Road to Yellowstone

Before Reaching Yellowstone I stopped in Livingston and visited the Fly Fishers Museum.
I had a personal tour of the museum and really enjoyed it.

I see my first Elk in Gardiner , the North Entrance to Yellowstone.

On my way to West Yellowstone I see more elk along the road.  It's great to be in Yellowstone.

I love site 37 at the Wagon Wheel Campground.  I can do laundry, Wifi, Electricity, showers and nearby Restaurants.  It's great to be here.  I bike all over town.

I visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.  They have 8 Grizzlies and 6 Wolves.
These animals were saved from injury and likely death in the US and Canada.  Its a non-profit center and also home to important scientific research.

The center gives people like me a chance to see these animals up-close.  Here my friend Kobuk is trying to get a PVC bird feeder out of the tree.  His nick name is "The Destroyer", and he helps test bear resistent devices.  He was most persistent in getting this feeder from the tree.

Nakina and Kobuk are sister and brothers from Alaska.  Their Mother was shot by a farmer while eating free range chickens.  They would not have been able to survive on their own and were brought to the center.  My ticket to the center covered two days of visiting Kobuk and Nakina.

My neighbors and I went out to dinner and talked about our trip.  They were the ones that recommended the Wagon Wheel to me.My  

Back in the USA

Canada Blogs: 4 blogs to publish
I found the wifi wasn't working for me in Canada so I wrote my blogs off-line.
Lake Louise
Lake Moraine Everybody's Favorite
Incredible Icefields
Banff, Big, Beautiful

Things I liked about Canada
1. Canadian Rockies 5 Stars*****
2. Kilometers, it seems you arrive places faster
3. The other language is French
4.  Campgrounds are spacious

Waiting to cross the border.  Lots of Questions!

Glad to be back in Montana!

The East side of Glacier National Park.

St. Mary's Campground.  A bear was near-by, my neighbor saw him on the hillside.

I hiked to St. Mary's Falls with two young women, one from France and the other from Indiana.

 They hiked on while I sketched.

 I asked another group if I could walk with them.  Two couples from South Carolina talked me into hiking to Virginia Falls.  They were very nice people.

Virginia Falls was spectacular.

 St Mary's Lake was by my campground.

 I biked to the Visitor's Center, before it rained.

Sketch of St. Mary's Falls.

 Good-bye to Glacier National Park.  I really liked it there.

Lake Louise

Sketching at The Chateau Lake Louise

Lake Louise
August 27, 2013
I met a woman from Connecticut traveling by herself.  She mentioned she was disappointed in Lake Louise.  Another couple from London also mentioned their disappointment.  I had to find out for myself so I set off early.

I set out from Lake Louise Campground and arrive  at 9 a.m. There is plenty of parking.                       

 The Chateau Lake Louise
I explore the hotel and check out where I will have lunch.

Many flowers at the Chateau.

I walked the lakeside trail with turquoise water and beautiful reflections.

 I find this desk over-looking the Lake in a deserted spot at Hotel.  I call this luxury sketching!

I go to the fancy bar restaurant at the Chateau for lunch at 11:30 a.m.  I tell the hostess "Table for One".
She leads me to one of the best tables in the restaurant.  I think this calls for a glass of wine!

My lobster and shrimp salad on a croissant with asparagus is delicious!  I feel like Princess Louise.
Lake Louise is named for Princess Louise, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria.

Lake Louise is Grand! It did not Disappoint 

ME!

It was a special day!

 Can one take too many photographs???

Hiking along Lake Louise is beautiful.

Lake Moraine Everyone's Favorite

sketching in the rain!

Monday August 26, 2013
I left Lake Louise Campground at 8:30 a.m. this morning to get a good parking space at Lake Moraine.  Everyone told me it was hard to park there, and when I arrived yesterday afternoon a sign was posted No Parking at Lake Moraine.  It had rained last night and mist and fog was covering the trees and mountains.

It started to rain as I was sketching, I guess that added to the atmosphere!

I hiked the Lakeside Trail.  

I  

The mountains kept appearing and disappearing!

Hat,Vest and Gloves!

Beautiful turquoise  Lake Moraine.

A couple from London pointed out a pika to me.
She called it a rabbit but it didn't look like any rabbit I ever saw!

Trails were closed for grizzlies but this was the only one I saw.  He helped me pick out my wine!

I loved Lake Moraine it was a special day in the off and on rain.  Cars were waiting for my spot when I left.

The wine was very good.

Incredible Icefields

              Driving to the Columbia Icefields was the most scenic I have ever taken.

Majestic Mountains carved by glaciers.

Rivers and Lakes with turquoise water from glacier silt, were astonishing.

The glacier advances.

We took a bus to get to ice explorer .

The Athabasca Glacier

We had 20 minutes to walk on the glacier.

I'm glad I didn't miss this.  The projection is no more glaciers by 2030.

The scenic drive back was so enjoyable.  I took video of the scenery.  Later when I watched the video I heard myself say: "I can't believe it!  I can't believe it!" It's so beautiful

This is the landscape!

I say good-bye to my friends in Jasper National Park and head to my campground in Lake Louise.