North American Trip Pt9 - Devils Tower

Ever since leaving Canada we had been bombarded with motorcycles-- bike after bike we would see, and the further west we went the more bikes we saw. We could not for the life of us figure out why. It wasn’t until we were at Devils Tower when we figured out why... it was Bike week in Sturgis! There were literally thousands of bikes parked outside of Devils Tower. Now I don’t own a bike myself, but I love to ride! So much that I asked some random guy if he would take me for a spin (so Jeff won’t let me drive a moped – see my Cuba post- but he’s ok with my getting on the back of a motorcycle with some random biker dude?? Go figure). The ride was awesome! By law helmets are optional, so we ripped around with my hair blowing in the wind! Sadly I soon said goodbye to the bike and got back into my car. I didn’t know what Devils Tower was until Jeff showed me a picture. I recognized it from the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. There are many myths and legends surrounding this place, and Native Americans still perform ceremonies here. I would like to hone my rock climbing skills and scale it someday….and check out the view from the top!

Me and random biker guy

North American Road Trip Pt8 - Alberta - Wyoming

Due to work obligations it was time for us to leave, but first we wanted to see a little of what Canada has to offer! We headed over to Jasper and took in the beautiful mountain scenery. Unfortunately we didn’t plan too well and ended up there on a long weekend….hotels were stupidly expensive so after touring downtown we drove 40 min to find a cheaper place to sleep. The next day we drove through mountain terrain and forest and ended up at Lake Louise. Beautiful clear aqua water….I wanted to go swimming but it was freeeeezing (glacier water). Pictures do not do this place justice! After hiking for a bit we set off back across the border to the U.S.A.
I didn’t know much about Yellowstone before this trip. In fact I kept calling it “Jellystone” (I’m smarter than the average bear!). I soon figured out why it was called Yellowstone – there are areas where the stones are yellow…and orange, and red. Breathing in the fresh sulphuric air we saw mud holes and geysers, including Old Faithful (and he was right on time!). It’s interesting to find out that Yellowstone is a super volcano. Many people die there each year because they leave the trail and end up getting scalded to death (if the sign says do not touch, then do not touch!). You can literally feel the heat coming from the ground. Apparently Yellowstone erupts approx. every 600,000 years causing total devastation, and it hasn’t erupted in about 640,000 years….seems like we are a little overdue!

Old Faithful

Hee hee

Rub your magic 8 gently.....does it tell you the truth?

North American Road Trip Pt7 - British Columbia!

So we made it! (despite getting held up at the border at 1 am…seriously, do I LOOK like a drug smuggler? Must have been a slow night at the border). The west coast is Beautiful! I just loved the mountains (so different than the flat farmland that I am used to). We took a couple of days just to rest, relax, and enjoy some home cooking! Our first excursion out was the Capalino Suspension Bridge. Hiking, bridges, and tree top pathways, it was so much fun! We were also introduced to tubing in Lake Chilliwack. I loved it until I hit a log jam. I now have a newfound respect for water current. It is not until you are trying to fight your way to the surface for air do you truly understand its power. I am so lucky and grateful that there were no trees or branches underwater to prevent me from resurfacing. In fact just a week earlier a girl had drowne in that very same lake. On the lighter side, I almost lost my bikini bottoms in the struggle! Two days later we ended up in Whistler. W-O-W. I really couldn’t get over the scenery! I wanted to go white water rafting soooo bad, but my tubing incident had Jeff a little concerned (I have to admit that I was scared too) but I convinced him that I would not fall out of the raft. We had an absolute blast! Our tour guide was awesome and we hit some pretty big waves! (class III-IV rapids). We got to jump into the water. It took my breath away (Literally. I could not breathe until the wetsuit kicked in). I definitely want to try class V rapids.
We had a good visit with Jeffs family. The only thing I wish we did was go whale watching, and check out Vancouver. We can always do that next time tho. After a week it was time to leave. Our trip was winding down, but there was still a lot to see…

Capalino Suspension Bridge