FIRST HALF OF AUGUST

After a pretty mellow July (at least for me) of mainly day trips after my Scotland trip, it was good to be back doing what I love: showing folks natural wonders in some of our best national parks!

DAY TRIPPING IN YELLOWSTONE

Day trips in Yellowstone are a great way to get a taste of what the park has to offer, and I always hope folks will return to explore more!

The Phillips family had very limited time traveling through the park to Big Sky. We maximized our time by driving through part of Mammoth Hot Springs terraces and then walking around the Norris Geyser Basin.

A column of travertine on top of the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces

I had so much fun with the Phillips family! Here we are walking the Norris Geyser Basin. They told me, "We never could have done this much in this little time without you. We would have been clueless." It was my pleasure!


With another family on another day trip, I got the chance and the privilege to show off the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone which are located in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It is always spectacular. It was once called the Grand Falls but I guess since it is in the Grand Canyon the name seemed redundant. But truly grand it is.

Two young sisters enjoying the spectacular view. Ahhh, sibling harmony!

CROWN OF THE CONTINENT TOUR

The Crown of the Continent is the narrowest part of the Rockies, mainly between Glacier National Park and Canada's Waterton National Park. I spent a week exploring its wild and diverse ecosystem and features.

Our first day out on the tour! I am standing in front St. Mary's Lake in Glacier N.P. You can see a storm brewing behind me.

At Two Medicine Lake we found a grizzly claw scrape 6 feet high on a tree along our hike. Perhaps it was an omen because an hour later we spotted a griz across an avalanche clearing about 50 yards above us. Then another spotting near a parking lot by Many Glacier, this one a mere 25 yards from us. Thrilling, but glad I had my bear spray at the ready!

Fernie B.C. is an adorable city similar to my hometown of Livingston, MT. It has a great historic downtown and some of the best skiing in North America, including back country and cat skiing. (Cat skiing is back country by way of Snow Cat).

A view from our early morning hike just outside of Fernie.

A humbling site to any hiker and adventurer: Frank Slide is a rock slide that buried part of the mining town of Frank, Alberta. 90 million tons of rock fell killing 90 people in its path.

I will be visiting The Crown of the Continent again, leaving later this week, and I hope to share many more stunning views and places with you!