Alaska Parts 1 and 2

I arrived in anchorage and stayed at a the cheapest place I could find and it was just that.. Small and gross. The taxi driver told me that in the winter its a crack / whore house but they rob the tourists blind in the summer so its not as bad. I met up with my tour group on time and well rested. We boarded on and headed out of town to begin our trip. We have a global contingent on the bus from the UK, Germany, Ireland, and one from France and one from Australia. Everyone is nice and knows the concept well of group traveling under one roof. We saw many glaciers the first few days along the coast to valdez. The weather was bleak with misty cloudy and some rain here and there. Once we headed in land and drove toward Denali, it cleared up and they say its been the best 4 days of weather they have had this summer. I just did two nights camping in the park and taking bus transport as they don't allow cars past a certain point. Its very scenic, but the main attractions are the wildlife you see. I have seen it all thus far... bears, wolves, caribou, moose, dall sheep, arctic squirrels, and numerous birds and bald eagles. We have eaten very well most nights with camp site fires and group cooking. I have eaten more salmon so far then any other food. I also took a raft trip down the local river here and about to shower and do laundry. Its been a terrific time so far. I have another week to go with visits in Fairbanks, Chenca hot springs then off to the coast again to Homer, Seward and back to anchorage next Saturday. I will write about my week once I am back. I have taken many photos but won't upload them until I get back to Seattle. Hope all is well with everyone.

Montana Parts 1,2 and 3

so I arrived in Montana last Saturday and stayed at the KOA just outside of Glacier national park. Its a top notch facility and recommend it to anyone who likes to camp and may be in Glacier at some point. The weather was a little iffy the first 2 days so I caught up on emails and did short trips. By Tuesday, it was picture perfect and the day I took most of my pictures found online you can see. The views and area are so dramatic and the history behind how it all formed is also interesting. The green color in the rivers and lakes are the result of the glaciating process still underway. I also took some popular hikes and saw some wildlife, still no bears yet on this trip. They stay out of sight until the huckleberries bloom and ripen and then they are everywhere. I had huckleberry this and that and its tasty stuff. I also managed to go to town most nights for dinner and check out whitefish which a nice vacation spot. I have a few friends from college here whom moved here after doing interships at the local ski area. They still live here and do there own thing and still love it. After 4 days in in the boonies of west glacier, I moved into to town at the other KOA. Just as nice, but some highway noise here. I checked out the area and went to the lake a bunch. I also rented a jetski and ripped up the lake for a few hours. The are is growing fast and the real estate potential here is awesome. May have to get a small place and use it in the summer. The folks are all friendly and there is no shortage of things to do. I will def be back next summer or even in the winter to ride big mountain ski area. I am now off to Seattle for a few days before flying to Anchorage, AK Sunday night for my two week trip there!!

Photo Link!!

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Yellowstone

Wow, what to say about yellowstone!! Its huge and there is a lot to see. I spent 4 days and 3 nights in the park. Each day I visited a different area and camped in a different spot too. I saw all sorts of animals except for bears! There was a lot of evidence of the 1988 wild fires and you can see natures own rebuilding process as a result of years since the fire. The area is quite diverse with mountains, pastures, forests, lakes, rivers, canyons along with geysiers and hot springs. The park is quite busy with many tourists from all over the world. Whenever I hit a traffic jam, it was because some animals were nearby and everyone was rubbernecking to see them. The camping was fun too... always a friendly neighbor next to you to talk about what you saw or provide tips on where to go. The last day, I went to the only hot spring you are able to swim in and spent a few hours relaxing with the masses. All and all, I highly recomend going here sooner than later as age will def play a roll in what you can do and how much stamina you have to do everything.

Jackson Hole / Teton Park

I arrived late in the day on the 5th to Jackson and stopped in town to walk around and see what the hype is all about. Its a very remote and quiet town. Has a very rustic old west charm to it. Grabbed a bite and checked on my emails at a cafe and then headed into Teton Park.

The Park itself is quite nice and the mountains very impressive. They just shoot up from the ground in dramatic fashion. I camped one night in a tent cabin which reminded me of boy scout camp way back when. I got up the next day to catch some of the sites and take photos sinced the sun was at a better angle to catch the views on film. I stopped by the chapel where my friends will be getting married in a month as well as drove up a road to the top of a hill with a 360 degree view of the park. It was rhwe last place I had cell service so i called some people while i ate a light breakfast. Afterwards, I drove north into yellowstone for day one in there.

4th July was in Park City, Ut

I decided to go to Park City instead of Jackson for the 4th of July. I was staying with my friend Jennie whom I know from work (client of mine). She lives almost downtown on the parade route and by the fireworks so it was an easy walk to everything. I got to town late sunday night in time for a dinner bbq at a new exclusive golf course / planned community. There we had booze, food and saw Cool and the Gang live followed by fireworks. Was able to meet and shake all members of the band after the show and cheer them on. The 4th itself was a busy day starting early as Jennie hosts a brunch while the parade passes by her house. There were about 50-60 folks whom passed by to say hi during and after the parade. I took many pics and again will have them and others shortly. Spent the rest of the day going to various yard parties in the neighborhood. The evening fireworks were nice and the weather couldn't of been better. Didn't realize until late in the evening that i had met 3 olympic medalists friends of Jennie's from the salt lake winter games of 2002! Got some rest and now am in Jackson hole at an internet cafe. I am about to head into the wilderness for about 10 days straight!