Our Travel Blog

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Driving Miss Donna - what does this mean? Whenever I want to go somewhere, if Don is home he will usually drive. He always says he is driving miss Donna! This blog is for our travels, usually with our truck and fifth wheel trailer, but sometimes in our other wheels. When we are not vacationing check in for updates, although less frequent, about our life at home and our wonderful family:)

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Merry Christmas

Hi everyone. We hope you had a fantastic day with family and friends! Although we have a small family we had a house full. Lots of food that will go on for days.

Om Monday we are headed to Saskatchewan for a few days to say hi to everyone, but will be home on Friday.

All the best in 2010.


Sunday, December 6, 2009

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy & Lindsay Stecyk!

Well we are home from Vegas. What a great trip and wedding it was! And kind of sad to see our youngest daughter married. Not only is it a new stage for her, but for us as well. Even though Lindsay had already moved away, the wedding made it all very final. But we can ask for no more than that both daughters have fabulous husbands, and wish many years of happiness for all of them.

Our trip to Vegas started a little shaky, but smoothed out soon. We left at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday November 24 and made it one hour down the road when we had a flat tire. Unfortunately because we were on Hwy 2 and driving along guard rail, by the time we could safely stop the tire was done. So on went the donut spare, and the search for a new tire began. Make sure when you buy a car that you either have a full size spare or don't have low profile 18" EXPENSIVE tires. Repeat after me I love my car! Anyway - we ended up driving home, unloading the fully packed car into the truck, and Dodge truck saves the day! Off we head again.

We arrived in Lethbridge and had a quick drink with our friends Ron & Bev who were travelling to the wedding the rest of the way with us.

Wednesday was a long day with a few fuel stops for us and the vehicles, then overnight in Provo, just south of Salt Lake City.

With a short drive on Thursday, we were in Vegas early. After checking into our rooms and a nice dinner, Don and I headed to the airport to get the bride and groom.

Friday was a fun day. Lindsay had her hair and makeup trials, and the evening was spent on Freemont Street watching the light show.

We stayed at Planet Hollywood this trip, and the hotel was beautiful, as well as having the Miracle Mile Shops. Imagine a mall in your hotel. Fabulous. Now I understand the tourist attraction of West Edmonton Mall! Saturday night the guys and girls all split to enjoy the stag and stagette. Fun for all!
Sunday was a family day with the rehearsal and family supper. If you ever have a chance to dine at PF Changs, do so. Superb service and food, as well as very reasonable prices.

Monday I was up bright and early for my hair and makeup. Took Lindsay her breakfast, but was a little early and woke her up. The morning flew by and before we knew it the bridal party was loading into the limo for photos.

What a stunning bride Lindsay was! And every detail of her wedding was fine tuned and went off without a hitch. Her months of planning made for a very enjoyable day.



The pictures say it all.




The rest of our holiday was spent much the same way, visiting with the kids, hanging with the grand kids, and visiting our friends and family who came to Vegas. Shopping was a key recreation as well. Don out on many miles acting as taxi/chauffeur. Always appreciated!

We left on Thursday morning. t was kind of sad, knowing that Lindsay and Jeremy were staying behind and headed home to Ft Mac. Won't see them now until Christmas Eve. The trip home was okay until we got to Hanna area, then the reported Alberta storm had set in. Glad to have the truck at this time!

Special times of the vacation, besides the glorious wedding was visiting with our friends, Ron and Bev, Darrell and Shirley and Brenda. Don's sister was the star, travelling to the wedding and helping so much with all those little details, including helping with the kids. We had a nice day with my brother Warren and his wife Cherie. They are down south for the winter and started their holiday in Vegas for the wedding. And last - our son in law Cal, for being a super dad and husband and hanging out for a lot of the time with his kids in the hotel, so that Tracy could enjoy her sisters wedding as well.

We have a great little family, girls and their husbands, although we are tiny! Christmas will have us all together again - can't wait!

Take care. Don and I are home until early April, when we are hoping to catch 3 weeks on the Oregon coast.

Have a great Christmas season everyone!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Off To Vegas

That's right - on the road again.

Our youngest daughter Lindsay is getting married on November 30 in Las Vegas!! Can't believe this is happening. Seems like just yesterday our girls were little people then all of a sudden they'll both be married:(

Lindsay and Jeremy picked Sunset Gardens in Las Vegas. It is such a beautiful wedding resort, with everything on site. Lindsay (and Jer) has an awesome day planned and as most brides has planned everything down to the last detail. It is going to be very gorgeous and classy! From a cocktail party to the ceremony to the evening itself. Can't wait!!

(Oh and Blake will be in a suit, which is sooo cute)

We are also so excited that some special friends of Don and mine will be there. Ron and Bev from Tisdale are driving down, Darrell and Shirley and their 2 girls, from Springside; and Brenda and Tim from Beaumont. They have all had special places in Lindsay's life through the years and we are honored they are making the trip.

Don's sister Kathy and my brother Warren and his wife Cherie will be there as well. That is it for representation from our little families, Jeremy's will outnumber us I am sure.

Most of the wedding guests are staying at Planet Hollywood. We will be there for 7 nights, which is not like Don and I, but it will be a busy time with all the friends to visit, etc. so it should be fun. Let's not forget Premium Outlets!!

Anyway - that is where we are off to tomorrow. I will hopefully be able to post some photos and wedding updates in the next week.

Take care to everyone tavelling with us!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Catch Up

Hope you believe in better late than never? We had our usual lack of wi fi during our stay in Salmon Arm, so I hope to fill you in on our activities as much as possible.
As I had mentioned previously we stayed at Pierre's Point Campground in Salmon Arm. It was a beautiful place, with lots of sand beach and opportunity to play and visit.
We had a full service sight one row from the beach, but there were no units in front of us, so the magnificent view was ours. This campground was quite empty, and the only downfall was the busy train tracks behind us. The trains were exciting for Blake as he loves choo choos, but unfortunately by the end of our 4 night stay the trains were scaring him a bit.
We arrived here on Tuesday, and were surprised by a visit from Sharon, Lisa and Mia Campbell. They were on their way to a wedding in Enderby. Thanks for stopping by!
We took a drive around Salmon Arm and then relaxed at the campground.
Tracy and Cal have a nice travel trailer, and it as easy to put the kids to bed and have our place to play Yahtzee in later.
Wednesday was a rainy day. Tracy and Cal headed into Salmon Arm to the indoor gym, and Don and I went to Kamloops for a Costco stop.
Thursday we did some laundry and just hung out. The day ended with an ice cream trip and - Yahtzee!
Friday Don and I went to visit some old friends, Keith and Marcie Will, in Falkland. They live in an amazing home on the mountain hill. Keith spends his time renovating and building windows. His craftsmanship is outstanding.
Saturday we had to leave :( so we headed for Banff. Don has been trying to connect with a high school friend, Ivan, who is a Park Ranger in Lake Louise. He was in Banff for the 100th Anniversary of Park Rangers, so we stayed at Tunnel Mountain, and managed a long coffee visit on Sunday morning. Ivan and I had not met (other than Facebook) and the last time Don saw him was 1976! A great visit and hopefully one that we will have again, not waiting so long this time...
Tracy and I took Em out to Banff for some girl time on Saturday and hit some stores before picking up supper and going home to our trailers. Of course I scored some stuff! Blake hung out with the guys and practiced hooking his trucks up to our trailers. So cute!
It was almost sad to see Tracy and Cal leave on Sunday morning. Although we live close and see each other lots, it was still great to spend some holiday time with them as well. They were headed to visit friends around Calgary, and sadly Don and I went back to work today.
Although it was only a week, it was a great holiday!
I think we all agreed we want to go back to the area next year.
Take care everyone!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Kamloops

Today we pulled into Kamloops. We had a great long weekend in Jasper and did all our favorite things. Had a campfire, visited the hot springs, went for ice cream, special coffees, shopping (oops added 2 new purses BUT no shoes), had fun with Blake and Em, visited with Lindsay and Jeremy, and saw Heidi off for her first family vacation with Lindsay and Jer.
Downside was that Em got a good dose of constipation and made several visits to the ER. But the medicine finally worked and all seems well.

Blake rode with Don and I to Kamloops so we had lots of quiet time - not!! But we learned lots about horses, cows and choo choos.

We toured around Kamloops a bit this afternoon and both kids got to bed on time for the first night. Not that they have been bad, just a little tired.

Tomorrow we leave for Pierre's Point by Salmon Arm, on the Schuswap Lake, and although the weather isn't supposed to be hot, it will be good beach and sand playing temperatures and no rain predicted yet.

Talk soon!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Yeah Vacation!

Well we are headed out tomorrow for some family vacation time! We are going to Jasper for the long weekend and will have Tracy, Cal, Blake and Emerson as well as Lindsay & Jeremy! I just love Jasper and we really need to appreciate the grandeaur of it even though it is so close. Sometimes we take it for granted, but I travelled to Japan a few years ago, and as marvelous as their mountain scenery was, ours is better!

And of course the hot springs are my addiction, so we will get there at least once.

On Monday Lindsay & Jeremy have to go home, and the rest of us are headed to a campground on the Schuswap Lakes for the week. Don and I are really looking forward to playing with Blake in the sand and just hanging out. Emerson is changing at a daily pace, and it will be great to spend time with her as well.

Hopefully I will be posting warm beach pictures soon.

Monday, July 20, 2009

A Weekend of Memories!

This past weekend we hosted the Smith Family Reunion. This is Don's dad's family, descendants of Jim and Louise Smith. There were 82 people in attendance, and also some guests.

We had a blast and Don's family, who were the hosts, all worked together to make it happen.

For myself being in the little town of Sylvania Saskatchewan brought back many memories, as we were camped beside my old school.

Here are a few photos to enjoy. The first is Don's parents with our grandchildren Blake (2) and Emerson (5 months). The second photo is the 82 people who attended the reunion.

Take care everyone!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Alaska et al photo favorites - Trip's End





The group - The Keno sign post
Sunset at the Dome
Explanation of the Midnight Sun
Happy Travels to all - our next excursion is to the Smith Reunion in Tisdale Saskatchewan mid July! http://www.smithreunion2009.blogspot.com/
See you here and there!

Last Account of Alaska 2009...

Well my posts and been random and not always accurate I fear so I will leave 2 last posts, one of our actual itinerary and one of some favorite photos. I have had issues with posting photos. Any suggestions from fellow bloggers?

Here's where we bedded down each night:
Thursday June 4 - Dawson Creek
Friday June 5 - Fort Nelson
Saturda June 6 - Watson Lake
Sunday June 7 - Whitehorse
Monday June 8 - Whitehorse
Tuesday June 9 - Whitehorse
Wednesday June 10 - Haines Junction
Thursday June 11 - Haines Junction
Friday June 12 - Tok
Saturday June 13 - Anchorage
Sunday June 14 - Anchorage
Monday June 15 - Fairbanks
Tuesday June 16 - Fairbanks
Wednesday June 17 - Delta Junction
Thursday June 18 - Chicken
Friday June 19 - Dawson City
Saturday June 20 - Dawson City
Sunday June 21 - Dawson City
Monday June 22 - Stewart Crossing
Tuesday June 23 - Whitehorse
Wednesday June 24 - Whitehorse
Thursday June 25 - Liard Hot Springs
Friday June 26 - Dawson Creek
Saturday June 27 - HOME!

Endurance Test Road Trip!

Highlights:
Scenery
Anchorage
Daylight hours
Liard Hot Springs

Low Points:
Highways way worse than we thought. But how you define bad road? Next time may drive and hotel or small truck camper...
3 weeks not enough - maybe 6?

Back To:
Yukon; Homer, Alaska (didn't get there); Inuviuk or part of the Dempster Highway (didn't get there)

Hello & Goodbye to many Friends!

Well I now had you caught up to Tuesday June 23 and leaving Stewart Crossing. We had planned to meet Carl and Carol Anne again in Whitehorse, where we say goodbye to them and Paul and Mary. Their plans are to go home on Highway 37 through BC, and because Don and I were on a tighter schedule we were headed home on better roads, to make better time (hopefully).

We were aware that our friends from Glendon, Alberta, Janice & Jim Connelly and Melody & Charlie Kwiatkowski, would be doing the Alaska trip but not sure if we would meet them. As luck had it, they pulled into the same campground as us on Tuesday evening. It was great to see them and visit around the campfire that night, as well as have extensive coffee time on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday morning everyone except us left. We decided to spend another night in Whitehorse, allowing us to visit the small town of Atlin, BC. It was only a 2 hour drive and very worth it. The scenery and wild animals we encountered were awesome! A nice evening at our trailer, and the next morning we were on our way. At that point thoughts of home were on my mind, BUT we had to stop one more time at Liard Hot Springs. The provincial park was one of the nicest campgrounds we have been to. Only made better by the presence of the hot springs. These springs are a very natural site, not a pool, and so very hot!

Don and I really enjoyed our last days together. We stayed in Dawson Creek on Friday night, and had supper at our favorite Friday place - Boston Pizza.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to Don! We had a potluck BBQ today. Ribs, beans, salads, rice, pickles, breads, corn on the cob, and of course appetizers...

Anyhow now to finish the post and get up to date.

We travelled from Anchorage to Delta Junction. Our specific task was to take a photo at the last mile of the Alaska Highway. The next morning we are on our way to the Top of the World Highway, which will take us through Chicken, Alaska! Several experiences along this route, most especially the stories we heard about the highway.


Chicken was the oddest little town. 3 businesses and about 15 people (who seem to live in the businesses) and that's it. Luckily for us there was a saloon! And tons of souvenirs. Paul and Mary were lucky enough to purchase commemorative I Got Laid in Chicken t-shirts. Our trip goes on through the highway to Boundary Alaska. What town there was is shut down, but still unique, which is the northern theme. The highway was not as bad as Don let himself think but none the less, still quite stressful.

Once we reached the outskirts of Dawson it was a short ferry ride and there we were at least – in Dawson City! That makes today Friday, June 19 since I am loosing track of days and dates.

We met Carl and Carol Anne again here and after a fine dinner and visiting, we headed out to the bars. That was a blast and a unique social experience! We even went to Diamond Tooth Gertie’s for a midnight dance show. Saturday no one felt like doing much, so we hung around town, took in some shops and visited lots more.

Sunday – big day! Fathers Day BBQ and the midnight sun visit to the Dome. We visited some gold mining dredges as well. We stayed on the mountain until 1:00 am and never did see the sun go down. Not that we really expected to as we have not had what Albertans consider darkness for many nights now.

Monday we headed out and stayed the night in Stewart Crossing. It wasn’t the most appealing campsite, but it gave us an opportunity to see Keno and Mayo. If you drive through Keno you eventually climb a mountain that allows you a glance at a signpost that shows directions to all sorts of worldly destinations. Very beautiful scenery and very HIGH mountain roads. The small communities of Keno and Mayo were full of gold mining history and a most unique coffee shop.
Talk again soon!

Amazing...

...that I haven't posted for over a week. Sorry!
A couple of posts ago I talked of going to Skagway, but couldn't get any photos to load, so here a few. The first one is a scene looking down a street, the rest are self explanatory. It was nice to see a bit of the sea and the smell was refreshing. Love the ocean!




















I haven't mentioned much about any of the places we have visited.
Haines Junction is west of Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway. We stayed 2 nights at the Kluane RV Kampground. I won't rave about any of the campgrounds thus far on our trip, and they can't be
called campgrounds. Most people call the RV Parks. More accurate because you park, not camp. Most offer full services and are smooth gravelled or paved "parking lots". Firepits are seldom available. That is definitely a disappointment compared to holidays on the west coast where state parks are beautiful and abundant!
Anyhow we arrived here late, just in time for happy hour. Yea haw! On Thursday we did a road trip to Haines, and what a great decision. Whereas Skagway was very commercial and seemingly set up for the cruise ship crowd, Haines was a quaint town, with lots of history and nice shops.


















Friday morning prior to pulling out Mary and I had a nice morning walk to the local bakery!


First mechanical issue: trailer flat tire. Can you believe it only cost us $12 to fix at a great station in Beaver Creek.


Next stop Tok (pronounced to rhyme with smoke).
This was another RV park, but Mary and I went to listen to the local entertainment, a fellow named Dave Stancliff performed,
playing guitar and singing many of his original songs about Alaska. It was kind of fun in a weird Mary and Donna way!


So now it is Saturday June 13. Where has the time gone? We are in Anchorage and what a nice city! I know I am a city girl at heart because I have to say that although Don and Paul have enjoyed museums, Mary and I have sourced out all Walmarts, as well as finding a great mall, and a huge downtown market. BUT we did do another day trip as well, driving a ways down the Kenai Peninsula, to see the Portage Glacier. It's hard not to keep saying what a beautiful drive! Here are some photos of the icebergs in the water at Portage Glacier.



















Well that has made one loooong post, so I think for today enough.
Next post watch for updates on Fairbanks, Dela Junction, Chicken and Dawson City. So much to still tell you about, but enough of being in the trailer on the computer!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Time to Catch Up!

Well we have learned again that the consistent factor of wireless in the North is the inconsistency! Sorry we haven't posted much, but tonight we are in a nice comfy site with great connection.

Here are 10 top things you need to know about travelling north:
1. BUGS - Total bites on Donna's left foot in one evening, with bug spray: 13
total bites on Donna's right foot, same evening, more spray: 11
2. BUMPY ROADS - Have you travelled to northern Saskatchewan or Alberta? Good - you will still be surprised. Have you ever driven a Bronco with broken springs up a hill in Jasper? Good - you will still be surprised!
3. FRIENDLY PEOPLE - Everyone will stop for a visit or a chat. You will make some great friends - like our Carl and Carol Anne. I have to say though that those who choose to live here are sometimes a bit out of the ordinary:)
4. MOUNTAINS - No one can describe the majestic beauty of these mountains. Most of our pictures don't do them justice. The days have been hot and hence muggy, or rainy and blurry, or smoked in form forest fires. BUT they are incredible. I said like Jasper, but more than that. We have been driving in these mountains for 1500 km and you see them always, everywhere.
5. YUKON - This place gets overlooked. Everyone says go to Alaska, but just like life it's the journey, not just the destination. The Yukon is very beautiful.
6. SUNSHINE - Or daylight hours. Think about it. People say 19 hours of daylight and you think oh ya, BUT really. It is 10:30 pm here as I write this and I can see the sun, just going down at about 11:00 on a clock. Beautiful!
7. DISTANCE - This really is the trip of a lifetime. It is so far. We have been driving for 6 days and are now in Anchorage. Long ways!
8. WATER - I am a Pisces and there are ocean spots - so I love that!
9. SCENERY - I talked about the mountains but the pristine lakes and glaciers, amongst other things are beautiful.
10. WILDLIFE - So far we have seen moose, buffalo, bison, swans, bald eagles, sheep, salmon, brown bears, black bears, elk, deer...

The trip is fantastic and we are having loads of fun with Paul and Mary. Since my last post we have been in Haines Junction, Skagway and Haines, Tok an dnow Anchorage.

I have so many pictures to post but tonight the internet is not cooperating and they will not load. I will try to post them on my facebook for now, so check that out if you have my page.

Talk to you in a couple of days!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Hot Weather and LONG Days

Well coming north has not involved warmer clothes. The daytime temp hovers around +25, and last night it went down to +17! We are using our air conditioner as we watch the hockey game.
Today we visited Skagway, Alaska. It is about 2 hours from Whitehorse and worth the drive. We didn't end up taking the ferry to Haines for no real reason, just didn't.
We are really enjoying our holiday with Paul and Mary, and of course Carl and Carolanne. We won't see them until we get to Anchorage, and then we are again meeting in Dawson City. Although the days aren't flying by right now I know they will as the time to go home approaches. Already we know it would be great to get to Ontario to see Carl and Carolanne. Maybe that can be another road trip some year.
We did a bit of window shopping in Skagway today but didn't buy anything. Still trying to decide what to buy Blake and Emerson. Maybe moccasins? If I can find some not made in China! LOL
Yesterday we had a quiet day in Whitehorse. I think we were all glad to spend a day not driving. Paul and Mary are having some minor trailer issues so we may stay in Whitehorse one more night. Tomorrow will tell the story as they have a repair appointment.
I will have to post pictures tomorrow since I forgot to download all the photos before I came to the internet store.
Take care!
Oh by the way sun rises at about 4 am and sets about 11:30 pm. If you need dark to sleep this is not the place for you!

Monday, June 8, 2009

North to Alaska - The Rush Is On

Hi everyone! We have arrived in Whitehorse and the official travels begin. Not much between here and Fort Nelson, and I really mean that! The scenery vaguely resembles Jasper area, only larger. The main difference is when you see nothing on a map, they mean nothing. No civilization, just miles and miles of highway. The mountains are spectacular, and still in the distance. The Yukon river alongside Whitehorse is expansive.


You may have heard of the forest fires in the north. We actually drove alongside one near Liard Hot Springs area.



The hot springs are magnificent!


We continue to meet our Ontario friends at the campgrounds as we go. What a hoot travelling and camping. Last night we shared our campfire with another couple. They are from BC and he is currently working here.

We are going to do some travelling around this area and stay camped here. I am really looking forward to travelling to Haines and then Skagway by ferry.

We will post again when we have visited the new places!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Moving Along the Ribbon of Highway

Friday was a great day! We met Paul and Mary in Fort St John, had a coffee and started for Fort Nelson. It was a gentle 3 hour drive to the campground. We chose the Westend RV Campground, as it was treed and a bit more like camping than a parking lot.
Along the way, at Milepost 135, we saw our first true glance at the farthest north Rockies we have encountered. Very impressive.

I have also attached a photo of the sunset the night before.

Days are already long here. Hard to know when to go to bed and when to get up.
We met some nice folks in the campground. Carl and Carolanne from Ontario, and Anna and Holger from Germany.
No campfire but lots of good food and drink took place. Kind of strange, we are all following the same routes and destinations, and have booked the same campground in Dawson City for the summer solstice party!
Have a great day, we shall touch base tomorrow morning, internet allowing!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Mile Zero - We are on our Way!

The adventure began on Thursday June 4, 2009. We left Stony Plain at 4:30 RIGHT after work, and planned to travel to Grande Prairie. BUT Don doesn't stop when told and we ended up in a picturesque Dawson Creek Walmart RV Executive site.
Friday morning we were off to meet Paul and Mary in Ft St John, but needed one stop for a photo opportunity:
Our next stop is Fort Nelson, so hopefully we will have wireless and talk to you tonight!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Getting Worried!

Well the 2009 May long weekend is over. I may have jinxed us by joking about the weather! It was a very cold couple of days, although Saturday held some merit.
But lots of fun with the kids, and lots of entertainment by Blake. Emerson enjoyed her first camping trip, although her sleep schedule was off a bit. And Blake accomplished his first actual quad ride.
What worries us is the pattern we are developing for these "vacations".

What will Alaska bring?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

2 Weeks and Counting

Hello
So we are just over 2 weeks away from another trip of a lifetime - Alaska. Hopefully we will enjoy it as much as other places we have visted and will want to go back! How fortunate we are that we can travel to these places and enjoy them. I think sometimes we start to take it for granted.
This weekend approaching is one of our favorite camping weekends. Both Tracy and Lindsay and families will be joining us, as well as some friends. We are travelling a short distance to Long Island Lake Park by Westlock, for camping and quadding.
It will also be exciting to see how Blake enjoys camping this season. We know Emerson will be excited, although she can't voice that yet. LOL
The weather continues to be horrible. One can only hope that we have enough propane for the weekend and the batteries hold up.
Talk soon!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Last Day of Vacation

Last day for 4 weeks. LOL Then we are off again to Alaska.

Today was a great day. We discovered a little town called Bigfork. One of those quaint places with the downtown core pf shops, bars and art places. And waterside so peaceful. The sun shone all day, with no precipitation.

We are heading home to Canada tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see that weather. No way are we going back to Pincher Creek this trip.

Here we are in our campsite.


And here is a beautiful view from there:
Thanks for following us - check in again when we venture to Alaska in June!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

A Nice Day for Sightseeing

Today we made a short drive to Kalispell. The mountain scenery is gorgeous. Most of Hiway 93 we travelled on today wound around Flathead Lake.


Although the weather continues to rival with the north pole, we are having a great holiday.


We drove around a bit today after camp was settled, and visited Columbia Falls and Whitefish.



We finally have a site with a fire pit so the parkas are coming out and we are having a fire tonight, no matter what.

Take care

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

A Unique House



Today we tried to visit the Lolo Hot Springs. The weather stopped us, as you can see from the road shot:

We decided it was not the best day for an outdoor soak!


So we travelled on to see the Daly Mansion. This house was built in 1903 by a Montanna mining family as a summer vacation house. It has over 50 rooms, 25 of which are bedrooms.


After this trip it was off to Costco and shopping at Macy's. Then back to the camper for the night.
Tomorrow we plan to head north to Kalispell for a couple of nights.


What's Weather Got to do with IT?

Hello from Montana! Missoula is a beautiful city. We have found one of those rustic campgrounds with full services, cable and wi-fi. A campers dream! Although the temperatures here are only a few degrees warmer than home, we could live inside this little fifth wheel for weeks and not mind.

Tuesday we will do some sight seeing, searching out a local hot springs that is supposed to be close, and of course the mandatory Costco visit.

Missoula has a beautiful old downtown that will give us a walking destination, and so we will check that out as well.

I was going to post some pictures, but as our youngest daughter Lindsay used to say "No mom, not another mountain" and yes that is what there is here - more mountains.

Take care
Don & Donna

Hugs and Kisses to Blake and Emerson

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Hello from Idaho!


Well this has been a great trip so far with some weather altercations in Canada. We left on Thursday after work to drive to Pincher Creek, believing it was going to be about 10 below. It was actually 17 below, a foot of snow and VERY cold. I don't think the furnace quit once:)

Anyway on Friday morning after a tradiitonal breakfast at McDonalds (mandatory when staying in the Walmart RV Vistas), we headed into the states. We crossed the border at Eastport, Idaho and everything seemed better. Officially on vacation.

We are travelling with our friends Erica and Dione Gillam, who have a 10 month old daughter. Surprisingly enough we did not have any emergency stops, and haven't yet. She is a great traveller. We did stop for lunch however, and after getting groceries in Sandpoint found a state park called Farrragut. Today is our third night here.

Monday morning we are headed to Montanna, for reasons unknown. It just seems like a good place to go and we have not spent much time in Missoula. I won't share our plans after that as we will probably change our minds. ha ha
The last 2 days have been spent just sight seeing and shopping. Glad to find some pretty girlie clothes for Emerson, and Blake will have to settle for some less fancy clothes. But Grandma is not done shopping yet! Already miss the kids, it's been a week. XOXOXO's to them if their mommy reads this.
Check back - you never know when we will have wireless again and can update.


Thursday, April 16, 2009

Welcome Spring!

Well here we are 1 week away from our first 2009 holiday! This will be a short one - leaving on Thursday April 23 and back to work on Monday May 3.

We were going to drive to San Francisco but have decided to take our trailer and head south. We hope to find nice weather around Spokane, so wish us luck.

Check back next Friday and see where we are.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Next Travels? Past Travels?

Well I just realized that since this is a new blog, and about our travels, although I won't bore you with extensive details about where we have travelled, I would give you an overview.
Our favorite place to visit is a toss up between Oregon and Washington. Neither Don nor I particularly care for high heat temperatures, and due to work restrictions (mostly mine) we travel in September or April. We have travelled most of the western states down to California. We have gone for 3 - 4 weeks in September for 7 years.

This year we are changing things up and going to Alaska in June! We both love the ocean. As soon as I smell the water I feel better. Don says it is because I am a Pisces.

Our approaching trip is to San Francisco the last week of April. Yes - to all you airplane addicts - we will be driving! We understand most people don't like driving as much as us, but give us a break. We will drive almost anywhere and like it. I have flown enough to know that all that time in an airport, on the runway, or in the plane is not necessarily fun either. Try a 14 hour flight to Japan just once!

I think once we have travelled North America as much as we can, including all of Canada and USA we can reach, we may venture over a body of water - but I have no promises.

So check back for 2009 trips:
April - San Francisco - only spent a couple of nights here before and love the area
June - Alaska with our good friends Paul and Mary
September - New Brunswick (work conference for Donna extended into a holiday - so yes we are flying)
November - Las Vegas - Lindsay and Jeremy's wedding!

(Updated photo Feb 17 - Emerson Marie joined BLake Smith in our family:)Grandchildren make it harder to be away for long times)

Talk soon.