New Phase Starts – Headed to Banff in the Morning

Sunday morning we will head out from Bonners Ferry, and by the afternoon we should be settling for six nights at the Banff Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court.  From there we will explore from Banff to Jasper and back, over to the Canadian’s Glacier National Park, and so on.  With her MS, Marcia can only do so much…and I am not much of a hiker anyway, so there will be many things to see from the comfort of the HHR.

I think I have everything in order for the border crossing.  I have read many blogs of RV travelers, and I have not read one blog where they said, “Crossing the border is going to fun…”   For many it is a bit stressful, for others it is just paperwork and something you just have to go through.  Last year when we took our HHR over to Victoria it was very easy.  I hope tomorrow is easy too, if not, we will just deal with it.  I doubt I will lose any sleep over it, that's for sure.

After our six days in Banff our current plans are to head to Dawson Creek, taking two days to get there.  This could change if we decided to extend at Banff, or find a place to camp in Jasper…but my guess is that six days will be enough.  Once in Dawson Creek we will probably have a couple of days to prepare for the long haul (nearly 1,600 miles) to Anchorage.  While at Dawson Creek I will schedule out that phase of the trip.

Tonight we went back to Mugsy's Tavern & Grill for another great meal.  Danielle’s daughter waited on us, and when we mentioned coming through in 2012 and part of the conversation we had with her, a light went off in her head and she did remember us.  As we were getting into our car, Danielle ran out and waved good-bye.  I told her that if we are ever in the area again, she could bet that we will be back.  I had another burger, and Marcia had a shrimp pasta with feta cheese…both were real good…especially the brownie, ice cream, fudge desert that we shared after our meal. 

Note to family and friends:  Our cell phones will not work in Canada.  The best way to get a hold of us is via email.  Don’t know how long this will be, could be as long as 20 days, but most likely it will be shorter than that.

Bonners Ferry – Getting Ready to Cross the Border

We had a very quiet, good night at Trout Creek…well worth our $12, that’s for sure.  We knew that we could check in at Bonners Ferry at noon, and it would be a 2 hour drive…so we left at 10 am.  Around 10:10 I ask Marcia how it is that we could get to Bonners Ferry by 11:08, which is what the GPS said.  Totally forgot that we would be back in the Pacific Time Zone…so I slowed down, Marcia got the camera out and started taking more river pictures.

Did not take long before we entered Idaho, and we gained an hour, and Lake Pend Oreille came into view.  Back in 2012 we camped in Coeur-d'alene, did a day trip up to Bonners Ferry, passing by Lake Pend Oreille on the way. This is what I wrote about the lake back then:

This lake is 65 miles long, and the fifth deepest lake in the United States.  On the southern end is where the Farragut Naval Training Station once stood, and that area is now Farragut State Park.  The Naval Station was, during WW2, the second largest naval training ground in the world.  The lake is still used by the Navy to test large-scale submarine prototypes because the depth of the lake give acoustic properties similar to the open ocean.

We talked about wanting to drive around the lake some day..well, today was the closest thing to that.

  

Found a turnout along side the lake and we sat there for awhile just enjoying the view. 

Some people have a good view each and every day…but I like the idea of having the ability of changing my view as often as we wish.  To each their own.

For today and for tomorrow we have this view.  We are at the Carriage House Inn & RV Park in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.  At $33 per night it is not too bad, considering there are few RV parks in Bonners Ferry, and it is directly across from Safeway, where we already took advantage and got a week’s worth of stuff.

And the BEST thing about our revisit to Bonners Ferry was another visit to Mugsy's Tavern & Grill.  Back in 2012 we ate here and met Danielle, the owner, and her daughter who was entering her Junior year of High School.  They moved from New Hampshire and had moved to Idaho nearly 10 years ago now.  Her daughter just finished her sophomore year at the University of Idaho, and will be home for the summer working with her mom.  Danielle said that since they bought the restaurant, which is named after a dog who is now on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, that business has been good with good growth each year.  She did remember us, and gave us a hug as we left.  And again, it was one of the best burgers I have ever had without having to cook it myself. 

Sunday we plan to head north into Canada, where we will visit Banff and Jasper before heading to Dawson Creek, where Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway is located.