ON THE ROAD

ART PHOTOS

2012-02-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

As we were driving down the highway I saw this great photo of us mirrored in the back of a truck.

SOUTHWEST STEVE

2012-02-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

We have been having such a great time together...exploring and learning. We started building Steve a pair of tall moccasins when we arrived

in Santa Fe. A friend of ours owns Santa Fe leather and let us use his cutting table in the shop. The moccasins have become an art project. We add as we go. Steve hikes in them all of the time and says they are super comfortable.

BURRO CREEK CRITTERS

2012-02-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

We found an incredibly beautiful place to camp just south of Wikieup, AZ. If you are a rockhound...this is your place! So many varieties of rocks are available. I found my first Apache Tear here. But there are also many critters. Lizards coming out of their cool dens to warm themselves and heron perched on the sides of cliffs waiting to see the elusive fish in Burro Creek.

FASCIATION

2012-02-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

This is probably one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I had read about it years ago and have been searching for years to see one of these and finally it happen 2 days ago!! I am sure you are all familiar with the Saguaro cactus. These giant sentinels of the desert are so fascinating to me. A saguaro without arms is called a spear and it usually takes up to 75 years to develop a sidearm. The arms are grown to increase the plant's reproductive capacity. However, rarely fasciation takes place. Fasciation (or cresting) is a condition of plant growth in which the apical meristem becomes elongated perpendicularly to the direction of growth, producing flattened, ribbon-like, crested or elaborately contorted tissue. It is caused by mutation in the meristematic cells, bacterial infection, mite or insect attack. I can't begin to tell you how excited I became upon finally seeing one of these. It was truly a gift of a lifetime!

HIKING IN THE RED ROCKS

2012-02-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

We drove about 4 miles up Schnebly Rd and pulled off by a wonderful little creek and had lunch. From there we followed that creek up a ways until we reached another draw coming off of the red rocks and decided to see where it would take us. In the process Baylee fell into a Prickly Pear cactus and impaled her arm with numerous spines. After picking them out we kept heading up the draw. We ended up at a awesome overhang fully expecting to find some unexplored ruins. It was not to be! Had a wonderful hike back down with only a minor fall by me and Steve being stuck in the leg by an agave!

RUINS IN THE SEDONA/COTTONWOOD AREA

2012-02-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

Wanted Baylee to experience more ruins. She had been to Mesa Verde when she was younger but one can never experience too many ruins. Each has it's own fascination.We drove miles down a dirt road back to Palatki. What a wonderful place for the Sinagua ( without water) to build their homes(1100 to 1400 a.d.) and to plant their crops. You can no longer get to the ruins as there is a crack in the cliff above the pueblos. You may only view them from afar. Then on to Tuzigoot (Apache for crooked water) just out side of Clarkdale, Az. by the Verde river. There are 2 to 3 story pueblos with 110 rooms. These were built from 1125 to 1400 a.d. It sits on top of a hill with a 360 degree view of the valley.
We did learn there, that if a child died, the parents would bury the child beneath their floor to keep the child close to them

SENORITA CHEETAH

2012-01-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

After purchasing a dress for Baylee in Mexico, the vortex in Sedona grabbed her one evening and this is what happened!

WARRIOR OF OAK CREEK CANYON

2012-01-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

Traveled to Sedona after leaving the rock formations. It was a glorious sunny day and we camped next to Oak Creek. Went for a walk with the Bee and played in the creek. The rocks warmed the bottoms of our feet and the depths of our hearts.

ROCK FORMATIONS

2012-01-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

We are never ceased to be amazed by the beauty of our country. After driving in the dark for numerous hours, we found a park to stay in for the night. In the morning we all went for a walk and found what an incredible area we had chosen in the dark. This is near Prescott Arizona.

MEXICAN SUNSET

2012-01-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

We grabbed Baylee at the Phoenix airport and headed for Mexico. Camped just outside the border and

Baylee took this photo of the US flag flying in the evening sunset!

FIRST SUNRISE OF 2012

2012-01-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

How can you see the last sunset of the year and not see the first sunrise of the next? Not a chance! We made a fresh pot of coffee and left the warmth and comfort of our abode's and walked outside to a new dawn. The colors were again magnificent. It was the last sunrise we would experience at this place.

LAST SUNSET OF 2011

2012-01-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

We had been camped at Brantley Lake State Park in Southeastern New Mexico just north of Carlsbad caverns. There we met our friends Ken and Mary from Oregon. Had a great time touring the incredible caverns, area museums and bike riding.The afternoon was warm and comforting. Toward sunset, it started clouding up. We knew we were in store for a colorful dusk. We watched the last sunset of 2011 together and wished all of our families and friends could be there with us!

OTHER ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

2012-01-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

Many of the plants in the southwest are amazing. One in particular is the Sotol. It grows clumps of slender evergreen leaf blades with margins bordered by fine hooked teeth that angle toward the leaf tips, making the leaves look much like a double-edged saw. You certainly don't want to fall into one of these plants. But they are beautiful and colorful. You can see these all along the roads. But be sure to watch out for the Gigantus Roadrunnerous. Run very fast if you happen to meet him on a trail!

VALLEY OF FIRES

2012-01-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

This area is in the central part of New Mexico. It is just west of Carrizozo. Around 5000 years ago, Little Black Peak erupted like a volcano. It's childish spewing-fit created a river of lava that flowed 44 miles into the Tularosa Basin. Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett spent much time in this area. At the campsite there was a hill that we walked up where you could see 360 degrees. I am sure Billy spent time here as he could certainly see if anyone was coming for him. We were in awe of the landscape in any direction we looked.

BACKBONE OF THE EARTH

2012-01-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

Driving down back roads of the planet is the most wonderful experience one can have. There you will see so many incredible places, roadside attractions and geologic formations. Everyone sees different things of each aspect of life. I saw the spine of the earth here in New Mexico. Then there is the contrast of the behemoth balancing power poles and an old service station within a few hundred yards of each other.

CERRILLOS, NM GHOST TOWN

2011-12-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

We arrived at our destination, unhooked and headed to one of our favorite places. Jump in the time machine with me and head on back! You can hike to old mines in a newly formed state park thanks to an effort that was spearheaded by a tenacious gentleman, Richard Crombie. After hiking or horseback riding or checking out the old Catholic cemetery, you can head into town to Mary's Bar for a cold one. What's not to love???!!!

LEAVING POJOAQUE PUEBLO

2011-12-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

We had been receiving alerts from Weatherbug that there was going to be a pretty good snow storm headed our way. We had planned on leaving Monday morning and heading south towards Cerrillos and and spending a week in that area. We do really love this area. It had been snowing during the night and when we awoke and looked outside, we realized we had better get up and head out. We were already hooked up and everything stowed. This is a photo of what it looked like driving through the storm. It was 28 miles we needed to go and it took us and and hour and a half to get to our destination. It was so beautiful!

NO WORDS NECESSARY

2011-12-21T08:30:00.001-08:00

ALPENGLOW OF SANGRE DE CHRISTO'S

2011-12-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sunset last night. Ethereal !

WEATHER AND FORMATIONS

2011-12-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

When you are at an elevations 7500 feet, the views are panoramic! You will see numerous weather conditions within your 360 degree view. They are astounding at best. The first photo is of an area of foothills of the Sangre de Christo mountains, the second is a formation looking towards the Jemez mountains and the third is a storm coming over the Jemez mountains.

RIO GRANDE GORGE

2011-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

Back to our exploration of Northern New Mexico we headed north from the Pojoaque Pueblo and into the Carson National Forest. Then east to Carson where the road turned to dirt and was quite snowy. However, it seems that even the snowiest, steepest road will not deter us from exploration such as the First Peoples, the Spanish and now Steve and Bonnie. We white knuckled it for the first 1/8 of a mile and then realized we had entered the Rio Grande Gorge!! The Sangre de Christo mountains ( spanish for blood of christ) were spectacular. We descended into the gorge then traveled for 11 miles right along the the Rio Grande. We were the only people on the planet at this time. That feeling of being completely alone is quite comforting at times. There next to the water, the wildlife and the cliffs I felt a sense of exhilaration. The photos will reflect to you my feelings. The ducks in the photo are Northern Pintails which I had never seen before.

SALINAS PUEBLO MISSIONS

2011-12-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

We always travel the backroads as that is where you will find the most interesting sites. We came upon the Abo site and saw the tall ruins standing there in solitude. They had an aspect of sadness and gloom. As we have seen before at many other sites, the Pueblo people had been living their lives, forging a stable agricultural society whose members lived in apartment-like complexes and participated, through rule and ritual, in cycles of nature. They supplemented their lives by hunting and gathering. The Salinas valley became a major trade center and one of the most populous parts of the Pueblo world. They traded maize, pinion nuts, beans, squash, salt and cotton goods for dried bison meat, hides, flints and shells. Then come the Franciscan's. Of course they regarded the pueblo religion as idolatry and told the indians that their salvation depended on their willingness to undergo religious instruction. But suppressing the masked Kachina dances and kiva rituals proved difficult for the priests. They were trying to convert them so the new Christians could work for the settlers. Why, I ask you, must we always try to control and enslave other humans. The Spanish and Franciscan's seem to be the worse offenders in the name of Christianity.

CONTRASTS...VLA AND ANTELOPE

2011-12-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

We left Datil Wells early in the morning and headed to Albuquerque. Across barren snow covered plains we encountered a group of graceful antelope out for a morning stroll. A few miles later we came upon such a stark contrast...the VLA (very large array). This observatory consists of 27 independent antennas each of which has a dish diameter of 82 feet. The VLA is a multi purpose instrument designed to allow investigations of many astronomical objects including radio galaxies, super nova remnants, radio emitting stars, black holes etc. It is not used to assist in the SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence).

DATIL WELLS

2011-12-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

We get to a certain point in the afternoon when we realize it is time to quite driving and find a place for the night. We were headed to Albuquerque and had to be there by Thursday afternoon. So we drove straight through to Datil Wells, New Mexico. There we found a wonderful campground with all sites available as we were the only ones there! We chose a site and then went for a hike. We found out that it was a camp in the late 1800's and early 1900's for cowboys running sheep and cattle on the Magdalena Stock Driveway. It includes one of 15 former water wells spaced every 10 miles along the Driveway! The old cattle trail stretched 120 miles from Springerville, AZ to Magdalena, NM. We watched a beautiful sunset.

SALT RIVER CANYON

2011-12-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

As you are driving along a pretty flat, mundane area, all of a sudden you come upon the great Salt river Canyon.It is 2000 feet deep and there are some of the most dramatic views ever seen from a car window! It is sometimes called the mini Grand Canyon with it's stark, sweeping vistas carved by millions of years of erosion. It is so vast it can curl off to the east and west through hundreds of square miles of mysterious valleys, rocky spires and vertical cliffs. It was used by Apache warriors during the 1800's as a refuge from pursuing U. S. Calvary troops. There are no maintained trails in the canyon and is mostly used by whitewater rafters in the spring. The U.S. Congress designated the Salt River Canyon Wilderness in 1984 and it now encompasses 32,101 acres.

CALICO GHOST TOWN

2011-11-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

Traveled across Route 66 towards Calico, California, a restored mining town. Apparently, Walter Knott of Knott's berry farm fame, owned the town and donated it to the state of California in the early 1960's. It is now a state park with great camping. We ended up staying there for 2 nights. Hiked way up into a canyon and discovered many out of the way mines that miners had dug into the walls of the canyon. Pretty tough life back in the late 1800's and into the early 1900's. They ended up pulling 85 million out of there in silver.

TRILOBITE WILDERNESS AREA

2011-11-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, we take our Airstream places most people would never go. We followed a dirt road for a couple of miles into the Trilobite wilderness area until we knew we could go no further with the Airstream in tow as the road worsened. However, there was no place to turn around. We started moving rocks and Steve managed to pull the trailer into an area and then back it up. Realizing that it was becoming dusk, we looked around and decided that we indeed, had the best place on the planet to stay for the night. We cooked razor clams for dinner and then enjoyed our campfire and the stars by the bazillions. It was truly a special time. The next morning we went on a great hike and saw 4 bighorn sheep on the top of a ridge. That was the gift for the day.

VEGAS BABY!!!

2011-11-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

We stayed at the Circus Circus KOA in Vegas while working a show that we had heard about at the Cow Palace. We loved their billboard!

Hail to John Muir

2011-11-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

After leaving the Cow Palace, we headed to the mountains for some rest and relaxation. Of course, travelling in the winter, one must be prepared for cold weather and lack of open campgrounds! We ended up in Kings Canyon National Park. It is just below Yosemite and shares borders with Sequoia National Park. We drove into the snow and an incredible fog, always wondering what was just below the edge of the road. At 7000 ft we came upon the Park visitor center. They told us only one campground was open and of course it was up in the snow and fog. We traveled 9 more miles to Hume to get fuel for our generator and came upon the Hume Christian camp. They were very hospitable and told us we could park next to the creek and the fish cleaning station. We enjoyed 2 cold, crisp and clear days there. Hiked around Hume lake, drove to Road's End where we encountered our first bear of the trip who was quite the poser. Then off to the enormous Sequoia grove. John Muir first started coming to this area in 1873. Thanks to him attention was brought to this area. Unfortunately, many of these Sequoia behemoths were cut down, some taking 2 men 9 days to bring down. However, there is quite a grove left to behold. Words or photos could never describe what we saw.

COW PALACE

2011-11-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

The first time the words "Cow Palace" were used was in 1935 when the thought of erecting this building was thought of. A newspaper editorial wondered "Why when people are starving, should money be spent on a "palace for cows". Thus the Cow Palace was born. It opened in 1941. During WWII it was used for processing soldiers bound for the Pacific theatre. The Beatles opened their first North American tour there on 8/19/1964.There have been many bands, hockey teams, basketball teams and roller derby teams that have used the Cow Palace. It is where the Grand National Rodeo is held. And now, Steve and Bonnie have played there!!!!

Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz Revisited

2011-11-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

We have been staying in Half Moon Bay since Monday and enjoying our time off from work. The weather was great. We did much walking and reflecting. We also had an opportunity to visit an old friend of Steve's...another Steve. We walked with him behind his house through a protected grove of redwoods a few miles north out of Santa Cruz. It was a special reunion in a special place.

Heart Felt Rural America

2011-10-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

After working all day, we headed back to the Airstream. Sitting outside in the warm California sun, I hear in the distance...music. I gravitate with camera and am blessed with a gathering that made me smile. I felt as if I had been transported back in time. Situated in a large field on the fairgrounds was a high school marching band with onlookers of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles etc. in a sea of multi colored lawn chairs and blankets. The band began to play and I felt good...relieved that this was still happening in America.

Words of Wisdom

2011-10-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Another roadside attraction...I find it interesting, even ironic that you would have a white bread company called "Bimbo". You never know what to expect in California...."The whiter the bread...the quicker your're dead!

HERE WE GO AGAIN

2011-10-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

We have started on our new journey. However, this winter we will combine the nomadic life and a little work ( it never hurt anyone)!! We will be travelling and stopping at pre-determined shows to sell our Kakadu Australia line of clothing. Our first stop is Puyallup Washington where we are doing a Washington Arms Collectors show. Pictured is our booth after setting it up this afternoon. In between the shows we will be exploring one of the most beautiful and magnificent countries in the world....stay tuned!

2010-08-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Reuniting with my Pal

2010-01-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

This is truly a fantastic story! Please try to remember back when we were in Utah and found the Border Collie at our camp up in the middle of nowhere . We rescued him and took him with us to the next town in Utah and left him at the Sevier County Animal Shelter. It was one of the most horrible things I have ever had to do as the earlier photo of me and my Pal showed my discontent as I left him. We could not take him with us as we were going to be traveling to Mexico and leaving our own dog, McCormick with Steve's parents in Arizona. It was an extremely sad day for both of us. However, a good friend Jacqui, in Portland, saw the blog and the photo of him and started the proceedings to adopt him and another female Border Collie mix. She paid to have them transported to Portland. The female worked out best for her and she says "Kia" is the most wonderful and affectionate dog she has ever had the privilege to have. My pal, who is now known as "Jake" was given to Dan, a good friend of Jacqui's. Dan totally adores Jake and he goes everywhere with Dan including work. I had the pleasure of meeting Kia and seeing my Pal, Jake yesterday!!!! I was so thrilled and happy that these two wonderful dogs are now with two wonderful people and they no longer have to suffer. This is the happy photo.Life is good!

2010-01-16T09:46:00.001-08:00

My Front Yard

2010-01-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Returning home is bittersweet. However, we are lucky to have one of the most beautiful views of anywhere from our own front porch! These two photos show the diverse beauty of what we are forced to look at every day. I caught this Navy ship coming up the mighty Columbia River and then an early morning sunrise behind the majestic Mt. Hood. In the words of Lewis and Clark "Oh the joy"!

BACK HOME WITH FRIENDS

2010-01-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

Steve and I made it to Astoria and met up with our dear friends, Allan and Tracey. We spent a few days together at Fort Stevens State park catching up. Took the dogs for a walk on the beach and had another beachcomber take our photo. I must admit...of all of the places we travel, Oregon has the best state parks in the nation. Thank you Oregon. We love our state!

WEIRD ROAD ICONS

2010-01-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

Having the distinction of being the last town north on the Avenue of the Giants, it also has a weird roadside attraction. We stopped and photographed this ear of corn and read the plaque that said "Gone but not forgotten". After doing some research on the internet this morning, I found that there was a devastating flood of the Eel river in 1955 that wiped the village out. I am not sure yet what the ear of corn signifies but I could only guess that they grew a lot of corn there?

SCOTIA CALIFORNIA

2010-01-02T07:55:00.000-08:00

As we mosey along Hwy 101, we enter all sorts of small bergs and towns. One in particular caught our eye. Scotia is a totally a company town. The town was founded in 1863 as Forestville. I am not sure when the redwood mill started but most of the 275 cottages were built by the Pacific Lumber company from 1920 to 1950. In 1992 an earthquake hit the area and their shopping center was destroyed. Palco rebuilt it in the same fashion as the old original bank building which is now the museum that you see in this photo.

AVENUE OF THE GIANTS

2010-01-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

Finally, back into the trees and rain that we know and love. We have been on this road so many times and always return on our way home. We stayed alongside the Eel river last night as it rained like I had not seen in months. I felt my skin suck up the moisture. As we left our campsite and headed up into the Redwoods, we traveled alongside the Eel River which now looked like the color of a foamy latte. We stopped at a grove and hiked(Steve) and hobbled(Bonnie) into the forest to hug these behemoths. Stepping on the ground was like walking on the thickest and softest carpet you have ever seen. Hundreds of years of redwoods depositing their needles to comfort my sprained ankle. I am home!

SLAVE LABOR

2010-01-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, when the "missionaries" came to California, they made slaves of the local Indians. They were forced to build the missions for the padres. We have seen this so many times in California and Hawaii. It is sad that certain people must control other people for their benefit. This is the mission at San Miguel.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

2009-12-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

I am truly in awe of the landscape of this days travels. The green rolling hills rise to amazing heights. The cows follow the trails upwards to see if even they can touch the blue of the sky. I want to start at the tops and roll down their velvety slopes. One can only dream!

CAR ART

2009-12-30T17:51:00.000-08:00

We decided to take a major back road today off of hwy 101 south of Hollister California. It was called Indian Valley Road and what a road it was. Pretty much 1 and 1/2 lanes through some extremely beautiful green rolling hills. There we found the Car yard art. This farm had buried at an angle and half way up the, side probably no less than 25 vehicles. Is it Art???

YOU DECIDE

2009-12-30T10:34:00.000-08:00

As we travel, we look to see what people and towns are doing to get into the new age of solar and wind power. Arizona is not doing so well when it comes to solar power. You would think that with all of the sun there, they would be at the head of the class. But this is not so. We have been traveling in California for the past 2 days and saw stark differences in areas we went through. Traveling on the highway for a few miles we came upon this huge grouping of wind generators. I feel as though they are works of art. Then west of Wasco California, we were amazed by all of the oil wells on each side of the road. There were thousands on each side for at least 2 miles. Somehow they just don't seem as artistic as the wind generators!

Red Rocks Canyon California

2009-12-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

As we work our way to Yosemite for New Years Eve, we have found some wonderful places to stop and rest. We always try to find a campsite by about 3 in the afternoon. Last night we found a unique spot to stay. Luckily for us it is almost a full moon and Steve got some fabulous starlight and moon shots of where we stayed

Salton Sea

2009-12-29T08:58:00.001-08:00

I am sitting alongside hwy 14 in California by the only cell tower I have seen in miles and miles. It is difficult to post when we have no cell service! I know how you all anxiously await my blogs!!!!
We had never been to the Salton Sea, but had heard much about it. I remember hearing about Sonny Bono trying to get it into the wildlife refuge status before his death. It is now named after him. Thanks to Sonny for saving the wildlife of this area for future generation. We sat along the beach and were mesmerized by all of the birds of different varieties

Out of the Loop

2009-12-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

We headed out of Mesa and down to Algadones, Mexico to purchase more meds and a Talavera sink and some tiles, then into California. Before it got dark we passed through an enormous sand dune area. There were OHV's everywhere. Managed to snap a photo as we passed through the area. Then off to the Salton Sea. We ended us spending 2 nights there as it was beautiful and full of many varieties of birds.

BIrthday Celebrations

2009-12-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

I was most fortunate to spend my birthday in Alamos. Joe grilled some shrimp mid morning which we then packed up and took out to his friends Rancho called El Caracol. The woman, Dee, who owns this 2000 acre ranch, is 91 years old. She and her husband bought the rancho around 1954 and then turned it into a 64 site RV park. She had the Wally Byam Airstream club stay at her place numerous times on their Central American Caravan trips. She steamed us up some tamales to go with the shrimp we brought and we sat out on her veranda and had a wonderful lunch together. I was amazed at how lucid she was, especially after she went for a walk with us around the rancho. Her Rancho is also for sale. After we left there, we went home for a while until we went back into Alamos for a birthday dinner. We went into the Hotel Tesoros, an old convent that was built 236 years ago. It was converted into a hotel and resturant around 1954. We had a wonderful meal and I was then serenaded by some Marriachi. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

Our trip ended all to soon and we headed back up to the states. Thanks to Jose for his wonderful hospitality. We hope to see you soon!

ALAMOS MEXICO

2009-12-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

We walked into Alamos a couple of days and drove up to El Mirador and took some great photos. Alamos was founded in 1681 and lies in the foothills of the Sierra Madre's. It has a rich history of conquistadors, mining barons, imperialists and revolutionists. When you enter the main part of town, you know you have entered Old Mexico. The town consists of many mansions built in the late 1700's. When the silver mines closed down, the town eventually turned to ghost status. After WWII the mansions were restored. The population is now around 13,000 with an ex-patriot population of near 500. It is at an elevation of 1346 feet and rises to 6700 feet at the Sierra de Alamos. Alamos is in position for being considered a United nations World Heritage Site. This is an incredibly quaint and historic town. The church "La Parroquia de la Purisima Conception was built in the 18th century and sits across from the Plaza de Armas which houses their exceptionally beautiful 19th century Spanish Gazebo. All of the houses and mansions have the most ornate and colorful doors. It takes you the the period of romanticism. I now know why many people fall in love with this incredible town and must return. I hope someday that I too shall return!

Casa de la Esquina

2009-12-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

Jose brought us up to his lovely home where we stayed with great comfort for a week. There he wined us and dined us and took care of us like we were guests at his hotel. He is a great cook and were treated to a different culinary feast each day. This is such a beautiful place he has, tranquil and the best upstairs clubhouse I have ever seen. The photo of the Sierra Madre's is from the clubhouse. He also has his house for sale and if interested, you can view it at www.alamosrealty.com

Steve and Bonnie's Big Adventure

2009-12-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

Steve and I rode the bus 10 hours from Phoenix, Arizona, leaving at 10pm and arriving in Navojoa, Mexico at 8 am the next day. There we were picked up by our friend Jose ( formerly known as Joe), and made the 35 mile trip to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, Alamos Mexico. This was an interesting adventure as we had never taken a bus into Mexico. One never knows what to expect. All went well, even at Nogales where we were boarded by Mexican border guards at 2 am. They walked up and down the isles instructing the passengers in Spanish. Steve and I were at a total loss as neither of us speak spanish. However, we understood the language of U.S. one dollar bills coming out of everyone's pockets and being handed to the guards. Steve finally asked the guard "English ?" which he replied "tips?" We too gave him our dollar bills...no passports, inspection of luggage or getting off the bus. I will pay a dollar anytime to avoid the hassles of immigration inspections!!!!

SONORAN DESERT

2009-12-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post for a week as Steve and I will be getting on a bus in Phoenix tonight and heading down into Mexico to visit a friend. But when we return, we will have some incredible pictures to share with you! We have been having such a wonderful time and are very fortunate to be able to travel in the winter when things are slow at home.

BLUE, RED AND JAVELINA

2009-12-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

The day we went to Palatki ruins just outside of Sedona, the sky was the most incredible color of blue and the red rocks towered upwards to meet the sky. When I am confronted with days like this and the gift of the places we have been it makes me give thanks to all of the wonderful and tenacious people like Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, J. D. Rockefeller Jr and the Rooselvelts and all of the others, too numerous to mention, who helped start the National Park Service. Steve also got this fleeting photo of a Javelina. We were told by the park people that it is a very rare occurence to be able to see one of these creatures.

JEROME ARIZONA

2009-12-06T14:23:00.001-08:00

When our friends, Ken and Mary arrived at Dead Horse, we all took a short trip up the mountain to a quaint ghost town. This town was originally started due to the copper mines in the area. It is now filled with galleries, wine shops and wonderful restaurants. The town was ready to close up when they re-invented themselves as and old copper ghost town. It worked and they are prospering. The town was packed with tourists. We also headed down the mountain a short distance to take in the sites at the local cemetary. We were told by the locals not to miss it. I was a bit dismayed to find it in such disrepair. We spent some time walking and fixing old wooden crosses that had fallen like the people below them.

UNKNOWN BIRD

2009-11-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

When we arrived at Dead Horse Ranch State Park and got set up at our campsite, this lovely little bird paid us a visit. In fact it keeps trying to get inside the Airstream. We have been here for a few days and every morning it comes to the trailer and tries to get in. I have been through both of my bird books and have not been able to identify. Can anyone tell me what this bird is. Even the park ranger didn't know. It is an extremely small bird!

MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM BAYLEE

2009-11-27T18:03:00.000-08:00

When we got to Sedona and were settled in for the night we decided to barbecue. I pulled out my lovely gift that Baylee made for me for Christmas. She gave it to me before we left on our trip and it really came in handy that evening. Thanks Bee, I love you!

BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT

2009-11-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

We pulled into Santa Fe, kicked back and visited with some old friends for a few days. The day before we left they took us up to Los Alamos. This is where the first atomic bomb was formulated and constructed. This is a pretty incredible town. Obviously it is a government town. Lots of money, beautiful buildings and tons of research facilities. But just down the road from there, one can walk back into time. Here lived the ancient people of this area. Extremely tall cliffs of sandstone is where they made their homes and villages. They would carve holes in the sandstone for their timbers for their roofs and build buildings that were 3 stories tall. They would also carve whole rooms into the soft sandstone. This is a pretty incredible place and somewhat ironic that it is so close to Los Alamos. After we left Santa Fe, we headed for Sedona Arizona. I now wish I was back in Chaco Canyon to enjoy the peace and quiet and where we don't have to fight the traffic and traffic jams of Sedona. Somehow, Sedona has lost it's charm for me. The red rocks and scenery is majestic and breathtaking but everyone on the planet it seems has moved here. Reminds me of the traffic jams on Maui..... and they call this progress?

BIKE TOURING

2009-11-21T16:53:00.000-08:00

Just a photo of us by our bikes at Chaco Canyon. This place is spiritual!

CHACO CANYON, NEW MEXICO

2009-11-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

After leaving Hovenweep and hiking from Utah to the Holly site in Colorado we decided to was time for us to make the time to go to Chaco Canyon. We had been close to the site in numerous years, but had never veered off the beaten path to go to Chaco. And it is off the beaten path! We traveled 21 miles on a dirt road off the main paved road. Sometimes the road was so much like a washboard, we could barely do 3 miles per hour. But we finally arrived in the afternoon and headed to the visitors center. I was astounded by the amount and beauty of the pottery, tools, and sandals that have been recovered from all of the sites of this once thriving culture. Their architecture is monumental!!!! In all of the sites that we have previously visited, I have never seen anything quite like this. The masons and engineers of these sites were incredible individuals as you will see in these photos. Steve and I left early in the morning on our bikes and traveled a 9 miles loop around all of the villages. It was only about 25 degrees, but the sun was shining on us as it had on the early Chacoans, and warmed our bodies and hearts! What an amazing day we spent touring all of the pueblos. It was so quiet that you could hear the raven's wings flapping overhead.

LOWRY GREAT KIVA

2009-11-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

We drove on a dirt back road to find this place. It was an extremely large kiva that was 47ft in diameter. I never get tired of seeing these sites and wondering about the people that lived here and how their lives must have been. Kiva's were often used a meeting places, dancing or storing of their foodstuff's.

BACK INTO CELL SERVICE RANGE

2009-11-20T19:27:00.001-08:00

We have been out of the modem loop for quite a few days but have been having an incredible time. We went to Hovenweep National Monument, set up camp and stayed for a couple of days. We camped right on the canyon were there were numerous tall towers and multi-roomed pueblo's. These people lived here from 700 AD to around the late 1200's. One day we left early and hiked 8 miles through numerous canyons, canyon walls and up and down mesa's to a site called Holley. It was fascinating to see how these people built their home(towers) on the tops of rocks. It was an incredible hike and saw wild horses on the way back to camp. Needless to say we slept quite well that night!

DINOSAUR TRACKS

2009-11-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

We left Sego Canyon and headed south back towards Moab. We would have to stay here for a couple of months to see everything this area has to offer. There are many dinosaur tracks in the area but we will only see one area of them as we will be leaving Moab this morning. These photos were taken especially for Baylee (our granddaughter). They were a little difficult to see because it has rained in the prints. But use your imagination and think back to 45 million years ago. These prints are of an Allosaurus which is a bird like being.

ARCHAIC OR ALIENS...YOU DECIDE!

2009-11-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

We were absolutely amazed by the next panels we found. I really am at a loss for words on these pictograph figures. The Archaic peoples lived between 5,500 B.C. to A.D.1. It is hard to imagine what may have been going on in that period for these people to paint this type of figure on the rocks. Later that day we ran into a man who we were talking with. We told him we had gone up to Sego Canyon. He asked us if we saw the aliens! He had been up there 40 years ago and was also totally amazed by what he saw. You decide!!!

FREMONT INDIANS IN SEGO CANYON

2009-11-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

This next photo is of the Fremont. Similar to those we found in Nine Mile Canyon.

OBSESSED WITH PETROGLYPHS

2009-11-16T06:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning we decided to take a trip up to Sego Canyon which is north of Thompson
Springs Utah. We researched this area before we left Oregon and knew this is one area we did not want to miss. When we arrived at our destination, we were totally blown away by the pictographs that we saw. I will break these down by cultures. The first being the latest culture of the Notah or Ute's since the 1200's.. The experts know this because of the horses in their pictographs. Whenever a horse and rider is depicted, they know the date to be after A.D. 1540 as that is when the Spaniards reintroduced the horse to the New World. Unfortunately, there have been some idiot's that felt the need to deface these wonderful pictures that represents this history of our country.

NINE MILE CANYON PETROGLYPHS

2009-11-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

We took off from Moab and headed north to Wellington Utah. There you enter into the canyon called nine mile. However, it is actually 45 miles long. We spent the day searching for petroglyphs. To our amazement, they were everywhere. This area was inhabited by the Fremont Indians who were a prehistoric people. They were there until around the 1200's. Then the Shoshone and Ute moved into this area. As you drive the road, which was built in the 1880's by the black infantry of the Calvary, you look on the canyon walls for the petroglyphs. This was an incredible way to spend the day. I recommend this drive to everyone who can make it. It is out of the way but so worth it. We were lucky to have our 200X500 lens and were able to take some fabulous photos of the glyphs that were so high up! We ended up with over 200 photos!

LEAVING OUR PAL

2009-11-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

We went to the town of Salina in search of an animal shelter in the hopes they could take our pal and find him a good home. If we were heading home we would have kept him. But we will be traveling to Mexico and it just wouldn't work. We are so sad this morning. I hope he will be ok. At least he will be warm tonight and will have food. Life just sucks sometimes!

FISHLAKE UTAH

2009-11-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

We found a great campsite at the base of a huge rock mountain. After we settled in a beautiful border collie came to our trailer. It had burr's all over it and was quite skinny. No one else was in the campground. The dog crawled under our trailer and spent the night there. We fed him. However when we awoke this morning to a few inches of snow the dog crawled out from under the trailer and was covered with snow. We brought him in the trailer to warm him up and cut out the burrs that were in his fur. He was such a nice dog and we didn't quite know what to do with him. We decided to take him with us so he wouldn't freeze to death. Even the cows looked cold as we came off the mountain and headed for the highway.

WARD CHARCOAL OVENS STATE PARK

2009-11-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

We spent a cozy evening in the trailer as the wind blew all around us. This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunrise and decided to head out early for a hike over to the charcoal ovens. As we came upon them, we were stunned by their beauty. The engineering of these seem to be quite a feat. They were built in the early 1870's by Italian masons. They are 35 ft tall and have a 27 ft diameter. They would hold 35 cords of wood each during the firing process. Necessity is the mother of invention! We hiked back to the trailer and head towards Utah. We found a great campsite at Fishlake campground. Again....we are the only ones here! Tomorrow we leave for Moab where we will set up camp for a few days so that we may go in search of dinosaur tracks and more petroglyphs.

WARD CHARCOAL OVENS STATE PARK

2009-11-11T18:44:00.000-08:00

Out of Ely Nevada we were ready to find a camp for the night. A year ago we had been on this road and hadn't taken the time to find the Ward Ovens. The timing was perfect this afternoon. We traveled on another dirt road about 8 miles to the base of the mountains and found this awesome campground for the night. After setting up camp we looked across the basin and saw the sun setting on the mountains. Tomorrow we will take the bikes off the truck and bike to the Charcoal ovens. Stay tuned tomorrow for the photos of the ovens!

IN SEARCH OF PETROGLYPH'S

2009-11-11T18:07:00.001-08:00

Out of Austin Nevada we cut off on a dirt back road and found some incredible petroglyph's of the curvilinear style.. We were in between two sandstone canyons and found this is where the aborginals worked with all of their families to herd the migratory deer between these canyons to catch them. The archeologists feel that some of the petroglyphs may just be doodles. However, they also feel that the horseshoe shaped glyph is a female symbol. The peoples of the Great Basin hunted here 10,000 years ago

GUARDS FOR THE EVENING

2009-11-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

After a long day of driving and trying to get some miles under our belts, we stopped at a rest area out in the middle of Nevada just north of Austin and found these guys to watch over us for the evening.

I'VE SEEN FIRE AND I'VE SEEN SWANS!

2009-11-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

We had been traveling in some pretty desolate country, being the only one's on the back roads of Oregon and Nevada. We crossed a bridge with a tiny bit of water below and spotted this beautiful swan with it's mate and pals. Further down the road we came upon a prescribed burn of sagebrush. We couldn't really ascertain why this was needed but it made for a great photo!

Camped for the First Night

2009-11-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

After driving in the torrential rain all day, we finally came upon a wide spot in the road to pull over for the night. This is on Hwy 66 in Southern Oregon and is on the upper Klamath River. Just a mile above where we are camped was a river crossing for those that came out to Oregon by wagon train in 1854. It's good to be on the road again!

Leaving St. Helens

2009-11-09T18:02:00.000-08:00

As we got up this morning to complete packing for our new winter adventure, we awoke to this incredible sunrise and wondered why we were leaving a view such as this. Off in the distance, we could hear Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese and Eagles. Just as we finished packing the Airstream, it started raining again and we knew why we were making a quick escape!!!

SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON

2009-07-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

We left the rigors of home and business to take a little break. We headed to South Bend Washington (The Oyster Capital of the World) and stopped at a great RV park right on the Willipa River. We planned to do some kayaking and visit some friends that live here. In South Bend, they have the most fascinating Courthouse. In the past, we have always come here on a weekend and have never been able to see inside this beautiful structure. However, this was our time as we arrived during the week. If you ever are driving thru South Bend you must stop and see this amazing building. Or head up here just to see this courthouse. You can also get some great fresh seafood. We picked up some Albacore that had just been brought in. My compadres were having fun!

MORE PHOTOS OF BARKERVILLE

2009-06-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

I recommend visiting Barkerville for anyone heading north to British Columbia. If you are a history buff....this is a must see.

HISTORIC BARKERVILLE

2009-06-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

In 1865 gold was discovered in the Williams Creek area of Cariboo.The gold rush in California was spent and many of the those miners heard of the discovery up north and headed that way. It is a beautiful area with all of the lakes, streams and wildlife. However, it is also very unforgiving. We heard that this area had 22 ft of snow this past winter. But one can't but help be romanticized by this place. We fell in love with it ourselves as the ones who came before us did. A town was soon built on Williams Creek named Barkerville after the man who discovered the gold in this area. We arrived in the late afternoon and soon went looking for a place to stay for the night. We went 2km back down the road to a town called Wells and spent the evening reading about this area. We got to the Barkerville townsite early after spending much time in the historic cemetery. This area also has the Bowron Lakes chain about 28 km from Barkerville. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to go there and paddle the lakes. (That's the next trip)! But, we did find the gravesite of the people the Bowron's were named after. John and Emily Bowron. Emily is buried there alongside a few of her children. John remarried and retired in Victoria and is buried there.

We got to the town before the crowds arrived. It is a truly incredible place if you take the time to discover all of it's riches. We spent 3 hours there but could have stayed many days to discover all this old restored gold town has to offer. We found out later that there was another town up Williams Creek by the name of Richfield where the Courthouse was. We will definitely go back to explore more.

A LOVE AFFAIR

2009-06-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

The oddest and most magnificent creature, the moose, totally captivates me. I don't know if it's just that we don't have moose where we live in Oregon or something much more alluring. They are strange, illusive, gentle beasts that I just can't seem to get enough of. We captured some shots along the road to Price George, British Columbia and then all around the historic gold mining towns of Barkerville and Wells BC.

HIKING MALIGNE CANYON

2009-06-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Steve took us to a deep gorge that is cut by the Maligne River. The hike was crazy....all I could say was "WOW". The gorge is super narrow and super deep. It was amazing and an awesome way to spend the day. As we headed over to Jasper Park Lodge we came upon this coyote. He stopped and watched us as we watched him. Finally, we stopped by the rocks in the water and had this ZEN moment.

ATHABASCA FALLS AND RIVER

2009-06-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

When you take the time to think about the early fur trappers and explorers traveling down this fast river in their birch bark canoes, you must have great admiration for them. This is a river I would like to do someday. How wonderful to retrace the steps of one of my hero's, David Thompson.

COLUMBIA ICEFIELDS

2009-06-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

We met and old friend of Steve's, Nigel from Red Deer at Saskatchewan Crossing and all of us headed up to the Columbia Icefields. Right before we got on the Ice Crawler this wacky RCMP Bear grabbed and clawed my face. I was brave however, and made it up to the icefields. What an incredible place this is on the planet. The glacier has receded much in the past 20 years. Steve and Nigel both used to work in this area 20 years ago.

LEAVING BANFF HEADING TO JASPER

2009-06-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

We got up in the morning to leave Banff and were surprised by a snowstorm. It was wonderful! The skies were soft and cloudy as we headed north. We stopped at the beginning of the Athabasca River. The on to Bridal Veil falls and Mt. Athabasca, were the headwaters of the Athabasca River start.

FUN WITH THE FAM

2009-06-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

We took Cheryl and Al to Lake Minnewanka only to find this beautiful speciman of a Ram Bighorn Sheep. We stood and watched the group for quite a while. Then we headed over to the Gondola for a ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain. There we could see the entire world it seemed!

FAMILY

2009-06-05T07:20:00.001-07:00

After a few delays my sister and brother in law, Cheryl and Al, arrived safe and sound to join us in this incredible adventure.

We took them to Lake Louise (one of our Favorites) and hiked the lake again. We also spotted the first duck on the lake after it thawed. Then back to Banff to check out all of the shops in town, have dinner and fall into bed after a long day.

I HEAR THE TRAIN A COMIN

2009-06-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Besides the early fur trappers of Hudson Bay Company and the Nor West Company, the Canadian Pacific Railway was very instrumental in the settling of this country. They, in fact, were the ones that found many of the incredibly beautiful spots in the Canadian Rockies and then built the fabulous hotels at these spots, i.e. Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise. The Candian Pacific Railway runs from the east side of the country to the west side of the country. We happened to catch a Canadian TV program on the passenger train from coast to coast. It looked fascinating and fun. "All Aboard"!

I'M MELTING!!!!!!

2009-06-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

We had decided it was time to travel back up to Lake Louise to see if the ice had melted any further. We were bound and determined to paddle this incredibly beautiful lake before we headed to Jasper. As we apprehensively rounded the corner by the Chateau we were greeted by the most wonderful site. It looked as if the ice on the entire lake had melted! We took the kayak off the top of the truck and started the trek up to the lake. After stopping numerous times to rest our arms (we forgot to pack the rolling kayak cart), we launched the bright yellow kayak on the most vibrant blue lake one has ever seen. It was 7:30am and we had the lake to ourselves. I believe we are the first ones to paddle the lake this year. We floated dreamily across the mirror that only we could appreciate at that moment in time. Time, somehow, is different for me now. I have more marks on the ruler behind me than in front of me. I have always been appreciative but now more so. SMILE

THE WOOD

2009-06-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

After heading back to Canmore from the tranquility of the mountains, we walked the old town streets and ended up at an resturant called "The Wood". The view from the deck outside was incredible and condusive for sitting and having a glass of wine and some dinner. Our server, Maxime, was very gracious and helpful. We started with Calamari and it was undoubtly the best we had ever had. We continued with an Asian noodle, vegetable and chicken stir fry. The flavors were delectable and we craved for more. If you ever make it to Canmore, you definately have to get to " The Wood" and discover the fabulous flavors that Chef Andrew Tutt delivers to your palate!

THEY WHO TRAVEL THE FURTHEST

2009-06-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

While enjoying Canmore, we found an incredible gravel road that led us deeper into the mountains.

The beginning of the road seemed to be the hot spot for climbing. As we traveled further, we came upon a beautiful little lake by the name of Goat Lake. Up the road from that was Spray Lakes. We drove down the boat ramp and got out to enjoy the serenity of it all. We were just getting ready to leave when we spotted a duck out on the lake. I grabbed my new super power lens and saw it was a Loon. They have to be one of the most beautiful and spiritual birds on the planet. As we traveled down the road back towards Canmore we stopped at a little wetlands along the road. The bird traffic was great and I shot these photos of birds. The grey one is a yellow rumped Audubon's warbler. I couldn't find the yellow one in my bird book. Can anyone identify it? The ground squirrels are everywhere in the Rockies. They are driving the dog crazy!

HELIO WORK

2009-06-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

If you ever wanted to be a helicopter pilot, this is where you could definately get work. There are many options for viewing the area from the sky. But yesterday we went to Canmore, Alberta and watched some helio logging going on up by the Nordic Center. Quite fascinating!

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (LAKE) Drop me in the water

2009-06-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

We found a beautiful lake called Two Jacks Lake. We put in and paddled to the south end of the lake in the hopes we could travel the canal to the next lake down...Johnson Lake. The canal was calm and we paddled for a while only to come to a low bridge. I didn't think we could make it under. However, Steve, being the positive one, told me to duck down and got us under it. As we paddled further we came upon a dam and had to return to Two Jacks Lake. The scenery is undescribable!

ON THE WATER

2009-06-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

We drove up to Lake Minnewanka to see if we might be able to paddle it. The wind was horrendous and we heard tales that the Indian Spirits bring the wind up to a tremendous speed to those who do not belong on the Lake and tip them over. It was not a paddle that Steve or I wanted to make. A beautiful lake but not that much fun paddling. We are in search of another paddling location. We also stopped by the Bow River Falls in Banff. It made me think of our upcoming trip down the Rogue River.

ANIMALS IN THE WILD

2009-06-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

We have been fortunate to see some beautiful animals on this trip. Here are a few of the animals we have photographed recently. Thanks to Starbucks in Banff for the wi-fi(I thought I would never say thanks to Starbucks!) Seen here....Bull Elk, Porcupine, Muskrat and cliff climbers!

MCCORMICK THE WONDER DOG

2009-05-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

McCormick has been having a wonderful time also. We have had to do some extra training due to the large amount of animals we encounter. Rocks in a plastic water bottle has done the trick! She has thoroughly enjoyed swimming in all of the streams and lakes we have taken her too.

2 HEADED SHEEP

2009-05-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

Traveling to Banff today on the Bow River Parkway we saw a group of Wild Sheep gathered on a hillside. We stopped to take a photo and to our amazement we got this photo of a 2 headed sheep. Truly one of the most incredible things I have seen on this trip!

LONG TIME COMING

2009-05-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

It is difficult at best to find wi-fi anywhere around where we travel. We are sitting outside an art gallery in Banff, Alberta and locked in to a connection. Our travels have been many and the things we have seen have been inspiring. We saw our first Grizzly bear a few days ago where we were camped at Lake Louise. Pretty awesome. Some humans are so silly though. They were actually running after him trying to get close ups. Today driving to Banff there were Bull Elk in Velvet along the road. We stopped to get a few photos and some people were actually walking up to them to have their picture taken with them. Anyone ever heard of "Charging"? Our hike around Lake Louise was fabulous with so many wonders to take in. It is difficult for anyone to experience the colors of the lake in photos...but I hope you will be able to get the gist. We saw numerous people climbing the cliffs. McCormick was the lucky dog to be able to swim in the Lake!

LEAVING ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE

2009-05-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

We were given a tip by a local gentleman who has lived in this area all of his life about a back road through the mountains to put us back where we started this morning. What a gift this was! First of all we met this handsome fellow, the strong and mighty buffalo. The on to the wild horses that apparently are descendants of horses that were turned out by the early fur trappers. We were told to stop by Ram Falls and take a hike back into this area. What a gorgeous gorge this was!
We talked about the early fur trappers coming upon this in their canoes and wondered how many of them met their demise at these falls. Then we were brought back again to follow the Saskatchewan River back to our home base. Tomorrow, with sadness, we leave this area hoping to come back sometime to explore the many wonders indicative of this place.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE

2009-05-25T20:01:00.001-07:00

We traveled through an incredible part of Alberta to visit Rocky Mountain House Historical Park where David Thompson spent the years of 1808 thru 1811. This was actually a home base for him while he did his exploring. He actually had spent time in the early 1800's there also. Here at this site the Hudson Bay Company and it's adversary the Northwest Company both built forts in which to receive the local Indians and their pelts of Beaver, Wolf, Coyote, Wolverine, Fishers Bear, Elk and Deer. By 1876 the last remaining house was disassembled and the wood was floated downstream on the Saskatchewan River to Calgary to use in building other forts for trading.