We're HOME!

Hi Folks! Rudy here!  Happy Valentine's Day - a day we really Love! We made it home today.  During our trip we were away for 64 days - 61 of them in the U.S.A.  We covered 11,593 kms. 
Last night there was snow in Calgary so we saw it when we started out this morning.

Snow! and you can see some sad flowers by the doorway.
We're sad too when we think of all the beautiful flowers in California.

They are far in the distance but you can see the snow-capped Rockies on the horizon.
We saw mountains on every day of our vacation!

Some typical Alberta farm land.
(the farm on the right edge, distant, was once owned by Henry Wise Wood)

After a leisurely lunch in Red Deer - we reach Edmonton ...

... and then our "home hamlet" - Sherwood Park.

And here we are at home!
We would like to thank Margaret and Jim for looking after our condo,
and all the other bears, while we were away.
And a big thanks to Barb and her bears -
our most loyal blog follower.

 This is our last entry for this blog.
Thanks to all those who followed along and sent messages
of encouragement and appreciation.
Remember - it is Love that keeps us Real!

(for other adventures you can still visit www.fosterlearning.com)

Great Falls, MT to Calgary, AB

Today we drove northward through Montana.

 Soon we reached the United States - Canadian border.

Fortunately the nice border guard didn't have too many tough questions - so we got through quickly - and then we were back in Alberta!

When we got to Lethbridge we celebrated our return by having lunch and a drink.

 Den Dad was content to be back in Alberta - but Den Mom was surprised we weren't going to turn around and head back to California :)

 Look Mom - we're BACK!!

Billings, MT to Great Falls, MT

It was a beautiful sunny day today - a great day for a drive in the country - and that's what we did.  Here are a few photos;

A cold day in Billings, Montana

We see signs of farming ...

... and ranching.

Of course, there are still lots of mountains ...

... near ...

... and far.

And now we are getting excited about getting home!
Alberta is just beyond those distant mountains!

Casper, WY to Billings, MT

Hi Folks.  Today we drove north again.

Northbound in northern Wyoming ...

... and into Montana!

Our main destination today was the Little Bighorn Battlefield. 

Monument on Last Stand Hill where Lt. Col. George Custer died

There is an excellent interpretive center.

There were more than 220 soldiers who died over a field
stretching along the hills for almost 8 km
along the north side of the Little Bighorn River.

 Den Dad says it is unusual to have an historical memorial on the actual site of the battle where the terrain is almost exactly the same as it was at the time of the incident - in this case June 25, 1876.

We salute all those that have died on the battlefields of the world -
 mostly common men doing their duty as they saw it.

Aurora, CO to Casper, WY

Well, today we traveled northward - and we could tell.  It got snowier and colder, and we got sadder and more reminiscent about our time in southern California.  

Traveling northward in northern Colorado

and then we were in Wyoming!

Land of the cowboy ...

... where pioneers came across the great plains on wagon trails ...

... and tried to make a living on a harsh and demanding land.

Sometimes they got together ...

... and sometimes they just embraced the loneliness of the land.

Like Rusty, we all have a lot to reflect about
as we near the end of our fantastic vacation!

Pueblo, CO to Aurora, CO

Today we traveled a shorter distance but still had some adventures.  Along the way is the famous Pike's Peak - called "America's Mountain" - near Colorado Springs, CO.  We traveled quite a way up the mountain but there was cloud and some snow obscuring the peak so we had to "borrow" the photo below.

 Pike's Peak

 But we did take our own photo on the way down.

This evening the Den Parents went into Denver, CO to dinner with a friend from way back in our Ontario days.  While they were wining and dining and visiting, we bears had to spend the night in a hotel room watching a re-rerun of Back to the Future - not really an adventure.  Better luck tomorrow.

Albuquerque, NM to Pueblo, CO

Another road day - we traveled northward and it did get cooler (+12C to -1C).

Northern New Mexico

and into Colorado

with more mountains

near

and far

but also some great plains.

 Tomorrow we head into Denver for a new adventure - good night!

Flagstaff, AZ to Albuquerque, NM

We were real tourists today - driving over 500 km but stopping to take in two famous tourist destinations - the Arizona Meteor Crater and the Painted Desert. 

Here we are looking 170 meters down to the bottom of the crater!

and 1200 meters in diameter.

Later we stopped at The Painted Desert - really colorful rocks and such.  Here are a few photos - thanks to Den Daddy.

Oh, and we tried to make a new friend but he was stand-offish.

So, we had fun on our road trip today.

So good-night from ...