Ivan Gillis

TRIP REPORT

Departed house in San Marcos at around 1130 on Thursday July 8, 2010. Start mileage 26429. Stopped in Mesquite, NV for the evening couldn't find a reasonable priced campground, so spent the night in a Casino parking lot.  To hot!  26827 -- 398 miles.

Friday transited Utah the next day, traffic un-believed in and around Salt Lake City.

Spend the night in a truck stop campground with full services and a 24-hour café in Mana City, ID, 33 miles into ID.  The biscuits and gravy were number 1.  27297 -- 470 miles.

Saturday drove through ID, and part of MT. Stopped in Helena MT. For the evening at a KOA campground, which had great tasting domestic water.  Helena is the capital of MT, and was having a weeklong folk musical festival.  27670 -- 463 miles.

Sunday crossed into Canada at Great Mountain border crossing and on to Canada's Waterton National Park. Paid $126 for an annual pass good for all parks, valid until end of July of 2011--make me an offer. Lol  Took a no services campground spot next to downtown for two days.  Wind blew so hard at times it blew you backwards.  Mom took in the Ranger show.  27959 -- 289 miles.

Tuesday drove on to Banff National Park, and spent the night in another no services-no fire rings National Park.  Good deal for Mom--no wood smoke. Drizzling and cold.  Drove through snow at a 7,269 km pass on Canada highway 40.  Bigger town and with mostly tourist type things.  28210 -- 251 miles.

Wednesday on to Lake Louis, another location within Banff National Park.  Took a campground space for two nights, with electrical service and across the road from the bathroom.  Drove up to the famous Lake Louis, there must have been over 500 cars and 50 tour buses.  Thank God for Handicap parking.  Most of the buses contained Japanese tourists, including the one proudly wearing his cowboy hat backwards.  Also drove up to another Lake with better color and not overran with tourists.  The welcome center is nearly a museum with great exhibits.  Arriving 28258 -- 48 miles.   Leaving 28280 --  22 miles in and around Lake Louis.

Friday on to Jasper National and Lake Moraine.  28462 arriving at Jasper --- 204 miles.   Took Mom's picture with the stuffed bears. Also stop at Ice Fields approximately half way.  Great visitor's center and museum.  Bleacher setup so the whole tour bus passengers could have a group picture taken with the ice fields background.  The photo takers had them all saying 1,2, 3, ROCKIES!  Wapiti Campground for two nights with electrical service and close to Bathroom.   28496  --  216 miles.

Saturday looked around in Jasper.  Went to library that was in an Old RCMP building and bought several used books.  Mom went to the Canada National Parks Appreciation Day event in the park surrounding the visitor's center.

28522 reading leaving Jasper.

Sunday on to Yolo National Park and a side trip up the canyon to the Takakkaw Falls.  The road was a series of switchbacks, one of which I had to back up at least once to get around.  The falls were worth the trip in and out, over a thousand meters drop and water came out of a gap in the top and looked like it had been shot out of fire hose.  On to Golden BC over a 20 mile 8% drop grade road.  Stopped at visitor's center for a free gift. Note pad square with Canadian Park scenes.

Stopped for the evening at Redstreak National Park in Kootenay National Park. The town of Radium is right next-door and is in British Columbia, but the Park is in Alberta and Mountain Time.

Full hook ups available and close to bathroom.  Which Canadian's refer to as Washrooms.  28806 -- 284 miles.

Monday back to good old USA.  The Border & Custom agent had family in San Marcos.  Went through check list and a look in the camper, and then Welcome Home, and off to Missoula MT.  Spend the night in Jellystone Camp ground with electrical service.  Ice cream social for a $1.00 with large severing, visited with folks who go to Quartzite every winter.  29144 -- 338 Miles.

Tuesday drove to Twin Falls, ID, and spent the night in a KOA.  Another Ice Cream Social, plus had to hang around and sign Happy Birthday to the cook in the tent café.   I had dinner and breakfast there, good deal for the price.  Nearly all of the help was related to the owners.  29544 -- 400 miles.

Wednesday visited Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, and the Lava National Park in ID, and then on to Wells, NV and the rest of NV.  Arrived at the Junction of I-15 and N-93 around 600 PM.  Got through Las Vegas with ease and stopped in Primm, NV for supper.  Hotter than hell, decide to drive on find a cooler spot.  The KOA in Barstow, CA was full, so just pushed it on home.  Just like the old mule, once headed for home there is no stopping. Lol  30373 -- 829 miles in 14.5 hours of driving.  I get an average of 57mph.

Total trip mileage 3,944 miles. 

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