Las Vegas in the light of day is gray and dusty, and it is hard to imagine it dressed in its finest as you see it in the night. Also, although in the desert it has its own pall of smog, incredible as it may seem, seeing as there is no industry other than gambling and tourism.

Today is mostly desert crossing, but it is still nothing like we imagine a desert to be. We stopped for lunch at Barstow. Today, Paul picked the spot as it is a favorite with truckers and bus drivers. There was a fair variety to choose from and the last range of gift shops before we hit Los Angeles.

I picked up a T-shirt and shirt with hand painting on both – matching – for $21.00.  Back in the bus we finished Sabrina, and  most of us up the back (we change seats every day – left side forward one row, and right side back one row) decided we liked the re-make with Harrison Ford much better, although none of us could remember who plays William Holden’s brother, David.

We got a really good run into LA so we arrived at LA International Airport earlier than originally anticipated. We had exchanged our business cards with those aboard and got them to write their names and addresses into our notebook. We had given a stick pin and koala to Mark and Paul with their gratuities, a koala and Qantas badge to Joe and Santa, and a koala, Qantas badge and one of our books on Australia to Kathleen and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth (a music teacher in South Africa) has given us her father’s name and phone number. He lives in Melbourne and she has asked us to ring him and say Hello.

Paul and Mark informed us that the round trip was 5294 miles long. Our trip from Vancouver to LA was 4002 miles. Quite a long way to travel!

We caught the Super shuttle from LAX after many a hug and a few tearful farewells. Ray and Margaret, Louella and Sylvan are also staying with us at the Fairfield Inn.  It took us over an hour to reach the hotel from LAX in pre-peak hour traffic, and our driver whilst friendly and safe, jerked the vehicle in a stop/start fashion which was very irritating.

The Fairfield Inn looks good, and is just across the road from the entrance to Disneyland. Not only does our room have a TV and a jug, but it also has – A FRIDGE!!! Saints be praised.

We have decided that the only thing we are doing this evening other than eating, is our washing, which took us 1¼ hours, and we have to finish our drying by hanging some clothes on the hanging rail in our room.

Tea is at Millie’s in the parking area next to the hotel, and it was delicious without being expensive. It was a pleasure to sit down and have a decent meal with vegetables. (Did I say that?)

Up bright and early and down to the cafeteria for breakfast and a cup of hot water – taken to our rooms with milk and then add our own coffee. Halfway decent!  We lined up at the Lobby entrance to catch the Airport Shuttle – 15 of us in all. Most were to take the long flight and Jeff, Mike and Chris were taking the short version.

When we got to the airport (15 minute drive) we were lined up to listen and watch the safety instructions. We then waited in the lounge for our names to be called. When we booked for this flight we had our height and weight taken as this makes a difference when it comes to passenger dispersal within the helicopter. I must also add at this point that our groups have always got preferential treatment be it helicopter rides, rooms or whatever. I am not sure whether this is because of Destination America, Mark himself or a combination of both. All I really know is that we have all observed it and commented on the fine job done by Mark.

Paul also has excelled himself on our behalf, but he is employed by the charter company for the coach and has done himself proud.  Many is the evening he spent, after a very long day on the road, cleaning out the interior of the bus and washing windows. He always ensured that we were always in clean conditions, and that our views were not hampered by dust and marks left by the occupants of the window seats, whilst we all whiled away the time at leisure pursuits, or even just enjoying a leisurely meal. This was very much appreciated by all on the tour.

Finally called into line and handed our placement cards for our positions in the ‘copter. I must add here that because of the difference in conversion rates we are all much heavier in America than we are in Australia. Go figure!

By now we were very quiet, and beginning to understand just how nervous and excited we had become. Taken out to the ‘copter I was No 1. This meant that I got to sit in the front seat next to the pilot and could watch the instruments as well as the scenery. Russ and Gary were in the back seat at either side to balance each other and Joan was in between them.

That left Myrtle and Sandy to sit opposite them in the middle seat. The pilot introduced himself as Ken and explained we would have music during the flight and an occasional comment of interest from him. We bought (sorry, it was Ken) the helicopter up to revs and went backwards until we came to the turning pad.

After a quarter turn we took off sharply into the air, then veered steeply to the left. I am sure this was done deliberately to gauge the caliber of the occupants who only said a collective “Wow” before looking at everything with interest.  Ken must have been satisfied with our response because we increased speed to 80 knots and went skimming across the tree tops.

Our altitude at the airport was set at 6.900 feet and we skimmed the trees at 7,100 feet.  It took about 7 minutes before our music really kicked in. An attendant had belted us in and each of us was handed a set of headphones. The music changed to the theme from 2001 Space Odyssey, and after the crescendo and drum role we increased speed to 100 knots, gained 100 extra feet, (Ken told us to look down) and we headed out over nothing which became the Grand Canyon. Truly breathtaking!

I now can understand the topographical lines printed on the maps because you can see the changes on the canyon floor and walls. And even more surprising, you can see the vegetation at all heights. This isn’t at all visible when you look down from the rim.

We were lucky enough to see the confluence of the Little Colorado with the Colorado River whilst the Little one was turquoise.  This only happens 2 – 3 times a year and depends on rainfall and the rocks the water then travels over before it reaches the river. The Colorado River ranges in colour from brown to very muddy brown.  You do not get a good perspective of the size of the river because it is overwhelmed, at that height, by the grandeur of the Canyon walls.

We saw sculptures of nature which were named by their shapes – the battleship and the dragon and the bridge and Diana’s Temple. We gained two hundred feet in order to fly over the north rim of the Canyon before we circled around and came back across the canyon another way, in order to get back to the heliport.

Words really failed us all but we agreed that it was definitely the highlight of our tour and we are very glad not to have missed it.

Even Russell, who loves me enough to take the long flight, initially, with great trepidation, was so thrilled that he wanted to do it all again. I personally can’t thank him enough for his courage.

We then had to but a t-shirt each in celebration. During our flight Paul and Mark had collected the rest of the group who were not that adventurous and bought them all to collect us at the airport. After we got back on the bus (25 minutes late) we headed off to Las Vegas. We stopped at Kingman for lunch at Arby’s – service slow and food barely edible – and once again headed off.

Our next stop was a quick photo shoot opportunity at Hoover Dam. Very impressive piece of engineering! Finally pulled into Las Vegas at 4pm and we are staying at the Circus Circus Hotel.

This is a really remarkable place. Julie described it as an adult’s Disneyland, and that is a very perceptive comment.  We rested for a short while in our room _TV but no fridge and no jug – before heading off to explore.

Just to see everything at our hotel would take a week, let alone trying to see everything in Las Vegas.  I kept thinking of Alyshia and Emma and William. Alyshia and William would have loved the Adventure playground, which is humungous, and Emma would have loved the Dinosaur theme area. Russ took photos for her.

After tea in the cafeteria with Ann and Alf and Julie, Hayden and Alannah, we headed off to the bus for our sightseeing trip and farewell party. Paul and Mark met us at the bus with champagne, cider, chips and peanuts, and the party began.

We took a slow meander through the outskirts of Clark County just as the sun was setting, and then drew up beside Fremont Street where Mark had organised permission for our bus to stay for 30 minutes. The city gave the street to the 4 Casinos on it who have left the organisation of it to a non profit group called the Fremont Experience.

Paul made sure we were all in position and facing the right way to get the maximum impact at 7pm when the lights went out and the laser and light show started. Magic! It was awesome and breathtaking and set the mood for the rest of the evening.

Back in the coach and with more refreshments, we headed off to see the Strip which was now lit up like a Christmas tree – only more lights. It might be in the desert but the lights generate so much heat that it doesn’t start to cool down until early, early morning. Then the sun rises and the cycle begins again.

After the Fremont Experience and our drive along the Strip, we stopped at the Rio and went in to see part of the regular free show which was on the theme of the Rio Grande and the Paddle-steamers. Their use of tracking in the ceiling and lights and costume was fabulous. The performers throw out costume plastic jewellery to the viewers who then have a souvenir.

From the Rio we went to Caesar’s Palace and saw the Fall of Atlantis show (also free). Caesar’s Palace has dome ceilings, which are painted blue and have fluffy clouds across them. With the use of subtle lighting you can swear you were outdoors on a balmy summer’s day. All along the promenade on the way to the Atlantis area, are the shops.

We walked next door to the Mirage to see Roy Seigfried’s tigers, which are the rare white ones. We didn’t have much time there as we needed to get outside to watch the volcano explode, which we only got the last bit of anyway.

As for the Treasure Island hotel, we couldn’t get anywhere near it because of the crowd already gathered to see the ships move around the little lake, and the fight between the pirates.

Back on the coach and we headed off to the Riviera where those taking in the paid night show were departing the bus. Jeff and Madeline left us at this point as they are staying in Las Vegas for a few days before flying home to Australia.

Russ and I joined with Vic and Jan at this point and we left the coach to walk down the block to the Las Vegas Hilton, which is not to be mixed up with the Flamingo Hilton. Paul took the rest of the entourage back to the Circus Circus Hotel.

At the Hilton we paid $15 each to get in  to see the Star Trek Experience. At the beginning of the aisle, it is a chronological sequence of the date line on one side, and on the opposite side on the wall are the exhibitions of the various costumes and props (lasers, com units, tri-corders etc) from all the shows – from the original Star Trek to Next Generation and Voyager.

At the end of this section I thought I was about to collapse I was so tired. After all, it was 10.30pm after a big and very exciting day. However, I had a rest and then it was time to follow the usher out to what I thought was the Exit door. At this point I was experiencing some disappointment as well as tiredness. But, it wasn’t over!

We were taken to a room for a safety briefing and we were put into lines. The lights went out amid lots of noises and clangings and wind blowing in our faces.  When the lights came back on to was to be told we had been kidnapped into the future. 

One of us was supposed to be an ancestor of John Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise, and as we had appeared in the future, the captain had disappeared from the bridge. We were standing on the transporter platform where Commander Ryker had managed to grab us from the Klingons.

The transport officer and the security officer interviewed our escorts and took us along the corridors of the Enterprise to the bridge. Here we were told by Ryker and Engineering officer, Geordi La Forge, that they would endeavour to get us back to our own time frame so that the Captain’s presence in their time frame would be assured.

We were then taken to the Shuttle Bay, as the Klingons were attacking the Enterprise, and had managed to breach some of the Enterprise defenses.  In order to reach the Shuttle Bay we needed to use the Turbo Lift, and whilst on route, we endured more alarams and excursions, jostling and noise, which was the result of more of the Klingon attack.

In the Shuttle we were told to fasten our seat belts and to stow any loose luggage in the special receptacles below each seat. The shuttle pilot got clearance, but had to blow the bay doors in order to exit the Enterprise. At this point the front screens went into video mode and were on one fantastic ride through nebulas and clusters whilst evading Klingon ships, and the total experience was amazing.

We broke through the time barrier and appeared above the lighted City of Las Vegas where we eventually crashed into the Las Vegas Hilton sign and went down (like in a lift) the shaft of the sign to end up in the basement. We were greeted at the doors of the shuttle by Hilton workers who couldn’t figure out how we’d got there. They escorted us out to the last bit of the show which was to Quark’s Bar.

Highly entertaining, and well worth it! With adrenalin still pumping we grabbed a cab back to the Hotel and some much needed shut eye. Tomorrow is supposed to be another long day before we arrive in Los Angeles.

Forgot to mention that during the afternoon we watched Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I found it dismal as a teenager and nothing’s changed my mind. Tomorrow we are to watch Sabrina with William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. So far, nothing has been as good as George of the Jungle.

Went to the Diner for breakfast this morning. Not bad! The bus was packed with our luggage just outside our motel door so we didn’t have far to go. We went to Sunrise/Sunset Point for our final shoot of pictures before we left Bryce Canyon, and saw Bambi with his/her mum and dad.

We stopped at Kanab for morning tea at Denny’s Wigwam and got me another set of earrings – paui shell and silver filigree work – and a sheriff’s badge with his name on it for William.

Lunch was at Page after a break at Glen Canyon Dam, which came after Lake Powell. The shore line of Lake Powell is longer than the coast line between Mexico and Seattle. Russ purchased his Glen Canyon Dam coin and is very pleased with it.

The Painted Desert is very unusual in that it is much greener than you expect, and doesn’t look anything like our deserts at all. We passed through the Navaho Reservation which totals 19 million square acres – and yes, it looks like worthless land.

Then, on to the Grand Canyon! We entered the park at the East Rim Entrance and stopped for our first photo shoot at the Desert View. We also got very lucky at the General Store. We got a T-shirt for Russ and Gary, a copper Indian bracelet for Tracey and a foil etching painting for Ted and Betty Hilton (they are looking after my car whilst we are away). Russ also purchased a screen saver of the Grand Canyon with 31 different scenes so we can look with nostalgia at the views when we get home and are using the computer.

Back in the coach after finding Elizabeth’s mum, Kathleen, who had forgotten the time, we headed for our overnight resting place. However, Paul and Mark had other ideas and we found ourselves with an hour to spend at Bright Angel Lodge. This is the oldest lodge in the Grand Canyon and although it is not as picturesque as, or with the grandeur of Glacier or Old Faithful Lodges, it has a charm of its own, especially with its remarkable view of the Canyon.

However, it was also the only time I can remember for the whole trip so far where everyone would have been quite happy to have gone straight to our accommodation and missed it.  I think it was the result of a fairly long day and I found it was easier to take in the immense scope of the Canyon in smaller increments.

Finally, we got back in the bus for our final leg back to Yavapai Lodge. As we crossed the border between Utah and Arizona at 12.17pm we had gained an hour by turning our clocks back. This can make for a truly long-g-g day.  Our room is better than Yellowstone’s first night only in the fact that it has a TV and Russ can get his daily fix of humour. We had lovely home-made Chicken Hot Pot Pie for tea at the cafeteria and then went back to our room for an early night before breakfast and a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon.

After a leisurely breakfast in the Coffe’n’Grill Bar (Russ had omelet with cheese, bacon and tomato, and I had oatmeal porridge – Yum) we had a decent cup of our coffee in our room and headed for the bus.

We went downtown to Main Street and stopped off for half an hour in order to be converted at the Tabernacle and Temple. Beautiful buildings set amongst glorious gardens. They were setting up the bud lights (red) in a huge tree next to the Temple and when we asked the two guys working, they said they still had a long way to go. They had been working on that tree for two weeks already and still had several days before they would finish it.

It seems that each year the whole garden area is set up with different coloured bud lights and finished in time for Xmas. When we explained that we were disappointed to miss the final effect, they said we could check it out at Christmas time on the Internet. We will do so.

Mark said he would have to stop at more Mormon temples because it was the first time we had all made it back to the bus on time. We had been warned to sign nothing – especially the visitor’s book – or else we could expect mail from the Mormons to beat us home. They love converting people and will send their missionaries anywhere there is a likely chance.

We were unable to see Salt Lake as we left the City because of the smog. Those on the bus said it rivaled the smog they had seen in Los Angeles at the start of the Tour.

Most of today’s trip has been fairly mundane scenery wise, but we finally got to watch “George of the Jungle” which Julie had bought for her kids. What a great deal of hilarity was had by all. Also, at our morning tea stop I managed to grab Robert’s souvenirs – hope he likes his Budweiser!

We fasted until a late snack when we arrived at Bryce Canyon’s Best Western Ruby’s Inn. This is one of the largest motel complexes I have ever seen. We are shortly to board the bus for our tour of the Canyon proper. The scenery is superb and the effect of the lighting is incredible.

Well, back again! It rained on the way up to Rainbow Point and stopped just as we got there. After the rain the colours are even more spectacular if such a thing is possible.  Mark took us on a short nature walk and showed us the bristle cone pine tree which is the oldest, dated tree in the world. The specimen measured was over 4000 years old.

From Rainbow Point we went back down the mountain – 9115 feet high and the highest point on our trip – and stopped at Bryce’s Amphitheatre which is stunning. I am running out of superlatives to describe anything, and we still haven’t seen the Grand Canyon.

Got back to Ruby’s Inn and had ten minutes to get ready for the Chuck wagon ride, and to have our group photo taken. We didn’t get to include Paul in the photo as he was busy cleaning the bus and finishing his paperwork ready for tomorrow.

The ride was taken in three Conestoga Wagons – we were all in one (40 of us from our trip) along with 9 other Americans. We were entertained with tales of the old West from our hostess, Kelly, and the scout (her brother), then we were attacked by Indians but Russell saved us all by bargaining with them dutifully dressed in an apron and bonnet, all of which ensured a great deal of laughter and was terrific fun. He had been selected by the group and was my hero! (photos duly taken).

We finally arrived at the site of our camp oven tea and were seated in the wagon boxes. Americans smother their food in ketchup. We had chicken covered in BBQ sauce with cowboy potatoes, salad and corn on the cob. This was followed by cherry cobbler which was overly sweet. If you haven’t already detected the fact from the description, I was not impressed by the food.

Next came the hoe down and I ached from laughing. Everyone was in high spirits and took a turn at square dancing and the polka. Even young Hayden managed to stay awake for the evening.  We drove home in the wagons on the dark under the starry sky, and our group paid back the night’s entertainers by singing Waltzing Matilda (even the Americans joined in) and Click go the Shears (none of them knew that one).

One of the cowboys was an Australian, Peter, from Sydney, and most of our crew had a chat to him through the night. He will be leaving the States to go home to Australia on October 17^th 1998. When we got back to Ruby’s Inn we went to pick up our group photo and it is lovely. It is a shame that Paul wasn’t in it, but we are going to take photos of him tomorrow morning as we get on the bus.

We discovered the hidden talent of many of our group who participated in the skit during the evening. Phil had to play like John Wayne, Chris (female) got to go to the pictures with wealthy Tex, and Yvonne’s date had no money so everyone tried to pinch Tex’s popcorn. Yvonne stole the show by entering into it with great gusto and ad-libbing silently to even greater effect. Best entertainment for a long while.

A competition was held to see who would be served first from the wagon loads. The occupants of each wagon had to yell “Ya-hoo!” and see who was the loudest. Of course, we won! Yvonne changed the rules and we did Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. How could we have lost? Young Mark did the pig noises for a very funny song, and Julie helped demonstrate one of the square dances amid much confusion.

Oh, for a decent cup of coffee or tea! The tea never seems to be hot enough, and a bought cup of coffee means you can stand your spoon up in it. Today it the longest day’s drive and we had an early start.

Ray took great pleasure in telling us that it was -3 degrees as we were filing into the bus. We were lucky enough to see more elk and bison as we were leaving the Park. We passed through a short no man’s land before entering the Grand Teton’s National Park – named by some Frenchmen who thought the largest mountains looked like pointed breasts. One wonders about these explorers sometimes.

Absolutely breath-taking as we drove down the east side of that range, stopping at different places for photo shoots – having to wait for the low clouds to clear the upper peaks. We saw some coyotes hunting on the prairie, and they look like a pack of dogs gamboling as they launch themselves in the air to pounce on the voles and shrews which make up a large part of their diet.

We stopped for brunch at Jackson’s Hole – which was a hole. A lovely scenic town with the old fashioned board sidewalks, but it is a rich man’s playground and most people suffer from credit card meltdown if they open their wallets.

Trying to find something to eat at a reasonable price was a mammoth task. Russ and I walked blocks and blocks before we found a general store where we could get a hot dog with ketch-up (half cold) and a cold drink, and still have change from $10 American ($17 Australian). After that I collapsed back on the bus and slept for an hour to try and recuperate.

We finally stopped for a toilet break at 4.30pm at a truckers stop at Evanston – big rigs all over the parking lot, but the service and variety was good. When we got into Salt Lake City, Paul took us on a short side trip which was interesting. This is the site of the next Winter Olympics in 2002, and the city is doing major face lifts already, lots of money around, but Utah which has one of the smaller populations, has the largest percentage for prescribing Prozac in the USA – many depressed people obviously.

Although the city buildings are picturesque and grand, they look cold and soulless.

Tea was an adventure! We are one block from the Hilton (5 star accommodation) which is opposite McDonalds, and we were subjected to a scary heckling from a group of Hispanics and Negroes – in Australia they would have been yobbos – with some whistling and many comments. Very aggressive and not pleasant.

Our accommodation is nice, and we have a hot water jug. Russ has had his TV fix for the night and we have filled out another eleven postcards, bought whilst at Yellowstone.

Today we saw our first pronghorn antelope, but still no bear!

At Yellowstone they spell the plural of bus with two esses – it looks funny. Go figure! As Mark was handing out the keys this evening, he looked at us and said, “the troublemakers”. This epithet is because Russ is a stirrer, and they all love it. If he starts, they join in, and when they least expect it he razzes someone. All in good fun and they are a great bunch.

Russ and I woke up before the reminder call, so had time to walk up to the store for our cups of coffee before heading back to our room for muffins for breakfast.  Bought a pendant for Fiona, a mug for Russ, and a little statue of a squirrel for Alyshia.

We rang Bob and Tracey, Fiona and Gary and Mum and Dad Cox after we got back from our adventure last night.  All are well and Alyshia talked about the squirrel on her postcard. Bob tells me that Mum Fergy and is home after her fall, but that the X-rays revealed a fracture of the skull. She has told him not to say anything because she doesn’t want us to fly back home early for what she considers is no reason. Fair enough.

After boarding the coach we discovered Mark and Paul being very cagey. Mark described our night’s upcoming accommodation as “tipis for two” – time will tell, and the food elsewhere couldn’t be worse than last night.

We covered lots more of the Park and saw a herd of bison and a lone coyote. He was too far away from the bus, and on our opposite side, to get a photo. Everyone was in high spirits but we still haven’t seen a bear.

We went to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and it was truly magnificent. The Grand Canyon will need to be good to beat it and its waterfall.  Next up was morning tea at one of the camps, and then we set off to see Firehole River falls which was entirely different again.

After that we headed to Old Faithful Geyser and our lunch break. Mark had been kind enough to explain that the directions he’d been given for our overnight stay was only 100 minutes down the highway, so we had two hours to see Old Faithful and all the surrounding mud holes, fumaroles and geysers.

Whilst I went to grab us some lunch, Russ went to get us a good seat in the viewing area. Although it didn’t take me long to get a number 2 special of chicken sandwich (which over here is a roll – a roll is a sub), French fries and medium coke, as I was leaving the store the people were leaving the viewing area – yep, I had missed Old Faithful.

We sat down on the boardwalk to eat out lunch then went for a walk along the boardwalk to see all the area – as well as lots of chipmunks and a squirrel.  We headed back to the viewing area in plenty of time and Old Faithful was better the second time – or so I’ve been told – either way, it was spectacular.

The bus was boarded and we were on our way – round about and all in the back blocks. Russ cottoned on to the fact that we would be staying somewhere at the Old Faithful Camping area before any of the rest of us.  Mark and Paul had had our luggage delivered whilst we were exploring. The bus dropped us at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge which is the newest accommodation in the area and very up market – $165 per night per room – but still no hot water jugs or TV’s.

Our meal this evening in the Dining Room was superb. I had London Broil (steak and mushrooms) whilst Russ had Sautéed Trout with lemon sauce and pecans. We had a very leisurely evening and I have just finished my nails. Tomorrow we are off to Salt Lake City and the first part of our journey will be our last chance to see a bear.

By the way. Mark then later explained the directions as being 100 metre from Old Faithful and that he had misunderstood. Revenge will be sweet.  We paid Ray back today for hopping off the coach before it was his turn. We misplaced his camera bag and he really got worried before Russ put him out of his misery. 

Our current altitude is quite high and any form of strenuous exercise leave everyone gasping for a short time.

So, everything went smoothly this morning and we left Missoula at 8am and headed south.  We drove along Highway I 90 until we came to the city of Butte which once had the largest copper mine in the world. It has cut away half of a very large mountain on the outskirts and is an amazing sight.

We grabbed some mini donuts, coffee, diet Pepsi from the Mall and some books from a fabulous second hand store. We then proceeded until we came to Livingston where we stopped for lunch and the cold chili prawns and rice was as nice as it had been last night.

After dinner we proceeded on our way to Yellowstone National Park where we held out high hopes of seeing that damned bear. To get to Yellowstone we had to leave the state of Montana (where I finally got to see my cowboy in jeans, boots and hat at lunch time in his pick up truck) and enter the state of Wyoming.

Gordon got on the bus after lunch and informed us that Adelaide had made it back to back premierships by defeating North Melbourne, and that Andrew McLeod was again best on the field. Needless to say, Gordon and Kathleen are from South Australia.

Upon entering Yellowstone we found out we still had a long way to go but the scenery was lovely, and we had a whole list of animals and birds to look out for whilst journeying.  We saw our first bison (what we mistakenly called buffalo for many years), more elk, some chipmunks (they are so tiny and fast), more elk, more osprey, but still no bears.

We stopped for walks along mud pools and fumaroles and took heaps of pictures. We had both cameras clicking at different things. We also saw seepages at fumaroles which have their own names and were breath-taking to behold.

Finally, at 5.45pm we arrived at Grant’s Village in Yellowstone National Park , by the shore of the West Thumb Lake, to be told by Mark that there was a stuff up in our reservations and we would only be staying for one night instead of the promised two, and that this section of the park was closing after breakfast tomorrow morning.

Destination America has been bringing tourists to this park for at least seven years, and make 9 or 10 trips a season, and they ALWAYS stay 2 nights. I don’t think Mark or his company are to blame for this stuff up.

What an adventure to follow! Tea was finally eaten (half eaten in my case) and it was bloody terrible. Breakfast tomorrow will be interesting. There are no coffee makers in the rooms and no TV’s although the rest of the accommodation isn’t too bad as long as you don’t remember that you are paying $101 American for it.

After tea we got to walk to the Laundromat which was at least one kilometre down the road, (great washing and drying machines and very efficiently run) but by the time we were finished it was dark. Picture Russ and I walking on the left shoulder of the road – we are in the USA – with a little torch (God bless the torch) in the pitch black night at 9pm with no lights along the road, carrying our dry washing and talking loudly so we wouldn’t surprise a bear and scare the bejeebas out of ourselves. Life just wasn’t meant to be easy.

Tomorrow we are off on a magical, mystery tour because we haven’t the faintest idea where we will be staying for the night.  Cheers!!

After an interesting night being serenaded by a rattle and clunk of pipes at the most fascinating of place – Glacier Park Lodge at East Glacier – we raced down to the Lobby for a much needed cup of tea and coffee, no fridge or coffee making jug and no TV.

The Lodge was built between 1912 to 1914 and truly is massive, picturesque, and words still fail me. However, it has character and we wouldn’t have missed it for anything – even having to open the windows and curtains in the middle of the night so we could cool down enough to sleep. The ancient central heating caused the noises in the pipes, but it is still running efficiently. 

The bus took us the Rising Sun Tourist Path where we transferred to the red buses for our ride along the Road to the Sun.  The jammers (bus drivers) got their names in the early days when the college and university kids came for summer as drivers and ended up jamming the gears because they didn’t know how to double clutch. From “gear jammers” it has been shortened over the years to “jammers”.

It was as fascinating to ride the 1930 buses (takes 17 people plus the driver) as it was to stop yesterday at the Lancaster Air Museum. One of our buses broke down, but the people were transported to Paul’s bus without much delay.

What should have been spectacular was made ordinary, cold and dreary because of the rain and fog. We didn’t see much in the bus and it poured whilst we were at the visitor’s centre.  It was so cold that the locals said it could have snowed.  However, as this is the only day so far where we have experienced bad conditions, I can’t say that we have anything to complain about.

When we left the Glacier National Park we went along to find ourselves some lunch. At Columbia, Russ and I went to the Dairy Queen and Russ had a chicken burger and I had a cheeseburger –both absolutely delicious.

The afternoon was fairly ordinary except for our stop at the Indian Trading Store at St Ignatius, where we sampled Huckleberry Ice-cream – tarty and yoghurty.  We finally arrived at Missouls at 4.10pm and settled in to the Holiday Inn. We waited for our luggage then walked 5 blocks down to Safeway. We grabbed some supplies for the next day or so and some tea – Chinese Chili Prawns and Rice from Safeway. There was so much in the packs that we have eaten half and put the rest away to eat for lunch tomorrow.

Today, in Australia, (25/9) it is Stefanie’s birthday. Hope she has a lovely day.  This morning went smoothly again although once on the bus Mark informed us that the helicopter flight over Banff had been cancelled because of cloud cover. A bit disappointing for those who had intended to take the flight.

However, once on the road to Calgary it made for some interesting photos with the summit showing above a fogged in valley. Very striking, and we shall see if it comes out well once the photos are developed.

We stopped for morning tea at the site of the Calgary Winter Olympics of 1988. Fascinating to see how little was actually held at that site – long jump ramp for distance ski jumping, short jump ramp for slalom, and the luge run. It was also where the movie “Cool Running” was filmed. This was the story of the Olympic luge team from Jamaica, and starred John Candy.  Every other event went to the mountains at Canmore, or into the city of Calgary proper for the ice skating.

Next stop was for lunch at Fort MacLeod. By now everyone was more used to the dry, low hills instead of the Rockies, but Russ and I were again able to understand our first disappointment.

Fort MacLeod was one of the first Royal Canadian Mounted Police forts in Alberta and although the site of the original fort had been flooded three times, the replica on higher ground at the edge of town was marvellous. We were able to see the chapel, doctor and dentist rooms and the areas where the family members and enlisted men bunked or lived.

It was full of many original outfits as worn by the Blackfeet Indians for everyday and ceremonial purposes. I think Russ was able to get some terrific shots whilst we were there.

We detoured at Browning to see another Indian museum, but I did not think this one was as interesting as Fort MacLeod. It had been too commercialised by the modern day people of the First Tribes, and concentrated on mainly how downtrodden was the Indian. Fort MacLeod tried to take a balanced view of all the people who had been involved with the history of the time.

At Piegan, Montana, just before Browning, we crossed the US/Canadian border. Russ and I were carted off the bus to be documented before being allowed on our way. We were joined by John and Yvonne who had not been in the States with the tour previously either, and Joan who had to be re-documented because she had her handbag (containing passport, and money) stolen in LA on the first morning. Mark warned us not to take any photos whilst we were stationary, and if we were going to take any photos as we moved off, to do so carefully.  It is definitely frowned on by the border guards, who have been known to make life extremely difficult for those who transgress.

Mark told us the ketchup joke about Mum and Dad Tomato on the way to Church with little Johnny Tomato who kept dawdling. His father told him to get a move on or he would stomp him and he’d ketchup that way. Ha Ha.

Whilst in full swing Mark then went on to tell us about arrangements at our next stop – Glacier National Park Lodge. He explained that it was a very old building with ultra thin walls, noisy plumbing, and where the critters invaded your rooms if you didn’t haul your foodstuffs out of reach.

When we finally arrived, it was to be very impressed. It was similar in style to the Border building, but 10 times more impressive, and we photographed to our hearts content.  Massive would be one word to describe the Lodge. Pictures do not do it justice. The rafters are real tree logs and simply huge. It has four storeys with quaint rooms and the scenery is beyond description.

There have been sightings of bears here in the last few weeks, and one man was mauled to death. At this place they actually hand out instructions on how to act if you come across a bear, and actions to take to minimize a mauling. Needless to say, we still haven’t sighted one.

Had tea in the lounge area where a harassed barman was run off his feet. The restaurant was too pricey for most of us. We ate with John and Yvonne and John.

At the gift shop we picked up a pair of sox for Jacquab. They read “Some one who spoils me rotted went to Glacier National Park and bought me these socks.” They have pictures of animals on them.

As I write this account of the day Russ and I are being subjected to a first hand experience of the noisy, clanking pipes.  Russ is so generous that he has given me his blocked nose and sinuses – what a horrible feeling – but at least I am not suffering headache or earache.

Roll call this morning was a bit later than on a travel morning. We assembled at 8am and left the motel (Evergreen Court) at 8.15am.  After the scenic route through Banff we arrived at Sulphur Mountain and lined up for a Gondola ride to the top. Absolutely magnificent. We were in the gondola with Margaret and Ray. Margaret is afraid of heights, and she was very brave. She hung on for grim death and looked straight ahead the whole time while Ray teased her.

The buffet breakfast is situated at 5,132 feet above sea level and is one of the highest elevations for a restaurant in Canada.  The buffet breakfast was $7.95 and was good value. We followed this with a walk along the stairway and walkway to the top – that is, Russ and Ray went all the way to the top whilst Margaret and I went half way and had a good conversation.

The gondola move up or down at 10feet per second and the ride last for 8 minutes – a part of the trip that we are glad we didn’t miss.

Next, we went along Tunnel Mountain – so called because when they first surveyed for the railway the plan was to put a tunnel right through the mountain. However, the second surveyor said, “Why pay to tunnel through when the valley is wide enough to go round?” which is what they did, but the mountain still bears the name of the original intention.

Russ is feeling heaps better this morning and his nose is no longer blocked. 

After Tunnel mountain we went for our raft trip down the rapids of the Bow River. Exhilarating, but the guy (Rick) on the oars was more fun to listen to than was the ride which was very tame – only Grade 1 rapids.

The afternoon was left to ourselves and Russ and I went to see Shawna Biegel – doctor of chiropractic – who offered me a job as CA whilst her receptionist, Susan, was on holidays. Although I declined the offer our adjustments were definitely called for – feeling better already. Shawna is only 5 feet in height but Boy! Can she throw around more than her weight and height.

We picked up some more postcards on the way back to the hotel, and a Banff T-shirt for Russ and a gorgeous green sweat shirt (Very Canada, Banff) for me.  I had McDonalds for tea and Russ had KFC. We have written out our postcards and have to get down to the serious business of preparation for tomorrow morning’s early start.