Day 4 Waterton to Banff

Day 4
After our cookie cutter breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, tater tots, toast, and a danish, we leave Waterton and start a long day of travel to Banff. In case you don’t know, BANFF stands for Be Aware Nothing For Free and that is certainly true in this beautiful but high priced town. Along the way to Banff we stopped in a little town named Pincher Creek where we were treated to coffee and home made cinnamon rolls at the local country club overlooking the golf course. It was here that I learned about the old man that always took two pairs of pants with him whenever he played golf just in case he got a hole in one. (sorry about that) Rolling along again in our bus we traveled through the beautiful Kananaskis Valley. To break up the long drive, we stopped at the Visitor Center of the Bar U Ranch. The Bar U Ranch is a national historical site of Canada. Here you journey back in time to the 158,000 acre ranch where Canada’s cattle industry started and where they had the largest herd of Percheron horses in the world. Our next stop on the way to Banff was the vibrant mountain town of Canmore. Long the way to Canmore we spotted a lot of mountain goats. These elusive animals are so well camouflaged with their surroundings that if they aren’t moving, you might not even see them. We came upon on group of mountain goats standing out in the middle of the road. It seems like they enjoy licking mineral off the black top of the highway. They are in no hurry to move so we just had to wait for them to finish and move aside. If we hadn’t stopped you could have made goat stew just from the road kill. The scenery from Canmore to Banff is a feast for the eyes. Banff built up near the railroad station as a service center for tourists visiting the park and has now become the only incorporated city within a Canadian national park. On the way into this nothing for free city (internet access in your room is an extra $12) you are treated to views of Mt. Rundle (9,670 feet), Cascade Mountain (9,830 feet), Sulphur Mountain (7, 480 feet), and Tunnel Mountain/Sleeping Buffalo Mountain which is situated within the town site. Being ever vigilant in an effort to spot wildlife, (you get a penguin sticker on your name tag if you are the first one to see a wild critter) we came upon a group of elk shortly before Banff. These magnificent animals were in a grassy area along side the road eating lunch. One male of the group had a magnificent set of antlers on his noggen. His head would have looked great mounted on anyone’s den wall. Back to the mountains, Cascade Mountain has a thin waterfall that cascades from the top to the bottom of the mountain and in the winter, that waterfall freezes. That’s when fearless mountain climbers climb the mountain by going straight up the frozen waterfall. Due to inclement weather, the first such since we have been here, we weren’t able to take our scheduled Banff Gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain. If the weather clears, we should be able to do that tomorrow morning. Upon arriving at the Mount Royal Hotel, we unpacked for a 2 night stay and then joined up with Margaret and Steve for dinner at Tony Roma’s. After dinner, Debbo went up to her room while the rest of us did a little window shopping and walked around town.


Cinnamon buns at Pincher Creek with Cary Alpert look alike.

Two old nags at Bar U Ranch. (we are talking about the horses of course)

On to Banff. This is still early in the morning so no one is sleeping yet.

Mountain goats as seen from our coach window.

These elk don't seem to mind the rain as long as there is food to be had.

Bear with me as I try to identify these 3 critters who followed Margaret and Steve into a candy shop.

Day 3 Waterton-Glacier National Park-Going to the Sun Highway

After breakfast this morning we board the tour bus for a crossing the border trip into Montana. There we saw Hanna (just kidding) but we did see a black bear. We explored the wonders of Glacier National Park from inside “Red Jammers.” Red Jammers are vintage touring coaches from the late 30’s and early 40’s. They seat about 16 people, have open tops for great viewing and run on propane. The Jammers took us on a journey along the scenic “Going-to-the-Sun Road” to Logan Pass. Along the way we were treated to sights of St. Mary’s Lake and the majestic Garden Wall. The Garden Wall is a cliff that makes up the central Continental Divide. We also stopped at May Glacier along the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake. Did you know that if a giant mass of ice is moving at least 3 inches a year, it is glacier? If it is not moving that much it is an ice field. Back in Waterton we returned to Zum’s Eatery for dinner.

Red Jammers with their driver/tour guides are a great way to travel along the "Going to the Sun" Road.

Our back up tour guide, Steve, points out interesting things along the way.

At Logan Pass, both the American and Canadian flags flew at half-mast because today was the 7th anniversary of 9/11.

The Sundstroms in front of St. Mary's Lake. The lake is 9.9 miles (15.9 km) long and three hundred feet (100 m) deep.

This is part of the Garden Wall, the cliff that makes up the central Continental Divide.

Three naughty girls LOAD UP on ice cream after dinner. Of course Steve and I would never touch the stuff.

Day 2 Calgary -- Waterton--Glacier International Park--Waterton

Day 2
The alarm at the Hilton Garden Inn in Calgary goes off at 5:20 A.M. but it is worth the effort getting out of bed because breakfast and a great day awaits us. We joined our friends, Steve and Margaret Friedman in the hotel café for the Caravan tour breakfast which means we get just about everything the other hotel guests get except omelets and oatmeal. Our bus, practically new and bigger than a lot of homes, pulls out at 8 AM and heads towards Waterton Lakes National Park. On the way we stop at historic Fort Macleod and visit the museum of the North-West Mounted Police, later renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This fort was built in 1884 and was established to bring order to the wooly, wild, Canadian West. www.fortmacleod.com Back in the saddle, we travel on up to beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park www.explorewaterton.ca and watch in awe as the Rockies rise dramatically out of the rolling prairies. The cloud shrouded, snow capped mountains and myriad of lakes and rivers are a sight to behold. In side the park, our first stop is at the Prince of Wales Hotel with it’s unique turn of the century architecture and view overlooking Waterton Lake. Just down the road is the charming village of Waterton. After lunch at Zum’s and Welch’s Chocolate and Fudge Factory, we piled into the bus again for destination Camaron Lake. Camron Lake has the distinction of having the US – Canadian border crossing it. That’s right, if you go out in a rowboat, you can row your way out of Canada and into the USA and you won’t even need a passport to do it. A little later, back in Waterton, we checked into the Bayshore Inn for a 2 night stay. Dinner was on Caravan tonight and 3 of us opted for a delicious salmon meal while 2 others (Debbie and Melinda) who are culinary challenged opted for the chipper chicken (I think they have watched Father of the Bride) once too many times. One neat think about eating at the Bayshore Inn dining room is that you get to look out over the bay as well as watch deer feeding on the lawn in front of the dinning room.

Melinda at Fort Macleod with a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman

Niles protecting the fort from attacks by the First Nation

Debbie and Melinda in front of the Prince Wales Hotel

Melinda, Margaret, and Steve at Camaron Lake. Oh yes, and Flat Stanley, too.

Day 1 Travel Day

09-09-41 is a day that will live in infamy. It was the first time I saw the light of day. To celebrate this inauspicious occasion we are taking a trip to the Canadian Rockies. The first leg of our trip started at Ontario Airport and took us to Dallas where we cooled our heals for about 3 hours before we got our next flight to Calgary. Due to the time change and layovers we didn’t get into Calgary until 10 pm. With so much going on today, Debbie didn’t have time to serve me breakfast in bed (boy did I miss that bowl of corn flakes) or get me a small birthday cake (boy did I miss that Sara Lee cupcake with 67 candles sticking out of it). Oh well, there’s always next year.

At Calgary Airport

Melinda on flight from Dallas to Calgary

Pictures Set 4

Hey, look at me. I'm Jeremy Wariner.

But I rather be LaShawn Merritt.

This is what every track athlete lives for. 

Getting that American flag in your hand and

taking a victory lap around the track 

signifies that you are a member of the 

hardest team to make, the US Olympic Team.

The residents of Eugene are very proud that
their town is know as Track Town, USA. In
living up to their name, they will be hoisting
the World Championship Trials in 09, the
NCAA Championships in 2010, the US
Championships in 2011, and the US
Olympic Trials in 2012.


Another view of the Willamette River

I spent a lot of time hanging out with my
friends, Lauren Williams and Reese Hoffa.

On the walk up to Pre's Rock we passed an
exhibit by a local artist. He used wood logs
to make figures representative of track and
field events. This is a sprinter in the blocks.


Hotel Eugene: Not exactly the Westin but it
was filled with track fans which made it an
awesome place to stay. It was also only a
five minute walk to the track.

Mel, Len, Joe, and Ed at Pre's Rock.

Thanks to all who have visited this blog and

left comments or sent e-mails. God willing, I

hope to do it again in 2012. It would be fun

to have any of you join us. The trials are over

and the real thing begins on 08-08-08. 

                              Go USA

Pictures Set 3

Just a block away from Hayward Field is this
den of iniquity. I'm ashamed to say that I
was a frequent visitor. (Thank God for 1 John
1:9) :)

View of the Willamette River from the foot
bridge leading over to Pre's Trail

This house is typical of some of the houses
you see as you walk up to Pre's Rock. Now
you see why people love living in Oregon.

Come Fall Saturdays, Autzen stadium is filled
to capacity as fans turn out to support the
U of O football team. At one time, football
games were play at Hayward Field.

This sign gives the history of the Pre Trail
and helps runners plan where they want to
run and how far they want to run.

Set 4 coming soon.

Pictures Set 2

View from Row 25 Seat 22.

Brad Walker is up and over in the pole vault.

If you were a spectator, this

is what you wanted to have.

Getting these block of tickets

was not easy but well worth

the effort.

This student dorm was my hide away for 10

days during the trials. The sheets on the

bed were changed once a week and we

got fresh towels every day. What more

could you want?

Live bands performed on stage and were

viewable on the jumbo tron.

Pictures Set 3 coming soon.