Take a Vacation

[beefytee]

I don't know if it is still available, but for Canada's sesquicentennial, they were (maybe still are) offering free National Park Passes. If you are going up there, I would look into it. I already have gotten mine.

Lebowski, if you are driving up there. I would make sure to make your way through Glacier and Waterton. They have much of the spectacular stuff similar to Banff and Jasper, but aren't as crowded (especially Waterton on the Canadian side).

The "Going to the Sun" road (Logan's pass) in Glacier is a spectacular drive, maybe the best there is. It feels like the old Mickey Mouse cartoon where they are pulling the trailer on the side of the mountain.

Waterton actually has a small town you can walk through. There is a great waterfall right no the edge of town. There are boat rides on Waterton Lake that takes you from the town of Waterton down across the border into Glaciar and back.

Too many great hikes in both parks to mention. One really quick hike is up "Bears Hump" which takes you up over the town.

It can get very windy in Waterton, so some days are better to visit than others.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I don't know if it is still available, but for Canada's sesquicentennial, they were (maybe still are) offering free National Park Passes. If you are going up there, I would look into it. I already have gotten mine...

With this helpful advice, I went to the website and ordered ours. If you're going within the next eight weeks, they recommend you pick up a pass at the first park you visit, as shipment of the pass apparently takes that long.

P.S. Although this thread may not have gone in the direction the author hoped for, it's been a big help. Thanks, Byron Marchant!

[mtnbiker]

Too many great hikes in both parks to mention. One really quick hike is up "Bears Hump" which takes you up over the town.

Boy, you'd better not post that over on CB. Based on comments in the CB Ban thread, that'd get you banned through the millenium.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I don't know if it is still available, but for Canada's sesquicentennial, they were (maybe still are) offering free National Park Passes. If you are going up there, I would look into it. I already have gotten mine.

Lebowski, if you are driving up there. I would make sure to make your way through Glacier and Waterton. They have much of the spectacular stuff similar to Banff and Jasper, but aren't as crowded (especially Waterton on the Canadian side).

The "Going to the Sun" road (Logan's pass) in Glacier is a spectacular drive, maybe the best there is. It feels like the old Mickey Mouse cartoon where they are pulling the trailer on the side of the mountain.

Waterton actually has a small town you can walk through. There is a great waterfall right no the edge of town. There are boat rides on Waterton Lake that takes you from the town of Waterton down across the border into Glaciar and back.

Too many great hikes in both parks to mention. One really quick hike is up "Bears Hump" which takes you up over the town.

It can get very windy in Waterton, so some days are better to visit than others.

Yeah, that is definitely part of the itinerary. I have some friends with a cabin in Waterton. They invite us every year.

[New Mexican Disaster]

We are going on cruise from Montreal to Boston this summer for CLE at Sea. The wife and I will go for the 20th anniversary and I will finally maybe get the chance to talk more to her about proximate cause and Palsgraf after some fine CLE.

[Northwestcoug]

I second BT's advice. Banff is very stunning, and very crowded. Waterton is beautiful and not so crowded. I've seen more wildlife there than in Banff. And it's right next to Glacier Park.

I enjoy both Banff and Waterton, but Waterton is a more relaxing trip.

[Omaha 680]

We just decided we are headed to Lake Michigan for the second time this summer. We returned a few weeks ago from a family reunion with my parents and siblings. Now my wife wants to go back with a family from our ward so we are driving out together in a couple weeks. I can't say I mind getting out of this place as much as possible in the summer, even though I'll probably be working much of the time we are away. I never went to Lake Michigan before I was married, but my wife was born in Chicago and grew up going there every summer so it's her happy place. It has grown on me quite a bit.

[myboynoah]

Do you have one of those RMoney lakeside homes?

[Omaha 680]

Do you have one of those RMoney lakeside homes?

Do you mean a cheap house rented from vrbo and split with friends? Then yes!

[falafel]

Do you mean a cheap house rented from vrbo and split with friends? Then yes!

Where are you going? Illinois, Wisconsin? MICHIGAN?

[Flystripper]

St. Joe's?

[Flystripper]

Yeah, that is definitely part of the itinerary. I have some friends with a cabin in Waterton. They invite us every year.

Sorry this is late: Fish the Crowsnest river if you are headed through southern Alberta

[Omaha 680]

Where are you going? Illinois, Wisconsin? MICHIGAN?

St. Joe's?

Michigan. South of St. Joseph between Grande Mere and Warren Dunes State Parks. My wife loves Warren Dunes so we'll spend the bulk of our days there.

[Flystripper]

Western Michigan on the lake is awesome. I am a little jealous.


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[Northwestcoug]

2017 might be the last year the NWC clan has to do a big trip together. We are still mulling Europe. If that doesn't happen, we will most likely do British Columbia and tack on a trip to Alberta to visit family.

So many places yet to discover in our backyard. We have a list of weekend trips around PNW.

Our Europe trip plans fizzled, and we did exactly what I thought we would. The first week in Alberta was mainly spent with Mrs. NWC's family. This has been the third visit since her grandma developed kidney failure, with each time supposedly being the last we will see her. But she's stabilized, so I expect a couple more 'last trips' before she passes. Also, I'm fairly confident that I don't need to go to the Stampede again anytime soon. But how do I tell my wife that the iconic event she grew up with gets a little boring after a dozen times?

The highlight of the trip was British Columbia. We drove from Calgary, going through Banff, Glacier National Park (the Canadian one), Revelstoke Park, and into Vancouver. It is a spectacular drive. There are stretches of hours where continuous mountains are on either side of the road. We spent a couple days in Vancouver, which is a great city. We then went to Vancouver Island and spent most of the time near Tofino, on the western shore. It is a spectacular area. Gorgeous beaches, rocky coasts, and old growth forests. We did a sea kayak trip and tried our hands at surfing. Four days is not enough for that area, and we are already thinking of coming back.

We finished with a couple of days in Victoria, which is a beautiful city. It is a tourist trap, but when I heard it gets half the rain Vancouver does I started modifying my retirement plans. I love where I live, but the sheer beauty of Vancouver island is pretty tempting.

So yeah, I took a vacation. I didn't expect anything great but it turned out awesome. I guess it also technically counts as a vacation from church, though I did see the Calgary temple in the distance