"North to the Future" an Alaskan Adventure

[TCao]

Dawson Creek, BC 20 July 2007

So it begins.

I'm in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. I'll be heading out shortly for Ft Nelson and then on to Watson Lake, Whitehorse, and then Tok, AK. I've always wanted to see Alaska at my own pace and finally have a chance to take some time off and just live the dream. My plans are to visit Denali NP, Kenai peninsula, Prudhoe Bay and the Artic Ocean and all points in between. I'm also considering a round trip to Inuvik from Whitehorse, YT. I'll post photos when I can get internet access along the way. Here are some from the past week after the Ouray National Summit.

St Ignatius, MT

I visited this mission almost 20 yrs ago and hardly recognized the surroundings of this little town. The mission church was built in 1891 by Father Ignatius Loyola and is a national historic site, located approximately 40 miles north of Missoula.



This log cabin was home for the Jesuit Fathers.



The frescoes were painted by Brother Joseph Carignano who was the cook and handyman of the mission.







Glacier National Park, MT

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Going to the Sun highway which traverses the NP.



Information on Alberta and the Banff, Jasper, and Waterton Canadian National Parks can be obtained at the Alberta Center.



Afternoon canooing on Lake McDonald



Wild flowers



Falls near Avalanche Creek



Flyfishing



Going to the Sun Highway



Bird Woman Falls



Lake St Mary near the East Entrance

[JohnGalt]

Sounds like you're having a great trip so far!!!!

Did you get a chance to hike into Iceberg Lake at Glacier? It's a really nice little walk & a great lake!


Keep us posted!!!!!!!!

[toddunderscore]

We'll keep track of you during the trip and living vicariously. Have a GREAT time.

[MadaboutFJ]

This looks like it's going to be a great trip! Subscribed!

[TCao]

After leaving Glacier NP, it was a short drive to the US-Canada border.

Entering wild rose country



Beautiful Alberta countryside



Storm coming. I was on my way from Calgary to Banff when I took this photo.



About an hour later, hail ranging in size from 1/4" to 3/4" were coming down hard in Canmore just east of Banff. I somehow found refuge behind the Sheraton Four Points and avoided damage to the windshield and roof. When the first one hit my FJC's roof, I thought a .22LR just went off right next to my ear.



It rained pretty much all day when I was going through Banff and Jasper NP so I did not get a chance to take the Gondola and Tram ride.

Rainbow



Driving through Banff NP





Lake Moraine



Crowfoot Glacier



Bridal Veil Falls



There were two instances when I saw a little cub crossing the highway but this is the only photo that turned out OK.



The Columbia Icefield from the Visitor Center.



Jasper



to be continued...

[TCao]

JohnGalt previously said:

Sounds like you're having a great trip so far!!!!

Did you get a chance to hike into Iceberg Lake at Glacier? It's a really nice little walk & a great lake!


Keep us posted!!!!!!!!

I did years ago but not this time. Glacier NP is a truly hidden gem of a park since the season is so short (early Jun to early Sep).

[TCao]

toddunderscore previously said:

We'll keep track of you during the trip and living vicariously. Have a GREAT time.

Thanks Todd. It was a pleasure meeting you in Ouray.

[Sean K.]

God I miss Montana. Born there but moved away too soon. Too bad there aren't many jobs up there and the price of property has skyrocketed.

Beautiful pics. I'm really jealous. Have fun and stay safe.

Sean

[Bostonian1976]

what an amazing trip!! I've always wanted to see Banff (and mtn bike there).

Have an amazing amazing time! Drive safely. Nice to meet you by the way!!

Jason

[TCao]

Sean K. previously said:

God I miss Montana. Born there but moved away too soon. Too bad there aren't many jobs up there and the price of property has skyrocketed.

Beautiful pics. I'm really jealous. Have fun and stay safe.

Sean

Thanks Sean. My family lived in Billings for 10 yrs so I get to come to Montana about twice a year and even visisted Yellowstone around Christmas time and did some snowmobiling. Here are a few more photos from Bozeman. I do miss the Big Sky country.

Museum of the Rockies, MSU-Bozeman



Playing on Big Mike which is a replica of the Wankel T-Rex



Wankel T-Rex unearthed in MT



Two other major exhibits are also at the MoR right now. The first is the Tut exhibit from the Museum of Cairo with a few pieces from the Berlin Museum.

Tut's mummy



and his funerary mask. I did not bring my tripod so the photo quality is not the best without flash.



Bust of Nefertiti from the Berlin Museum (I saw another version back in November in Berlin)



Anubis



The other exhibit is that of Picasso's sculptures.