Diary of a Move... Day 36

Day 34

It's hard for me to remember that our cross country trip isn't primarily a trip... It's a move we tried to turn into a trip.  Trying to keep this fact in mind, I still can't believe that we went all the way to Arizona and only spent one day at this wonder of the natural world.  I hope this will be our first trip of many!

While searching for "Grand Canyon dog friendly accommodations", I came across The Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel.  The hotel has it's own pet kennel... Dog friendly at a whole new level!  ;)  With Kodiak  taken care of, we were free to take the day for the train ride and south rim exploring.

The train was fun... There were snacks and music and beautiful views.  Upon arrival at the Canyon, we went straight to the edge to take in the view... Amazing!  As soon as we saw it, we started talking about how we had to come back and spend more than just a few hours!

Day 35

Today promised to be a long, hot day of driving!  Even though it wasn't on the way at all, we decided to visit Four Corners.  It was crazy hot, but I'm so glad we went!

Finding a place to stay was a challenge, but Bill rose to the occasion and booked us a room in Farmington, NM.  We weren't expecting much from Farmington, but the hotel was next to a walking path along the Animas River, 3 Rivers Brewing was a great brew pub / restaurant find, and I was even able to find a pretty decent iced coffee in the morning at Durango Joe's.

I don't ever see this being a destination for us, but I would definitely look forward stopping here again, if needed!

Day 36

Santa Fe, NM isn't too far from Farmington, so we had to make the drive longer!  ;)

We set out for Taos for some nice New Mexico scenery...

This was the view for our picnic lunch... After all the rainy day picnics in Canada and Montana, we earned this one!  It was sunny and breezy, we had to pull out our sweatshirts!!

After lunch, we made the descent to Taos... And it was hot! hot! hot! once again.  We enjoyed walking around town, but hope to visit some day in the winter for skiing.

On the way to our hotel in Santa Fe, we drove by Blue Heron Brewing and couldn't resist stopping for a growler.  The locals were very friendly!  ;)

After arriving in Santa Fe, we found The Pantry for dinner.  The menu was awesome... Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and "New Mexican" cuisine were all options... Yum!

After dinner was a quick stop at Santa Fe Brewing... Yup, another growler!  Then... laundry and swimming time.  We've been terrible about getting M&M to bed at a reasonable hour, and tonight was no different.  No matter, sight seeing starts early tomorrow!  :)

Diary of a Move... Day 33

Day 30

After a quick morning swim, a photo op next to the falls, and a stop at the Idaho Potato Museum, we were on our way to Aunt L and Uncle J's in Salt Lake City!

The outskirts of SLC showed us our first traffic of the trip... After all the open space of Canada and Montana, the cars buildings of SLC were overwhelming!

After arriving and getting a tour of L&J's beautiful home, we went for a quick lunch of burritos, tacos, and quesadillas at an awesome restaurant that was once featured in Sunset magazine... They had the article hanging on the wall.  ;)

Post lunch, was a behind the scenes tour at J's office.  We got to see equipment being strength tested and made... Very cool!  After checking out the company store, we went home and for a walk around the neighborhood.

L&J made us an excellent dinner starting with mix master J's margaritas!  ;)

The fun continued after dinner as we drive to Snowbird to watch The Sandlot. After the heat of the day, it was cool and clear on the mountain.  We all stayed cozy in fleece and blankets and really enjoyed the movie!  (I had never seen it... And, M&M were so thrilled to watch a movie outside!)

Day 31

We started our day with a stop at Publick for coffee and tea and trip to the SLC Farmers Market for breakfast.  We found bagels and croissants for M&M, and then sat down to biscuits made by a friend of L&J's... Yummy!  

After breakfast, we were given a tour of downtown SLC including the state house and Temple Square.  (I managed a quick run into Gymboree and took advantage of the $5 rack... Mary needed new clothes after playing in the fountain!)

Home for a quick snack/lunch, and then we were off to Snowbird for an afternoon of outdoor fun... Bungee trampoline... Mountain Coaster... Alpine slide... Ropes course... Tram ride... So fun!  After the miserable weather in Banff and Montana, it was so nice to enjoy a warm, sunny afternoon outside... Even if it did mean a bit of sunburn and an emergency aloe purchase.  ;)

Dinner was at a great Czech brewery called Bohemia!  After dinner, we stopped at Nielsen's (recently voted Utah's best custard!) for dessert... Although M&M were hesitant at first (they are huge FroYo fans and weren't sure about this custard thing), we all enjoyed the treat!!

L&J planned an amazing day... Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Day 32

We started today with homemade pancakes and a trip to the Museum of Natural History.  The pancakes were amazing, and J promised to share the recipe.  The museum was recently renovated and has fabulous exhibits on Utah geology and dinosaurs!

On the way home from the museum, we stopped for Italian sandwiches to go... Another yum!

There was time for a quick afternoon swim before heading out for a scenic drive through Big Cottonwood Canyon and on to Park City and then Sundance for dinner.  The drive was beautiful and we again enjoyed cooler temps at elevation.  Park City looked like fun (next visit!) and Sundance was beautiful... I can see why Robert Redford fell in love with the area!  

I can't believe all the things we did this weekend, yet I know there is still more to be done!  We're hoping to make a winter visit to SLC to see how Utah does winter!  Thanks, L&J!

Day 33

When we planed the trip, over 500 miles of driving semed a small price to pay for a long weekend off the road... But, by Monday afternoon, we were all pretty done with the car!  The scenery was beautiful, but we were all a little tuckered out and grumpy.  

I had more than a few problems with the navigation apps on my phone... Connectivity is hard to come by in rural Utah and Arizona... Despite the issues, we arrived at our destination at about 5:30pm (thanks to the fact that AZ doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time).  Dinner was take out pizza in the room, and then a quick walk to town for (we think) M&M's first trip to DQ!  A grape slushie, a chocolate shake, and a health bar blizzard right all sorts of wrongs!  ;)

Tomorrow we'll see what we came for... The Grand Canyon!

Diary of a Move... Day 29

Today was just a driving day... But we made an adventure of it!  ;)

We left our cabin and drove through Kalispell, Montana.  I wanted to visit Camas Creek Yarns... M&M and I wandered around for fifteen minutes getting ideas for our next knitting projects.  After Bill herded us out, we stopped at Montana Coffee Traders, and then we really started the driving for the day.

After crossing into Idaho, we started looking for gas stations.  We passed one, but were sure we would come across another... We did, but had only a few miles left to empty!  That was a stressful time in the car!!

After filling up on gas, we continued on to Idaho Falls for dinner at Scotty's a Drive In.  Great burgers, fries, and amazing shakes!

Finally, we headed to our hotel for a pre bedtime dip in the pool for M&M.

Tomorrow, Salt Lake City!

Diary of a Move... Day 28

I cannot believe how the weather has tried to thwart my awesome adventure plans!  All I have to say is:

Road closure?  Pouring rain?  Fog?  Snow?  What else you got, Mother Nature?  ;)

Here we are at the end of our quick 1 mile hike through the Trail of Cedars.  After dumping all our soaked gear in the trunk, we jumped back in the car for yet another car picnic.  Here is the view of McDonald Creek and the snow that we enjoyed during lunch:

Right now, we are cozied up in the Lake  McDonald Lodge enjoying the warmth from the fire and a cup of tea (me) and window shopping (Bill and the girls).

We will end up spending less time in the park than planned, but we are all excited to enjoy a fire and more games tonight back at the cabin.

Diary of a Move... Day 27

We headed out of Banff this morning bound for Radium Hot Springs.  It was drier today, and we enjoyed the ride through Kootenay National Park.  RHS were less crowded than both Miette and Banff and well worth the stop!

As we drove south towards the US border, we could see rain in the distance.  Sure enough, shortly after crossing the border, it started to rain... Again!  ;)

We stopped in Whitefish and walked up and down the main street... Looked like a fun town!

Pretty wet, we hopped back in the car and headed for our cabin.  We filled the gas tank and stopped at Safeway to load up on groceries.  M&M were pretty excited to see Raven's Brew coffee and Alaskan Brewing beer, but Bill and I decided to go local purchasing Montana Coffee Traders coffee and GreatNorthern  Brewing's Going to the Sun IPA.

We arrived at our cabin, unloaded, and made dinner.  The proprietor stopped by to say hello, and told us we could explore the other cabin if we wanted... Of course, we wanted!  We had fun wandering around in the rain with the cows, deer, and Kodak the dog (resident dog).  Kodiak even said hello to the cows!  We ended the night playing Uno by the fire.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is wretched (40's and rain), but we are packing our rain pants and heading out to Glacier National Park!

Diary of a Move... Day 26

The "typical" Juneau rain seems to be following us.  I told Bill today that I hadn't given much thought to the weather during our trip before leaving Juneau, because I assumed it would be better.  It's been a rainy Canadian weekend, but we've still had a good time!

Today we left Jasper (an hour later than planned) to drive the famed Icefields Parkway... Even in the rain, it was beautiful!

Believe it or not, we even saw snowflakes at Bow Pass (the highest point on the parkway)... The low temp we saw today was 38 degrees!

Despite the cold and rain, we enjoyed the sights, a little bit of Banff shopping, dinner at the Bear Street Tavern (Canmore Brewing beers [a fave stop in 2011] on special!), ice cream at Moos, and a visit to our second hot spring in two days.  

The girls are enjoying the hot springs so much, that they didn't even ask to swim in the hotel pool tonight.  ;)

Tomorrow, we are trying for a trifecta... Three hot springs in three days!  And, we head back into the US!!

Diary of a Move... Day 25

We "lost" another hour yesterday when we crossed into Alberta and entered Mountain Time.  This combined with a late swim and an even later bedtime, had everyone sleeping in!  We started the day with breakfast in the room (kitchenette!) and a Father's Day celebration... Happy Father's Day, Bill!!  We love you more than the chocolatiest brownie (Martha)/ everything I've ever owned (Mary) /coffee(erin)!!!  ;)

We had planned to visit the Jasper Sky Tram, but rain and low clouds made us reconsider... We headed straight to Miette Hot Springs instead.  It was raining steadily by the time we entered the pools, but that only added to the fun! Bill and the girls braved the cold pool, while I stayed toasty warm in the "cooler" of the two hot pools.  (The hottest pool is 104 degrees!)

I had packed a picnic lunch, but there was no covered picnic area... So, we decided to drive to a scenic overlook and enjoy a car picnic.  On our way out of the parking lot, we encountered a family of goats who were very interested in the truck/camper parked behind us.  And, on the way to our picnic, we saw a small black bear scrambling through the woods.  Later in the day, we spotted mountain goats.  Three sightings today... Woohooo!

After lunch, we drove back to town, explored the Fairmont Jasper Lodge, walked through a few downtown shops, and then headed back to our room.  Bill went for a run, I did some laundry, and the girls played in the loft.  (The hotel made an error, and gave us a large family suite!)  Dinner was take out pizza, a rousing game of Uno, followed by a swim.  

We have every intention of leaving early tomorrow, but another late bedtime has me wondering... 

Diary of a Move... Day 23

We started the day with one last swim at the "awesome" hotel pool!  (M&M are a little disappointed that tonight's hotel doesn't have a pool.  Note to self for next trip!)

After all the wildlife sightings yesterday, we were very hopeful... But, no sightings again today.

We arrived in Dawson Creek and took our "Mile 0" pictures before checking into our hotel.  

Dinner was at the #2 rated place on Trip Advisor... Stuie's Diner.  We thought that #1 might be a chain, and we decided to go local.  Stuie's was a huge hit (esp with M&M... shakes and ice cream!)

After dinner, we scooted around the back parking lot of the hotel (thanks, Jen C for the idea!)... After swimming twice in 12 hours, M&M were in need of some more physical activity!

Today was a quieter day, but we are heading to an exciting part of our journey tomorrow... Jasper National Park!

Diary of a Move... Day 24

Today was another "just driving day"... And a long one at that!  

We're still hoping for moose and Brown Bear sightings (none today), but today we were lucky enough to have 2 deer sightings and 1 sheep sighting.  Tomorrow is supposed to be cool and rainy, so we're crossing our fingers!

After arriving at Jasper National Park, we drove through the park to arrive in the town of Jasper.  After checking in, we walked downtown and decided to have dinner at Jasper Brewing Co.  Great food, excellent beer, and friendly service... A nice treat after a long day in the car.  As we strolled home, we even stopped in the candy shop where M&M each picked a lollipop as a treat (we get beer, they get sugar!) ;)

After dinner, a dip in the pool ends the day for M&M... Bill and I are going to sit, chat, and enjoy the view for a little while...

Diary of a Move... Day 22

Day 21 - plan for the day

*Beringia Center visit

*drive to Watson Lake

Our morning in Whitehorse included errands (snacks, lunch, gas) and a stop at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Center.  Martha and Mary successfully found the hidden rhino and mammoth and received certificates and prizes (cool posters!) from the friendly staffers.  I was most impressed by the Giant Beaver... All I could thinks of were there R.O.U.S.'s... Who can name that movie?  ;)

M&M in front of the Beringia Center

We rolled out of town about 1pm and drove straight through to Watson Lake.  It was a long 4 1/2 hours for Bill as M&M and I all napped at some point.  The scenery was beautiful, but we were very disappointed to see no wildlife.

After checking into our hotel, we went to dinner and then wandered around The Sign Post Forrest.  We were able to find the two signs left by our friends the Versaws in 2012.  Greg gave us a couple hints, and Martha did a great job finding both signs.  Sorry Clarkes, we couldn't find yours!  We left a bumper sticker, and vowed to bring a "real" sign the next time we come through!!

D17 Legal Sign
placed by the Versaws in 2012

Versaw Family Sign
you can still see the lettering at the right angle

Dwyer Family "Sign"

considering our destination,
we liked this sign ;)

Day 22 - plan for the day

*drive to Liard Hot Springs

*visit hot springs and have a picnic lunch

*drive to Fort Nelson 

We all slept until about 7:30 (gosh that feels good!) and drove out of town about 9:30am.  We have been criss crossing the Yukon / British Columbia border and crossed into BC right after leaving Watson Lake.  The wildlife must prefer BC as we spotted a black bear and two solitary bison shortly after.

We arrived at the hot springs (thanks for the parking info [we need shade for Kodiak], Kathleen!) and hurried to change.  We had been watching a front all morning and were hoping to enjoy the hot springs and a picnic lunch before the weather turned.  We loved the quick walk from the parking lot through the marshy area, and the hot springs were an even better surprise!  So warm, so relaxing... A natural gravel floor and beautiful benches to relax on while cooling off.  M&M enjoyed the cooler pool, while Bill and i took turns in the hottest.

Liard Hot Springs

It started to rain while we were changing, but we made it back to the car before the real weather started.  We grabbed our picnic from the car and set up under a nearby shelter.  We enjoyed listening to and watching a heavy thunderstorm that included pea sized hail!

After the storm passed, we packed up and headed out to finish up the ride to Fort Nelson.  It was a great afternoon for wildlife sightings... We had 17 different sightings and saw more than 30 animals including black bear, buffalo/bison, stone sheep, Canada Goose, and deer.  We're all hoping for brown bear and moose tomorrow!

leftover hail on the road after leaving Liard Hot Springs

After arriving at our hotel, we headed to Mary's favorite restaurant... Boston Pizza!  After dinner fun included a swim in the pool with the super fast water slide that the girls remembered from our trip to Juneau in 2011.

Diary of a Move... Day 20, part 2

Plan for the day:

*ferry from Juneau to Haines, AK

*drive to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

*stay overnight in Whitehorse

We started this new adventure with a super fun ferry ride from Juneau to Haines!  I walked on to grab a table, while Bill and the girls waited to load the car.  Our friends Jan and Steve (who were traveling to Haines to see family) joined us.  We chatted, played games, knit, read, snacked, and whale watched the for the duration of the trip.  As we pulled away from the terminal, the Kennicott was pulling in carrying Bill's replacement.  We waved a "Welcome to Juneau!" wave as we got underway.   

After arriving in Haines, we took a quick loop through town stopping at Mountain Market for lunch!  One sandwich, one roll, two cookies, and two coffees (Aztec Mocha for Bill, iced coffe for me!) later, we traveled north heading for the US/Canada border. 

Gray skies gave way to blue as we crossed the the border into Canada!  We spotted lots of arctic ground squirrels (they look like prairie dogs) and saw a beautiful black bear!!

We finally arrived in Whitehorse around 5:45pm... We "lost" an hour entering Canada.  We checked into the hotel, and then headed to Bocelli's for a yummy pizza dinner.  

i spent hours putting this binder together

considering how organized our pack out wasn't, 

i probably should have been working on that instead!  ;)

beautiful view from the passenger seat

Diary of a Move... Day 20

3:45am wake up call, 11 gallons of gas, 5 donuts, 5 bagels, 1 little ferry, and more than 6,000 miles to go

Diary of a Move... Day 19

Well, it was a fast/crazy week, and I've spent more time in this chair than I care to admit.

I will miss Juneau, the life we have created here, and all of our wonderful friends more than I can say (without breaking down in tears, again!), but I am looking forward to having my own washer and dryer again!  ;)

Diary of a Move... Day 11

What goes around, comes around...

When we arrived back in Juneau for our second tour, we were so very lucky to find a gem of a vacation apartment for lodging until our shipment of household goods arrived from Germany.  We are feeling extra lucky that our gracious hosts welcomed us to stay again upon our departure!  I told our hostess yesterday, it was like coming home... Only better... She had fresh flowers from the garden waiting for us!  Still lots of things to do this week before leaving, but I get to enjoy this amazing view...