Jul-Aug-Sep 2024 - Clickable Links
Jul-Aug-Sep 2024 - Clickable Links
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July
July
1 - Malta, MT - Truck Transmission Service
1 - Malta, MT - Truck Transmission Service
Left Sturgis in the morning and made it as far as Miles City, MT and Two Rivers Ford. This was the closest Ford service dealership as we needed to have the truck transmission looked at. Turns out that we either needed a rebuilt transmission or a new transmission, yikes! Seeing as how this process would take at least a week we decided to take it easy on the truck and high tail it to Medicine Hat where we had the work completed after they too did their diagnosis.
Jul 2-15 - Medicine Hat, AB - Mom, Duane & Allyn, Jayson & Jen, Kyle & Shantel, Haley & Moses
Jul 2-15 - Medicine Hat, AB - Mom, Duane & Allyn, Jayson & Jen, Kyle & Shantel, Haley & Moses
Made it to the Hat, had the transmission replaced on the truck and enjoyed time with Mom and visiting with her at her new retirement home.
A couple of fawns at Mom's new place.
Staying once again at Gas City Campground, Site 7. Loaner car in view as we could not trust the truck until the transmission got replaced.
Found some old photos at Mom's place of her and Dad that I was able to upload onto her ViewClix.
With Duane (brother) & Allyn
Who's that goofy guy?!
Jayson (nephew), Jen & Mason
Kyle (nephew), Shantel, Brooklyn (on right) & Avery (on left)
Haley (niece), Moses, Raizel & Lev
Brooklyn & Raizel - taking a quiet moment.
Haley & Moses, impromptu gig at the campsite, they were in the site beside us. Joanne (Haley's mom) joined in as well.
Jul 16-19 - Calgary, AB - Carol & Brad - Rozalyn & Reynold
Jul 16-19 - Calgary, AB - Carol & Brad - Rozalyn & Reynold
Enjoyed a BBQ at Rozalyn & Reynold's. We all got time to play with Cecelia, and some of us got more worn out than others!
Sarah (niece), Richard & Cecelia (CeCe)
Carol (sister) & Brad
Rozalyn & Reynold with Reynold's daughter, Richelle & Mark (?)
Jul 20-22 - Wizard Lake, AB - Warren & Jane
Jul 20-22 - Wizard Lake, AB - Warren & Jane
We didn't take any pics while here...what were we thinking. Good thing we'll be back later in the summer.
Two of Britt's (niece) children, Keaton & Blakely
Jul 23-Aug 18, 2024 - Athabasca, AB - Baptiste Lake - Kevin & Dora
Jul 23-Aug 18, 2024 - Athabasca, AB - Baptiste Lake - Kevin & Dora
So much grass to be cut!
Dora & Ken hanging out on the back deck.
Kevin (brother) & myself.
Good thing Kevin has a ride on mower to tackle the growth.
We took a day trip to Slave Lake about an hour north of their place and saw this momma moose with her calf.
Kevin (brother) & Dora, Ken & myself at Lesser Slave Lake
Stopped off at Dog Island Brewery. A first for Kevin & Dora.
Dora is a small part Metis and this is the Metis symbol at the brewery as it is owned by Metis
August
August
Aug 6-15 - Road Trip to Medicine Hat with Kevin & Dora
Aug 6-15 - Road Trip to Medicine Hat with Kevin & Dora
Stopped in Edmonton to visit with Kody (Kevin & Dora's son) and his girlfriend Bri.
Also took a quick stop in Calgary to visit with Carol (sister) & Brad.
Nick (nephew) with girlfriend Emma.
Natasha (Tasha niece) being cute!
My little sister Carol!
Dora's son Greg, Molly & Beau joined us at Carol & Brad's for breakfast on the day we headed to the Hat.
Kevin (brother) & Dora
Kevin, Dora & Mom
I wasn't very good at getting any other pictures as it turns out. My focus for any photos was to get family shots so that I could update Mom's ViewClix with current photos of everyone. Sorry I missed out on other casual shots :(
August-September - Yellowknife Trip - see Separate Page for Details
August-September - Yellowknife Trip - see Separate Page for Details
Click link for details
September - Last of the Family Visits before heading Home
September - Last of the Family Visits before heading Home
Sep 7-9 - Athabasca, AB - Baptiste Lake - Kevin & Dora
Sep 7-9 - Athabasca, AB - Baptiste Lake - Kevin & Dora
Time with Kevin & Dora on their property. A beautiful place to call home for a few nights!
Went to the Golf course to enjoy the view and a drink.
Time for a final firepit and burned an enormous log!
Sep 10-11 - St. Albert - Boondockers Welcome - Sherron Marshall & Haley's Family
Sep 10-11 - St. Albert - Boondockers Welcome - Sherron Marshall & Haley's Family
Had a wonderful lunch with Diana's Mom, Sherron Marshall. Always wonderful to see her and catch up on the family gossip!
Enjoyed having dinner with our niece Haley (Kevin's daughter) and her family, Moses, Raizel & Lev.
Raizel wanted us all to be a little goofy!
Sep 12-15 - Wizard Lake, AB - Warren & Jane
Sep 12-15 - Wizard Lake, AB - Warren & Jane
Hung out for a few nights at the lake house and in Beaumont with Warren & Jane.
Met up with Carol & Mike at Route 39 Public House in Calmar just north of the lakehouse.
Enjoyed an afternoon on Whyte Avenue.
After a night of babysitting the little ones survived as did we! It was a lot of fun as Britt & Elliot attended the Canadian County Music Awards.
Britt, Elliot, Quinn, Keaton & Blakely
Always fun to visit with Bryce, Jennelle, Emmersyn & Rylee. Glad they made the time to see us as they had a late night hosting their squad party.
Alexe shared some of her birthday doughnuts with us...we brought some and she already had some there!
Alexe, Eric, Peyton, Kinsley & Scottie and Georgia (the dog)
Enjoyed a final view of the lake house and enjoyed our fire from the night before.
Sep 16-18 - Calgary, AB - Sarah & Richard - Carol & Brad's 25th Wedding Anniversary
Sep 16-18 - Calgary, AB - Sarah & Richard - Carol & Brad's 25th Wedding Anniversary
Had a relaxing drive down the back roads to Calgary. Views of the Rocky Mountains in the distance.
Had fun with our niece Sarah (Ken's sister Jan's daughter), Richard and Cecelia (CeCe). Enjoyed taking CeCe to the park and had a great Indian food dinner together.
And then it was time to celebrate Carol & Brad's 25th Wedding Anniversary on Sep 18th. We celebrated at the park that they would always go to with their Peters burgers and shakes while Nick & Tasha played at the playground. Ken enjoyed the Peter's burgers and especially the shake as he and Brad waited for the order to be prepared after the short ceremony.
My sister, Carol & husband of 25 years, Brad!
Do you like the bouquet I made Carol from her Lego Roses!
The wedding party all made it out for this one.
Carol, Brad, Nick & Tasha.
Sep 19-22 - Medicine Hat, AB - Duane & Allyn & Mom
Sep 19-22 - Medicine Hat, AB - Duane & Allyn & Mom
Spent our last few days in the Hat. Enjoyed a great steak dinner at Duane & Allyn's followed by the Medicine Hat Tigers winning their season opener hockey game.
On our way out of town, wanted to stop by and have a quick goodbye with Mom...looking pretty good for 94!
Yellowstone National Park Trip
Yellowstone National Park Trip
23-25 - Helena, MT - BLM Camping
23-25 - Helena, MT - BLM Camping
Had an easy drive to Helena, MT. Stopped for 3 nights at Devil's Elbow BLM Campground just outside of Helena. It was peaceful and quiet and what about that view out our back window!
One of the views along our day's drive.
That's us, the small white dot on the left!
It was a relaxing way to start our trip home and especially so, as I picked up a cold along the way and needed the down time.
26-29 - West Yellowstone, MT - National Forest Boondocking - Yellowstone National Park
26-29 - West Yellowstone, MT - National Forest Boondocking - Yellowstone National Park
On our drive towards Yellowstone we found this installation on the side of the hill. Very Impressive!
The Bleu Horses - Grouped on a hilltop overlooking Highway 287, Jim Dolan’s 39 horse sculptures survey the land, each seemingly aware of each other, moving and not moving, vigilant and brave against the wind, sun and snow. They are his gift to the people of Montana, a way of giving back to a place that has supported his art for so many years. Although the horses stand eight feet tall from the shoulders, they look as natural as a herd of wild horses. Banded together in small gatherings, just the way horses naturally socialize, it takes a second glance to realize they’re not living, breathing animals. That’s because Dolan understands perspective. He understands horses. And he understands how creating Blue Horses will add to the natural beauty of the area. This installation was a long time in coming. Dolan planned it for years before finding the right place and the right time to bring it fruition. It was a stroke of luck that Dolan stopped by Wheat Montana, where he spoke with owner Dean Folkvord about his frustration about finding the right place to put his sculpture. Right then and there, Folkvord offered Kamp Hill. Again, a significant act giving that only increases the intent of the piece. In this tribute Dolan hopes to inspire others to give back – to their communities, their towns and their state...BleuHorses.com
Stayed just south of West Yellowstone in the National Forest. We were so lucky to have found a spot large enough to accomodate us.
Got out early the next day as we entered Yellowstone National Park to drive the Lower Loop.
Yellowstone serves as the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the last and largest nearly intact natural ecosystems on the planet. Yellowstone has the most active, diverse, and intact collections of combined geothermal features with over 10,000 hydrothermal sites and half the world's active geysers....nps.gov
Some of the things we might see on our travels.
Geysers
Hot Springs
Mudpots
Fumaroles (Steam Vents)
Travertine Terraces
Stopped to enjoy a coffee along one of the pullouts and looking for fish in the river. Lots of fly-fishermen on the river while we explored the park.
Our first view of some of the steam vents, ie. some of the geothermal features.
These "Dangerous Ground!" signs are to be seen all over the park when you stop to view a site.
Our first stopover was to see the Fountain Paint Pots.
Next up on our drive was Midway Geyser Basin. So glad we were not in the busyness of summer as even this time of year the parking lots were extremely packed and like this one, it took about 15min to get into the parking lot.
Continuing the drive (did I mention that there was lots of driving from one site to another?!), we passed by Biscuit Basin that currently was closed as it had exploded on July 23, 2024.
The explosion, which sent steam and debris to a height of hundreds of feet above the ground, destroyed a nearby boardwalk and ejected grapefruit-sized rocks tens to hundreds of feet from the source. Some blocks closest to the explosion site are about 3 feet (1 meter) wide and weigh hundreds of pounds...nps.gov
Time to see Old Faithful
Good place for us to stop for lunch & wait over an hour for Old Faithful to do her thing!
That's Old Faithful in the center of this photo.
Crowds to the left of us
Crowds to the right of us
Just starting to spout.
On to West Thumb Geyser Basin.
Mud Volcano Area was next on our list.
Found a bison on our trek in the Mud Volcano Area.
As we continued our drive of the Lower Loop, we drove through Hayden Valley and of course this was one of the best places to see Bison.
Our last stop of the day was to walk to Artists' Paintpots. For us at least this time of year, this was not a very exciting spot. However I did enjoy hearing the mudplops!
Lots of forest land as we drove from one viewing area to the next.
We took the Saturday off from exploring the park and toured around downtown West Yellowstone. My cold was still in full swing so I needed a bit more of a quiet day. Got it!
Stopped by the Yellowstone Beer Co Tasting Room.
Could not buy their product to go as they are working with the town on licensing.
On Sunday we decided to just drive up to Mammoth Hot Springs as that in itself is 1.5 hrs away. We figured with stops this would be a long enough day...and we were right!
First stop was to view Gibbon Falls.
Roaring Mountain was not roaring at all!
Mammoth Hot Springs - stopped at the Park Ranger office to get the lay of the land and find out about the Terraces. But the Historic Fort Yellowstone was under a "soft close" due to the elk herd that were occupying some of the grounds.
Drove the short distance to the town of Gardiner to see the original stone park entrance sign.
After taking a short driving tour around the town we headed back to Mammoth Hot Springs to view the Terraces.
After walking some of the hiking trails (more like stairs!), we drove the Upper Terrace.
Found another couple of Elk, looks like the female is confused about what looks like snow but feels like heat!
That finishes up our first look at Yellowstone National Park. There is so much more to see and do that we will just need to come back another time! We did drive aroud the campground in Mammoth Hot Springs and that would be a good choice for us to stay at. Sites were open and not that many of them. We did drive through Madison Campground however, the sites were packed one on top of the other. Not a first choice for sure.
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