Day 28 to 30, Sunday June 17 to Tuesday June 19

Sunday we arrived at KOA West Yellowstone where we stayed three nights. The KOA is quite nice for a KOA however it is close to the highway and our site was one of the closer ones. Not much of a problem in an Alto since it is very good at blocking noise. What was a problem is that it started to rain shortly after we arrived and our site was pretty much flooded out by Monday morning. The picnic table and fireplace were in a swamp when we woke up and they remained unusable for the rest of our stay. The KOA tried to pump out the sites on our loop but it was a losing battle. Our site might have been the worst.

We spent each day exploring the park. A lot of driving and beautiful scenery interspersed with showers. Busy on the roads through the park and this was not the height of the season. We saw very little wild life in the park - a couple of Elk and a few Bison/Buffalo. This was disappointing. We did the lower loop road which has the geysers and hot springs. Old Faithful was a bust. We arrived shortly after it had spewed forth and were not willing to hang around the crowded tourist trap surrounding it for ninety minutes to see it spout so we just continued on. We had intended to do the upper loop of Yellowstone on Tuesday but we got mired in a traffic jam headed in that direction. After waiting in the jam for over an hour we threw in the towel and headed off to Grand Teton National Park. We were quite impressed with the Grand Teton mountains. We learned later that evening that the traffic jam going to the upper loop was caused by a herd of about thirty bison planted on the road and refusing to move. The person who told us this waited in the traffic jam for three hours and the bison were about four hundred feet off the road by the time he passed them.

Day 27, Saturday June 16

We crossed over to the States at Carway Alberta. Very small crossing point leading to hwy 89 in the US. We found a KOA near Helena MT at which to overnight. Nothing much to recommend it on the scenic side since the whole thing was just gravel. However, the staff were very good, washrooms were good and there was a nice little swapping library. We did get a couple of requests to see the Alto. People were friendly. The highlight was a small band of about 20 Prong Horn Antelopes in a field just across the road from the KOA. There were a number of very young antelopes and Tricia was able to get some great photos both near and far. I'll try to post some pictures later. Aside from that we found the scenery in Montana to be BEAUTIFUL with rolling hills surrounded by mountains but we couldn't see Glacier National Park because they were obscured by rain and fog in the distance..

Day 23 to 26, Tuesday June 12 to Friday June 15

Tuesday evening we arrived at Fairmont Hotsprings around dinner time. We setup and met with many of our fellow Altoistes including a few that we had met before in North Carolina. It made for a fun but long day.

Wednesday was a leisurely day of socializing with Altoistes including touring the Altos which took over two hours. We had a potluck dinner and conversation around the fire.

Thursday, the weather turned against us and it was lightly raining as well as cold. We spent most of the day cozied in our Alto, reading and napping (me). We were also trying to get rid of the cold that is plaguing us both - no real success there. In the afternoon we chatted with various Altoistes and in the evening we managed another potluck dinner although it was very lightly raining for the latter half.

Friday morning we broke camp. Most of the Altoistes were leaving to carry on their own trips or return to home base. We headed off towards Yellowstone which would take us a couple of days to reach. Tricia found us a camping spot near Pincher Creek Alberta. The camp is called Waterton Reservoir Recreation Area. Very small, with no services which made four days of boondocking. Things were looking good there until we finished cooking dinner at which point a storm rolled in. The winds were freezing cold although the rain was not too heavy! We ate our dinner in the Alto and that night we actually used the furnace to heat us up a bit. The next morning we would cross the border into Montana.

Day 20 to 22, Saturday June 9 to Monday June 11.

On Saturday we delivered tomato plants from Campbell River to Andrea (daughter of Jim and Jeannie) and Alex. We had a short outdoor visit with them but we could not get too close due to carrying an ugly cold which we have picked up on the island early in the week. Still great to visit and finally see their two daughters (1 1/2 and 3 1/2 years old) as well as how the house that they built in Victoria has turned out. They were just starting the family and the house the last time we saw them in 2014. All quite lovely.

After visiting with Andrea and Alex, we dropped in to see Tricia's cousin AK. AK bought and is busy renovating a little cottage in the same area that Andrea and Alex live. It has a wild garden in both front and back and Tricia says it reminds her of one of her favourite books, The Secret Garden. Between the reno and the gardens, AK has her hands full but she is slowly but surely winning on each front.

Sunday, we went to a "Pops" concert in the afternoon, with B&F and friends Virgina and Allen. We had met Virginia in Ottawa. a few years ago, when she gifted our church Bazaar with furniture and collectables prior to moving out to Victoria. After the concert we all retired to Virginia and Allen's for a great roast chicken dinner at their condo in downtown Victoria. The condo is beautiful, with an outdoor patio on the third floor and a view of the harbour including the Victoria legislative buildings which are decorated with lights at night. All very striking.

Monday we were up bright and early to catch the 9:00 AM ferryfrom Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen on the mainland. From there we were off to Salmon Arm to pick up our trailer. We made it to the RV storage place almost an hour before closing. Tricia, was talking to the staff and they recommended a nearby campground called Salmon Arm Camping Resort just east of town. This campground was quite nice, with full grown trees on and between sites. One of the best overnight site that we have stayed at during the trip so far.

I'll have to update with pictures when we can find some WiFi.

Day 17 to day 19, Wednesday June 6 to Friday June 8

We spent the last three days in Campbell River being spoiled by our friends Jim and Jeannie. This bed and breakfasting could dissuade us from camping in future. If we had more friends and relatives throughout the continent this could well be true.

We caught up on families and friends and did some touristing around Campbell River including driving up to Mount Washington to check out the little resort area. Unfortunately, we are just on the cusp of the season so we could not take the ski lift up to the top of the mountain since it was undergoing maintenance for the coming summer tourist season. There was still a little snow and the resort area and the mountain top was covered in clouds.

We also hiked out to the relatively new suspension bridge at Elk Falls. Lovely sight and the bridge is well built to latest standards. Of course, latest standards include wire mesh sides that are at least five or more feet high - way overdone! Everything must be done to protect people from themselves. I get a little sick of the our Nanny culture.

Pictures have been a little lacking of late.

The Horticultural Center of the Pacific - Japanese garden in Saanich with relatives Brenda and Francois:

Elk Falls, Campbell River:

On Friday we headed back to Victoria and arrived well in time for dinner with Brenda, Francois and Tricia's cousin AK and uncle George. Great dinner provided yet again by B&F and we had a nice visit with the rellies.

Day 16, Tuesday, June 5th.

We are on the road again, heading to Campbell River to visit with our long time friends Jim and Jeannie. We will be in Campbell River until Friday, catching up since our last visit four years ago.

Day 14 to Day 15, June 3rd to June 4th.

We stayed at Brenda's Place, a favourite B&B in Saanich BC. We picked up our dog on Sunday from the emergency Vet. Repairs seem to be holding.

On Monday we were able to visit with fellow Altoistes Laurie and Kathy who live in Saanich. We had a lovely one hour visit which somehow stretched to three hours! Really great to meet with our Altoiste friends in person.