The Trip - Part 1

Sorry it has taken so long to update. Uploading the pictures takes a while. Will upload a lot more soon. Will also upload maps with the route that we took. Here are a few pictures... A lot more details to come...

ALBERTA

Calgary from a distance - We stayed at the Westin downtown

Our campsite near the town of Banff, Alberta - We camped about 2 miles from the town - There were a lot of people around because it was Victoria Day weekend.

Banff National Park
A caribou in Banff
Icefields Parkway

After staying near the town of Banff, we drove into the park to the Icefields Parkway. John and Caitlin at our campsite on the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park at 6500 feet. We camped next to Mosquito Creek but it was too cold for mosquitoes. We woke up to falling snow.
Icefields Parkway

An igloo next to our campsite at Mosquito Creek

Icefields Parkway

A lake on the Icefields Parkway

A waterfall that we found by trudging through the woods with the GPS

Our campsite at Mosquito Creek

Icefields Parkway

Icefields Parkway

BRITISH COLUMBIA

After camping in Banff National Park, we drove to Vancouver, British Columbia. We stayed at the downtown Ramada.

From Vancouver, we took a road called "Sea to Sky." It took us from the Pacific Ocean through several mountainous inlets up to the Rocky Mountains. We passed Whistler, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

We took some remote roads through western British Columbia. They were dirt for much of the time and most of the bridges were only one lane. In one day, we saw 12 bears from the truck.

View from our campsite at Dease Lake, BC

Packing up after staying at Fraser Lake, British Columbia

A caribou in western BC

First sign for the Alaska Highway

ALASKA

Eastern Alaska

Alaska

Leave a comment if you wish

Arrival!

We got into Anchorage on May 25th at about 1700. Our trip...

May 15 - Left DC
May 16 - St. Paul, Minnesota (downtown Crowne Plaza)
May 17 - Lake Metigoshe State Park, North Dakota (camped)
May 18 - Calgary, Alberta (downtown Westin)
May 19 - Banff, Alberta (camped)
May 20 - Banff National Park, Alberta (camped at 6500 feet)

May 21 - Vancouver, British Columbia (downtown Ramada)
May 22 - Random lake in western British Columbia (camped) (along BC16 - I'll figure out the name)
May 23 - Another random lake in western BC (camped) (along BC37)
May 24 - Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory (camped)
May 25 - Arrival

Will update with pictures and maps soon...

Day 2-3

St. Paul, MN was deserted at night. We couldn't find a person anywhere.
Caitlin: "We know that it's ok to jaywalk in St. Paul, Minnesota."
Kevin: "Yeah, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than getting hit by a car in St. Paul."














Capitol building in St. Paul, MN

View from our room at the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul, MN on the morning of Day 2

Minnesota - "The Land of 10,000 Lakes"















The number of lakes we counted while driving through Minnesota













Wind power is AWESOME.













North Dakota













The geographical center of North America in Rugby, ND.


























A giant turtle made entirely of car rims in North Dakota














Climbing on the turtle














Our campsite at Lake Metigoshe State Park in North Dakota














Our own dock at the campsite in Lake Metigoshe State Park.














Breakfast on Day 3














North Dakota













North Dakota













North Dakota - about 2 miles from the Canadian border














We were taken into the border patrol office and questioned individually. It took about 20 minutes for us to get cleared to cross the border. We're suspicious looking people I guess.













Saskatchewan, Canada














Salt blizzard from a salt mine in SK
















Prairie dog in Alberta, Canada











Justin's mom had room service waiting for us at the Westin in Calgary for his and Caitlin's birthday.














Lots of trains in Canada














Stayed at the downtown Westin in Calgary last night














We are driving 80 miles to Banff, Alberta today. We will stay there for 1-2 days before driving through the Rockies toward Alaska. Not sure if we'll be able to update at all, but will try.

Day 1-2

We ended up leaving DC at about 11:15PM EDT on May 15th. We drove all night and arrived at the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul at about 8:00PM CDT on May 16th.

Pre-trip party on the Sharp One










Packing in DC on May 15th




















More packing







































The gang getting ready to go










On the road










Wisconsin


















The Mississippi River in Minnesota










Had dinner at the Whistle Stop Cafe somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota (cash only)










The view of the Mississippi River from our hotel room










Tomorrow we will be driving to Lake Metigoshe State Park in North Dakota to camp. Will try to update on May 18th when we are in Calgary.