In June 1992 Dan & I took our longest vacation ever.
It was also the last trip we would ever take together.
We were on the road the entire month, visited 16
different states and 2 Canadian Provinces.
We began our trip by driving to Chicago, Illinois.
The first place we visited in Chicago was Grant Park
and the Buckingham Memorial Fountain which is pictured
above with the Chicago skyline in the background.
The skinny but tall black building is the Sears
Tower, North America's tallest building.
We stayed just south of downtown at the McCormick Hotel off
Lake Shore Drive. Our main reason for selecting this hotel
was its location. As you can see in the picture above, it
provided sweeping views of the entire Chicago skyline.
We began the next day with a boat cruise down the
Chicago River and out into Lake Michigan. It was
a beautiful day and I got several excellent
pictures of the windy city.
Massive skyscrapers tower above both sides of the
river as we cruise through the heart of the city.
Next it was on to Wisconsin, were we spent the night
in the Wisconsin Dells. Pictured above is our boat
tour of the dells. The river has cut a channel through
soft sandstone carving rock into fantastic forms.
Our next port-of-call was Minnesota's capitol, St.
Paul. Pictured above is the capitol building, its
unsupported marble dome is one the world's tallest.
While in the Twin Cities we stayed at the Crown
Sterling Suites Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.
Pictured above is Landmark Center, an historic
part of the Minneapolis skyline since 1902.
About 125 miles northwest of Minneapolis, we passed
through the small town of Alexandria, Minnesota.
While there Dan made friends with a 28-feet-tall
Viking weighing more than six tons.
The Viking was only the start of the lofty friends
Dan would make here in the upper midwest. About 200
more miles down Interstate 94, in Jamestown, North
Dakota, he met up with the world's largest buffalo.
This three-story American bison is part
of historic Frontier Village.
We spent the night in North Dakota's capitol city,
Bismarck. Shortly after hitting the road again the
next morning, Dan tried to milk his newest friend,
Salem Sue. This huge Holstein cow stands several
stories high near New Salem, North Dakota.
Pictured above is one of the many historic buildings
in Medora, North Dakota. Medora is near the Badland's
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, our last stop in
North Dakota before moving on to Montana.
It was a long boring ride across eastern Montana
to get to Billings, where we spent the night.
Pictured above is the city of Billings as seen
from the top of the Rimrocks, which rise 400
feet above the Yellowstone Valley, running
the length of the city and beyond.
The breathtaking beauty of our first stop the
next day is beyond words. Pictured above is Part
of the Beartooth Scenic Highway (US-212), which
runs from Red Lodge, Montana to the northeastern
entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
Cresting at an elevation of 11,000 feet, we
tunneled through the snow as we made our
way to Yellowstone.
After eating lunch at the Yellowstone Lodge, about an
hour after they opened for the season, we proceeded
through Yellowstone Park. Pictured above is the
spectacular Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Yellowstone's most famous attraction is Old
Faithful Geyser, which is seen erupting
in the picture above.
We spent the night at the Snow King Lodge in
Jackson, Wyoming. Jackson is one of my favorite
tourist towns. It has a unique western flavor.
Pictured above is Jackson's KFC restaurant.
The next day we explored the Grand Tetons. Not to
toot my own horn or anything, but my picture above
looking across Jenny Lake to the Tetons, should
be on a postcard.
We rode the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram to the top
of 10,450 foot Rondezvous Mountain for a
panoramic view of the Teton range.
After leaving the Tetons we drove northwest to
Missoula, Montana for the night. Then the next
day if was off to Glacier National Park.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road, acclaimed as one of the
outstanding scenic roadways of the world, traverses
the park, crossing the Continental Divide through
Logan Pass at an elevation of 6680 feet.
Next it was into Canada. We spent our first night
in Canada just across the border in Waterton
Lakes National Park which is pictured above.
We spent one night in Alberta's largest city,
Calgary. In the picture above you can see the
Calgary skyline which includes the 626 foot
high Calgary Tower.
We spent two nights in Alberta's second largest
city, Edmonton. Dan is seen above looking across
the Saskatchewan River at the city's skyline.
Jasper, Alberta and Jasper National Park was
our next destination. Seen above is the
park's tramway.
After disembarking the tram we enjoyed
spectacular views of the mountains and the
town, which is shaped like a foot.
The most scenic road in all of Canada is the
Icefields Parkway. The 143 mile route offers
spectacular vistas of snowcapped mountains,
waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and glaciers.
67 miles south of Jasper we walked across
the Athabasca Glacier.
We spent two nights in Banff Alberta.
Pictured above is one of the town's residents.
Although we didn't stay there, this majestic
Banff hotel, seen here from across the Bow
River, has a prestigious mountain location.
Lake Louise, pictured above, is about 30 miles
north of Banff. Truly beautiful!
After Banff it was on into British Columbia.
One of our first stops was Emerald Lake (above),
which is in Yoho National Park.
We spent the night in Kamloop, B.C.,
which is seen in the picture above.
Trans Canada Highway One between Kamloops and
Hope, B.C. is an extremely scenic drive, the
highlight of which is the Hell's Gate Airtram
in the Fraser River Canyon.
After a delicious lunch in the pretty little town of Hope which
sits on a wide sweeping curve of the mighty Fraser River, we went
on to Chilliwack, British Columbia and toured Minter Gardens.
Next we spent two nights in Vancouver, B.C.
Above is the Lion's Gate Bridge as seen from
Stanley Park. It crosses the Burrard Inlet
over to West Vancouver.
The Capilano Suspension Bridge is not for the
squeamish. This 449-foot-long footbridge
spanning a wooded gorge, really swings.
British Columbia's largest city
really shines at night.
The picturesque English Bay Harbor is seen
above with the Vancouver skyline looming behind.
After over ten days in Canada, it was back to
the good ole USA. Pictured above is Peace Arch
State Park commemorating more than 100 years of
harmony between the United States and Canada.
Next it was off to my sister's house in
Fairfield, California. We spent one
night in Eugene, Oregon enroute.
Pictured above is my brother Dan holding my
precious three-month-old nephew, Jonathan.
First time uncles, this is the first time
we have seen our newest family member.
After leaving my sister's we spent one night
in the city by the bay. Pictured above is the
San Francisco skyline as seen from our boat
under the Bay Bridge.
It was now time to start heading back east
toward home. We were beginning to get a little
road weary, after being on the road for over
three weeks, but home was over 2000 miles away.
Pictured above is Yosemite National Park.
We spent the night in "The biggest Little City
in the World." Pictured above is a nocturnal
view of downtown Reno, Nevada.
We spent a night in Salt Lake City, Utah after spending the day
crossing desolate northern Nevada. It was then on into Colorado
where we spent the night in Vail.
Next it was on to Colorado Springs for one night.
We visited the Spectacular Royal Gorge on the way.
Before leaving Colorado Springs for our long trek across Kansas,
we made short visits to Seven Falls (pictured above) and
The Garden of the Gods.
We spent one night in Salina, Kansas before
spending our final night of the trip
in St. Louis, Missouri.
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