May 24, 2019 - Katanalka Lake to Kwitzel Lake

Time for some miles.  Yesterday wasn't so hot odometer wise.  I was hoping for a bit more.  So today let's get an early start and see what we can do.

Headed north up 97 through Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon.  Another slow slog as none of these cities have bypasses and lots of stoplights.  Oh, and lots and lots of billboards.  The worse was a long slow curve approach to the bridge crossing Okanogan Lake in Kelowna.

Then it's on the TransCanada Highway to Kamloops, back on 97 at Cache Creek, on to Williams Lake.  Fuel at Costco in Prince George then on to a nice gravel pit on Kwitzel Lake.

431 mile today.  Much better.

May 23, 2019- Day 2 - Border Crossing

Got up early.  Mowed the lawn at the cabin.  Then we were on the road.  Picked up some fuel in Omak they headed up US 97 toward the US/Canada border crossing at Osoyoos.  Quite uneventful.  As it should be. :)

From here is was a SLOW slog up 97 to Katanalka Lake BC.  Found a BC Provincial Park that is very nice.  Staff was great, sites were great, included hot showers 

Someone is waiting for dinner.

Friendly Yellow Bellied Marmots abound.

225 miles today.

May 22, 2019 - Day 1 - On the road again.

Greetings everyone.  Well the title says it all.  We are on the road again.  This should be a long, occasionally monotonous, and more frequently exciting trip.

Day 1 had us heading across Washington State on North Cascade Highway (SR20) to the cabin.  We stopped at the summit of Rainy Pass for a quick shot with the snow.

310 miles for the day.

Homeward bound

This seems to happen at some point on every trip. Daily updates until some point where I loose Internet connectivity. After missing a day or two, I'm so far behind that I can't catch up with posting all of the great photos I would like to post

When we get home in a couple of days I will catch up.

Where are they now will continue to work :)

Take care

Hiking in the Black Hills

Monday was a hiking day for some of us.  We departed Sylvan Lake headed to Harney Peak.

First, there was ample evidence that the State of South Dakota needs a proof reader :)  To make it even better, the same sign was posted at multiple trail heads.

We didn't have to go far before we saw what would be the scenery of the day.  Lots of large rock formations.

Cathedral Rocks.

Climbers on Cathedral Rocks.

It's about 3 1/2 miles from Sylvan Lake to Harney Peak.  Plenty of time to take a support call from a customer -





It was a long hot slog but we finally made it to the highest point in South Dakota.

Backside of Mount Rushmore.  Parking structure visible to the right of the mountain.

"E" has a fantastic view.

After eating lunch in the shade inside the lookout, it was time to head down the stairs which are the final challenge on the way up.


We took a different route down and saw different beautiful scenery.  Plus some rumbles of thunder in the distance.

Little Devils Tower in the distance.

We will pull up stakes Tuesday, saw good bye to the Black Hills and head for a look at the Bad Lands of South Dakota.

Continued fun in The Black Hills

Wow, what a busy couple of days. As if Crazy Horse and that fantastic lightening storm wasn't enough for one trip. :)

Sunday was out Mount Rushmore day. We spent the morning sleeping in late. It had been hard to sleep Saturday night. Much to excited with the ongoing lightening storm to sleep well. Sunday afternoon we headed over to Mount Rushmore. I give great credit to the folks at the National Park Service and their contractors for putting together a very efficient facility to welcome many thousands of guests for the evening program. Easy in and easy out. Only time I felt like I was surrounded by 8500 of my fellow guests was when I was seated in their monster amphitheater. We arrived early enough for the Presidential Walk. It's a nice path that takes you as close as possible to the figures in the mountain. Then back in time to watch the very patriotic presentation at the amphitheater. A great way to spend the evening.

On the way out, we pulled over at a point in the road where you can see George Washington's profile. Looked pretty great as it was still lit up from the evening program.

Too much to see in the Black Hills :)

Enjoying the Black Hills

A little over 1,400 miles later and we have arrived in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

To top it off, "E" & "E" departed Fish N'Fry campground in Deadwood early Saturday morning and secured us spots in Custer State Park.  This is a very nice state park.  The facilities are well kept, the bathrooms seems fairly new and showers are included with the price of camping. 

The big attraction we've seen thus far is Crazy Horse  We arrived around 20:00 MDT.  The goal was to see the exhibits then hang around for the light/laser show after sunset.

It's hard to photograph laser light shows.  Especially from this distance without a tripod.

Most of the laser work included animations.  This last shot has the horses mane flapping in the wind superimposed over the carving.  Pretty nifty.

The absolute niftiest part was the fantastic thunder storm that passed all around us during the show.  The lightning enhanced the light/laser show and the thunder added a lot to the music.  Even when the power was out for 5-10 minutes interrupting the show, we didn't mind at all.  The natural show more than made up for it.  On the way back to the rigs, the clouds cut loose with RAIN!.  Tons of huge rain drops.  Very exciting.  The locals are happy to have the rain.  Last Winter they got very little snow leaving them with nasty drought conditions.  The rain last night helped some.  There are a number of forest fire in the area with at least one, the Myrtle Fire, closing some roads and attractions in the area.

Then, early this morning, the unmistakeable sound of hot air balloon burners.  I shot this through the screened window of the camper.  Not the best possible picture but the best I could do :)

That's enough time in front of the keyboard.  Time to have another adventure.

Take care everyone.