Northern Rockies

		Glacial National Parks VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We left the Northern Plains of Montana to continue on to the Northern Rockies of Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. First stop was the eastern side of Glacier NP, USA this time. We took the free shuttle bus up “Road to the Sun” to the top, Logan’s Pass, altitude 6646’. Glaciers all around, prolific glacier lilies, and watching a mountain goat and her kid traversing a glacier and rock cliffs made the hike up there an absolutely beautiful and memorable experience. There are many waterfalls (one hike took us to St. Mary’s Falls, Baring Falls, and then to Victoria Falls) as the melting glacier waters make their way down. Soaking feet in the streams is always a treat even if the water is a few degrees above 32!

From the east side of Glacier, our trip took us north into Canada to visit Waterton Lakes NP, an international park with the US Glacier NP. This park is described as “Going from the Plains to the Mountains with no foothills.” The wildflowers are much thicker there, the hiking trails are narrower with growth on either side, and the crowds are smaller. So, we enjoyed the experience and are glad we went.

As expected from our last trip to the Maritime Provinces in Canada, most everything is more expensive in Canada. Since Banff/Jasper is so popular we saw a super long line of vehicles entering the park (which we avoided with our having a Parcs Canada Pass). About 90% of all the campers were rentals. And, of course, there are always the bus tours, mostly Chinese (our continuing observation that they are the #1 tourist category). The area felt more strained by the influx of tourists. We attribute that to the poor, rainy, cool weather in June. Many tourists postponed their travel and many campgrounds and hiking trails were closed since they were damaged by the floods. In Banff, we even camped in an “overflow” area the first night, which actually was fairly nice and met an interesting couple driving to Alaska with a 2 year old!

Banff is a cute, typical mountain town with lots of restaurants & bars & shops and the delicious “Cows” ice cream – “Canada’s ice cream.” The name “Banff” is derived from Banffshire Scotland. It is the highest town in Canada with an elevation of 4537’ and the highest peak here is 11,870’. This was Canada’s first National Park in 1885.

Within Banff NP is Lake Louise, which is everybody’s favorite stopping point. This is true especially for Pat (Patricia Louise Munson, hello!) The Lake never fails to provide a lovely setting of glacial clear water, a mountain to reflect in the lake, and a Chateau with floral gardens and a patio to have a glass of wine and an appetizer while reflecting on the magnificence of nature. The hike up the glacier behind Lake Louise was more gorgeous the higher up we went. Glacier flowers abounded and the appearance of glaciers unseen from the bottom appeared to greet us.

The famous Icefield Parkway is a road between the towns of Banff and Jasper in Jasper National Park. The Columbia Icefield sits on top of the mountain range and has 6 principle toes (glaciers) off of it. Straddling the boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, the Columbia Icefield is the largest ice mass in North America, south of the Arctic Circle. Situated in the Canadian Rockies, this ice field covers an area of 130 square miles and has a maximum depth of 1,200 feet [in-between the height of the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building in NYC.] If the Columbia Icefield melted, it would be enough fresh water for one million years and would submerge Canada.

The Athabasca Glacier (off of the Columbia Icefield) is the most visited glacier in North America due to its easy access to the highway. It has lost half its volume in the past 125 years, and recedes about 10 feet a year. It is 3.7 miles long. We decided to hike the glacier this time. Since there are many crevasses and millwells that would be deadly if one fell in, we needed to go with an expert guide. Walking on ice for 3 hours required a layered outfit that reminded us of our mothers dressing us in our snowsuits in the cold weather back east. We were warm, but immobile. If we fell over, we had to help each other up from this “turtle” position. With about 40 pounds of clothing, it was a tough 6 mile walk on ice including jumping over ridges, bumps, up hills, and over streams constantly. We did get to see many crevasses, which are deep cracks in the ice sheet and would be called crevices if this were rock. We also saw many moulins or glacial mills where water flows from the surface into the internal layers of the glacier like a well. A tough hike and worth the experience.

After finishing Banff and Jasper, we decided to go to the Parcs Canada less travelled and started out toward British Columbia. Those parks included Yoho, Kootenay, Glacier, and Mount Revelstoke. Canada’s parks in this region are prolific with wildlife, wildflowers, waterfalls, glaciers, alpine lakes, and vistas. With the fewer crowds in the camping areas and on the trails, we knew it was the right decision.

This area wildlife includes big horned sheep, mountain goats, black and brown bears, elk, deer, moose, and caribou. Grizzlies roam free in the area and electric fences were installed to “discourage” grizzlies from entering those areas as the tent camping and in the slope area of SkiLouise. We did see much wildlife including a grizzly bear munching away, but from a safe distance. There are many glaciers and hence glacial lakes. One of our favorites (next to Louise, of course) is Lake Moraine with its Ten Peaks behind it. The turquoise color of the water is astounding. This color of these glacier lakes comes from a high concentration of very fine sediment called glacial flour which is formed as heavy glaciers grind their way across the mountainside.

We have always found the Canadian Rockies special and they never fail to excite of spirit of adventure and travel. I hope that we have passed this along to you as well.

On The Road Again- North Plains

		WY, ND, SD, MT VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We got our truck and camper out of its storage of one year and set out again after visits in Colorado. The first waypoint was southeastern Wyoming along the Platte River. Many of the pioneer trails west go along the Platte River, from Nebraska and into Wyoming, including the Mormon Trail, California Trail, and the Oregon Trail. The Pony Express also used much of this route. Some of the trails’ stories are still told in rocks and terrain worn down by so many wagons and by rocks still containing inscriptions of names, dates, and dreamed of destinations. Fort Laramie Wyoming was established to assist westward travelers on their way, mostly with supplies, and, secondarily, protection from raiding Indians. Today it is a National Historic Site. The definition of “Pioneering Spirit” is crystallized when you see what a challenge this travel must have been, with the sole motivation of making a better life.

We continued on through the Black Hills of South Dakota which has always provided a special treat of mixture of inspiring scenery, prairie wildlife, and history of gold miners and Indians.

Continuing northward, we encountered the Teddy Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. After seeing his mother and wife die on the same day, a young Roosevelt in his twenties was burned out. He went out west from New York to this area in North Dakota along the Missouri River to rejuvenate. This experience was singularly the most significant factor in forming the philosophies on his creating government lands as parks and forest during his presidency. He truly invented “conservation” and we all owe a great deal to his visionary preservation of our national treasures. While the land is called the ND Badlands, they do not live up to that name. An intriguing mix of painted canyons, rivers, and hills covered with vegetation set the backdrop of almost every view.

While North and South Dakota are still primarily open farmlands, the presence of the oil boom and wind-generated power was ever present. That area is definitely booming economically. Housing was in short supply and “worker housing” neighborhoods were springing up everywhere, usually consisting of parked RVs, mobile homes, or barracks-type of temporary housing. The watershed of jobs from the oil included truck driving, motels and housing, restaurants and bars, road construction - everything that an area with a growth too fast has to face. Higher prices reflecting the lack of supply and no discounts were the way of life there.

Following the Missouri River westward through the eastern part of Montana and closer and closer to the Canadian border, we saw plains turning into rolling hills and rolling hills turning into our first views of the Rockies! Next stop- Glacier National Park, then into the Canadian Rockies.

Auf Wiedersehen, Germany

		Munich, Nuremberg, and Dachau VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”

Gustave Flaubert

Germany’s weather in May was rainy with temperatures more winter than spring. However, June could not have been lovelier. Germany is a wealthy country and its people are generally considered to be hard-working, determined, and efficient. Since WWII and in contrast to this stereotype, it has developed into a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural melting pot. Countless towns were destroyed by WWII bombing but many have been meticulously rebuilt to the original plans. East Germany has had many updates since being returned to Germany from the former Soviet Union. Germany’s romantic images are dense forests, ancient fairytale castles, timber-framed architecture, lakes, mountains, cliffs, ruins, and elaborate gardens. Popular foods include bratwurst, sauerbraten, and knodel. They have over 1200 breweries and excellent wines in the Rhine Valley. We tried to sample as many as we could. We found each one good tasting and enjoyable.

We found that German drivers were courteous, not distracted while driving, and very skilled drivers. We were leery driving on the Autobahn before we got there. Driving on the Autobahn is much like driving on US interstates used to be. Slow drivers do no plant themselves in the left lanes. No one passes on the right, including at exits. Exiting is done from the nearest lane and not several lanes to the left at the last second. Weaving in and out of lanes to pass is not done. There are a few really fast cars that pass by quickly in the farthest left lane when no speed limits are posted, but most of us stayed in the right lane driving at a speed with the flow of traffic. BMW, Audi, Mercedes, VW, & Porsche cars were everywhere.

Everyone we asked for directions was very helpful, even if they didn’t speak English. They are more formal in their dress and even wore dress pants to sweep their steps. We observed that they clean their shops and homes in the morning, and the debris from Friday night partying on the street was removed and the street was restored to immaculate condition by 5AM on Sat morning. Young people were courteous too, instead of bumping into us as we find in US, they moved out of the way. It was so refreshing. Ice cream is consumed by locals like we couldn’t believe. It is the snack of choice – and the serving size is smaller than the US. Water in restaurants is always purchased bottled water - bubbly or still. In every town or village, the church bell towers rang every ¼ hour or for special occasions. So quaint and we miss hearing them!

Their TV had so many fewer commercials - unsurprisingly. Almost all channels were in German with no subtitles. English channels were only CNN or BBC. CNN had interesting political and eventful stories of around the world – not just fear and gore and mayhem. Even the weather was all over the globe, not just Europe. Fascinating! Who knew it was monsoon season in India?

The Black Forest area is renowned for its spas, cuckoo clocks, dolls, Nutcrackers, and of course, beer. “Munich nestles between art and beer like a village between hills” wrote Heinrich Heine some 150 years ago. It marries old Bavarian tradition with a vibrant modern life. Munich was almost completely destroyed in two world wars yet it has managed to recreate much of its folkloric Bavarian past. Bavaria is the top tourist area due to its mix of urban & rural landscapes. This is where the famous Oktoberfest is held. Oktoberfest attracts 6 million visitors every year for a 2-week period ending the first Sunday in October. Most vibrant were the beer gardens. Hofbrauhaus beer hall is the most traditional, established in 1589, where our German friends took us. They showed us all the sights of Munich, such as the famous Glockenspiel, English garten, the BMW Headquarters and World Park, the 1972 Olympiapark (where 11 of the Israeli athletes were taken hostage and eventually killed), the amazing architecture and churches, and the Hirschgarten - the largest outdoor biergarten in Munich which seats up to 10,000 people.

We had never been to a concentration camp memorial, so we went to Dachau near Munich. It had a museum, the roll-call yard area; the watchguard towers & barbed wire fencing; a model of a barracks building; the “bunker” which is where the worst torture, starvation, & solitary isolation took place; the crematorium which disposed of bodies; an example of the rooms of disrobement, “showers”, then a room where they piled up the bodies [even though this type of “extermination” did not take place at this camp Dachau was a work camp.] This c.c. was opened 2 months after Hitler took power and was the first c.c., becoming the model for the others. It was open for 12 years, from 1933-1945 when it was liberated. It was also an SS training center. “Arbeit Macht Frei” on the gate means Freedom Through Work. Munich was the birthplace of the Third Reich as Hitler moved from Vienna to Munich since it was the capital of Bavaria. NAZI came from NSDAP, or National Socialistic Democratic Workers Party, NAZIE. The c.c. was not limited to Jews, but also for dissidents, antisocials, misfits, gypsies, outspoken clergymen, Jehovah’s witnesses, homosexuals, and Polish. Citizens of over 30 nations were held here. Germany is one of the few countries of the world where Holocaust denial has been declared as a federal crime. Any public official found to associate with neo-nazism is immediately impeached.

Nuremberg is a medieval walled city, home to the Nuremberg Nazi Rallies and the Nuremberg Trials. Nuremberg was 90% destroyed in WWII. We walked up to the Imperial Castle, a gem of the Holy Roman Empire in 1219. There are many Turkish immigrants here, as we saw in Munich. Nuremberg is known for gingerbread (lebkuchen), Pffefrerneusse cookies, and small “Nuremberg” sausages. Local folklore is that the sausages were “cocktail wiener” size so they could be slipped through the keyholes of the prison doors.

We have wanted to visit Germany for years and our timing was fortuitous such that we had Munich locals as tourguides and travel advisors. Our thanks go out to Lothar & Edith for everything they did for us. You helped make our trip even more memorable and exceptional.

We continue to be so impressed at the historical dates (4^th century, 12-17the century) compared to the US. We have created so many wonderful memories of this entire European trip and can’t wait to return. You all may want to know that this concludes our blogs from this trip.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Castles, Alpine lakes, long winding roads, & villages high in the mountains

		Alps VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

After completing the Rhine River Valley we headed for the Alps. The Alps are in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. While the Alps are not as high as the Rockies, they have a higher elevation gain. Some of the Alps are glacial, isolating some districts and supporting Alpine lakes. Crossing the Alps by road is not always possible and many towns are accessible only by long, steep, winding, narrow roads. Their culture does not necessarily reflect what current country they are in, but rather their isolation, their long history, and the proximity to the people that settled the area. For example, we found one town in Switzerland that was more aligned with Italy in language, culture, and cuisine. Most of the Alps did not speak English. Switzerland has four official languages: German, Italian, French, & Romanian (a version of ancient Roman mixed in with other dialects). The Alps are beautiful and one cannot travel through the Alps without thinking about names as Matterhorn and Eiger.

With all these countries being members of the European Union, border crossings were as easy as passing from state to state in USA. At the border of Austria we had to buy a vignette, an upfront toll for all roads. Switzerland has not accepted the euro currency yet, so we did have to get Swiss Francs, but not French Francs, Italian Lira, and German Marks.

Our route through the Alps took us through parts of France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Austria. This task was difficult to down-select our photographs and cover all the areas of interest and to reflect the unparalleled beauty and spectacular scenery.

Lake Lucerne Switzerland is in the heart of old Switzerland and is widely regarded as the most beautiful lake in Switzerland due to its Alpine setting and the reflection of the mountains in the water. Its landmark is the Chapel Bridge, constructed in the first half of the 14^th century as part of the city’s fortifications. It is now a pedestrian bridge and is loaded with flowers. The water tower in the middle of it is octagonal and built c.1300 as part of the city wall. It has been used as a prison and torture chamber among other things.

The old wall fortifications of the city were built in 1386 and are still mostly intact, along with its towers. One tower (Zyt) has the oldest city clock built in 1535 and is privileged to chime one minute before the hour, setting the time for all the other town clocks.

The Lion Monument “The dying Lion of Lucerne” is in memory of the death of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twin said it was “the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world.” We thought so too.

The Pilatus Mountain nearby is named after Pontius Pilate, who, local folklore says, was buried in the bottom of a lake up there.

We enjoyed firsthand the Swiss Chocolate, Swiss watches, Swiss knives, Swiss fondue, and even an Alpenhorn performance in the park. The Swiss are renowned for their precision and good quality (made to last) as with Swiss watches. [We could not help but wonder, in this digital world, who is the market for these thousands of analog, gear and wind-up driven watches.] Switzerland has 70% of its territory covered by mountains with no raw materials except water, which it uses for hydro-electric power.

We drove on to Cannobio Italy. The views were incredible with snow peaks all around. We found our hotel with the help of non-English speaking locals, and were delighted with the view from our balcony. Lago Maggiore brags of the “best climate in Switzerland”. This is the southernmost point of our trip and it was hot there. There is a promenade along the lake that is one outdoor restaurant after another. We were told that very few English speaking people come here. It is mostly local tourists like Germans and Austrians.

Italy stretches from the high, glacier-topped Alps to half-way across the Mediterranean Sea. 75% of the country is mountainous. Italian food varies greatly from region to region. In the north, flat ribbon-shaped pastas with cream sauces are most popular, while in the south the favorite pasta is macaroni served with tomato-base sauces. The most popular meats are veal and pork.

Next we traveled back to Switzerland to Soglio: We continued up the Alps which was astounding, amazing, spectacular, marvelous, fantastic, and wonderful. The village sits at 3500’ and the peaks visible across the way are up to 10,000’. The views of the snow peaks and glaciers are just so beautiful. Soglio is just SW of the famous ski resort St. Moritz and is right near the Italy-Swiss border just past the tip of Lake Como. The village is a contrast between Mediterranean vegetation and Alpine views of the Bernina peaks.

Europe is definitely not handicapped-accessible! Inside the hotel, we were up on the 4^th (top, so 5^th in the US) floor, or 48 stairs up. Quite a job! The building this hotel is in was built in 1630 by Knight Baptista de Salis and has now been a hotel since 1876. The brochures for Soglio call it the “threshold of paradise.” Since this is so close to the Italy border, the food is mainly Italian and Italian is spoken here more than German.

We drove through the Swiss Alps, past St. Moritz (which didn’t look as posh as Aspen or Vail), through the Austrian Alps and on into Germany. The Engadin Valley was so gorgeous especially in Switzerland. It looked so “Sound of Music”-ish. We saw goat herds. There were raging waterfalls and rivers and green hills throughout. What gorgeous scenery! And the cattle in Switzerland really did have cowbells around their necks!

Next we drove to Pfronten Germany to our hotel high on the top of a mountain with a 3-mile one-lane windy road through the forest. There were 43 stairs this time up to our top floor room, ours with the turret on the outside. It has views of an abandoned castle Ludwig II started building next door, the Falkenstein Castle. This was originally built in 1270 by Count Meinhard II, stepfather to King Konrad V, who was beheaded in 1268. It became dilapidated and the brickwork seen today was from an attempt at restoration in 1565. 200 years later in 1883 is when Ludwig started planning to restore the ruined castle. Ludwig bought the land in 1884 in order for him to have more isolation. With the sudden death of Ludwig in 1886, all plans were immediately stopped and the ruins are still there today.

Not far away is the town of Hohenschwangau, Germany and its famous Neuschewanstein Castle built by eccentric King Ludwig II. This was supposed to illustrate his vision as “Castle of the Holy Grail.” The Neuschwanstein design was inspired by stage decorations used for two of Richard Wagner operas (and became the inspiration for Walt Disney’s castle.) Since Ludwig was spending so much money on castles, preferred to be alone, and did not care about the people’s welfare he was known as “Ludwig the Mad.” He was “officially” declared insane before the castle’s completion in 1886. Because Ludwig was deposed on grounds of mental incapacity without any medical examination, questions about the medical "diagnosis" remain controversial. Adding to the controversy are the mysterious circumstances under which he died. King Ludwig and the doctor assigned to him in captivity at Berg Castle on Lake Starnberg (Southern Bavaria) were both found drowned in the lake in waist-high water - the doctor with unexplained injuries to the head and shoulders and Ludwig later found with no water in his lungs. Because of his death, no one has ever lived in the castle. The 2^nd castle in this town was Hohenschwangan erected by King Maximillian II (Ludwig’s father) in the 12^th century.

King Ludwig II is generally well-liked and even revered by many Bavarians today, many of whom note the irony of his supposed madness and the fact that he left such a rich legacy of architecture and art. Ludwig was heavily into debt with building his castles and Bavaria had financial fallout as a result. It is ironic that the tourist income generated today helps to make Bavaria the richest state in Germany.

Last on our mountain trek was Salzburg Austria. This city is most well known as Mozart’s birth place. Like many towns of Europe, it is watched over by a castle and was built along a river. The churches, church bell towers, pedestrian cobblestone streets, street performers, outdoor cafés, and gorgeous mountain setting made it a perfect finale to our trip through the Alps.