Well, hey there. How's things? Hope all is well with everybody and that your weather is half as pretty as ours was today. We finally, on July 12, five weeks into this trip, got to ride without our leathers on! It was blue-skied sunshine all day and the temps must have been in the low 80's. Just wonderful.
We slept in today, only the second or third time that we have so far, and stopped at the Radium Hot Springs just a mile or so up the road from where we spent the night last night. Another natural spring like the ones we'd visited in Liard, YT, but these had been updated several times over the years and now have the appearance of a community swim park. The pool water is carefully monitored and balanced, although the source is still the natural hot spring. Temps in the hottest pool were about 107, in the largest pool, about 100, and in the "coolest" around 95. Very comfy. The benefit to these pools over Liard's is that the hottest here had jets. Excellent for Jack's sore back.
After a hot dog and slushy on the deck, we took off and drove to Sparwood where we are staying tonight. Pretty basic campground, but well-treed, which is something that we haven't been used to seeing lately. The camps, so far, have been nearly treeless! You'd think they'd dig a couple up from the forests they're located near and plant them between sites! (I know, I know...not very ecology-minded of me, but I'm used to the beautiful Michigan state park campgrounds -the ones like Clear Lake, Mom.) Every camp we've stayed at -including this one - has been located right next to the roadway, so noise has been a factor, but by the time our heads hit the pillows, it hasn't made a difference! I had this vision in my head of sitting around campfires, staring up at the stars, enjoying the sounds of nature. However, since it never gets dark in most of the places that we've been so far, there have been no stars and since it's been 10 degrees at night, we haven't been hangin' around a campfire. As far as the sounds of nature are concerned, what we have tonight are the sounds of coal-haulers coming from the local mines. I will do my best to revise my vision :)
Tomorrow will take us to a place called Maple Creek in Saskatchewan, east of Medicine Hat. It's supposed to be in the mid-80's and sunny again, so we are going to be lovin' every minute of the ride.
Oh! By the way - did Jack tell you in his blog the other day that we missed a blizzard in Jasper by ONE DAY? If we hadn't spent the extra day in Whitehorse when we did, we would have driven right into it and missed the beauty in Jasper, Banff, and Kootenay completely. A fellow traveler told us that it was snowing so hard, they literally couldn't see the other side of the street, much less the mountains. What a BUMMER! We are SO LUCKY. It was some of the most beautiful scenery on our trip.
Anyway, I will sign off for now as I'd like to post a FEW pictures to a slide show. Please continue your comments; we just love reading them at the end of a long day's ride.
Love to all,
L
4 comments:
Yes, I will be keeping one of the girls. Jazzy is a wonderful mother, and I will have the pups until sometime in Sept. I think you and Jack will need to rest the remaining summer after a trip like this. How long before your home? Miss ya much. Kim
Hey you two!
I've been a bit slack about keeping up with you two. We're busy trying to get ready for our take-off next week...the 22nd! And thanks to Laura, I had to go buy a laptop and am now in the process of setting up a blog! However, I can't get pictures on it yet. I'll have to work on that later today. Tell Jack I'm having lunch with his twin today.
There are no words that express how interesting and fun it has been to follow your trip. As I said before, you two rock!
Happy Trails,
ME and JD
Hi guys! WOW- you are getting some awesome photos! It would be cool to blow a bunch of them up big, and make a collage on your wall. The hot springs sound wonderful! I'm glad you're finally getting some warmer weather out there. We've been having some pretty hot temps here- although lots of rain! Looking forward to seeing you again!
Miss and love you both,
Michelle
Hey Kim - We should be home by the 25th "or so". I'll keep you updates as plans change.
Mary Ellen - I'm thrilled that you're going to keep a blog. I'll post, I promise! Pictures can be tricky as they take a strong connection and slideshows, at least on Blogger, are a total mystery - sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, and ALL of the time they're difficult to post. I'll help you whenever I can. You MUST be getting so excited. Say "Hey" to Carrie for Jack :) L
Michelle! We are so happy with the quality of the pics so far. You'll have to give me some ideas about creative arrangement. How are you feeling? Stay cool and get off your feet when you can - the hot weather can be beastly on your ankles! Much love, L
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