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Days 84 and 85: Enjoying life back on the Interstate
Location: Casper, WY
Miles Driven: ~650
Total Miles: 21,278
I was on the road towards Billings by the early afternoon, taking I-90E, and was thrilled to be back driving on the interstates. There’s something to be said about rest areas with grass, running water, and regular bathrooms (as opposed to the little outhouses along Canadian highways). Not that I minded those, but the US Interstate System offers a few more amenities. Also, what a thrill to be driving again in beautiful Montana. It’s been five years since I’ve been here last, and I had forgotten how scenic it could be.
A few hours into the drive, I saw something I first was a big cloud, but then realized it was too dark, and too close to the ground, to be a cloud. It looked like smoke, and I was thinking “ummm, any active volcanoes in Montana?”
So I presumed it must be a forest fire. My route along I-90 brought me closer and closer to the source of the smoke.
I was wondering how close my route would take me to the fire, as I seemed to be getting closer and closer to the smoke. Turns out, I wasn’t that far, maybe a couple hundred yards removed from some recently extinguised fires. I saw a couple helicopters carrying those big buckets of water back and forth.
So as you can tell, this fire seemed pretty bad. But when I searched online later, I couldn’t find mention of Montana forest fires, so I’m not sure if this was a naturally-caused one or manmade.
I ended up stopping at a rest stop outside of Billings for the night. It was a hot night, in the 90s; quite a change from those nights in the 40s in Canada. I woke up on Sunday as the sun was rising, and went to fill one of my water bottles, but the rest stop has warnings saying the water was not fit for human consumption. A Canadian truck driver saw me walking with the empty bottle, and gave me three of his own. So generous. Truckers are great. We had a good talk about travels across the US and Canada, and he said his goal is to get to Alaska. I told him it’s a must, especially considering the distances he’s used to driving. We also shared an affinity for Utah. Funny thing, he said Texas was his least-favorite state, and mentioned New Yorkers keep their noses up in the air (I don’t think he had seen my license plate up to that point). But still, a very friendly guy.
I had always wanted to visited the Little Bighorn battlefield in Montana, but I totally forgot about it when I hit the road back in May. But my road atlas conveniently marks places of interest, and I noticed the battlefield was right on my way to Wyoming. I arrived there as it was just opening, and once again, my national parks pass came in handy (thanks Kelly). Little Bighorn Battlefield is a national monument, and as you may recall, my parks pass covers entrance fees to both parks and national monuments. Clutch.
I was in time to catch a video orientation on the area and the battle that occured in June of 1876. My knowledge of the battle and Custer’s Last Stand was pretty spotty, so it was good to learn again. Checking out the battlefield after the video, I realized how quickly Custer and his men would be at a disadvantage, with the undulating hills and ridges. Sitting Bull and his allies were quite familiar with this land, and it wasn’t hard to see why the battle turned out to be a massacre. Also, communication between Custer and his various companies spread out wasn’t smooth, and the lack of coordination ultimately led to Custer’s demise (not to mention, according to high estimates, it was his force of 600 vs about 2,000).
a portion of the battlefield
markers showing the place US Cavalrymen fell
note the marker in the center
U.S. army memorial
There was also a memorial there built for the Native Americans who fought at Little Bighorn. It was a circle, with displays on each of the major communities that fought on the side of the Natives Americans. Very powerful and moving memorial.
Many of the displays along the path emphasized how a peaceful relationship between the U.S. and Native Americans has been forged since this bloody battle. There was a sign on the visitor center that captured how important peace means to those who have lived her long before us:
I was glad I made the stop at the battlefield. It was a good history lesson, and a moving experience.
I pressed on further south, towards Wyoming. The driving was scenic, and uneventful, and I stopped at an information center in Wyoming to have some lunch. I had forgotten my brother Mike gave me some military MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), so it was time to try one.
For those not familiar with MREs (as I wasn’t), it’s a pretty cool system. Check out the pictures below to see how it works.
this MRE was meatloaf and mashed taters
In addition to the meatloaf and mashed taters, there are some bonus items - here apple jelly, tootsie rolls, and also crackers and cookies
that's the meatloaf
So in that bag is a special "heater" pad. By adding the water to the bag, some kind of chemical reaction heats up the water, and that's how you cook the food
So I stuffed my meatloaf in the bag, poured in the water, then let the package sit for about 12 minutes or so. I was anxious to see if I did everything correctly, and turns out I did. Pulled out a warm package of meatloaf.
It might not look that appetizing, but it actually was very good
My first experience eating MRE was a very positive one – I thought the meatloaf was delicious. I didn’t heat up the mashed potatotes, as the meatloaf, cracker, cookies, and tootsie rolls filled me up. Can’t wait to try my other flavor of MREs later in this trip. Thanks again, Mike.
After lunch, I continued my drive into the heart of Wyoming.
I stopped in the town of Casper. I’ll sleep here for the night, and come Monday, I only have about four hours from here to my hotel in Boulder. Looking forward to having a bed to sleep in once again. Haven’t been in a bed since I was staying in Palmer, Alaska.
joe
Day 83: Big Sky Country
Location: Missoula, Montana
Miles Driven: 428
Total Miles: 20,628
I think it was around 6AM when I started driving this morning, and I didn’t feel tired at all. I was excited that I would be crossing the border later that day. My initial plan was to first hit Waterton Lakes National Park, just north of the border, and connected to America’s Glacier National Park. However, I changed my mind after seeing the haze in the western skies.
So I was a bit worried that my views at Glacier would be obstructed by the haze. But as I made my way towards the border, the skies started to clear up.
I thought I might be able to pass Customs relatively easily, given that I didn’t think I was on a major route that goes into Montana. I was wrong. There was a long queue of cars, and it took me about 40 minutes to get to the window. But I was able to take advantage of that waiting period. I reorganized my junk in the back seat, cleaned up the front a bit, and washed the windows. While washing the windshield, I discovered a giant bug caught in one of my wiper blades.
R.I.P. big dragonfly
For the third (and last) time on this roadtrip, I crossed into American territory. I was sped right through once again, and actually had a nice chat with the officer about my trip and future plans.
Soon I arrived at the eastern entrance to Glacier National Park. The Going-to-the-Sun Road spans across the park about 50 miles, and I was going to take it the full way to the western side. The last time I was here, I drove west->east, so it was cool to get another perspective of the park. It wasn’t long before I was smiling, windows down, recognizing some of the most beautiful country in the U.S.
St. Mary Lake and Goose Island
It was a couple hours before I made my way to the other side. There was a good amount of road construction, but those waits allowed more time to take in the views. Here are a few more pictures from the drive:
Jackson Glacier
In Glacier, there a lot of waterfalls just coming down the mountains near the road
The familiar U-shape of glacially-formed valleys
Lake MacDonald
By early afternoon I had exited the park, and being a bit tired, I stopped at a cafe not far from Kalispell. It was there I realized how very dirty the car was. The Mazda hadn’t received a wash since Alaska, and over a week’s worth of dirt, bugs, and grime had taken their toll. I was able to find one of those coin-operated car washes and spent a lot of extra quarters working to get the dead bugs off the front. Here you can see the before and after:
Looking good as new, once again
Speaking of bugs, I’m not sure if it’s something about the northern U.S., but I don’t have to squeegee my windshield as often as I did in Canada. In Canada, it seemed every 50 miles or so, the windshield would be covered with dead bugs. I have witnessed the demise of so many of those little guys (and some big ones…ugh). My brother Jon bought me a new squeegee when I was in Houston, and already it’s pretty filthy. Here’s hoping the run-ins with the bugs continue to be limited.
Also, it seems bees are strongly attracted to bug guts. In Canada, whenever I parked my car, within a few minutes I’d have near a dozen bees milling about the front of the vehicle, and behind the rear view mirrors where bug guts were plenty. So washing the car offers more than just aesthetic values, I also reduce my chance of getting stung.
I was hoping I could find a park in Kalispell where I could get exercise. As luck would have it, the first park I found had an empty basketball court. I haven’t had a chance to play since I left Georgia, so I grabbed the ball from my trunk and got to it. Since I had my camera, I figured I’d make a video and see how many shots in a row I could make:
Needless to say, I stopped filming video shortly after. But it was good to get some exercise.
Around 9PM or so it started to get dark (what one might consider “normal” compared to Alaska sunsets), and it was a clear night, so I thought it might be a good night to pull out the camera and tripod. But then I realized my old nemesis, the Moon, shone bright in the western sky. It wasn’t full, but near full, and it would seriously hamper my night vision. The moon wouldn’t set until after 3AM, so I decided I’d have to wait until another time to take some astrophotos.
I slept for a little bit, and then woke up around 3AM Saturday morning. Not able to fall back asleep, I figured I make my way further south. It was on this drive I realized the skies were still dark, and now moonless, so I took advantage of that and found a dirt road away from Hwy 93.
It's not often you see Orion in the summer night sky. But around 4AM in the summer, sure
Clouds came in fast, but they helped create some cool effects for the photos.
Eventually the cloud cover took over, and I packed up my equipment. Great to take in some stars once again, especially against the backdrop of some Montanian mountains.
I made my way to Missoula, a place I’ve spent a night once before, but I won’t linger too long today. I’d like to get close to the Billings area today, and from there I’ll head south towards Eastern Wyoming. The over-arching goal is to arrive in Boulder, Colorado on Monday, where my friend John has kindly set me up at a hotel. That will be a real nice treat after all this car-sleeping.
joe
20,000 miles and still going strong
I thought hitting 20,000 miles on this trip was a fairly significant milestone that earned its own post. And now that I sit here writing this, I have little to say.
I did initially expect to drive in the neighborhood of 20,000 miles by the time this trip was over, but to actually sit behind the odometer and see the distance I’ve gone is pretty cool. A bit tiring to think about, but very rewarding at the same time. That being said, there’s still a lot of driving yet to do, but I haven’t gotten sick of it.
So I figured this was a good opportunity to posit a question to the readers of joesroadtrip.com. See, I’ve been asked many times the past few months, “Joe, what’s been the highlight of your roadtrip?” I can never name one thing. I usually end up rattling off about 10 things or so, and that’s before I even start really thinking about it.
So, dear readers – What has been your favorite part of the trip?
I’m actually very curious what others might see as the highlights, and I wonder if responses will jive with mine or be totally different. There’s now about 80 or so posts on this website, so feel free to review the archives (on the right hand side) if you need a refresher. If you have time, leave your response in the comment section and let me know.
Thanks,
joe
Days 81 and 82: Calgary Glen Ross
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Miles Driven: 709
Total Miles: 20,200 (holy crap!)
Once again I passed through a Northern Canadian city and felt at home. This time, it was Dawson Creek. I was able to hit up the “downtown” area I toured before, and stopped at the good ol’ Safeway (very cozy restroom, by the way). I consider myself somewhat of an authority on these cities in Canada, since I have visited many of them twice, albeit for hours at a time each visit.
The drive into Alberta was uneventful, and actually a little bit anti-climatic at first, since I didn’t realize Northern Alberta was made up of plains. Still a nice sight to behold.
But I initially a bit dismayed. As I traveled further into Alberta, the familiar haze caused by neighboring forest fires hung in the air. I asked clerks at a gas station if Alberta, like British Columbia, had been ravaged by summer fires. They told me the haze in Alberta is the same haze I had witnessed in places like Watson Lake, BC. Seems the wind can take this smoky air pretty far. I was a bit concerned what the air quality would be like further south, near Jasper and Banff National Parks. Would it limit my views of the various peaks? The clerks didn’t know what it was like down there, but mentioned the air quality could change daily. I’d have to find out for myself, as I was still a few hours north of the parks.
By the time I reached the northern section of Jasper, the air was still hazy and mountains were just blue-ish outlines in the sky. But oh well. Not long after entering the park, I noticed some cars pulled over on the side of the road. Turns out there was a giant elk just hanging out on the side of the road.
biggest elk I've ever seen
I made for the village of Jasper, which is right in the heart of the park. There I wandered around a bit to stretch the legs. Before I knew it, it was 10PM, and I was pretty beat. Had a good night’s rest (a lot less light to deal with than the prior night’s sleep), and then around 7AM I made my way to the Maligne (for those who know French – how would you pronounce that? I have no idea) River Canyon to get an early-morning hike in. The air was a little less hazy than the day before, and it was quiet – didn’t see anybody out until probably after an hour of walking.
Maligne River Canyon
such blue water
After spending some time in the canyon, I got back in the car and started the long journey towards Banff. It doesn’t look like a long drive on the map, but it winds through the mountains so it would be a couple hours before I arrived.
Despite the haze, I was able to enjoy the Rockies while on the drive to Banff.
Spotted a bear on the side of the road, too. Two animal sightings so far in Alberta. There was a lady who stepped outside her car to get a picture of bear, and put herself in an obstacle-free path about 10 yards from the bear. Not the wisest move. I got out of there before I witnessed a scene from “When Animals Attack.”
Hey bear, look this way for the photo
I received a recommendation from Travis (back in Vancouver) to be sure to check out Peyto Lake, which is in the northern section of Banff. I wasn’t paying attention very well to the signs on the road, but I luckily caught the sign for Peyto Lake and made the turn. I parked the car in the over-flowing parking lot and headed out on the 300 meter path to the lake viewpoint. I soon realized why this parking lot was stuffed.
I didn't alter this photo one bit. The water really looks like that. Amazing
What a place. Thank you, Travis. Another view:
And a closeup of the water:
My next stop was Lake Louise, probably the most famous lake in Banff. I guess it was a bit anti-climatic for me, probably because it was so crowded. But a very impressive lake, nonetheless. I prefer Peyto, though.
My head was hurting a bit (I think due to the altitude), so I decided against going on any more hikes that afternoon. I made my way slowly out of Banff and then it wasn’t long before I hit Calgary. Calgary was also very hazy, but I didn’t know if that was forest fire-induced or maybe just Calgary is a polluted city. Found out from the clerk at the coffeeshop I’m sitting at that no, Calgary is not often smoggy, it just has also seen a reduction in air quality from BC forest fires.
I’ll make Calgary my home for the night. This will be my last night in Canada, as I’m less than five hours away from the border. Tomorrow – Waterton Lakes National Park (Canada), and its sister in Montana – Glacier National Park (U.S.) – a park I’ve been lucky enough to visit once before, and one that is in my “top 3”.
Looking forward to being back on American soil, and reuniting with the familiar US Interstate system.
joe
Days 79 and 80: Return to the land of litres and kilometers
Location: About 80 kilometers from Ft. St. John, British Columbia
Miles Driven: 1,180
Total Miles: 19,491
Early Monday morning I crossed Customs once again, heading back into Canada’s Yukon Territory. This was my quickest passage yet – no car searches, no litany of questions…just a couple to answer and the nice officer sent me on my way.
Back in the Yukon, enjoying the early-morning views
I was soon back to my old ways of covering a lot of ground. The spoiled days of traveling in Alaska, with maybe just 200 or so miles between destinations, were over. But no problem. I set myself a goal to cross the border into Montana by the end of the week, so I’d have to grind out a bit of driving these first few days back in Canada. I was glad to have my satellite radio functioning again (in Alaska it stopped working, but learned that’s supposed to happen, and wasn’t an issue with my unit), and between that and some audiobooks (thank you, Elyse), the kilometers added up quickly.
It’s probably a psychological thing, but I think I prefer seeing distances to cities in kilometers as opposed to miles. Even if I see a large amount, such as 400 kilometers, it still seems more visually appealing to me than 248 miles.
It was interesting traveling the opposite direction on the Alaska Highway. I recalled all the little places I stopped to get gas, and the cafes I had visited to take advantage of free WiFi. Once I made it back to Whitehorse, I felt like it was a return to a place I used to live, even though I only spent about a day and a half there before.
I had driven about 430 miles that day before deciding to call it quits. I fell asleep early, and woke up shortly after midnight. I had looked out my window and saw stars for the first time in…I don’t know…over 10 days? Part of me wanted to get out and set up my tripod to take pictures, but that day I had been brutally attacked by bugs the second I stepped out of my car. I decided to stay in the car, and quickly fell back asleep.
The next day, Tuesday, didn’t differ that much from Monday…had a lot of driving to do still. The day was different in the fact I saw more bison than I ever saw before. I must’ve seen at least three dozen bison in different spots along the road, most of them in little herds.
lots of bison butt
There were some stretches of driving where the air was smoky and hazy from forest hires (Watson Lake, noticeably), but it was to a lesser extent than on the drive up. Incidentally, I stopped at the visitor center in Watson Lake (home of the Sign Post Forest), and saw that there are over 67,000 signs up there. Wow.
I passed Muncho Lake on the way, which I had seen before but my views were a bit obscured by haze from forest fires. This time, it was a bit clearer.
I drove more than I intended on that Tuesday. By 9PM or so I was ready to call it a night, after passing the city of Ft. St. Nelson, but I had a hell of a time finding a rest stop. Prior to this stretch of driving, it seemed there was a rest stop every 50 km or so. I had driven over 130 miles passed Ft. St. Nelson and hadn’t even found one. Very surprised, and a bit annoyed, I continued driving in the dark. I didn’t like it, as there were lots of signs regarding wildlife in the area. It wasn’t until after 11PM I finally found a little place I could pull over and close my eyes for a bit.
I ended up driving 747 miles that day – a new record, but not one I wish to challenge anytime soon. I think the toughest haul of Canadian driving is over now. Soon I’ll be in Dawson Creek, and from there the route will be entirely new to me as I go into Alberta. Who knows, I might even make it to Jasper National Park before Wednesday is over. Jasper and Banff National Parks are two of the “must-see” parks in Canada, and both are conveniently located on my route (well, I guess I somewhat planned it that way).
A side note – you’ll notice the Joe-tracker on the top right of the page still shows me in Palmer, Alaska. Disregard that. I think when I use the GPS on my phone, AT&T likes to charge me extra in Canada, so I’ve disabled it for the time being.
joe
Trip route – Summer 2010
Joe's Roadtrip 
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