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JUNE 1992 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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