in cents per litre… There was a Napa that had all of the idler pulleys in stock; the bad news was even after the currency conversion, they were still crazy expensive. I pulled the belt to see if any pulley had extra drag or wiggle. The lowest idler pulley had a tiny bit of drag, and if I were anywhere other than the middle of nowhere, I would not have paid 3x the cost to replace it. But, I figured I should, swapped it out, it had the same drag, but at least now I have a spare...even if it's an expensive one. I went back up the mountain and did a hike to the top of Ha Ling Peak. These little critters were hanging out at the start.



Again, the whole conversion to metric had me confused so I really didn't know what I was in for. It turned out to be not too long (5'ish miles round trip), but was STEEP. The whole trail was very steep, some places it seemed easier if I just crawled up. The views were amazing even with the smoke from nearby fires blocking most of the views. It was cold and windy at the top and I make good time heading back down. One hike in, and I didn't get eaten by a grizzly… perfect!

Lots of smoke over Canmore.


I did find this guy along the trail who obviously has been fed way too often.




I headed back away from the city looking for a camp spot. At one of the little picnic areas I saw some trees move while I was driving out. I thought it was a small cub, I stopped and it was still hanging out, eating berries! A grizzly… the first one I have seen in the wild. I got a ton of pictures from a decently close distance. The bear did not care, looked up maybe once, and just continued to romp over the bushes looking for more berries.



It was always hiding in the bushes, so I took up a better photo position on the top of the truck after making sure that the doors on both sides were unlocked if I needed to make a swift getaway. It likely would've stood six feet tall or more, but I didn't hang around long enough.

 

[El Matador]

Holy crap. Those are awesome pics. And that's a gorgeous bear, you got lucky!


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[aero]

Canada eh

After surviving any further grizzly encounters, and seeing some random meteors it was a laid back day of swimming in 40 degree water… holy coldness! A fellow traveller, who is exploring Canada from Switzerland, needed a climbing partner so we went to the climbing gym in Canmore. It was my first time climbing, but I have always been interested in it. I should've brought my phone in to get pictures, but after putting my fear aside, I caught on pretty quick. I was able to make it one hand hold short of the top of a 5.9 route by my fifth attempt and my arms were too tired by then to get up to that last hold. I still have a fear of letting go of the wall even with the auto belay, but it was fun.

Back to my search for beautiful water, Lake Minnewanka did not disappoint. It was right next to Banff, so it was quite crowded. The lake is HUGE, it is almost 18 miles long and gets as deep as 466 feet! It was also chilly, and I wanted to jump in, but by the time I ate lunch the clouds had moved in and I wasn't feeling so adventurous anymore.



One of the many sheep along the road… after it decided to run towards me. Apparently you shouldn't try to talk to them. Haha



While heading north towards Jasper, Castle Mountain is just off Highway 1A. All of the mountains in Canada have been very steep and rocky, but these were a different color and juttting out from the earth like no others. They were pretty amazing and the smoke thankfully was taking a break so I could get a decent picture of them.



Closer to Jasper, I figured I should check out Lake Louise even though its a main tourist trap. Being a little later in the day it was not too bad. It is another glacial lake, with a resort placed at the base. There are many hiking trails in the area, but arriving late meant I could only walk around the lake, which was a nice hike.

Looking towards the glaciers


Looking back towards the resort.


Banff and Jasper are different from many National Parks since they have the city center in the middle instead of cities being around them. Being in Canada during peak tourist season coupled with the 150 year anniversary (and all National Parks being free) means all campsites in the parks are full, leaving the closest free/dispersed camping an hour or more drive outside of the park. Because of that, I continued through the parks skipping some hikes since I did not want to drive back and forth so much just for a hike when I'm sure there will be more hikes along the way.

I'm planning on heading north towards Grand Prarie before beginning my northwest route into the Northwest Territory before arriving in Alaska. The nights are getting cooler which is awesome. I also found an app that'll alert me if the chances of seeing the northern lights will increase. I'm hoping to escape the smoke before I see them so I can also get some awesome photos. This Thursday through Saturday shows an increased chance for this area, and I'll be heading north from here, so I am keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[aero]

Big Skies

I was in the Banff/Jasper area for a few more days. When I saw that there was a Bridal Veil Falls here (like the one in SW Colorado), I figured I would check it out. The pull out is right along the main highway, and you can see the falls from there. The hike to view those falls do get you a little closer, but they also lead you to a more impressive, and unmarked Panther Falls.

You can hike to the bottom of the Panther Falls, as well as climb behind them and access the top from just behind trees next to the parking area. All of the viewpoints are awesome, giving you different views. You can get soaked from the mist at the bottom, feel the power from behind the falls and see the potholes and churn your stomach by leaning over the rocks to see it fall over the edge. There were also climbing routes next to the middle section of the falls that would've been sweet!









From there I continued north to the Athabasca Glacier. You can walk up to near the base of the glacier, and see other glaciers in the same area. It's a pretty touristy area with lots of people, you can take guided hikes on the glacier as well as ride in the busses that drive up on the glacier.



I went with the cheaper entertainment of balancing rocks.



The next day was a rainy day… all day. As well as still being pretty well smokey as far as the eyes could see. There was another big waterfall as you get closer to Jasper.






Once in Jasper, it was time for a few quick groceries. The swim center/hot tub didn't have hot water, so the nice warm hot tub after a long cold day would have to wait. I checked out the two brothers totem pole. It is a replacement for the original that stood there for decades.



Maligne Canyon is not far outside of the center of Jasper. It is a very deep canyon that you can walk along, and across on a series of bridges. At some points the canyon is 150 feet deep (or some more meters). I'm still trying to get used to all the different units that are used here...and the rest of the world. Some of the parts of the canyon look like they'd be fun; if you survived.

 

[aero]

Big Skies continued

Hinton is a smaller city that is an hour east of Jasper. It was the closest camping to the east and I explored around a little. I found this little gem behind some stores. I think it must be along a walkway or something since it looks like it was parked there for a reason. It sure puts my little Tacoma in its place. The engine was nearly the size of the Tacoma.



The Beaver Boardwalk is the highest thing to do in Hinton, and although the Beavers were mostly hiding, its a nice walk. There are a TON of interlinking trails that connect to the boardwalk. The sign at the beginning that warned that the area was used by most of the larger animals in the area seemed to be pretty correct since there were tracks all over the place.

After two days in the area, my eyes were hurting from the smoke so it was time to drive north in hopes of escaping it. The scenic route north from Hinton starts out relatively boring (especially after just leaving the massive roadside mountains of Banff/Jasper), but it gets better as you gain some distance. The majority of it is natural gas land/trucks/rigs, but it turns into rolling hills with mountains to the west. Along the way there is a portion of the Old Alaska Highway which includes the wooden Kiskatinaw Curved Bridge



The views are beautiful and go on forever. Thankfully by this time the skies were clear again and I was able to see and enjoy these views.



I saw an unmarked short road that led to a lake as I sped past. I turned around and found a gorgeous lake that was inhabited by a few beavers. I was able to watch the sun go down while chatting with a local who was also hanging out at the lake. The views were awesome, and the lake was like glass, other than the beavers swimming around. I wanted to stay up for star pictures but as usual, the mosquitoes chased me into the truck, and after a bit of reading, I was ready to call it a day.








I made huge progress to the next camp stop! Just kidding, maybe 10 minutes down the road I went to check out the river, which you could drive out onto. It was a nice spot, not many people and I figured I could get some little stuff done (like write this and edit pictures). I also wanted to make sure I had a panoramic view (not blocked by trees) since there was a higher percentage of seeing the northern lights overnight. Although now its forecast to be cloudy until the middle of the night, so I might go to sleep early and set an alarm.

From here, I’ll begin to head northwest, I have a hot springs or two on my list and I definitely need to swing by Dawson City before I get into Alaska. Theres a strange club I’ve always wanted to join!



Until next time, peace out!