Chambers Lake, CO

All over the Canadian National Parks, Glacier, Yellowstone & Tetons and the illusive moose escaped us! We had to come back to good ol' Colorado to get our moose fix....and we weren't disappointed. We camped up near Chambers Lake, just 90 min north of us, fished a bit, at good food and went for an evening drive. FOUR MAGNIFICENT MOOSE!!! And there was one massive one! We also say six beautiful mule deer all with very nice racks, and five impressive elk nestled down in a meadow, all male as well. It was well worth the trip.

Our first moose was a young male about 25 feet off the road drinking in a meadow. We watched him for a bit and reaffirmed why moose tend to enjoy marshy wetlands. Their legs are so long and their necks so stubby that they cannot lean straight down to drink like most other animals. They prefer it when their hooves can sink into the mud or the water brings the vegetation closer to them. In this video, the moose is bending his "elbows" in order to reach the water.

Our next moose was the big boy! He was about 50 feet off the road lazily eating in the grasses. When he heard us, he stared for quite some time as we stared back! His rack was incredible! We watched him until he laid on down in the grass and all you could see was his huge rack. We drove a bit further and looked back on him and saw a small female by his side.

Finally, on our way back to camp, we stopped near where we had seen the big guy and were lucky enough to run into him again. This time he was on a full out run being followed by a smaller male trotting along behind him. Wow! What a trip we had!

Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks, Canada

Day 1 and 2 = driving
Day 3 and 4 = Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks

Canadian National Parks

Magnificent Mountains. Rushing Rivers. Turquoise Lakes. Minute Wildflowers.

Impressive peaks and mountains greeted our eyes as we entered Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks. I wasn't prepared for the color of the water. Glacier sediment suspended in the lakes and rivers is what causes the water to create an intense turquoise and occasionally emerald color. It was breath taking! We hiked to so many lakes and waterfalls, each one rivaling the next!

Jadeyn was an excellent hiker. So happy to be with some cousins, he ran and romped with them up and down the trails, holing their hands and relishing the attention. Occasionally, he would be pampered with a ride in Kevin's backpack, but he was always anxious to get back on the ground and run.











Takakkaw Falls was one of the falls that was so huge that pictures can't quite give it the proper description. The name itself means "it is magnificent," and it was. Towering above us, the spray drenches those who ventured closer. I remained at the base with Jadeyn who did what he always does out in the wild: he found a nice puddle, some pebbles and was happy as could be!
























Moraine Lake
I couldn't imagine that a lake could be this lovely of a color until I saw it with my own eyes. What a display of nature!!!! We climbed up stone steps carved into the mountain to be greeted by a splash of blue that rivaled the sky! Wow!!!

Wildlife

We saw more Mountain Goats than we could count on one of our drives, and a nice pair o Big Horn Sheep adamently blocking traffic!
But alas...the allusive Canadian Moose escaped us!

Johnston Canyon

Johnston Canyon was the highlight of the Canadian Parks for us. A narrow rickety feeling walkway clung to the side of the canyon, at times suspending itself way out over the roaring river. The water cascading below us occasionally would break away from carving itself into the rock walls and plummet for impressive waterfalls. Every turn brought a beautiful photo opportunity, and believe me, we took our share!

"By such a river it is impossible to believe that one will ever be tired or old.
Every sense applauds it."
"Watch its racing current, its steady renewal of force: it is transient and eternal."

Going through a natural tunnel which the river carved into the rock. Jadeyn, of course, is "holding up the walls" with his hands like he does through any tunnel or underpass!

Another spectacular and unique waterfall in Johnston Canyon. This one travels both over and under the rock. Look closely.

"...it was pure delight to be where the land lifted in peaks and plunged in canyons, and to sniff air thin, spray-cooled, full of pine and spruce smells..." Wallace Stegner

"...the whisper of blown and scattered spray gathering itself and beginning to flow again, secret and irresistible, among the rocks..."
"I was fascinated by how it sped and yet was always there;
its roar shook both the earth and me."

Glacier National Park

Day 5, 6, 7, and 8= = Glacier National Park

Spectacular in its grandeur and amazing in the minute detail. That is the best way to describe Glacier National Park. The peaks, mountains and glaciers were so magnificent that you would think that you could miss the tiny details, but no: the wildflowers and beautiful pebbles at your feet demanded attention.

Avalanche Lake Trail
One of our favorite hikes came by accident. We were told that it was only one mile and happily headed down the trail to Avalanche Lake. Six miles later when we made it back to our camp, we were exhausted but elated that we had made the journey. The river at the beginning cut deeply into the rock creating almost a slot canyon effect. The rocks, smooth from the river were blanketed in emerald green moss. A quiet forest of Hemlock and Cedar trees surrounded us, creating a muffled silence. When we arrived at Avalanche Lake we were amazed by the massive mountain which faced us from across the lake.

Five individual glacier waterfalls cascaded straight down into the lake. This wasn't close enough so we made our way around to the back of the lake at the foot of the waterfalls.


The only way to cross the many rivulets of water from the falls was to toss aside our hiking boots and wade through the frigid water. It literally took your breath away as the cold bit in to your ankles, but after about 15 seconds you found your feet numb anyway and could tolerate it a lot longer.

Jadeyn was ecstatic to be able to play in the river. We rolled up his pant legs, then after about 2 minutes, decided to let him have at it and would just change his clothes entirely when he was done. Other hikers came by and saw our little boy in the water and decided that it must not be that cold and stepped right in. Boy, were they shocked at the icy water and amazed that Jadeyn could handle it that long!



The fishing was quite enjoyable. Nice sized trout: cutthroat, rainbow and supposedly some bull trout filled the lake. Even if we hadn't have caught about 30+ fish, the scenery would have been worth every second. The waterfalls cascading down behind us, the breathtaking cliffs, beautiful trees and the incredible array of multicolored pebbles at our feet! I have to admit that everyone found it heaven in their own way: Kevin and his dad fished happily, me and Kevin's mom sorted through the rocks at our feet to find the prettiest ones, and Jadeyn picked up the rocks and chucked them in the lake!!


This hike was worth every step!
































Logan's Pass Hike
It the very pinnacle of Glacier National Park is Logan's Pass and the beautiful hike up to Hidden Lake. It began at the Visitors center and headed right up the side of the mountain through an amazing blend of yellow and purple wildflowers peaking out through the patches of snow! 90% of the trail was still covered in snow which made the hiking a bit precarious but hilarious at the same time.
We were joined by Kevin's parents and his oldest sister Melanie and her family. All in all, 12 of us noisily made our way up the slope drawing chuckles from a few fellow hikers. Snowball fights, sliding challenges, and songs came with us. The panoramic view the entire length of the hike was one for the postcards. Blue skies with puffs of clouds, scatterings of brilliant wildflowers, pure white snow, mountain goats, marmots...














At the top of the trail we gazed down to a high mountain lake reflecting the high peaks around us. We spent some time up there enjoying the peace, as well as letting the kids romp around the rocks and get all excited when a mountain goat and kid would come close. The path down was entertaining to say the least. We all slid, slopped and skidded down the snow laughing the whole way!

The Minute Detail
I particularly enjoyed the tiny details of the plant life in the park. Yeah, I was teased quite a bit by how many macro photos I took, holding up the hike for a few minutes to focus on a patch of lichen or moss, but it was awesome.

We were treated to an extra special experience twice while in the Logan's Pass visitor's center parking lot. Once we were circled again and again by a precious baby mountain goat and her mother. It seemed as if they were poised and ready for their photo shoot by how many different angles they gave us.


On another evening, six magnificent big horn sheep migrated down the the parking lot to investigate the cars and oogle at the people as if we were the wild life. The meandered around giving us a spectacular view of their impressive horns gracefully curling to frame their faces.

Yellowstone National Park

Day 9 = Yellowstone National Park

We could travel all that way on not stop by Yellowstone and the Tetons on our way home!
Jadeyn was only three months old the last time we visited Yellowstone, a little too young to ohh and ahh over it. This time he was definitely old enough, but still a little squirrelly and always wanting to reach out and touch the water!

His latest game in the car is to take off his shoes and holler all about "stinky feet!" Usually, partway through the game, he changes it to "stinky FISH!" Well, now he has figured out where stinky fish really come from and he made the connection all by himself. They come from stink pots in Yellowstone of course!!!

He loved the mud pots as much as me and he loved the Dragon's Mouth as much as Kevin! The upclose Bison were a treat and once again we got to see a grizzly bear meandering its way around a small pond!