Clear sky, absolutely no light pollution, amazing stars, 30 degrees.
Early lakeside breakfast…
Down the Beartooth Highway, connecting to the Chief Joseph Highway
On to Cody, Wyoming to tour the Buffalo Bill Museum (Rocky Mountain Natural History, Plains Indians Life, Buffalo Bill Cody’s life, Western Art and firearms history wings).
Camping near Cody at the Buffalo Bill State Park.
Tomorrow – home to Colorado
Often described as the most beautiful road in America, the Beartooth Highway is steep, windy and spectacular!
After breakfast at a local diner in White Sulphur Springs (great, crispy hashbrowns, tender chicken fried steak – OMG are we eating this?) the drive to Red Lodge, Montana took us through pretty ranch country. Out of Red Lodge, we started climbing the narrow, winding road to Beartooth Pass at 10,947 ft.
Finding Island Lake campground (9,500ft) closed for the season, we decided to camp at the boat ramp, next to the lake. Technically illegal, but sooo pretty!
Before driving back across the border, we explored the Akamina Parkway (a grand title for a narrow, twisty two-lane road) to Cameron and Akamina Lakes. The clouds were low, making for some moody shots of both lakes.
Starting the day in Banff at Touloulou’s Louisiana breakfast restaurant, we tried their “hearty breakfasts”, aptly named, everything covered in hollandaise sauce!
Driving 150 miles down to Waterton Glacier NP. Pretty rolling fall country. Crosswinds gusting to 50 MPH, made for pretty interesting driving. One truck and travel trailer combo we saw was pushed clear off the road.
Driving in a light rain to Peyto Lake and Lake Louise
Icefields Parkway
The drive from Jasper to Banff is spectacular. More incredible alpine vistas, Athabascan Falls with its moss-clad rocks, the Athabascan Glacier Fields and our lovely Wilcox Campground near Sunwapta Pass having a spectacular view of a snow clad mountains.
Jasper National Park is chock full of unexpectedly beautiful vistas. Around every turn, it seems, we find a new opportunity for exclamations of “Oh, my god, look at that!” In addition, abundant wildlife viewing opportunities (today, including Bighorn Sheep, elk and moose) remind us that we are truly in the wild.
Todays destinations included, Medicine Lake, Lake Maligne and Miette Hot Springs, where we soaked in the 104 degree waters (outside air temp being 46 degrees!), ate a home cooked Greek dinner At our innkeeper’s restaurant where we rented a small bungalow cabin for the night.
The drive from Wells Gray Provincial Park to Jasper National Park is spectacular! Densely treed ridges give way to rugged snow topped mountains with new vistas presenting at every turn of the road.
Shirley’s birthday dinner at a Jasper Korean Restaurant. They gave her a huge slice of cheesecake in honor of her birthday!
Great visit to the Northern Lite factory – an informative tour of the production process, a few minor repairs and an opportunity to meet the staff and the owner! A truly professional organization striving for excellence in their field.
After our factory tour, onward along the North Thompson River to Wells Gray Provincial Park – 30 miles off the beaten track in the mountains of British Columbia. A cold night dropping to xx, but snug and warm in our camper.
Leaving Spokane, we journeyed north to the Canadian border, then west to the Okanagan Valley – the “wine and fruit basket” of Canada. Miles of vineyards, wineries and orchards line the Okanagan River. We stopped for peaches and a cherry pie (to be baked at a later time). 
Reaching Kelowna at 6pm, we enjoyed a picnic dinner of fried bagels with cream cheese, spinach, and smoked salmon and smoked trout, washed down by a gifted bottle of 2006 Penfolds Shiraz. 
David Willett 