A moose conspiracy

We are driving through some seriously remote roadways - some of which have no fences to keep wildlife off the road.  In fact, we have seen many, many signs with a picture of a moose or deer indicating that they may be "crossing" for the next few kilometers (those crazy canadiens - they have to make everything difficult - distance, money, gas prices).  Anyway, at first we took the signs seriously and scanned the roadsides for signs of these elusive animals.  I mean even the large semi trucks had "cow catchers" on the fronts  so there must be something to these moose sightings.  Every time we drove through a rather marshy area, or where there was a small lake with a clearing, we looked.  And we looked.  Another "crossing" sign - still no moose.  In fact, the whole way on our trip we expected to see buffalo (none, except on a buffalo farm near Head-bashed-in (see previous post)), deer, elk (yes they have signs with BIG horns on a deer-type body) and of course moose.  Nothing.  The moose obviously can't read.  If they did, they would know where to cross to make the most impact on tourists.  I now believe that it is a conspiracy formed by the tourism board - make everybody drive through Canada thinking they are going to see moose running wild which will be a big boost for tourism (hotels, restaurants).  There really AREN'T moose in Canada except on the shot glass I bought that says "Canadian Rockies".  In ending, let me say that the one sign they didn't have was "bear crossing", and, of course, what did we see?  Yes, a bear.

Taking a break from the road - in Banff, Alberta, Canada

Bow Falls

The mountain outside our condo in Banff

The patio area at the hot springs

 We tried to plan our drive so that we had a day in the middle just to relax - we made it to Banff, Alberta, Canada by Monday night, right on schedule!  That way, we could stay for a full day and still make it to Prince Rupert by Friday.  Banff is a bit like the ski towns in Colorado (Breckenridge or Vail) with lots of lodging choices, a busy downtown and lots of places to eat.  Oh yeah - and gorgeous views!  We arrived late in the day on Monday, after driving for 8 hours, and it was already dark.  I had looked online on Sunday night when we were in Great Falls for a nice room and found the Rocky Mountain Lodge.  We got a great deal on a one bedroom condo with full kitchen and wood-burning fireplace.  The view was incredible!  The next day, we had a full day planned - the hot springs, then a drive to Lake Louise.  First, though, I had to find my waterfall.  I always look for waterfalls and I found one in downtown Banff.  I like the sound of the rushing water and this one didn't disappoint.  Then, it was on our way to the hot springs just outside of town.  After a series of switchbacks, we were on top of the mountain at the Hot Springs Resort.  The "springs" flow from the mountain at a changing temperature - today, it was a toasty 39 degrees celsius (you do the math - I don't know what that is in farenheit).  Bill was paying (about $7 each) and didn't give up the $20 so easily and I made some remark to the man at the counter that Bill was always a bit 'tight' - the man looked at Bill and said "make sure to give your daughter a dollar for a locker".  Made my day - not so sure about Bill.  There was only one other couple and a single man in the water (I know that I had a swim suit on, pretty sure Bill did - not sure about the rest!), the pool was very, very clean and really warm, but not hot like some hot tubs.  The sulphur smell was non-existent (unlike the water at the "source" which you can smell as you walk by the patio area) and so comfortable.  There were small jets around the pool, and the water depth was about 5 feet, with ledges the full circumference to sit against.  The view of the mountains, the slightly cool air on your head, and the relaxing warm water was just what we needed after three full days of driving!  So our trip has been going as planned, but we still have three days of driving to go - I'll update shortly.  I have so many photos to share, and I will put more on Facebook as I can.  I can't tell you how incredibly beautiful the scenery has been.  God certainly didn't "make no junk" when it came to this part of the world.

An interesting side trip!

the cliffs of of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

Yes, there really is a place called "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump". It is located in Fort McLeod, Alberta, Canada. If you were going to lure me to a place off of my chosen route, naming it this would do it. The history of the site involves cliffs utilized by the Indians to lure buffalo to jump over them to their death.

These buffalo weren't jumping!

They(the Indians) would then harvest them for meat and such for their survival. The Canadians have built an absolutely amazing center on the site which chronicles the activity. Apparently a young Indian brave

We weren't lying - see the sign

perished while observing this event from the bottom of the cliff. His skull was apparently smashed by a falling buffalo hence the name head-smashed-in Buffalo Jump. Sharon and I purchased a few souvenirs to chronicle our visit to this site. We have thoroughly enjoyed our trip in Alberta. We have seen deer and buffalo and scenery beyond imagination. Today we drove through Calgary past the site of the Winter Olympics. It was a cool experience since all the ski jumping venues are still intact and can be seen (they are huge!) from the road. We are now in Banff resting for the evening in front of a warm fire with Canadian Club in hand.  

The mt outside of our hotel in Banff

Packer game in Great Falls MT

Sunday morning found us sleeping in a bit, and hitting the local diner for a egg & pancake breakfast (not something we usually do when we travel!).  We left the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and started a straight drive across Montana.  Thinking that we would fly through, due to the high MPH on the freeway, we set our sights on watching the Packer/Viking game in Great Falls, our stop for the 2nd night of our trip.  If you haven't driven through Montana, you are truly missing something.  The great plains were surprisingly interesting - you could literally see for miles in each direction, with cows dotting the landscape.  Then, when you least expected, rocky formations stuck out and the road swerved around them.  It looked like a moonscape.  Then the rocks disappeared and the plains reappeared.  It was totally crazy!  I tried to get photos, but it just looks like half the shot was golden (the fields) and the other half was blue (the sky).  The three-dimension was lost in the picture-taking and did not do the scenery justice.  As it got later in the afternoon, we tried to pull in any sports radio channel to listen to the Packer game, but no luck.  Our son Brian was home in Milwaukee, calling us with radio station numbers hoping we could find something that would at least give us the score.  By 2:20 p.m. (remember that Mountain time is one hour ahead so the game started in our car at 2:15 P.M.) we realize that we would not be able to hear the game, so we stopped looking at beautiful scenery and started concentrating on getting to Great Falls by half-time.  We then called our other son Josh in Louisville, and asked him to text us updates.  One was "Woodson pick - the crowd starts cheering Go Pack Go".  As we neared Great Falls, we used Bill's phone to find a sports bar.  We found one - TJ's - and I gave turn-by-turn directions to find it - it was CLOSED!  We kept driving - Josh kept giving us updates and asked us to call him when we were actually watching the game.  Finally, we saw a Holiday Inn sign that advertised "NFL Ticket", drove in the lot and practically ran to the bar and found a seat in time for last few minutes of the 3rd quarter.  Luckily for us, we sat next to a full table of Viking fans - yeah, we cheered and clapped!  Game over, day saved!  Decided to stay for the night at the Holiday Inn (they gave us an upgrade - a "senior" discount!).  Great scenery aside, a Packer win (7-0!) against the Vikings was a great way to end the day (the Alaskan Amber beer wasn't bad either, after the 7 hour drive!).  Updates coming soon...   Sharon

Our car loaded and ready to go!

It is Saturday, October 22 and we are in the Rough Rider Hotel just west of Bismarck, North Dakota, in the "heart" of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  The start of our "excellent adventure"  was at 6 a.m. this morning, with a good breakfast at Allene's Cafe in Eau Claire WI (actually, it was in my mom's kitchen - pancakes, eggs and sausage!).  With everything that we need (everything we own!) in our car, we started our trek to Juneau, Alaska,with a high state of anticipation and excitement.  I must admit that the last few days were quite emotional as we prepared to leave our home, but the decision we made was faith-based and we know it was the right decision for us.  With our apologies to those who must live in Minnesota and North Dakota, we took full advantage of the increased freeway speeds and made excellent time through those barren lands (really).  However, the photos I'm sharing here are from the last 20 minutes of our 10 hour drive and were the most incredible scenery I've seen in a long time!

Painted Canyon

The prairies of the upper mid-west were vast - you could literally see for 50 miles - and dotted with large farms and the familiar round, rolled hay bales. As we drove west out of Bismarck, the scenery changed into "buttes" and we stopped at the scenic view of Painted Canyon, the northern edge of the Badlands.  It was awe-inspiring!  Aside from the views, our travel has been uneventful - (we stopped at Fargo and took our picture with the famous wood-chipper from the movie - how boring is that?)-  and we appreciate your prayers and good thoughts for that safe travel.  Tomorrow, we drive through Montana and the start of the portion of the Alaskan Highway that we will take, starting in Great Falls.  Enjoy the photos!  Love, Bill & Sharon

It's all over but the crying!

Rummage sale - check.  Mailing many boxes to Juneau - check. Give notice of retirement - check. Closing on sale of Meier compound - check.  So much has happened since mid-August.  Just when I thought this move would never happen, things around here did a complete "180" and we are suddenly planning our departure from Wisconsin.  In August, Bill came home on a one-way ticket from Juneau, Alaska, with the blessing of Siemens International, thinking that we would both leave together later in fall.  Just before Labor Day, we had an offer on one of the properties and, while this wasn't the best situation, we felt we had to grab it.  A quick plan was made for a rummage sale (THANK YOU friends and family!) to clear out the remaining doodads and thingamabobs just as we got word that the offer had fallen through.  Then, on Labor Day Monday, our realtor said he had a legit offer - for BOTH properties.  With cash.  Wanting to close by the end of September.  Decision day had arrived and Bill and I looked at a calendar to see how this was going to work.  Adding to the mix was another week of training in Chicago as well as a family wedding in Green Bay, both in October.  We had to consider travel plans; specifically, how long it would take to drive to Juneau.  We started counting forward on the calendar, and realized that we could leave on October 21, arriving in Juneau on October 30.  I wanted to give enough notice at work to ease the transition for our incredibly busy office, so my last day will be October 13.  A few days will be needed to pack the car, and then we will spend the weekend in Green Bay at the wedding and taking in the Packer game.  (I will stop to interject this thought - the 12 noon NFL games broadcast in Wisconsin (CST) are at 9:00 a.m. in Juneau; plus, Green Bay is obviously not the regional game so we have to find a neighborhood watering hole that has the "NFL Ticket" if we want to see the Packer games!).  After Bill spends a week training in Chicago and I spend the week trying to hide stuff in the car so he won't see what I'm taking (how many pairs of shoes can I actually fit?), we will travel north to Eau Claire to see family, before heading off across Minnesota, North Dakota and beyond.  We will catch the "poor people's cruise" car ferry in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, on Friday, October 28, with our arrival in Juneau scheduled for 4:15 A.M. on October 30.  (Thanks to the NFL for giving the Packers an open date that day!)  So, it's done.  After years of talking, months of praying and a few weeks of planning, we will be off to sunny Juneau.  At least, it will feel like heaven to me!!

Home is where the heart is!

Our last child moved out yesterday - to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to be exact.  While we are excited about this new opportunity for him, it certainly arrived with some tears (on my part, anyway!).  Not because he will be far away - I guess I'm used to that since my children have always traveled world-wide.  The tears this time came because when he does return "home", it won't be to the only house he's every known.  Certainly by the time he can return to the states in Spring of 2012, we will have moved lock, stock and barrel to start our new life in Juneau, Alaska.  I told him that I was far from my "growing up house" when it emptied, when my mom and step-dad moved to a new home closer to town (is that an "up north" thing, calling the city you live near/in "town"?).  A physical house can certainly evoke memories - I know exactly where things are even in the middle of the night with the lights off.  I can open a drawer and find the can opener without looking.  I even know which board on the deck to avoid so I don't stub my toe. But I think that memories of a "house" are more poignant because they transcend the physical "brick and mortar" since they include memories shared with family.   Greg will remember where the Christmas tree was placed to just fit in the window, how Marshall would hang his head on the arm of the love seat to look at passing cars and the view of the house across the street from his bedroom window.  We all will remember the physical house that has been ours for over 30 years.  However, home is different - it is in our hearts, in the laughter and good times we remember with family and friends and, while he may not return to 4142 South 43rd Street again, he will ALWAYS have a place to call home.  It will be where ever his family gathers, be it a condo in Juneau, Josh's beautiful house in Louisville or a place to be named later - can't wait until we can say "Welcome home, Greg"!!