31 May 98

Last Saturday I got to Seattle and saw my friend Sue. Sue and I travelled to New Zealand and Australia last year. It was good to catch up and look at pictures from our trip.

Sunday morning, in the rain, I left Seattle with 13 new passengers and headed slightly north. Then we went west to the Northern Cascades National Park. They had a funny new-age video to watch in the visitors center. We also went to a few view points, some of them with views of only rain or fog and some with views of waterfalls.

That night we camped in the rain and got to know each other.

Monday we headed up to Canada. Crossing into Canada with a tour group is a million times easier than crossing into Belize. We drove through the Okanagan Valley (Canada's Napa Valley) and tasted some wine.

On Tuesday, we drove through Canada's Glacier National Park. We did a few short walks and looked at glaciers and such. That evening we went rafting on the Kicking Horse River in British Columbia. We had full wet suits, fleece jackets, and spray jackets because the water was under 40 degrees (3 C). We were so warm that some of us jumped in for fun. It was so nice to do some great white water rafting without being cold.

On Wednesday, we saw a bunch of waterfalls and lakes in Yoho National Park before continuing on to Banff, Alberta. It rained really hard that night so we went to the movies. I saw "The Big Hit." My favorite director, John Woo, was an executive producer and his influence is evident in the film. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The next day in Banff we went to Lake Louise. It was cloudy, but for the first day of the trip it didn't rain. The lake was an impressive green color. Almost as good as the post cards. We did a couple hour hike up to a viewpoint. That evening we went to the Hot Springs to soak and then went out on the town for dinner and drinks.

One of my passengers dislocated his knee about an hour ago. I just found out. I have to go take him to the doctor. I will finish later. Bye

I am back now, six hours later, to continue where I left off.

On Friday, we had the first totally clear day of the trip. Some of us hiked up the steepest hike I have ever done to a mountain pass. We walked around Mt. Edith and came down the the other side and had lots of fun. We even got to walk in snow a little bit.

Saturday morning started with a bit more rain. We drove to Peyto Lake and looked at its green color. Then we went to a canyon and looked at its canyoness. After lunch we hiked up a ridge to look at an incredibly large glacier and then went to the visitors center. Then we climbed on a glacier before stopping at a waterfall. It was a busy day.

This morning two passengers and I did a nice three hour hike. We hiked up to some meadows next to across a valley from a glacier. I used my rain coat to slide down some big snow fields. About every half hour we heard very loud noises and saw pieces of rock or ice falling off the mountainside opposite us. We also could hear the ice cracking in the spring heat.

This evening we hung out at the Jasper Aquatic Centre and I perfected my 1 and 1/2 dive off of the diving board. Then we went out for pizza and ice cream.

My passenger with the bad knee decided to do a very difficult hike this morning. About a mile before the end he slipped and his knee cap moved over a couple of inches. A Mexican doctor came by a few minutes later and moved the knee cap back into place.

I have come to appreciate hiking in the snow, since every hike up here in May is in the snow. As long as I can wear shorts and a T-shirt, snow is fun to play in.

So far we have seen a coyote, a moose, marmots, a bunch of elk, a black bear, squirrels, chipmunks, and mountain goats. They have a lot of animals up here.

I grew up in South Florida where old Canadians come to drive slow. I now feel vindicated. I am up in Canada driving slow.

I like driving up here in Canada. The signs are all in both English and French. That means I don't have to pay attention to all of the signs, only half of them. It makes driving easier.

The Canadians are all very friendly, but they have some annoying money. Their smallest note is a five dollar bill. They have one and two dollar coins. I hate countries where coins are worth keeping track of. It is so annoying to have to carry around change when I don't even carry around pockets.

It just started raining again. I also just realized that the big tent that covers the picnic tables is on the van and my passengers are at the camp, standing in the rain. I better go bring them the tent. Bye again.