Beating the Heat | Travels with Gabby

In case you don’t know this, Arizona is HOT! Stifling HOT! And we moved here.

Linda and I sold our home in Colorado in May of 2023. We have had a small home in Mesa, Arizona, where we’ve spent the past three winters. We decided earlier in the year that it made no sense to have a home in Colorado that sat empty half the year. That, plus, we have way too much fun in Venture Out (the 55+ community) during winters in Mesa.

We moved full-time to Mesa in the middle of June. The temperatures got as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit. We decided to beat the heat and head north for a while. We did.

Seven weeks later, we made it home. The temperatures now are a nice 106^o. Our trip took us through seven states and two Canadian provinces. We visited ten national parks and other areas of immense beauty. The best part was visiting many friends and family along the way.

The photographs that follow are a sample of the places we went. Eventually, I’ll write a book of our trip, complete with many of the photos below. Enjoy.

Colorado

Our first stop was Durango, Colorado. We went to help our friend Leslie celebrate her birthday (six months late) on July 4th. We left Durango two days later and drove north through Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, staying in Green River, Wyoming for the night.

Wyoming

We were half way through Wyoming when Linda said, “I’ve never been to Teton or Yellowstone National Parks. They were a bit out of the way, but that never stopped us. We visited both.

A tree near US Highway 191 in Grand Teton National Park.

Montana

We spent the night in Dillon, Montana. I found the perfect place to stay – a room above the Dillon Taphouse (Best Beer in Dillon according to the advertisement). I do believe there are better places to stay in Dillon, but they did have decent beer, the room was reasonably priced, and we only had to share the bathroom with five other rooms.

After leaving Dillon, we ambled our way north and stayed with our friend Randa, in Lakeside, Montana, for several days.

While in Montana, Linda and I spent a day driving through and hiking in Glacier National Park.

British Columbia, Canada

We had a week at a resort in Fairmont Hot Springs. The time gave us an opportunity to visit four Canadian national parks, enjoy small towns and local outdoor attractions in the area, and more-or-less cool our heels without have to drive much for a week.

We ventured into Kootenay, Banff, and Yoho National Parks. Unfortunately, there was so much smoke in the skies from the many Canadian wildfires, we didn’t get to enjoy the grandeur of the mountains. We did get a great hike into Book Lake, and walked up to the bottom of Takakkaw Falls, the highest waterfall in Canada.

The Columbia River near Dry Gulch Trails.

Linda and I took a day to relax at the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. We hiked in the morning, and had plans to pay to get into the resort and enjoy the hot pools. We, however, found some springs coming down from a mountain while hiking. We saved a few bucks by using the free pools.

We left Fairmont Hot Springs on July 17th and drove through Banff and Jasper National Parks, on our way to Pigeon Lake, Alberta to visit our friends Mike and Stacey.

We made it to Pigeon Lake and spent two days exploring the area with Mike and Stacy. One thing that really stood out was the vast fields of canola.

After two days in Pigeon Lake, we drove north to Edmonton and stayed a couple of days with Gord and Marcie. We also saw our friend Wayne while in Edmonton.

A fountain and the top of Alberta’s Capitol Building.

Our next stop was Jasper National Park (the north section) and Mount Robson Provincial Park, where we had a cabin for a night.

Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.

Looking at a reflection of Mount Robson in our cabin door.

Driving along Canada Highway 5, near Thunder River, BC.

We drove down through the Okanagan Valley and stayed with friends Curtis and Mary in Penticton. From there, we drove through Southern BC on our way toward Vancouver, and a ferry ride to Vancouver Island.

The Straight of Georgia, from the ferry.

Time to rest again. Linda and I spent a week on Vancouver Island, visiting friends Bob and Pat in Parksville and Jim and Pam in Courtenay. We had lunch in Mill Bay with friends Jim and Laurie before heading to Victoria.

Victoria, the capital of British Columbia.

Washington State

We rode another ferry, this time from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington, and stayed a few days with friends Pete and Phyllis.

South Kitsap Regional Park near Port Orchard.

Full moon and Mount Rainier from Port Orchard.

A view of Mount St. Helens from Mount Rainier.

An old barn near Eatonville, with Mount Rainier.

We stayed a night in Tacoma with our friend Anne, before driving east to Idaho.

Idaho

The next nine days were spent in Idaho, the state where I lived the longest. We stayed with my sister Monica (Mo) in Post Falls, spent a day in Sandpoint with friends Steve and Bonnie, spent a night in the Hidden Bear Retreat Center in Clark Fork, and then drove down to Boise to spend time with my kids.

An old car graveyard along Highway 200, near Thompson Falls, Montana.

Hiking Upper Hulls Gulch, near Boise, Idaho.

Utah

Our last state was Utah. We drove from Boise to Cedar City, spent the night there, and then hiked Cedar Breaks National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park.