Canada to North Dakota

Our Canada run has been a blast as we start to head for the good "ole" USofA. We have learned a lot about southern Canada like the miles and miles of canola fields along the route,how flat it is.Kinda like the Midwest at least until you get to Banff National Park.The people are very friendly and treat you very well.
The cost in Canada is about the same as California for goods and services.The exchange rate is pretty much even.Gas was higher than we paid in the US but luckily because the roads were flat we got a little better gas mileage.(7 miles to a gallon compared to 5)
Probably the most awesome sight we saw in Canada was the Glaciers in Waterton,Banff,and Jasper National Parks.Pictures don't do them justice.This picture is at the Ice fields in Jasper Natl.Pk.They will let you walk out on the Ice but its very slippery.Tour buses actually drive out on the Glacier with specially made tires that are slip resistant.From the visitors center they looked like a line of ants going up a mountain.We declined that excursion!
We got a feel for the "Stampede" in Calgary and moved east to Swift current and Moosejaw where the gangster AL Capone used to hide out.We were going to check out the underground speakeasy's that were the haunts of the demimonde back in the day but they were so rundown and seedy that we decided the tour wasn't worth it.
We rolled south through Saskatchewan and close to the us border we noticed oil rigs popping up over the landscape and the absense of any agriculture.When we crossed into the US and headed south into North Dakota we really started seeing oil rigs everywhere.Hummm...Can you say Keystone Pipeline!

Teddy Roosevelt Natl. Pk. South UnitAdd caption

Road construction was a nightmare but we finally made our destination,Teddy Roosevelt National Park.The first night we stayed in the north unit witch is 70 miles from the south unit which we didn't know.So we headed for the south unit the next day to tour it.Medora is the town just outside the south unit and it was a charming and very hospitable place.Lots of eateries,shop,museums,and entertainment.

The park is amazing with breathtaking views at every overlook.We moved inside and camped in their campground figuring we would spend a few nights here and get a flavor of the park and the town.

Jeni is looking out at what the Sioux Indians called the Badlands of North Dakota.Tales told that many outlaws in the 1800's hid out here too.












Jeni and I found a nice place for lunch in the park.This spot is Called Buck Hill. It is one of the scenic pullouts along the 30 mile loop drive in the park.Jeni was taking the picture but she sat beside and had lunch too.I took our binoculars up with us and we spotted wild horses and buffalo or as they call them here,"Bison".








The town has an amphitheatre built right into the side of a hill that looks down on the town.Every night they have a western themed show called the "Medora Musical".It is a high energy production that really was fantastic.It draws people from all over and they are packed every night.Jeni and I were very impressed.









The park has deer and Elk which roam freely through the park.


















Wild horses also roam the park.These horses are Lakota horses which descended from the Lakota Indian tribe that inhabit the area.When the park has too many they sell them to a following of Indian people and ranchers that covet them.They bring a hefty sum to the park.





More high stepping entertainment from the Medora Musical.















"Have walking sticks will travel".The saga continues.Jeni and I hiked all of their trails around the loop.Some were a little tough but all were fantastic.Oh,by the way we bought 2 more National Park medallions for our sticks.Now we are up to $90 worth of medallions on our sticks!









We are hiking "Jones creek trail".A 4 mile loop.It was nap time after!













We hiked the "Ole east entrance trail" Only 1 mile and pretty flat.Jeni is standing in the prairie loaded with wild yellow "Sweet clover" which is everywhere.












The "Ole East entrance".















OH YEA, they also have Bison! I guess they liked partying at our camp.But we didn't invite them!












Our favorite breakfast place.Good ole western hospitality.















Our favorite ole general store still operational today.Great stuff inside.













Our favorite ice cream place,I guess i should mention all our favorite places are in Medora North Dakota.Yummy!



















And last but not the least is our favorite "Honky tonk"Boots Bar and Grill.Great "Buffalo" burgers and cold brew.



















One last look at Canada as we crossed the border into North Dakota.




















The royal Canadian Mounties were at the border to make sure we made it across OK........Aye












One last tidbit about Canada,when we were in Cardston we heard about a local gal that made it big in Hollywood.It was Fay Wray of King Kong fame.Some years after she retired from show business she came back to her hometown and this memorial fountain was built in her honor.
While we were staying at the campground at Teddy Roosevelt we saw flyer's posted on the restroom doors that said"CAMP HOST NEEDED".Jeni and I did some inquiry's and found out the hosts they were expecting to have canceled for personal reasons.The height of the summer season and no host.That's tough.We checked out the host campsite and it had full hookups,it was shaded, It was very nice.We had no hookups in the campground and it was warm so Jeni and I decided to apply for the position.we would try it for a couple of weeks to see how it went. We have never hosted in a National Park before,well we really enjoyed it.It was one of our best hosting jobs ever.More on the host job in our next blog post.
Our travels continue as we cruised across southern Canada from Calgary Alberta to Moose jaw, Saskatchewan.Turning south toward the good ole USA.We saw amazing sights,breathtaking scenery,and sampled great food and drink on our travels from Canada to North Dakota.