but
we’re back now. Kathy and I got married the last weekend of June then went on a
three and a half week long road trip through the Western United States and
Western Canada. We had a great time, saw a lot of great scenery, went to a
couple of gardens, took a car-ferry cruise through the Inside Passage of
British Columbia, saw wildlife, went to a wedding in Whitefish, Montana (more
wildlife), Glacier National Part, Craters of the Moon National Monument in
Idaho and ended up driving about 4,600 miles in all. What an amazing experience
and what a great way to spend the better part of a month alone with my most
beautiful bride. I am lucky!
Let
me share some photos I took in Butchart Gardens outside of the incredibly
beautiful city of Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The
garden was formerly a limestone quarry and once the limestone was exhausted the
beginnings of a garden were created and opened to the public in 1921.
Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Here’s
a link with some history of Butchart Gardens:
And
here’s a link to my photos of Butchart Gardens on my Flickr page:
Enjoy!
We
also went to the Japanese Garden in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Once I go
through those photos I’ll upload them to Flickr and share the link with you
here too. I will say that the Japanese Garden in Lethbridge is an amazing small
garden along the shore of a local, neighborhood lake. It really is a beautiful
setting.
Every
time I go on a trip like this one I end up buying books. This time I got two books.
One is called Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains by George W. Scotter &
Halle Flygare. It’s a really nice softcover book with loads of color plates and
descriptions of plants Kathy and I saw all across north-central British
Columbia, in Jasper and Banff National Parks in the Canadian Rockies of
Alberta, Through Montana and Idaho. I bought this book in a little gift shop in
Glacier National Park, right where we boarded the Red Bus for an amazing day on
the Road to the Sun on up to Logan Pass in glacier.
Red Bus in Glacier National Park, Montana
The
Red Busses were built by White in the 1930s and revamped and modernized by the
Ford Motor Company a few years back. They put new engines and drivetrains in
them bringing them up to date and a lot safer. If you ever have the
opportunity, spend the fifty bucks and take the Red Bus tour in Glacier
National Park.
Here is a link to my photos of glacier National Park, Montana
Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
The
second book I bought is called “Rocky Mountain States Wild Berries &
Fruits” by Teresa Marrone. It’s a beautiful guide full of great color
photographs and on the page opposite from the photos are great descriptions of
growth habits, some basic leaf, flower and fruit morphology and bloom and fruit
season all separated by fruit color. I got this book at an amazing little gift
shop at the Craters of the Moon National Monument north of Twin Falls, Idaho.
There
are loads of other great books on these subjects.
When I get through the remainder of my photos of Glacier National Park and the Photos Craters of the Moon and post them to my Flickr page and share them with you here.
Thanks
for lookin’!
Ron
