Ever since David took the train to Whitefish with our friend Vinny last March for a ski trip he has been talking about the how much I’ll love the town. I’ve seen the picture he took of the Sicilian pie they shared at Second Street Pizza at least four times. I’ve heard about how the ski resort feels like a small town mountain with still lots of great terrain. David and Vinny even joked about buying a place we could share and take the train to on the weekends (until they checked real estate prices). Therefore, my expectations were pretty high for Whitefish when we arrived there after Glacier. The pizza, beer, atmosphere, and mountain biking did not disappoint. Although David has long said he couldn’t live outside a medium size city with lots of food, music, and culture to option, he remarked at least a couple times in Whitefish that he thought he could live there – I agreed.

While in Whitefish we:

• Enjoyed a couple beers at Great Northern Brewing Company located right in downtown.
• Dined at Second Street Pizza and of course got the Sicilian pie. It is HUGE and I couldn’t believe David said they each ate three slices last time he was there. It provided dinner and two lunches for me. While at the shop, we got some bike recommendations from a nice local sitting next to us who overheard us talking about Bonsai Brewing Project, a brewery we really wanted to check out but was unfortunately closed on Mondays.
• Mountain biked (if you can call it that given our non-mountain bikes) on the Whitefish Trail from Whitefish Bike Retreat. This is an awesome place offering a lodge, campground, skills area, trails, deck, showers, bike washing station, and maps. We just stayed for the day and managed not to sustain any injuries in the skills area.
• Slept at Whitefish Mountain Resort, which has free RV parking in the summer. We appreciated the slightly cooler temperatures here compared to down in the town and the views from out the back of the van.
• Trail ran on the Whitefish Trail while David had some coffee shop time.

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After Whitefish, we made our way to Missoula with a quick stop in Bigfork (a cute town on Flathead Lake) and at a cherry stand. The area around the lake is full of cherry trees and we must have passed at least twenty stands. In Missoula, we spent the night at Big Sky Brewing, which is a member of Harvest Hosts. They have a large outdoor music venue behind the brewery and we were told we could use the field while we were there, which provides great sunset views. We enjoyed laying out in the field until the sprinklers turned on. Of course we visited a couple more breweries in Missoula as well as an evening farmers market where we bought way too many baked goods, fruits and veggies.

We left Missoula midday and headed southwest into the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest. We found a great camping spot here on iOverlander and were very excited when another Sprinter van joined us. Miss Lollipop the Van’s owners, Natacha and Vincent, recently started full-time van life and we enjoyed swapping van tours and stories. They coincidentally also have an Ikon ski pass, so we made plans to meet up in the winter. We left in the morning to make the rest of the drive to Riggins, Idaho which provides access to Hells Canyon Wilderness. I’d read about Hells Canyon on several websites and blogs, but it was surprisingly hard to find information about how to access it or the best hikes. Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America, although David found it “questionable” that this is measured from a mountain peak (He Devil). After reading about the Seven Devils backpacking loop, I decided this would be a good spot to view the canyon from. Given the impending stormy weather, we opted to camp at Seven Devils campground (which is a free, first-come first-served primitive campground). Although only 18 miles from Riggins, the campground is up a dirt, washboard laden road that climbs 6,000 feet! Given we don’t have an air compressor yet or any suspension upgrades, the road was very slow going, but at least had some great views. We were stopped near the top of the road by a few horses crossing the road, which left us very confused.

Near the campground is Heavens Gate, which is an active fire lookout. We enjoyed chatting with the ranger in the lookout, who said he has manned the lookout six days a week for the past nine years. What an interesting job. From the lookout you can see four states. David hilariously guessed the states as Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. We were in Idaho. We also did a short hike to Mirror Lake and Sheep Lake before returning to the campground where David thoroughly enjoyed gathering and splitting downed trees for an impressive campfire.

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Waterton Lakes and Glacier National Parks straddle the Canada and United States border. Waterton Lakes is only about 195 square miles, compared to Glacier’s 1,583 square miles. We decided to spend a couple days in Waterton Lakes before heading to Glacier, curious to see the similarities and differences between the parks. Waterton Lakes was devastated by fire just a few years ago, which burned 38% of the park and impacted 80% of the hiking trails. One upside of the fire (for us) is that one of the main roads in the park is closed to vehicles, making for an amazing bike ride. Although Red Rock Canyon Parkway is only 8.7 miles in length one-way (it ends at the Red Rock Canyon parking area), the ride took us a few hours between wildflower viewing stops and the incredible headwinds. At times the wind was so strong it was hard to control our bikes and we envied those on e-bikes (the town of Waterton rents e-bikes to visitors – they appear to be doing well!). However, the wind made for an incredible, swift return ride. The wildfires have left amazing wildflowers in their wake which make for great scenery.

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We spent a second day in Waterton Lakes hiking to Bertha Lake, where we backpacked for the night. Although David was looking forward to lounging in our hammock by the lake, I convinced him to hike up to Mt. Bertha with me. The trail to the summit is a little hard to follow, but I enjoyed the hunt of looking for cairns and small yellow ties that marked the route. From the top of Mt. Bertha, we had a great view of Waterton Lakes as well as part of Glacier. We got back to the campsite with time to make dinner before dark (although not lounge in the hammock – sorry, David). There were only two other groups camped at Mt. Bertha. We chatted with another couple who had just spent several days in Glacier – they were excited to give us lots of recommendations. David wanted to wake up in the middle of the night to take photos of the night sky over the lake. I reluctantly agreed to join him to man the bear spray, since I did owe him for accompanying me to Mt. Bertha. At least he got a lot of great photos and I did see a couple shooting stars.

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After hiking out from Bertha Lake the next morning, we drove to Glacier National Park and spent a rest day lounging at Cut Bank, one of the primitive campgrounds in Glacier with only 12 sites and a pit toilet. Fortunately, most of the campgrounds in Glacier are first-come, first-served. However, this meant we had to wake up very early our second day in Glacier to get to one of the more popular campgrounds, Rising Sun, to secure a spot. At this campground, the campground host keeps a list of campsites that are opening up and then directs incoming vehicles to open spots. When we got there around 7:30, a line of about ten cars were waiting for spots. Fortunately, we easily secured a spot and got ready for the day’s hike (Highline Trail). The main east-west road through Glacier, Going-to-the-Sun Road, provides access to many of the hikes and is a big attraction in and of itself. Since it isn’t recommended for vehicles over 10 feet due to rock overhangs, we opted to take the free shuttle from our campground to Logan Pass for our hike. The walk to the shuttle stop took us by the queue of vehicles still hoping to get camping spots. David noticed that someone standing outside his car looked familiar and when they made eye contact, the guy asked David if he works at Elemental (David’s former employer in Portland). David quickly recognized Jared, who works on a different team at Elemental but who David had crossed paths with a few times. After chatting for a couple minutes, it occurred to me that we should ask Jared and his wife, Mary, to share our camp spot. They eagerly took us up on the offer and we were excited to have new friends to spend a few days with! While we did our own day hikes, we had a great time hanging out for two evenings with Jared and Mary. We learned we have a lot in common (adorable cats, a love of hiking and the outdoors) and it was really fun to spend time with other people we hope to see again. While I haven’t felt lonely on the trip yet and we’ve had plenty of small talk with fellow travelers and locals, I do miss spending time with friends and people that know us. We quickly felt like we knew Jared and Mary and had been friends for more than just two days. Unfortunately, they had to return to Portland and we moved to a different campground (Two Medicine) for our last couple days in Glacier.

Other highlights from Glacier:

• A new friend and grizzly encounter: we hiked to Iceberg Lake in the northern part of Glacier our third day in the park. When we got to the trailhead, a single hiker asked if she could hike with us for the first few minutes as she was nervous about bears and didn’t have any bear spray. We happily said of course and ended up doing the whole hike together and giving her a ride back to her campground afterwards. Esmee is from Amsterdam and was in Glacier as part of an organized tour around the United States and Canada. No one else in her group likes hiking, but she was determined to take advantage of her time in Glacier and get farther into the park. We loved chatting with her on the hike and hearing about all the travels she has been on. At just 18 she traveled for nine months in Australia by herself. Esmee was very hopeful we’d see a grizzly, as Iceberg Lake is known for grizzly sightings. Given the crowds, I thought we had no chance and would have needed to start hiking significantly earlier. However, after we saw Iceberg Lake and were headed back to the trailhead, we came upon a large group stopped on the trail. They had come across a grizzly on the trail who now was about 50 feet up the hill in some trees. Although we were too far away to get a very good view or picture, it was still pretty exciting to see a bear while hiking. Esmee was super excited and I was so glad her grizzly dream came true.
• Dawson-Pitamakan Pass hike: David’s friend from college, Sam, spent a summer working in Glacier and recommended all the hikes we did in the park. My favorite hike was the Dawson-Pitamakan Pass hike, which conveniently starts from the Two Medicine campground (where we were camped for a couple days). We hoped to do the hike as a backpacking trip, but couldn’t get permits. Even though the hike is about 18 miles and a little more rigorous than we’d typically tackle in a day, we decided to go for it. Fortunately the hike doesn’t have too much elevation gain and the trail was relatively smooth and rock-free. Compared to the crowds on our other hikes in Glacier, this trail was relatively quiet (we probably saw about 30 people over the course of the day). A good portion of the hike is a ridge with views of a variety of lakes and surrounding peaks. This hike was a great ending to our time in Glacier and left us looking forward to some city-time and rest.
• S’mores: David has really honed his fire making skills and therefore we have been eating a lot of s’mores. David is a little obsessed with campfires and has eagerly been using his new saw and hatchet to perfect his technique. I’ve also fine tuned my marshmallow roasting – delicious.

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Upon leaving Banff, the scenery dramatically changes to flat, yellow plains. I can see why Alberta is called the Texas of Canada, as I felt like I was back at home driving from Dallas to Austin. It is hard to believe Calgary is only about 80 miles east of Banff, as it feels like another place entirely. I only took a few pictures in Calgary, which include beers and bikes, our main Calgary activities. We went to two breweries and on two bike rides and enjoyed all. We spent the night in the RV parking section of Grey Eagle Casino, where we saw a deer, rabbit, and number of birds. This was definitely the most scenic casino spot yet, and we were actually able to bike from here to Glenmore Reservoir, which has a lovely bike trail around its edges.

Of the two breweries we went to, High Line Brewing was our favorite. It is located in Inglewood, which is a hipster, trendy neighborhood with lots of breweries. We learned that Calgary only started allowing microbreweries a few years ago, and in that time 35 breweries have popped up around the city. We loved that tasters were served in a cupcake tin and appreciated the wide range of brews. We left with a few different types, including the Wabi-Sabi, a yuzu sour. I only learned the term wabi-sabi recently from my mom and love the intention behind it. Wikipedia provides the following information:

In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂) is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”. It is a concept derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence (三法印 sanbōin), specifically impermanence (無常 mujō), suffering (苦 ku) and emptiness or absence of self-nature (空 kū).

Wikipedia

As a perfectionist who has a hard time accepting anything less, I strive to embrace the wabi-sabi attitude. We have spent so long dreaming about this van year, I think I feel a need to maximize every minute and make sure we see all the best parts of the United States and Canada. I don’t want us to feel like we’ve wasted this opportunity that we are lucky to have. However, I have to remember to just appreciate the trip, including the imperfect parts (like full campgrounds, rainy days, disagreements, bad meals, sore knees, missing home). In reality, my main goal of this trip is to learn, about myself, David, others, life, meaning, and happiness.

We also biked on the Bow River Pathway, which provides a lot of variety, from the busy, manicured parks downtown to the less used bumpy sections south of the City that kept us on our toes, literally. One part of the path had a bridge so low you had to get off the bike and walk. The green tinge to the river and rusted bridge provided a great photo opp.

We haven’t had internet very often lately, so the blog is falling farther out of sync with our current activities. Therefore, I’m going to cover Jasper and Banff in one post and try to stay more up to date moving forward – hopefully our return to the US will yield more cell phone coverage!

Jasper Bests

1. Jasper Brewing Company: we may have gone here three times and it wasn’t just the wifi that kept us coming back (or parked right out front). We loved the brews enough to do the sampler twice and I appreciated several interesting veggie items on the menu (it is always nice to have more than just a veggie burger or salad to pick from). We also loved swapping hiking recommendations with our waitress and got several pro tips, including the best ice cream in town and where to park overnight.
2. Goats all over the parking lot at Miette Hot Springs: repeats were the theme of Jasper, as we went to Miette Hot Springs twice. The second time was largely motivated by needing a shower after a nearby hike, but we still enjoyed a hot soak. I also liked that there were two cold pools to mix things up, even if it took all my daily willpower to enter one of them for approximately three seconds. Even better than the Hot Springs were the goats wandering the parking lot licking tailpipes.
3. Public land camp spots: we camped on public land just outside the park twice and enjoyed campfires and great scenery in both locations. We have quickly decided that backcountry camping is our favorite, given the solitude, unbeatable price (free), and lack of checkout times.
4. Surprise friend meet ups: David’s friends from college, Andrew and Jenny, happened to arrive in Jasper on a family vacation on our last day there. Luckily they saw one of our Instagram posts so we knew they were there (even at the same hike!). We loved showing them the van and catching up over drinks.
5. Mount Edith Cavell: for some reason we had the hardest time remembering the name of the hike, and called it all kinds of female names. I even had to look it up while writing this post. However, it was an awesome hike, with the views starting immediately from the parking lot. Although it was clouded in and snowing, I convinced David to hike up to the East Ridge summit. There were a few breaks in the clouds and well worth the effort (in my opinion – David provides no comment).

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Jasper Worsts

1. Bike trails shared by horses: we enjoyed mixing up the hiking with a casual bike ride on the trails around Jasper. However, we quickly learned that many of the trails are shared by horses. Between the frequent droppings, pulling over for horses, and rutted trails, these weren’t our favorite. We still had a good time and were grateful to some fellow bikers who warned us about a bear on the trail (which we didn’t spot).
2. Rainy weather: overall, we lucked out with the weather in Jasper, managing to time our hikes to take advantage of the sun. We did have one day where it just poured all day. We decided to cut our losses and booked a campground for the day to wait out the weather. We are lucky to have the flexibility to plan around the weather, as we witnessed many other travelers braving the elements.

Banff Bests

1. Mt. Rundle: we hadn’t planned to hike Mt. Rundle, but when David pointed it out from downtown Banff I wondered if it was summitable with our (limited) skills. I learned it was and, just like that, our planned rest day became a big hike day – the weather looked too good to pass up! We got an early start to beat the crowds, although no real crowds seemed to follow us. The hike is pretty mellow for the first few miles of switchbacks and forested climbs until you reach the “dragon’s spine.” This narrow section of scrambling unnerved us (David) a little, but with my encouragement we pushed on and eventually reached the top after a lot of scree. Luckily the peak provided some great photo opportunities, so David had no regrets about the hike. The climb down proved much easier than we expected and we were very happy to reach the forested section of the trail and even more so the van.
2. Chocolate cake and biscuits: we secured an early morning parking spot at Lake Louise and hiked the Lake Agnes Teahouse/Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse loop with a side trip up Mount St. Piran. By the time we reached the Plain of Six Glaciers tea house, we really needed a pick me up. The Clif Bars weren’t cutting it so we treated ourselves to tea, chocolate cake, and biscuits with honey. All were delicious, especially because we were in the middle of the woods, miles from a roadway. The Teahouse was built in 1927 and all supplies are helicoptered in or carried by staff, who we learned hike in for 5 day stretches. If only we had a way to make chocolate cake in the van, all our hikes could be as delicious!
3. Lucky timing at Moraine Lake: Lake Louise’s neighbor Moraine Lake is even harder to secure a parking spot at. We heard stories of vehicles lining up at 2 a.m. to wait for the road to the lake to open and families waiting in shuttle lines from the remote parking lot for hours. We felt like it would be wrong to go to Banff and not see the lake, but didn’t have the dedication to wake up that early, and I am not great at waiting in lines. We figured we would try to arrive at the lake just before sunset when the road isn’t controlled (during the day the 12km road is largely closed as staff monitors the parking lot to prevent vehicles stacking up on the road). We managed to time our arrival just right, so we showed up at the small parking lot when there were a few empty spaces. We spent about an hour wandering around the lake, taking pictures, and trying to find a water fountain (PSA: I have yet to find a trailhead, pull off, or parking lot in Jasper or Banff with water). When we left just before sunset, we estimated there were about 100 cars stacked up waiting for a parking spot. What luck!
4. Parker Ridge: this hike came recommended from my friend Lydia and was probably my favorite in Banff. It doesn’t take too much climbing to be rewarded with amazing glacier views. We did this in the afternoon after a morning hike to Wilcox Pass, so it wasn’t too crowded, especially on the way down.

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Banff Worsts

1. Lake Louise crowds: we managed to get out of the crowds quickly by climbing up to Mount St. Piran, but the crowds at Lake Louise are definitely still stressful (at least for someone crowd-averse like myself). It seems like the best option is to wake up really, really early.
2. Pricey restaurants: we enjoyed a couple good but unimpressive meals out in Banff. The restaurants do charge a premium for the much sought after downtown locations. In retrospect, we both agreed we would rather save our meals out for less touristy, more unique restaurants.

I struggled to come up with two worsts for each Jasper and Banff, so you can tell how much we enjoyed the parks. Although they are touristy, the towns of Jasper and Banff provide a nice break from nature and good opportunity for laundry, groceries, and ice cream. Overall rating: A.

Glacier views from Parker Ridge.

We are lucky to have a small fridge, single burner induction stove, NutriBullet, and Instant Pot in the van that cover all our cooking needs (and use the solar energy we produce). I’ve been pleasantly surprised how easy it is to cook in the van and how much we can store in the fridge – it is 2.5 cubic feet. We typically stop at a grocery once or twice a week, so can stay stocked with fruits and veggies. Here is what we typically eat in the van:

Breakfast

• Cereal and milk: we keep cereal in a couple storage containers in the pantry and usually have some back-up in the bins under the bed. The fridge can’t hold anything wider than a 1/2 gallon of milk, so we buy a gallon and then distribute it to two 1/2 gallon containers to be more cost effective.
• Eggs: David has patented an egg/ham/cheese melt and I’ll make a fried egg and cheese bagel sandwich, especially if we have an active day.
• Bagel and cream cheese: you don’t really need to toast a bagel for it to be tasty with cream cheese.
• Coffee: a must for David. He does a pour over using a fancy kettle on the induction stove with a pour spot and thermometer. As I said before, we are coffee snobs.

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Lunch

If we aren’t hiking, we typically eat lunch at a trailhead, rest stop, or just a pull off from the road.

• Big salad: I love salads, especially with peanuts, shredded cheese, apples, cooked veggies, and rice or quinoa.
• Grilled sandwiches: since we have the induction stove, we typically up our sandwich game by throwing some butter in the skillet and making a grilled cheese/meat (David) and grilled cheese/fried egg (me).
• Yogurt: David still hasn’t acquired a taste for yogurt, but I love mixing yogurt with fresh fruit and Kashi cereal.
• Smoothies: my work kindly gifted me with a NutriBullet as a going away present, which we use to make spinach/banana/chocolate protein powder smoothies.
• Leftovers: dinner leftovers for lunch are always great.

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Dinner

If we are going through a town, we’ll often eat dinner out, especially if there is a brewery. We end up eating at least half our dinners in the van though, at a campground or just parked in town. We typically cook enough for at least two dinners, both to save time and energy.

• Pasta: we eat a lot of pasta with fried eggs or cheese. Super easy and great for a lunch the next day.
• Beans and rice: we’ll make a big batch of beans in the Instant Pot or heat up canned beans on the stove. As a vegetarian, this has always been a go to for me. If we are feeling fancy we’ll throw it in a tortilla and make a quesadilla.
• Stir fry: One pot meals are a necessity when you only have one burner. I’ll make a stir fry with veggies and tofu and add soy sauce or make a peanut sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, water, and some spices.
• Soup: another great one dish meal. I typically make up a recipe as I go, especially if we don’t have service, which mostly works out. Luckily neither of us are super picky eaters. My most common go to is black beans, corn, veggie broth, carrots, and tomatoes with crushed tortilla chips and cheese.

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When David and I first met, he lived in Boston while I was in Portland. We saw each other pretty frequently even given the distance, using work trips, holidays, and any means we could. I’d frequently spend a long weekend in Boston, typically tacked on to a work trip to the east coast. As much as we could, we’d include a visit to Marblehead to see David’s Grandparents, Jim and Jane. We loved picking up roast beef sandwiches and crab rolls at Kelly’s on the way and going to the Marblehead Lighthouse. Most of all, we loved spending time with Jim and Jane and hearing stories of all their adventures. They were a true inspiration for our trip, as we hoped to create stories half as exciting as theirs. Jim and Jane biked around Europe, road tripped across the United States in a tent camper, and skied into their late 70s. One of our favorite stories of theirs is from the Bugaboos, just southwest of Banff. The provincial park looks small and unimpressive on Google Earth, and likely would never have been on our radar.

Jim and Jane summited and named Mt. Kelvin, a trip requiring determination, lots of experience, and guts. While David and I might be determined, we knew we didn’t have the experience or guts to summit Mt. Kelvin, as much as we wish we could. We decided the best we could do was the main backpacking trip in the park up to Applebee Dome Campground. This is the basecamp for climbers as it is surrounded by peaks and some of the best climbs in North America.

After buttressing the Gnar Wagon with chicken wire and sticks (the area has a lot of porcupines that are fond of chewing brake cables), we hiked up to Conrad Kain Hut and then on to Applebee Dome Campground. We lucked out again with great weather, at least on the first day of the trip. We picked a spot on the rocks at Applebee Dome Campground, which was occupied with about 20-30 others. Based on their gear, we estimated 90% of the others there were climbers. We had a great view of the Bugaboo Spire, which Conrad Kain amazingly climbed in 1916. As David and I are both hesitant bouldering in an indoor gym, I could not fathom the guts it would take to climb the peaks around us. Bugaboo Spire looks like a shear face of rock and nothing like we’ve ever seen in other places we’ve backpacked.

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While our spot on the rocks provided a beautiful evening view, it also left us exposed to the wind and rain that visited us throughout the night. Luckily our tent kept us dry and a break in the rain the next morning gave us time to retreat down to the Gnar Wagon. We left the Bugaboos awed by its grandeur and even more impressed with Jim and Jane – what ideal role models for living life to the fullest!

Our next stop after Glacier was Golden, with the intent to catch up on internet needs and rest our legs before more hiking in Banff. We spent several hours at a coffee shop before heading to Whitetooth Brewing Company (we can’t resist a brewery). We planned to get a quick beer and get to bed early so we could leave early in the morning for Banff. Even though it was Monday evening, the brewery patio was crowded and a couple musicians from Tampa, Florida were performing on the lawn. We got a beer sampler and stood awkwardly for a moment on the patio, looking for a place to sit. A couple sat on stumps around a large, low wooden table and encouraged us to pull up a stump (a joke as the stumps were immovable). We sat down and were soon joined by the owner of the brewery, who seemed to know the couple that had invited us to sit down. I think David and I were both a little star struck and were excited to hear the brewery owner had been to Pfriem, one of our favorite breweries in Hood River. I asked about the beer scene in Canada and he said it is hard to make it in a small town, especially when tourism is so variable. We loved our beer, especially the Psychosis 7 (check it out if you can find it!).

Soon Larry (of the originally mentioned couple) came over to sit next to David and struck up a conversation with us. He had seen us pull up in our van and was curious about our story. He and his wife Carol also have a van and are lovers of travel. They spend each summer in Golden, but then travel for the winter, typically internationally. They also love breweries, and have been to Portland for the Oregon Brewers Festival, so we may have unknowingly crossed paths before. When he learned we didn’t know exactly where we would be spending the night, Larry offered us a spot in front of their house just a couple minutes away. When we arrived, they invited us in for a beer. We continued to swap travel stories and discuss our upcoming plans. David mentioned that his grandparents had named Mt. Kelvin in the Bugaboos, and we planned to stop there sometime after Banff and Jasper. Larry and Carol clued us in to the fact that we were just north of the Bugaboos, and it wouldn’t make sense to come back to them after Banff and Jasper when we would be on a more southeasterly path. Coincidentally, they also knew the weather was supposed to be beautiful the next day, unusual at this time of year. They suggested tomorrow was the day to do the Bugaboos, and again our plans were changed by a series of coincidences and the kindness of strangers.

The hospitality didn’t end there, as they invited us back the next morning for breakfast before we headed to the Bugaboos. Larry and Carol definitely inspired us with their devotion to exploring, meeting people, and giving to others. We were touched by their generosity and kindness, again so unexpected. Larry encouraged us to read Spark your Dream, a book by two young Argentinians that drive from Chile to Prudoe Bay Alaska. Along the way, they learn to accept help from others and also realize that the most meaningful part of travel is the people they meet. I also found a blog maintained by the couple, and particularly like the quote below:

Their message to one and all is simple. Live your dreams. If you don’t live it now…so… when? Be bold. 

http://www.argentinaalaska.com/blog/Welcome-alaska

We too are realizing the impact of the people we meet and the importance of leaving yourselves open to accept the kindness of others. We feel so fortunate to be able to pursue our van dream and to have already been impacted by the people we have met.

A quick post as we sit outside a ranger station using the free Wi-Fi after hours. Our service has been limited the last few days and when we have it it is slow. This makes planning on the road a little challenging but we are managing! It also makes blogging difficult as uploading photos is an exercise in patience. I started the blog a little into our trip, so have been getting progressively more behind. I’m going to jumble a few days into one post so I can start to get more on track.Here are the highlights post Lake Country:

• A trail run from Nakusp Hot Springs: the rain let up long enough for me to work out some restless energy from being in the van. David and I have found we have slightly different desired activity levels. We are mostly on the same page and want to maximize outside activities while the days are long and scenery spectacular. However, David needs more down time (and is doing all the driving while I lounge). A quick trail run is the perfect solution, at least until I get better at relaxing!
• Nakusp farmers market: after a night camping on the main street in Nakusp (our first urban camping), we stopped at the small local farmers market on the way out of town. We picked up a few treats, including some delicious chocolate chip cookies, and chatted with a couple folks.
• Revelstoke wanderings: the weather was still iffy, so we spent a day exploring around town. We visited the Revelstoke Dam and were awed by the scale of it. 95% of B.C. gets its power from hydro! We also didn’t know where the Columbia River went after the Gorge so we learned a lot. We visited two very different breweries – Mt. Begbie and Rumpus. Mt. Begbie is a pretty large operation and distributes across B.C. Rumpus just opened three weeks ago and all beer is served on site or transported out via growler. We felt like real locals at Rumpus and struck up a conversation with an actual local, Bryan. He was sitting at the bar alone and I could tell looked like he wanted to chat (he didn’t have his phone out). We got a lot of great knowledge from him and he and David talked skiing, which always gets David excited. Bryan is on ski patrol at Revelstoke and said it is the best skiing he has ever done. Of course David is now itching to come back in the winter!
• Cedar boardwalk: per Bryan’s recommendation we stopped at the Cedar boardwalk in Revelstoke National Park on the way out of town. He told us that the environment changes significantly between Revelstoke and Banff, moving from rainforest to the Rockies, so it is worth getting more of a taste of the area. We loved this short walk, which David still managed to take a ton of pictures on.

We left Revelstoke early to get a campsite in Glacier National Park (of Canada) and do a day hike. The weather was supposed to be poor and neither of us knew much about the park or hike, it was just on the way to Banff. This hike needs its own photo post, so it will have to wait for better internet. We agreed this was the most surprisingly beautiful hike we have ever done, and I would potentially say my favorite hike ever. I am genuinely worried we are going to become nature snobs after this hike, and we are already bad enough about our beer and coffee (Portland does that to you). More nature photos to come!