Via text message from Shep and Johnny, They are now in our 49th State.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The Canadian Rockies
Day ??? Calgary to Banff
We left Calgary and drove to Banff, a resort town in the Canadian Rockies.
We camped outside of town at Tunnel Mountain Resort. As we were setting up camp, a coyote strolled by with its dinner in its mouth. It set it down and started going to town and then took off when we starting taking pictures.
After we had our tent [note: we've been sleeping in a small two-man tent designed for backcountry hiking] set up, the guy camping across the way walked by our campsite. He comments, "That looks like the Brokeback Mountain Tent." What does that even mean?
Banff is a pretty touristy little place, which both John and I kind of find annoying, but the hiking in the area is amazing. We did a day hike up a mountain where the rock formed a natural ampitheatre. It was amazing! Check out the pics.
After the hike, we relaxed at the Banff Hot Springs. It was pretty much a multi-cultural swimming pool. There had to have been a least a dozen languages spoken there.
It's time to go eat dinner. I'll write more later on down the trail. The best part is coming up, getting caught in a storm on top of a mountain!
We left Calgary and drove to Banff, a resort town in the Canadian Rockies.
We camped outside of town at Tunnel Mountain Resort. As we were setting up camp, a coyote strolled by with its dinner in its mouth. It set it down and started going to town and then took off when we starting taking pictures.
After we had our tent [note: we've been sleeping in a small two-man tent designed for backcountry hiking] set up, the guy camping across the way walked by our campsite. He comments, "That looks like the Brokeback Mountain Tent." What does that even mean?
Banff is a pretty touristy little place, which both John and I kind of find annoying, but the hiking in the area is amazing. We did a day hike up a mountain where the rock formed a natural ampitheatre. It was amazing! Check out the pics.
After the hike, we relaxed at the Banff Hot Springs. It was pretty much a multi-cultural swimming pool. There had to have been a least a dozen languages spoken there.
It's time to go eat dinner. I'll write more later on down the trail. The best part is coming up, getting caught in a storm on top of a mountain!
More make-up posts from the road
Days Three and Four: Glacier National Park [Backcountry]
We spent the next two nights camping in the backcountry. Here is a picture of us right before we hit the trail.
The first day we hike about 6.5 miles to Poia Lake campground.
We ended up camping here two nights, because were unable to get another backcountry site. As a result, the second day we did a day trip to Red Gap Pass (there and back). You can see the red rock for which it gets its name.
Day Five: Glacier National Park to Calgary, Alberta
We exited the park, after seeing some amazing stuff, but no bears or moose unfortunately. On our way down the mountain we ran into a group of four hardcore grandmas packed up and ready to hit the backcountry. They told us they saw a grizzly at the trail head, but by the time we got down there, we didn't see anything.
On our way out of Montana, we stopped at a little general store to re-pack the car. Incidentally, we have to do this all the time, anytime we camp or even go into a hostel, everything gets all jacked up and the car is full to the brim anyway. Most of my life is in the car. I'm also constantly losing stuff amongst all the junk and the packing and re-packing. Anyway, in front of this store, is a true cowboy sitting on a bench. He's wearing sunglasses on his ruddy face. In fact, it looks like his whole head has been smudged out with sandpaper. Hard living.
John empties out the cooler and distributes some miscellaneous Rolling Rocks that are almost warm to the cowboy. He sets them next to his boots, because he is already nursing one. After we tell him, we are headed to Anchorage, he volunteers that he made it to Anchorage in 32 hours once. "Anchorage", he says, "There's a lot of whores in Anchorage." He had a look of fond reminiscence on his face as he delivered this gem.
I believe he even told us to get us some of them whores, as we got into the car to leave.
Arriving in Calgary
We pull into Calgary in the early evening. Calgary or maybe it is just Alberta is called the New West according to many billboards, for whatever that's worth. I'm not sure what that means really!
We had reservations for a hostel in the city which sits just east of the city center. As we pull in front of the hostel (which looks quite nice), we notice that the surrounding area is a bit run down. Lots of vagrants and shady interactions occurring on the street.
We get into the hostel and after paying and whatnot, I ask the front desk attendant if it is okay to leave my car out on the street for the next two nights, given what I had observed.
Woman: Oh, yeah. I've worked here two months. It's completely safe.
Me (inner monologue): When I got out of my car, there was a guy on the corner barking at the sky! And a diseased prostitute strolled by, belly extended, looking for business.
Woman: You can park downtown, but Calgary is ranked as the 18th most expensive downtown in the world!
Johnny (inner monologue): You're full of S**t!
Me: I think we'll check out the parking downtown.
Here's a picture of downtown Calgary. They have a ridiculous space needle that is smaller than most every other building in the downtown.
Other Amusing Quotes/Interchanges from downtown Calgary:
1. Walking next to the tram platform, a man randomly comments to us and points to a woman on the other side of the street, "Gentlemen, now that is a pair of legs." Inner Monologue: "Oh, I'm sorry, were we having a conversation with you."
2. The Calgary tram peace officer pulls up alongside as we are walking along the sidewalk. [Note: Some would say we had just errantly crossed the street in front of an oncoming tram, but, for the record, it was a considerable distance away, though, nevertheless illegal].
Officer: Hey, guys. Do you know why I am stopping.
Us: Yes. We shouldn't of crossed in front of the tram back there.
Officer: Gosh, that was close one. You were really close to getting hit back there. Do you know what happens when you get hit by the tram? Death.
Us: Yeah, sorry about that. We won't do it again.
We spent the next two nights camping in the backcountry. Here is a picture of us right before we hit the trail.
The first day we hike about 6.5 miles to Poia Lake campground.
We ended up camping here two nights, because were unable to get another backcountry site. As a result, the second day we did a day trip to Red Gap Pass (there and back). You can see the red rock for which it gets its name.
Day Five: Glacier National Park to Calgary, Alberta
We exited the park, after seeing some amazing stuff, but no bears or moose unfortunately. On our way down the mountain we ran into a group of four hardcore grandmas packed up and ready to hit the backcountry. They told us they saw a grizzly at the trail head, but by the time we got down there, we didn't see anything.
On our way out of Montana, we stopped at a little general store to re-pack the car. Incidentally, we have to do this all the time, anytime we camp or even go into a hostel, everything gets all jacked up and the car is full to the brim anyway. Most of my life is in the car. I'm also constantly losing stuff amongst all the junk and the packing and re-packing. Anyway, in front of this store, is a true cowboy sitting on a bench. He's wearing sunglasses on his ruddy face. In fact, it looks like his whole head has been smudged out with sandpaper. Hard living.
John empties out the cooler and distributes some miscellaneous Rolling Rocks that are almost warm to the cowboy. He sets them next to his boots, because he is already nursing one. After we tell him, we are headed to Anchorage, he volunteers that he made it to Anchorage in 32 hours once. "Anchorage", he says, "There's a lot of whores in Anchorage." He had a look of fond reminiscence on his face as he delivered this gem.
I believe he even told us to get us some of them whores, as we got into the car to leave.
Arriving in Calgary
We pull into Calgary in the early evening. Calgary or maybe it is just Alberta is called the New West according to many billboards, for whatever that's worth. I'm not sure what that means really!
We had reservations for a hostel in the city which sits just east of the city center. As we pull in front of the hostel (which looks quite nice), we notice that the surrounding area is a bit run down. Lots of vagrants and shady interactions occurring on the street.
We get into the hostel and after paying and whatnot, I ask the front desk attendant if it is okay to leave my car out on the street for the next two nights, given what I had observed.
Woman: Oh, yeah. I've worked here two months. It's completely safe.
Me (inner monologue): When I got out of my car, there was a guy on the corner barking at the sky! And a diseased prostitute strolled by, belly extended, looking for business.
Woman: You can park downtown, but Calgary is ranked as the 18th most expensive downtown in the world!
Johnny (inner monologue): You're full of S**t!
Me: I think we'll check out the parking downtown.
Here's a picture of downtown Calgary. They have a ridiculous space needle that is smaller than most every other building in the downtown.
Other Amusing Quotes/Interchanges from downtown Calgary:
1. Walking next to the tram platform, a man randomly comments to us and points to a woman on the other side of the street, "Gentlemen, now that is a pair of legs." Inner Monologue: "Oh, I'm sorry, were we having a conversation with you."
2. The Calgary tram peace officer pulls up alongside as we are walking along the sidewalk. [Note: Some would say we had just errantly crossed the street in front of an oncoming tram, but, for the record, it was a considerable distance away, though, nevertheless illegal].
Officer: Hey, guys. Do you know why I am stopping.
Us: Yes. We shouldn't of crossed in front of the tram back there.
Officer: Gosh, that was close one. You were really close to getting hit back there. Do you know what happens when you get hit by the tram? Death.
Us: Yeah, sorry about that. We won't do it again.
At Long Last: Vignettes from the Road
Internet has been sporadic, so other than occasionally posting some photos on facebook, we haven't managed to write much about our trip. And when I do get the time, I realize I am exhausted and not feeling creative enough. That being said, I'll try to suck it up for the time being and tell a little about what has been happening so far. Here goes:
Day 1- Minneapolis to Deadwood, South Dakota
Not that interesting of a drive actually. South Dakota is pretty flat until you get to the Southwest Corner. As Sturgis--the bike rally--was starting the day we rolled into Deadwood, we passed a lot of bikers en route. The main highlights were the drive through The Badlands.
After the Badlands, we went to Wall, SD, which had been advertised vigorously across the State, as if were the greatest attraction of all time. If you're into cliches and the ridiculous trinkets that you can pick up at truck stops all across America, then the Wall Drug Store is your place. The store was staffed by young foreigners (mainly from Eastern Europe and Russia it seemed). Poor Bastards probably waited in lengthy lines and waded through tons of bureaucratic red tape to go to America and end up in the ass crack of South Dakota dealing with America's finest--the obnoxious tourist. Needless to say, we grabbed a burger and left this place pretty quick.
The next stop on the way to Deadwood was Mt. Rushmore. I thought it would be one of those sites where it was quite less impressive in person, but I was pleasantly surprised. Pretty Cool!
The funniest thing about Mt. Rushmore were the signs on the way there for a rather dubious attraction entitled Cosmo's Mystery Area. The signs encouraged visitors to "See it, Feel it" because "It's Crazy!" I know one thing:No one is allowed to feel my mystery area without permission.
Deadwood was ridiculously packed with bikers. It's a pretty cool little tourist town though. We ate a crappy meal at this bar among old dirty bikers and their unfortunately scantily clad wives and girlfriends. The bar served Budweiser cans and had sawdust on the floor. We spent the rest of the evening playing blackjack at a casino where John actually came out on top and I lost a few bucks.
Day Two: Deadwood, SD to St. Mary's, Montana (Glacier National Park)
I can't remember much of this leg of the trip now. I remember it was quite pretty leaving Deadwood and then sort of flattened out into Montana farm land. We camped for the night just inside Glacier National Park at St. Mary's Campground (below). It is hard to see how amazing the view was from these pictures, but I have never camped in such a beautiful campground.
Days Three and Four: Glacier National Park [Backcountry]
We spent the next two nights camping in the backcountry at Poia Lake and hiking to/from that point.
Day Five: Glacier National Park to Calgary, Alberta
We exited the park, after seeing some amazing stuff, but no bears or moose unfortunately. On our way down the mountain we ran into a group of four hardcore grandmas packed up and ready to hit the backcountry. They told us they saw a grizzly at the trail head, but by the time we got down there, we didn't see anything.
On our way out of Montana, we stopped at a little general store to re-pack the car. Incidentally, we have to do this all the time, anytime we camp or even go into a hostel, everything gets all jacked up and the car is full to the brim anyway. Most of my life is in the car. I'm also constantly losing stuff amongst all the junk and the packing and re-packing. Anyway, in front of this store, is a true cowboy sitting on a bench. He's wearing sunglasses on his ruddy face. In fact, it looks like his whole head has been smudged out with sandpaper. Hard living. John empties out the cooler and distributes some miscellaneous Rolling Rocks that are almost warm to the cowboy. He sets them next to his boots, because he is already nursing one. After we tell him, we are headed to Anchorage, he volunteers that he made it to Anchorage in 32 hours once. "Anchorage", he says, "There's a lot of whores in Anchorage." I believe he even told us to get us some of them whores, as we got into the car to leave.
Day 1- Minneapolis to Deadwood, South Dakota
Not that interesting of a drive actually. South Dakota is pretty flat until you get to the Southwest Corner. As Sturgis--the bike rally--was starting the day we rolled into Deadwood, we passed a lot of bikers en route. The main highlights were the drive through The Badlands.
After the Badlands, we went to Wall, SD, which had been advertised vigorously across the State, as if were the greatest attraction of all time. If you're into cliches and the ridiculous trinkets that you can pick up at truck stops all across America, then the Wall Drug Store is your place. The store was staffed by young foreigners (mainly from Eastern Europe and Russia it seemed). Poor Bastards probably waited in lengthy lines and waded through tons of bureaucratic red tape to go to America and end up in the ass crack of South Dakota dealing with America's finest--the obnoxious tourist. Needless to say, we grabbed a burger and left this place pretty quick.
The next stop on the way to Deadwood was Mt. Rushmore. I thought it would be one of those sites where it was quite less impressive in person, but I was pleasantly surprised. Pretty Cool!
The funniest thing about Mt. Rushmore were the signs on the way there for a rather dubious attraction entitled Cosmo's Mystery Area. The signs encouraged visitors to "See it, Feel it" because "It's Crazy!" I know one thing:No one is allowed to feel my mystery area without permission.
Deadwood was ridiculously packed with bikers. It's a pretty cool little tourist town though. We ate a crappy meal at this bar among old dirty bikers and their unfortunately scantily clad wives and girlfriends. The bar served Budweiser cans and had sawdust on the floor. We spent the rest of the evening playing blackjack at a casino where John actually came out on top and I lost a few bucks.
Day Two: Deadwood, SD to St. Mary's, Montana (Glacier National Park)
I can't remember much of this leg of the trip now. I remember it was quite pretty leaving Deadwood and then sort of flattened out into Montana farm land. We camped for the night just inside Glacier National Park at St. Mary's Campground (below). It is hard to see how amazing the view was from these pictures, but I have never camped in such a beautiful campground.
Days Three and Four: Glacier National Park [Backcountry]
We spent the next two nights camping in the backcountry at Poia Lake and hiking to/from that point.
Day Five: Glacier National Park to Calgary, Alberta
We exited the park, after seeing some amazing stuff, but no bears or moose unfortunately. On our way down the mountain we ran into a group of four hardcore grandmas packed up and ready to hit the backcountry. They told us they saw a grizzly at the trail head, but by the time we got down there, we didn't see anything.
On our way out of Montana, we stopped at a little general store to re-pack the car. Incidentally, we have to do this all the time, anytime we camp or even go into a hostel, everything gets all jacked up and the car is full to the brim anyway. Most of my life is in the car. I'm also constantly losing stuff amongst all the junk and the packing and re-packing. Anyway, in front of this store, is a true cowboy sitting on a bench. He's wearing sunglasses on his ruddy face. In fact, it looks like his whole head has been smudged out with sandpaper. Hard living. John empties out the cooler and distributes some miscellaneous Rolling Rocks that are almost warm to the cowboy. He sets them next to his boots, because he is already nursing one. After we tell him, we are headed to Anchorage, he volunteers that he made it to Anchorage in 32 hours once. "Anchorage", he says, "There's a lot of whores in Anchorage." I believe he even told us to get us some of them whores, as we got into the car to leave.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Top 5 Daily Show Ted Stevens Moments
For a good laugh, check out all of these classic Ted Stevens moments:
Here's my favorite, the internets are a series of tubes:
Here's my favorite, the internets are a series of tubes:
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Going to the Sun Road
A video tour of the Going to the Sun Road that cuts across Glacier National Park and a cool video showing the snow plowing still happening in JUNE
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