I shudda known better....

So, here's a little hint for those of you that are driving into mountains on a nice day and you start meeting vehicles that have snow piled up on their roofs ....  TURN AROUND!

I was heading south from Bozeman with a plan to visit Yellowstone Park and drive on thru to Cody Wyoming and take in the Buffalo Bill Museum.  This was part of the plan to drive home this route as I have never been into that area before.

The roads started to turn wet and a bit slushy with snow as I  drove on.  When I got to the National Park sign, I was thinking that it looked rather cloudy in the distance... about 30 miles from West Yellowstone village the roads got snow packed and very slick.  I made it OK into the village although it took almost an hour longer than planned.

So, I looked around a bit and the village itself is best described as a large tourist trap.  Bot a few groceries and headed for the main park gates only to find out that the road thru to Cody was closed due to the snow!!!!  I asked what the alternative route would be and was told to drive back to Bozeman and head east...blah.. blah...blah...

Bottom line.. I drove back to Bozeman and added about 5 hours of extra Montana driving time to my trip... damn this is a  huge state.. it just goes on and on and on...

But, I'm in no hurry, I'm safe, and I'll be home soon...

Life is Good.

Scenic Route Indeed!

These photos were taken a couple of days ago as I drove from Lewiston ID to Missoula.  There is something about driving alongside a river that makes its way through the mountain valleys.  There was very little traffic, road conditions were great.... so peaceful.

Life is Good.

Scenic route home....

Well, I left Courtenay yesterday morning... got a pic taken with my favorite kids in the world... I dropped Shaya at her bus for school and there were lots of tears.. she cried a bit as well!

I decided on a different route home this time.. crossed into the states at Abbotsford and crossed the Cascades mountain range this morning.  Lots of beautiful colors which brightened a dull rainy day.  Jewels and I travelled most of todays route a couple of years ago.. I remembered parts of it but we both have a lot of miles on us... teeheehee...  and it's hard to remember all the places we have been to.

Arrived into Lewiston ID tonite and was quite dramatic driving into the city with rugged hills as far as you could see.  I think I got the last available room in the city.. big volleyball state tournament here this weekend... the Rancho Motel looked very nice when I arrived to get their last room...

Life is Good.

On the island...

Well, I'm out west again.  I've been kind of lazy about posting stuff here but in addition to being good, life has been kind of quiet as well.

I stopped in Edmonton and got in visits with Chris and Jan as well as Jesse and Nikki.  The kids have moved to a house in Spruce Grove and it's quite a lovely spot.  They seem to be really enjoying things outside of the city and it was great to see them.

Hit the road again a few days ago and now I'm settled in at Jill's house.  I'll probably spend a week here and then head home.  It's so nice to see my grand children.. they are growing so fast and they change so much every time is see them.  Rylie is a real card and always going in one way or another.  Shaya is in kindergarten now and loving it.  She and I are going out to the movies tonight (Hotel Frankenstein), so that shud be fun...

Wayne and I got in a game of golf yesterday.  Had big plans for today but it's been raining all day .. ah well there is always tomorrow... I get to watch something called Jersey Shores on TV instead...

Life is Good!

Welllll... didn't I pick a nice day for a drive North!

The snow started as I left Beaudette...  I was wondering what I would run into as most of the cars I met were covered in snow and ice.  By the time I hit Warroad it was a full fledged storm.

The pics were taken on Hwy 12 north near the MB/MN border.  It was very treacherous - slippery driving.  They said on the radio that this was the largest storm this early in Manitoba ever since they started recording such things.  They are expecting up to 30 cm (about 12 inches) of snow in this area overnight with winds blowing to 70 KPH.  Largest storm recorded to this date previously was 5cm or about 2 inches.

But, I made it through and the Holiday Inn feels very cozy tonight..

Life is Good.

Fantastic Fall Foliage....

Well, driving home from Minneapolis yesterday we were just blown away by all the fantastic colors.  Fall is such a wonderful time of year.

I was hoping for a sunny day today so I could just drive around the city a bit and snap a few pics.  It was a bit overcast but I managed to find a lot of great photo opps .  Makes me feel almost as good inside as watching my birds.

Mother nature is grand ... and....

Life is Good