What type of vehicle? Camping, motels Hostels or other?
Sounds like a fantastic trip at least until you run out of money.

Can we really come along??????? Sounds like a great trip.

I will be waiting with great anticipation to read all about it! Sounds like a fantastic trip- enjoy.

Tomfuller, we are driving a Volvo S60 that we bought last year with road trip in mind. We could use more trunk space, but then we would just take more crap. And it is great for the highway.

We are not campers; we will mix it up with motels, staying with friends (as in Detroit) and finally get to cash in some hotel chain points that have been accumulating. This is a reward/milestone trip, so there are some special places where we plan to splurge.

On the road to Toronto this morning. See you soon!

Sounds like a blast. Take us along!

What fun. Will you be taking pictures and/or blogging or some such? Words alone are good, words with photos are better.

Looking forward to the ride. I second the request for photos!

We will be in Utah next week on a 7 day 1,000 mile road trip.
We will have 2 long drive days (4hours+) but lots of hiking in between and although I am happy to stick to the no burger rule it will be a struggle for my traveling companions. Maybe I'll suggest this is a ONE burger trip lol!

Sounds wonderful.Come see us in Oregon.

Day 1 - 5
Toronto - St Jacobs and Elora - Detroit

Workshop wrapped up, some time around it to walk around Toronto. It is, IMHO, one of the great walking cities. We often choose a restaurant in a distant neighbourhood and walk back to our centrally located hotel. This time it was Brassai on King St East to the Intercontinental on Bloor, through the so-called entertainment district and the university grounds. I had a free night to use at the Intercontinental.

We hit the road Sunday morning in a rainstorm. Since we didn't want to get to Detroit until late afternoon, we decided to do our first spontaneous exploration off the direct route into St Jacobs. It is a well-known (but not by us) Mennonite settlement, famous for produce, markets, crafts. Of course, on Sunday morning in April everything, including the public washroom, is closed. If we had wanted to go to church, we would have been well set. We didn't. I realized we were not too far from Elora, home of a famous choral music festival and a gorge. We discovered on arrival at the gorge that the road was barred, not yet open for the season.

So much, so far, for spontaneity!

The rain let up for an uneventful drive to Detroit. More precisely, to Grosse Pointe, close in geographic proximity but distant on virtually very other measure. Yet even here, our friend says, property values have dropped about 40% in the last 5 years. It is Monday, museums and art institute closed. We had an excellent walk in the neighbourhood where spring is so much more in evidence than it is at home. Magnolias almost finished.

We are just chilling today. The next two days are about the heaviest drives of the trip to get to Arches National Park by Thursday.

I'll second bbqboy's invite to Oregon.
Looks like 3 8+ hour days from Detroit to Moab. Tomorrow Des Moines and Wednesday to Sterling Colorado or Denver if you push it.
You'll get more than an hour exercise hiking to Delicate Arch.

Thanks Tom. Our drive takes us in the direction of the recent "life threatening weather", we will pay attention to reports en route. It was very windy even here in Michigan, but things seem to have settled.

Thanks, too, for picture requests. I am new to this, and had decided a blog was too much like work for this initial adventure. Will think about the picture postings, though...what are the recommended sites?

We will be in Arches NP on Thursday too. Safe travels!

You can post pictures on Flickr free for about 200 . Go to Flickr.com to check it out

Hi Sassy, I don't think our trails will cross on Thursday,we will just be arriving that day...but maybe in the days following!

Day 6 - 8
Detroit - Iowa City - Sterling CO - Grand Junction CO

Three themes emerge: corn, cows and canyons.

Our pace was a little more relaxed than tomfuller proposed...just because we can! Even then, we blew by the birth place of John Wayne (Winterset), the radio station where Ronald Reagan had his first job, and the Amana colonies (which might be interesting...)

The corn fields in Iowa advertise mazes. They should offer a discount at this time of year, the stubbly fields don't present much of a challenge.

The expected herds and flocks are enlivened by spring calves and foals, very entertaining. But the gigantic feedlots in Nebraska were disconcerting. We are dedicated omnivores, but are rarely confronted with the bare and hard reality of where our meat comes from...the intense industrial enterprise so evident here is a stark contrast to the pleasant bucolic pastures we had seen to that point.

And on to Sterling, where dinner was a steak with cheese sauce. I swear it was the healthiest thing on the menu.

We had fantastic weather for the stunning drive to Denver and into the mountains. We have been able to see the sharp edges of some turbulent systems in these huge skies, but the rain has been around us and not on us. I love that part of Hwy 70 west of Vail is maintained by "Friends of John Denver".

Tomorrow, hiking in Arches. Will be great to be walking in something other than a shopping mall.

Following along with interest...

Did you make a stop in Glenwood Springs?
Enjoy the hike out to Delicate Arch.

What, pray tell, is the Amana colonies? I have no clue...

Amana IL was the stop of the Mormons before Brigham Young led them to "New Zion" (Utah). Joseph Smith was murdered there before Young led them west.
I believe their is still an appliance factory in town now owned by Whirlpool.

Day 9 - 10
Moab (Arches National Park)

We got to the Park, after driving from Grand Junction, around 10 am. We had planned to spring for a park season pass (80$) but it turns out this week is free admission. Good news/bad news...some savings for us, but will it mean more people? Especially as the weather is fantastic.

It is readily apparent why Arches gets almost a million visitors a year. You hardly have to get out of your car to see some of the most spectacular scenes...sort of a "drive-thru" national park. We did the circuit and the several short hikes, and were in Moab for a late lunch at

There were no deals to be had at the chain hotels, so we opted for an inn at about the same price (the Sunflower Hill). It was a great choice, didn't give up any chain convenience and got a lot more, including a herd of mule deer wandering across the back lawn in the late afternoon.

We opted to do the Devils Garden primitive loop rather than Delicate Arch on Saturday. We wanted a longer hike, and figured it might be less popular. We were rewarded....we had Pine Tree Arch and most of the trail to ourselves, except at a couple of the tricky slick rock bits where it was helpful to have a group in front of us to provide some navigating insight. Of course, we had a LOT more company when we got to Double 0, and on the main trail on the way back to the parking lot which had been pretty quiet when we got there at 830, but was overflowing at 1:00. For some people, the real hike would be getting from their car to the trailhead! We figured we deserved an afternoon by the pool.

Today's philosophical pondering: it occurred to me at one point, standing on a fin and taking in the view of what seemed to be pretty close to the whole world around here that I would likely never be here again. I don't have a bucket list per se, but there are a lot of other places to see. How can I be sad and thrilled at the same time? Carpe diem.

Amana colonies...tomfuller has the backstory. I don't know how much of that history is told in the place. It seems to be promoted more as a "pioneer village". And yes, there are fridges and stoves across the continent with an Amana label on them, but I doubt that would warrant a visit. Although as I recall, the New Yorker had a good piece a few years ago, using it as an object lesson in the loss of craftsmanship and the power of brand.

Tomfuller,we didn't go in to Glenwood Springs. We had done some exploring in this area on a previous trip to Telluride and we wanted to get to Grand Junction in time to deal with some logistics and laundry. That was the best part of GJ.

Friendship Bay,

I really, really hope that this will not be your only trip to southern Utah. It tends to grow on you!

Day 11 - 13
Moab - Springdale Utah (Zion National Park)

Dayle, thanks for your encouragement. My reflection was more about that moment in Arches than an intention about Utah. You will see we have had a splendid time, and I can imagine a return. We didn't, for instance, get to Bryce or some of the interesting state parks except as drive-bys.

A cluster of antelope was gathered along a fence on the highway as we drove out of Moab. I don't know if they were confused, curious about the cattle on the other side, or thwarted in their efforts to get from point a to point b. I am sure if you live in this part of the world you see them a lot, but we thought that was pretty special.

Hwy 12/24 to Zion. Isn't that some amazing road? We had no idea, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Sun was shining, music was playing, and traffic was pretty much nonexistent. We have already had the essence of road trip, and the knot of work between my shoulder blades is loosening.

We were pretty open coming into Zion about how we would spend our couple of days, but it didnt take us long to figure out that we could have a perfectly satisfactory experience without tackling Angels Landing. We have done some "via ferrata" trails in Europe, but given the choice here in the park, and as first-timers, we decided not to go there. And we can maintain the pretense that we would have done The Narrows but for the fact that it is closed due to high water conditions. Released from the requirement to be heroic, we covered nearly all of the shorter trails and did about half of the Eastern Rim/Observation point trail (into the slot canyon at about 1000 feet). So we figure we got our money's worth (it's still free!)

And now for something completely different. Tomorrow, we drive to Las Vegas, a place I have never been and don't expect to go again (DH has been to a few meetings there). I figured it is a place you should see once...and who knows, maybe I will have an attitude adjustment. Because we are planning it as a once-in-a-lifetime thing, we are staying at the Bellagio, going to a Cirque show, eating in some terifically pretentious restaurant. Go big or go home. See you on the other side!

PS, forgot to ask: why is Utah called beehive state?

Because the Mormons regard the honey bee as a very industrious creature and theyhad to work very industriously in order to settle and survive in the Utah climate,like the honey bees. Of course "survive" in the way of east coasters. The native Utah tribes had been surviving quite nicely long before the Mormons arrived.

Here is a hotel karma story.  Checking into our hotel in Zion, we were told we had been "upgraded".  We found the room to be small and dark, and said so when we checked out, because we wondered how bad the original assignment had been, if that was an upgrade.  Turned out it was a mistake, for which apologies and a discount were offered and accepted.  So when we arrived at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and were again told we were being "upgraded", our hearts sank.  And rose again, as the door swung open to a suite that was bigger than our condo, including two complete bath/ dressing rooms with his and her amenities.  So that was fun.

As was the following day--spa, pool, a dinner beside the fountains (another fluke, somebody hadn't shown up and we were in our best dress and on our best behavior, some got the premium seats) and the Cirque de Soliel show "O".  We were luckier with our reservations than our gaming, I lost the entire amount I committed to the slots ($3.00)

I found all of the services to be of a very high quality, cheerful and professional.   That was surprising,  and expensive.   Maybe I have read too much dystopian science fiction, as in Margaret Atwood.  I found the mass spectacles, 360 degree marketing, gaps between the "magic" inside the hotel and the rather starker reality outside, and the profligate use of water in the desert made me queasy.  And that was before the  brandy.

A long road trip. About this covering so much territory, I am reminded of a TV personality who vowed to visited every state in the union in a week's time (I think a week). Then he came home and gave talks. Your adventures much better of course.

Yes, we are quite familiar with the Amanas and Moab and more.

I like Picasa for posting pictures online. You get several gigabytes of storage for free. If you like, you can take a look at my England/Wales album here: http://picasaweb.google.com/107255467248504604599?gsessionid=etZgslp8plpyVmym0JIqFQ

Sounds like you're having a wonderful trip!

Lee Ann

Day 16 - Palm Springs
Day 17 - 24 Baja California (Rancho La Puerta)
Day 25 - Santa Monica

We haven't fallen off the face of the earth since the last posting, but it does feel like we have travelled through several realities.  Our drive to Palm Springs from Las Vegas and our overnight stay there was unremarkable, apart from some interesting bits of the old Route 66, which we appeared  to be sharing with every motorcyclist in all adjoining states.  We also had a chance to break out the picnic kit for the first time, stocked up at the Whole Foods in Las Vegas and enjoyed in a park in Twentynine Palms.  We stayed at the Best Western Las Brisas to pick up some points.  I don't think I can recommend it for any other reason.

Then on to the San Diego airport to stow the car and connect with the shuttle for the short trip across the border into Mexico for a week at Rancho La Puerta.  This is where this adventure really got started.  Many months ago, I said that when I changed my relationship with work (a more flexible term than " when I retired "), I would like to mark the transition by going to someplace like Rancho for some decompression and attitude adjustment.  DH proposed that we drive down, and that was the inspiration for The Great North American Road Trip.

After a  week of hiking, hours of yoga and swimming every day, vegetarian meals and no alcohol (coffee ok, thanks be) in a beautiful setting with glorious weather, I feel like I have somebody else's back...somebody much younger and lighter.   I need to figure out how to extend the loan!

Back in the car, we head to the ocean and spend the day with friends in DelMar and Carlsbad. And finish the day in Santa Monica, thankful we only have to negotiate Los Angeles traffic once on this trip.  We toast our re-entry into the real world with a glass of sparkling wine at Shutters on the Beach and a walk along the pier to the end of Route 66 under the supermoon.

(We are not staying at Shutters, sadly.  We have a free room on points at the Marriott, so at least the price is right and we have access to the better bar down the beach)

Day 26 - 27 Santa Barbara

Our morning in Santa Monica was another study in contrasts.  We took an early morning walk down the waterfront to Venice Beach and had breakfast at a sidewalk cafe.  A shelter nearby had just opened its doors for the morning, and we got to see some of Venice Beach's more colorful characters beginning their day.  Then we arrived by accident at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, with an impressive range of prepared food and organic produce, lots of young families and little girls delighting in pony rides.  Different planets, only blocks apart.

Santa Barbara is one of the "new" places we are visiting this trip.  You know those places you go where there may not be a lot of action and sights, but you feel like you could settle in for weeks or months?  That's the way we felt about Santa Barbara.  It didn't hurt that we stayed at the Simpson House inn, on the recommendation of our friend KDB.  We had a small room and a big sun deck, which was perfect for the weather.  We really loved the small parks and big gardens, the Spanish colonial architecture, and the very human scale of the city.  The land use controls must be ferocious.  Our pre- breakfast walk took us to a very different mission than the one the day before, for a prolonged session of smelling the roses.  Irises are almost spent, but everything else is flourishing.  

We even loved the Educated Car Wash, we have nothing like that at home.  And after 3700 miles on the car at this point, it was welcome.

Tomorrow we are off to one of our "old" favorites, Big Sur.  Looking  forward to foggy mornings and wild turkeys.

Technical notes! Thanks to emalloy and Lee Ann for photo suggestions. I'm travelling with just an iPad, and while I know it can be done, I find managing pictures on it to be painful. So the gallery may have to wait until I am home with my PC. Thanks for the interest!

We are doing well with the parks and hiking, less so with the wine by the glass, especially as we explored Santa Barbara Pinot Noir.

Keep having a fantastic trip!! We'll be happy to wait for the pictures, it will be like taking the trip all over again when they do come.

bookmarking

Day 28 - 30  Big Sur, CA

This started out with a feeling of " you can't go home again".  No fog, no turkeys!

We have stayed a few times at the Ventana, and we were really looking forward to this visit. The last time we had tried to go a few years ago, the highway was closed (a not infrequent hazard on this route) so we  never made it.  The inn has changed hands since our last visit, and it has a more corporate style.  This has resulted in some upgrading, but we kind of liked the old funkier feel.  And there was a big bicycle tour group with us on the first day that made the pools crowded and noisy -- relative to our previous visits, which memory has turned into splendidly tranquil and solitary idylls.

We decided to splurge on dinner across the highway at Sierra Mar in the Post Ranch.  It hangs  over the ocean, the setting is spectacular and we thought we deserved the sunset view.   The meal was probably the poorest cost/value investment of our trip.  We spent the sunset hour in the bar waiting for our table. It was too cold and windy to have the drink outside (that part I can't blame on the restaurant).  DH asked for cab sauv, and the bartender gave him a glass  of the house "signature" wine without offering  options, or a sampling, or the price, which turned out to be $30.  Tacky.  Our table, when it was available, was shoehorned into a wedge that had us sitting nearly on top of a poor fellow eating on his own just a couple of steps down.  We like modernist/minimalist cuisine,  which is this restaurant's menu,  but most of our meal just seemed mundane and mingy. (DH demurs on the salmon, which he thought was great.  I am determined to be crabby.)

But on to the main business.  We hit all three state parks in the area, as well as Pfeiffer Beach.   Too early in the season for the footbridge at Andrew Molera, and I wasn't up for wading (the water is COLD, but it didn't seem to faze the Australians who were on the trail with us) so we just did the short but dramatic Headlands trail.  The deterioration in the state park's maintenance capacity was evident at Big Sur Pfeiffer State Park.  There are no loop trails that actually loop.  The connections were broken in the flooding/land slides in 2008/9 and have yet to be restored.  And while we have been travelling here, the news is that the state government is proposing to close about a third of its parks.  Seems a shame if that comes to pass.  A different picture entirely at Point Lobos ( which is a state park reserve, not a park, although I am unclear on the distinction).  It is closer to Monterey and appears to be well-supported by private investment and volunteers.  I was thrilled to see the harbour seal nursury beach in active use.  This is more of a ramble around the headlands and cypress stands than a hike, but we enjoyed it enormously. The spring flowers, especially the poppies, add to the palette of blue, green and grey.

The Restaurant at Ventana has benefitted from the recent upgrading, we thought the food was really good.  And certainly more reasonable (and friendly) than the place across the highway!   And there was a very nice yoga class offered every morning.  At the end of it, we are reconciled to change and continue to hold a special love for this special place.  And I am rewarded with fog on our final morning that softens the landscape as we take our leave.

Day 31 - 32  Yosemite NP

So you would think, with all this time and flexibility, that we would have avoided coming to Yosemite on a weekend. Think again!  We were out of luck for accommodation in the park, stayed at a motel in El Portal just outside the gate.  This proved to be lucky, because it meant we could be at our chosen hike, Vernal Falls, well ahead of the throngs we crossed paths with on our way down.  The hike is amazing.  It sounds short, just 1.5 miles, but it climbs about 1000 feet over that time, and as some  of that feels like it is through the waterfall,  footing is a bit tricky.  The morning light in the canyon was magical.  At several points, we were encircled by rainbows...I don't think the pictures will turn out, but I don't think I will forget that.   Some people we crossed on the way down reported seeing bears. We didn't.  I am ok with that.

Finishing the hike early, we had time to drive through the park to the main iconic sites--Tunnel View, Mariposa Grove, Glacier Peak.  Of course, all the falls are at their most spectacular with spring runoff and the dogwoods are flowering.  The most  (only?) appealing feature of our hotel is that it backs onto the Merced River, so we have the best possible white noise as a background to sleep.

I have not visited Yosemite before, DH did as a child.  It is impressive, to be sure.  And the attraction is obvious if you are a serious backwoods type, or a rock climber, or travelling with a family and looking for some accessible wilderness.  As we are none of the above, it is a less obvious option for a return visit. 

Day 33 - 34  Calistoga CA
Day 35  Eureka, CA

Eureka!  I just wanted to stay here for the sound of it.  The older historical features of this former lumber and military HQ are more interesting than the drive into town might suggest.

We have made the transition from the southern to the northern legs of our tour over the last couple of days.  The weather has turned grey and cooler for the first time since we left a month ago.  It is hard to believe we are just past the mid-point of the adventure in term of both time and distance.

We spent last evening taking advantage of the great laundry here at the Best Western to swap out the suitcases, stowing linens and hiking clothes and digging out jeans and jackets.  We "dined in" on supermarket rotisserie chicken.  It seemed like the most appealing option, but we didn't do a lot of exploration, so that may be an unfair judgement.  
We had a bottle of champion Navarro muscat blank, picked up in a return visit to this wonderful Anderson valley winery on our drive across from Napa. 

In Calistoga, we stayed at the Indian Springs to take the waters and the mud baths.  This resort too has been spruced up since our last visit.  That's what happens when you don't come back but every 10 or 15 years.  Calistoga is our favorite of the Napa/Sonoma towns, less twee than some of the others, and lots of great eating and drinking within stumbling distance.

 Everything north of Mendocino is new to me.  The drive through the Avenue of the Giants, a redwood lined secondary road, was stunning.  Looking forward to a couple of days of redwoods and sand dunes in Oregon as we make our way to Portland.

I'm looking forward to the northern part of CA that I haven't been to yet.

I also agree with your take on Yosemite. Maybe it was the hype, but I was expecting something much better and hope to get back another time to see if I just didn't get it. We were there in April and it is lovely, the waterfalls were beautiful, but not more spectacular than some in Hawaii or Yellowstone IMHO and the crowds were terrible in the valley.

What an enjoyable read! Looking forward to the next installment!

Day 36 
Redwoods National/State Park CA
Coos Bay OR

My favorite park, so far.  1500 year old trees, a few elk, trails that muffle and soften sound rather than amplifying it, and it's free...what's not to like?  These are more like spiritual strolls than demanding physical challenges, but we spent a few hours at it so hopefully traded off intensity for distance.   We saw a grand total of two other people on the trails (ok, maybe 4 because we saw them twice) and a small crew dealing with a falling tree, so we got to learn a bit about the forest management.

Emalloy, I was thinking even before I saw your post about the contrast with Yosemite.  Lots of big spectacle and glamour at Yosemite.  No drama at Redwoods, but a more satisfying experience for some of us, and maybe for you too!

Coos Bay mostly a convenient place to stop, but we found a great little restaurant, the Empire Cafe.  All fresh and "home-made".  Oysters and salmon nicely handled and served with 2 vegetables, which we appreciated.  Road food tends to be a fiber-free zone.  Huckleberries and blueberries as a sauce or dessert filling.  Yum.  And we picked up a bottle of 2004 Castello Volpaia that was being cleared out at a good price.  Saves us a trip to Italy.

Great trip report wish I was there.Question, did you reserve hotels before the trip or are just seeing where the day edds and finding a room?

Where to next? I'm enjoying your trip Save travels.

FTT, we are in Portland now, then going to visit family and friends in Victotia and Vancouver via Port Townsend and Port Angeles.

Tony, our approach to hotels has been evolving over the trip. Initially, as we were making our way through empty quarters and finding our pace, we stopped when we ran out of gas (us, not the car). Now with a better sense of how much distance we want or need to cover in a day, we are booking ahead a day or two for a few reasons. First, it avoids anxiety. Second, we can usually save a few dollars with an Internet rate over the walk-in rate. Finally, we can use the GPS to guide us in directly to the hotel address, helpful in strange towns. It certainly would have been possible, in nearly every place we have been, to have just driven in and found something.

And of course, if there are special places we want to stay, or where it wouldn't be possible to stay without a reservation in advance, we have made those and are using them as "fixed points" in our itinerary. There are not many of those, In Portland, for example, we knew we wanted to stay at one of the trendy places downtown (why else be in Portland?). Leaving it for just a day or two ahead of time,and coming on a weekend, we couldn't get our first couple off choices, once we figured out what they were. We werent stuck on anything, though, having never been here before, and we have a great spot.

Friendshipbay,

I too am continuing to enjoy your report. What a great trip!

I like Yosemite, but I've been going there for over 40 years and it just continues to get more and more crowded (as CA's population grows). I've been going there so long that I actually vividly remember the Fire Falls that they used to do. Pretty spectacular, if environmentally damaging.

The best part of Yosemite is the Tolumne Valley. Much less busy and very beautiful. Yes, Yosemite is climber and backpacker heaven. I've done some great packing and hiking here.

If you need a recommendation for a cozy B&B in Port Townsend, we just loved the Holly Hill House. Charming, great location and fabulous breakfasts!

Day 37 - 39
Portland OR

Day 40
Port Townsend WA

Thanks for the B and B tip, Dayle. By the time I saw your recommendation, we were already ensconced at the Old Consulate Inn. We are not big B&B fans, but here in PT, with all of the great old Victorian homes, and the enthusiasm for maintaining them, it really seems the way to go.

We left Canada in the cold rain, and we are heading back that way in the same kind of weather. Five weeks of pretty much uninterrupted sunshine, lucky we have been.

We had a great day driving up the Oregon coast on our way to Portland, stopped in a few of the MANY small parks along Hwy 101 and beheld the rhododendrons. Cutting inland, we ran into traffic almost immediately that ensnared us all the way into the city. We have been away from metropolitan areas for many weeks now, and so have become unaccustomed to (sub)urban congestion, and I gather that Portland traffic is notorious. Public transit is free, though, in the downtown core. I think that is a great model that other cities should emulate.

Portland's motto should be "bring your appetite". It's hard to take full advantage of what the city has to offer with a middle-aged metabolism. Ivv never been to a place outside some small towns in Italy that is so completely organized around eating and drinking. We did our best, but our feeble efforts were not up to the challenge. We couldn't manage even one food cart, and only one artisanal cocktail. We did get to a couple of great restaurants, the Farmers Market for strawberries and hand pies, and the Japanese Gardens. Sadly, just a bit early for the roses.

We are now off to Victoria and Vancouver for a week of holiday from our holiday. I am not going to review the state of hospitality at my BIL's. See you in a week or so when we are back on the road. Thanks to you all for comments, questions and feedback.

Enjoyed reading this.
Loved the Ground Rules!
Thanks

Day 41 - 47

Victoria/Vancouver BC
Kelowna BC

After a few days with family and friends, it was great to be on the road again, the highly recommended and dramatic Coquihalla Highway between Vancouver and Kelowna.  To my (BC) family and friends, please  don't read this as meaning we didn't enjoy our time with you!  We always do...that's why Victoria and Vancouver are so well known to us.  

Some new experiences this trip.  We finally made it to Cowichan Bay to explore this emerging foodie centre,  all manner of things organic and artisanal -- fish, bread, cheese, wine, cider, fruit...we didn't go in search of the famous BC bud, but I am sure it is around in abundance too.  

And a rare treat, seeing Vancouver from the water in a small powerboat.  We started in North Vancouver, scooted over to downtown to pick up a couple of people and check out the new convention centre, then around to Granville Island to inspect the condos in False Creek and Coal Harbour.  How decadent, and how fun.

DH in Kelowna for a day of business, and I was blessed to find a Kripalu-affiliated yoga studio just a couple of blocks from our hotel, the funky and occasionally exasperating Eldorado.  We won't see much of this area on this trip, but we did do the "wine drive" last fall with our friends from Vancouver, from Osoyoos to Vernon.  This is a great trip...sort of like Napa 40 years ago (I imagine).  I can provide more info to anyone interested.

Tomorrow we head to Banff National Park/Lake Louise to pick up the hiking thread again.
We've shaken off the rain, back into the sunshine and looking forward to the drive.  There is still a fair bit of snow in the hills here, so that may define our hiking choices.

Wow - I just came across this splendid thread today. Such a grand trip!

Day 48 - 50

Lake Louise, AB

Snow!  Still covering most of the trails, and falling on us as we hiked Castle Lookout, one of the few hikes open.  I have been regularly castigating myself for packing too much, but now I am grateful for gloves and warmer gear.  We hadn't been giving much thought to what was going on here, and things further south (Tioga Pass,  Crater Lake) have been opening weeks early.  Nice to know we can count on cold in Canada, and these Rockies are still my favorite mountains.

We drove up to Moraine Lake, which is socked in and will be until mid-June, although you wouldn't know it from the tour busses already in evidence.  We did a gentler walk on the Bow River loop today, it is more protected and mostly clear.  

I spent a couple of winters in Banff several decades ago;  it's always good to come back to note what has changed (not much,  although the bear fence around the campground is new) and what is constant.  That would include staying at one of our old favorites, the Post.   It offers old-world European (expensive) value.

Tomorrow we head south again, to Waterton/Glacier.  Now that I have my woollies out, I expect it to live up to its name.

Day 51-52

Saint Mary MT (Glacier NP)

Bozeman MT

This may be the low point of the trip.  A combination of factors, I think:  the weather, the end of the trip looming closer, lack of exercise, low blood sugar, and a booking mistake...

We had a great drive from Lake Louise through the foothills.  We stopped for a brief picnic overlooking the entrance to  Waterton.  And that was the last we saw of the sun.  The sky lowered and darkened, and turned briefly to thunder as we came into Saint Mary, where we were staying the night.  We checked in and discovered that this was the first day the lodge was open, so there were a few bugs (technical ones, not real ones as far as I could tell).  Everyone was quite cheerful, though, and everything was sorted.  We decided to brave the weather and head to the park.  Turns out the park is not quite open yet, either...the road in is open for 10, 12, or 13 miles, depending on which notice you pay attention to.  We decided it wasn't worth paying $25 to see only a piece of the park, and set ourselves up as lightening attractors to boot.  We did a little ramble on a short trail outside the park and retreated.

We decided to cut our losses and hit the road early (around 7 and without breakfast) the next am.  Weather is still very unsettled.  We are taking a secondary road, but there are several towns on the map and we have really enjoyed the community diners along our route so far.  Dear reader, if you are travelling on Hwy 89 through northern Montana, pack a lunch.  We didn't hit a cafe until around 10, and because it was the only one for hundreds of miles, apparently, it was hopping.  We passed shortly after our caffeine levels were restored a real honest-to-goodness round-up, complete with prancing horses, squealing calves and branding irons heating up in a fire pit.  So there was a pay-off, we wouldn't have seen that on the Interstate.

Weather is better by the time we arrive in Bozeman.  The compact downtown has a some interesting shops, and there seems to be a lot going on.  We have a very nice dinner with a couple we met on a hiking trip in Croatia last year, and keep our fingers crossed that we have crossed the slough of despond...

Day 53 - 55  
Yellowstone NP

We are so excited about seeing the first bison in a field a few miles inside the north gate, we pull over and take about a hundred photos.    Then about five miles on, we see another bison picturesquely situated in front of the old cavalry station, good for another few dozen shots.  As we reach West Yellowstone,  we encounter two larger herds right along the road, so we don't even need to get out of the car for good shots.   The next day, we spend several minutes as a couple of dozen, including this spring's calves, wander around the car as we are stopped in a pull-out.  And as we are leaving through the east gate on our final day, we see about 200 spread through the  valley below us.  We had given up taking pictures by that time, and it would have hard to capture the sweep, but it gave a real sense of what the plains must have been like several hundred years ago.

Do I need to say that we loved Yellowstone?  We threw it in as a bit of an afterthought in our planning (since we are going to be close anyway, we might as well...) and it turned out to be one of the best experiences of our trip.  Again we were lucky with the weather.  It was warm, but snow was predicted for the day after we left.   We hadn't done a lot of research before arriving, and obviously only had a small taste...we could have had about 6 different kinds of holiday in the park, and will likely go back to do a couple of them.  Even the fly-fishing looked appealing!

Final wildlife count, in the park and just beyond the gates in Wyoming, in addition to bison:  fox, moose, eagle, trumpeter swan, elk, pronghorn antelope.  Many small birds that we are useless at identifying.  Again, others report seeing bears but we do not, and don't organize ourselves to seek them out.

Yellowstone is also the site of first casualty of the trip.  We did a loop hike through Upper Geyser and across the highway to Biscuit Basin and back to Old Faithful.  The geothermal pools are very well marked and fenced on the well-groomed Geyser walk, but not so much on the back half of Biscuit.  At one point on the muddy track, DH steps into a hidden puddle of mineral hot spring and quickly sinks to his ankles.  We prepare for a ranger challenge as the mud dries in a calcium crust on his boots, evidence that we may have left the official path.  I am just glad he was not consumed entirely, it was looking a little dodgy for a couple of seconds...  Back at the hotel, cleaning the boots, DH discovers that the uppers and soles of the boots have separated almost completely.  Now, they were over a decade old and getting thin in the tread, but the immersion chemical bath and suction treatment did nothing to prolong their life.  The boots were dearly loved.  We had a brief farewell ceremony before our departure.

Sounds like you will need to take another trip to Yellowstone to visit the site of the boot tragedy and give a little memorial service, maybe leave flowers. Glad the feet didn't separate from the ankles in any case.

Did you stay in the park or West Yellowstone?

Hi emalloy, glad you are still on the trip. We stayed in West Yellowstone, we were too late and inflexible in our timing to get anything in the park. It was ok for a rather quick orientation, and ed found a nice little Spanish restaurant. Next time, we will be able to plan a trip based on availability inside the park, now that we know what to expect.

DH picked up a new pair of boots at Cabelas in South Dakota, the healing has begun.

Fantastic report/journey. Will love to see the pics - and hey - any reason to stop at a Cabelas is a good reason.

Day 55 - 57

Gillette, WY
Mitchell, SD
Madison, WI

After our stay in Yellowstone, we have 3 nights for our return trajectory to meet up with friends in Chicago.  We didn't plan this leg,  just stopped where it made sense, building in time for the Black Hills and Badlands NP.

Wyoming is an energy center -- coal, oil, gas, and uranium.  Gillette looks like a hard-working town, and we are surprised that the (many) highway hotels are nearly full.  Not tourists, but industry.  Silver Oak wines are favourites, but have been out of our price range for years.  I never imagined that my best opportunity to enjoy a Silver Oak from Alexander Valley would be in a small town in Wyoming, but we lucked into the Chophouse on half-price price bottle night (who knew there was such a thing?).  The restaurant has an excellent wine list, and half-price made it only very expensive, not ridiculous.  The meal (steak, of course) was great, and I only regret I didn't have room for the deep fried strawberries, that would have been another novelty.  The owner spent some time with us,  providing insight into the region's economy and business drivers (including his wine list).

We did a drive-by of Mount Rushmore.  I don't want to rile up any patriotic fervor, but the word that came to mind upon seeing the monument was "goofy".  We stopped briefly at one of the few places where you can get a clear line of sight without paying the $11 parking fee, and proceeded on with a pleasant drive through the Black Hills National Forest.  We were more interested in the Jewel Cave, but the short tours weren't running for unspecified "technical" reasons and we didn't have time for the three-hour exploration.

We missed our lunch opportunity in Rapid City, so I suggested to DH that we stop at Wall Drug before heading into Badlands.  He may forgive me one day, but in penance I was required not to press for some of the other touristic offerings on our route--the Pioneer Auto showroom in Murdo, the Spam Museum in Austin, the 60' Green Giant, and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, even though we were only a couple of miles away...   I thought the Wall Drug lunch was actually ok, although maybe because we were starving by that point.  It fortified us for both our drive through Badlands and the worst meal of our trip, dinner in Mitchell.

It's hard to believe Wyoming is the least populated state after you have driven through South Dakota.  And you have to drive through it more slowly, given the variation of speed limits from state to state.   I guess that is to allow you to take full advantage of the billboard blight.   Many of them are in an advanced state of disrepair, creating a tattered impression.  

I have no impression of Madison.  After a couple of days of hard driving, and a bittersweet sense of the chapter coming to a close, we stuck to the convenience of a highway chain to organize our packing and our thoughts for Chicago and the end of our trip.

Day 58 - 60

Chicago

There are about five festivals on this weekend in Chicago -- blues, books, art, gardens and barbecue.  And that is on top of the usual way too many other things there are to do in this great city.  It's been 10 years since our last visit, and we cannot let it go that long again.  The weather has been too good for the galleries and museums.  We did the Chicago Architecture Foundation river tour (again, always worth it and a lot has changed in a decade), and went to the book fair on Publishers Row, which is fantastic.  The book is not dead, if the participation at this event is any indication.  Today heading out to the Arlington Racetrack.  Not our usual thing, but a friend here has a box, and some parts of some horses, so why not?

Two more sleeps until we are home.  Squeezing it down to the bottom of the tube.

Great report! What a fabulous experience u must be having.

I've really enjoyed hitching a ride with you on the trip, it was fabulous! Thank you SO much for sharing with us.

You have such a wonderful perspective and writing style. If I might ask - are you a writer by vocation?

Day 61 - 62

London, ON
HOME!

We got our picture taken in the winners circle at Arlington, we lost about $10 in our flutter on the ponies. It was a great afternoon, I was impressed with all the families out for picnics. The setting is much more elegant than I had expected, and I can see how going through the racing forms to inform your betting could be a good puzzle to master (not like us, we went by name and colour). Thanks to our friend Laurie for expert guidance and coaching.

We had our last dinner with some friends at Publican. It was noisy and a bit chaotic, but the food was rewarding and we were happy with the overall experience (see, we are not too old for this!)

Next day was a surprisingly easy exit from Chicago. Given our experience on the I94 coming in from Madison, and going out to the racetrack on Sunday afternoon we werent expecting to make such good time. We zipped through Customs and were at my cousins in London a little ahead of the time we had predicted, even though we had forgotten about the time change. It was nice to be able to ease back with family and familiar routines (its been some time since we watched the CBC evening news, but it doesnt feel like we missed much. Squalling about the budget when we left, and when we returned. Like the rain, it seems a constant background...)

The trip blew up some old routines. Now we are home and starting to build the new ones. Laundry, grocery shopping, early morning yoga. Vegetables and sparkling water for the next few weeks.

Sludick, thanks for commentary and question. I am not a writer, but I have spent parts of the the last couple of decades trying to decomplexify and polish up abtruse legal and policy documents so that the messages are clear and compelling. So maybe that shows up.

And it has been an interesting process to write about the trip for external perspectives, not just my own record-keeping (where did we stay and who ate what). I will think about that a little more, and do a wrap-up with lessons learned along the way(and pictures!) over the next few days before closing the thread.

I enjoyed reading your report. May I ask what you spent approximately on hotel costs? My husband & I would like to drive across the U.S. & Canada when we retire for possibly 2 months. We are not campers, either. My husband might research buying a small camper for this purpose, but I'm not sure if that's the way I want to go. We don't need luxury, usually stay in Days Inns, Hampton Inns, etc. I'm just not sure what would be more cost effective. I know I don't want to do a lot of cooking when on vacation but realize that dining out can add up, too. But places like Hampton Inns include breakfast.

Hi Kwoo. We had some splurge stays, so hard to approximate those. They were more about total experience than a place to spend the night. For the latter, we spent in the range of $110 to $130. It was a little more than we had thought at the outset, but we ended up opting for either Holiday Inn Express or Best Western because we were using or banking points, and found them easiest to book a day or so ahead from the road. And they do include breakfast (usually...we got surprised at the BW once or twice). I know you could do better with some of the other off-brands, or hotel booking sites.

Camper, I am honestly not sure how much you would have to save to offset the initial outlay. On top of the vehicle itself, there is the equipment, furnishings, etc. Some of the rigs on the road looked to be sucking up a lot of gas, not sure how this would apply to a camper. If you are planning on spending time in the national parks and forests, some roads are closed to campers and rvs, and parking always looked to be an extra hassle. At the end of the calculation, I would say it depends equally on personal preference. Some people would like the freedom and privacy of their own accommodation; we preferred room to spread out, wifi and hot showers.

Food...we had a cooler and a picnic kit, stocked up at markets along the way, and ice supply replenished at motel stops. That helped offset both cost and calories. You would also want to consider what you would spend by just staying home...when both of us are working, we eat out a lot. So at the end of the day, our bill might not have been that much higher, because we found food and restaurant costs lower in many places than they are at home.

Good luck with your planning, let me know if I can provide any other perspectives. Looking forward to learning of your decision!

The End

It will take a while to process all of this trip.  I am grateful for many outcomes already evident.  Places like Santa Barbara, Yosemite and Yellowstone that were just names to me before now have a living presence that I can and will revisit in memory (and maybe in reality).  It provided a real transition to see and set aside some of my routines, leaving space to create some new ones.  

I would love to be able to post pictures to truly finish this.  Following LeeAnn's helpful guidance, I got set up in Picasa, but I can't post the link.  The one difference I can see, ElendilPickle, is that your link  is http, and I am stuck in https.  Would that make any difference, and how would I shift it?  Any illumination welcome.   I will eventually try out some alternatives, but I have hit my exasperation threshhold for the moment.

I would revisit the ground rules only to add one:

5.  Take the alternate and secondary roads rather than the Interstate.

We did that, mostly...and mostly it was the right choice.

Well-intentioned friends offered advice before we left.  One piece was that you can't spend all day every day with your spouse.  We can!  Maybe this one depends on who your spouse is.  We had a lot of laughs and only a few tense moments.  The other piece was that two months would be too long...we might want to try weeks before months.  In fact, we could happily have kept on going, although I would have wanted to get rid of some stuff we were hauling around and didn't need.  That's another lesson.