Days 5-7 - Alaska Bound!

It's been a long two days since we left Gillete, WY.  Wow, there is so much to cover!

Shortly after we left Gillette, WY, one of our trailer tires blew out and we spent an hour putting on the spare, finding a place to buy new tires and upgrading to better-quality tires.

After that incident, the rest of the day went smoothly. We made it safely to Glacier National Park and set up camp for the night. I was feeling a little bit in shock having had my first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains that same day...*jawdrop* Fortunately, we stayed nice and toasty in our new tent and sleeping bag despite the temperatures dropping below freezing that night.

The next morning we walked down to the lake to take in the view. Unfortunately, I can't get our internet connection to work fast enough to upload pictures (believe me, I'm just as disappointed about that as you are), but it was simply amazing. There was no way my poor photography skills could capture the awesome beauty of the park, but I hope you'll be able to get a glimpse of it when I'm finally able to upload pictures!

After we packed up the campsite and had a quick breakfast, we drove down the Going-to-the-Sun highway and stopped at a few spots along the way. About half of the road was still closed for the season but we had a really good sampling of the park that way. By the time we got back from our drive it was time to head for our border crossing. We so wished we had more time to spend at the park but I'm still holding on to the hope that we'll be able to visit again someday.

We had been a little worried about the border crossing in Canada, as we'd heard a lot of horror stories, but we made it through, easy-as-pie, in about 5 minutes. :) Honestly, I still don't feel that much like we're in a foreign country. Apart from people speaking with Canadian accents, the only other cultural difference we've experienced has been a lady asking Jonathan if he was "in the queue" meaning "are you in line?" Of course, it is hard to get the full Canadian experience when we only emerge from our truck to fuel up or sleep.

We had a short day on Sunday, only driving about four hours from Glacier Park to our next campsite. It turned out well because somewhere after the border, Jonathan noticed a funny noise coming from the truck. He was able to quickly pinpoint the noise, figure out which part he needed, and an extremely obliging family member found a place where we could get it on Monday. Perfect!

We used the extra time on Sunday evening to relax a little bit more. When I say "relax" I mean, "climb to the top of a hill that would be considered a mountain back in Georgia". This little hike ended up being steeper than the top of Stone Mountain by the end of it, but the view was absolutely worth it! I so, so, so wish I had carried my camera up with me for your sake....but alas, I did not! :(

Monday morning: (finally, I'm catching up here!) we packed up our little campsite again, (we're getting pretty efficient at that) and headed out. Because of the part Jonathan needed to pick up for our truck, we had to tweak our route a little bit and go through Calgary instead of staying on the Icefields Parkway. To get to Calgary we had to actually drive over and through the mountains instead of just between, which was quite an experience for me. I can't wait to show you pictures! We also noticed an extensive area that had been hit with a forest fire. We must have driven for twenty minutes seeing these vast mountains covered in dead trees. I had never, ever imagined that a fire could cover miles and miles and miles of trees that way!

We entered Calgary at about lunchtime, Jonathan picked up the park, changed it out in a few hours, and we were back in business! (I'm so glad I married a mechanic who can keep stuff like this from becoming a huge deal.) After that we only had about six hours of driving left, which was fairly uneventful.

The scenery did change after we passed through Calgary. We lost sight of the Rocky Mountains and entered the plains again. Something I can't get over is how blue the water is here. Every single puddle and creek is this deep vivid blue that you simply can't imagine unless you've seen it yourself. I didn't know such rich color existed in creation.

One more thing I want to mention from today is something that was one of the biggest highlights of our entire trip for me. The reappearance of deciduous trees. I'm serious. Since we left Missouri, every single mile has been a new sight to me, new landscapes and strange plants. It's the experience of a lifetime but it can be overwhelming. Out here, the mountains are definitely gorgeous, but the evergreens and the jagged peaks look harsh to me, a GA girl used to softly rolling hills and oak trees. So today, when I spotted the birch trees just beginning to leaf out, giving me a small taste of home, I felt just like God had given me a gift. :)

Tonight we made it to Valleyview, AB and are staying in a hotel. I can't tell you how much we've been looking forward to showers and a real bed again! We definitely feel luxurious tonight.

Tomorrow we're driving to Dawson Creek and starting down the Alcan Highway! :) Only three more days on the road!