Trip to Canada 1969

Grandma wrote this in short hand then rewrote it in detail afterwards. I tried to keep true to her spelling and punctuation.  The mbs is for MaryBelle and f for Frank... apparently she kept track of who was paying for what.

Miles on car when left home 47,335

Sunday 6th 
11:15 Nice day Left MaryBelles at 11:15. Stopped at B&B Market at Polson for groceries 2:00 stopped at a nice museum along west shore of Flathead lake. Had rocks, antiques and Indian artifacts. Had a beautiful flower garden lots of humming birds. Lady gave us ivy slips. Stopped at Boat Museum. About the same as when we last saw it. Got gas at Kalispell $2.35 mbs. Stayed all night at a state park at Whitefish Lake. Lots of wild white birch trees. Beautiful campground $1.00 Trains kept gong all night and was real noisy.

Mon. 7 clear day, warmer.
Stopped No. of Oney  to rest. Got some Sego lilys. Stopped at Dickey Lake for lunch took picture of Frank by lake. Got gas at Eureka $2.36 mbs. Crossed into B.C. at 3:00 custom offices did not go through car on give up a permit. Stopped at History Fort Steele. Saw museum, town is surrounded by a stockade. A stage coach with 4 horses took folks around the places of interest. There was a large waterwheel. A barracks, hotel store, etc. A steam engine train with one car took people for rides. This was a hobby train used by the crown. The fort had been restored. We passed Skookunchuck pulp plant. We stayed all night at the Skookunchuck motel and trailer court. $1.00 mbs.  Had some Canadian beer and had a sit at a table to drink it. This place is run by swedes. Had Black Label beer. Lots of mosquitoes here. A tame rabbit was near our camper. This camp had showers and modern toilets. Got ice 50¢ F


Tues. 8 Clear
Slept good. 48,174 miles on car. The trees and shrubs are the same as at home but smaller. Sent cards home from here. Came to an old lake bed called Hoodoos. A few white birch here. Got gas at Windermere. $3.20 F. We got 5¢ back on a dollar here. Got ice at Radium Hot Springs - 12 lb for 50¢. Got beer at liquor store. Went into park at 1:00. Entry feel $2.00 f. ate lunch by entrance. Looked at pools at Radium Springs. Took pictures at gateway in rocks. scary. A beautiful street came through here. Stopped at McLeod meadows to refresh. Saw goats on cliffs near road, licking clay for salt. A buck, nanny & kid then  more then 7. Took pictures. Then one of Verenedry Mt. Took picture of yearling black bear then further along a large black bear at Numa Creek. Stopped to see Paint Pots. MaryBelle went on nature trail to see pots and clay used for paint. She crossed a swinging bridge. Beautiful scenery and majestic mts with glaciers. We stopped to look at Marble Creek and falls. Stayed all night at the Marble Creek campgrounds $1.50 f. A nice camp with flush toilets. A lady ranger came to collect fee. Had supper. Frank and MaryBelle went for a walk, visited with folds from Saskatchewan. Read a while and went to bed. Supposed to be an Elk bull- tame here.

Wed. 9 Clear day

A cool night. Had breakfast and on way. Must have had a ad forest fre here. 2 yr ago. Blackened for miles. Crossed into Banff at 9:30 over divide 5,3000 ft. On road to Lake Louise which is high on Mountain. Went through hotel lobby. Beautiful lake mountains and flowers. Stopped at a store on crossroads. MaryBelle got film $2.80 - 20 exposures. Had lunch at a camping area. Mt Ball 10,865 ft. Sadel and Sawbuck mts. Saw where elk had chewed on aspen trees 1940 - scaring them Went through Banff town. Took picture of Frank and MB with golden mantel squirrel. Beggar. 4 land highway now. 3 time stone quarries & fossil reef Piegum Indian res. Got gas a Calgary $2.50 f. got some groceries. Stayed overnight at a private home campground $1.50 mbs. Had supper and played 21. Frank beat.

Thursday 10 clear.

The Grahams trailer park is nice. Ate breakfast then went 8 miles across town. We went to the zoo. I walked around also this time. All kinds of birds and animals. Children's zoo had baby animals. Went to dinosaur park then to the greenhouses. We had a sandwich in the tea room, then looked at the flowers. The tropical plants were beautiful. There was a room of orchids, one of cactus, one of mixed flowers. There were waterfalls and pools with gold fish. There where many kinds of birds, flying about.  We left and stopped at Safeway and got beer $2.65 mbs. Started home. Nice farms through here. Mustard fields. Stayed all night at a Kiwanis Park which was free. They aren't allowed to charge. We left Calgary at 5:00 got here at Nanton at 6:30. It was windy today.
50¢ a piece to go in museum.

Friday 11 clear day. Wind!

Got gas at Nanton. 47 4/10 a gal. $280 f. Met a caravan of air stream campers. Found out later that there were 450 of them Stopped at Fort MacLeod museum. Real nice .75 per person mbs. We saw Indian Teepees, artifacts, Mountie uniforms & etc. MB and I bought some bone china. Got gas 6 ga. .44 3/4 - $2.95 MBS. Ate lunch at Pincher Creek 2:00 Groceries $3.30 film $2.80 f Beer $2.65 mbs. Got gas at St. Mary $3.05 f. We came through Waterton Lakes Park in Canada went to buffalo park then into lake and large hotel. Wind blowing MaryBell took picture of 2sheep. We went into hotel lobby. Nice came into U.S. and customs officer asked for permit which we didn't have. Came on road near part to 2 Medicine Lakes. Road narrow and rough and winding. A car almost hit us on curve. Tired. Stopped at a campground. Indian caretaker. Cost $1 mbs. Beautiful scenery up to 6,000 ft. Campground nice and quiet. Stinky toilets. Sego lilys thick. Met a man from Indiana who loved to fish.

July 12 - Clear - little wind

Frank dug me a couple Sego lilys. Beautiful scenery. East Glacier Hotel big log building  very nice. Tour buses going out. Good hi-way scenery beautiful a memorial to Teddy Roosevelt on top of Marias Pass. Wind! Snow sheds of railroad. Beautiful falls over layered rocks. Stopped at goat salt lick. 5 goats licking on a blue rock. Fed golden mantle squirrels. Saw foo hen. Saw 3 deer and one dead by road. 1st on trip stopped at Trap Zoo. Cattalo monkeys. Elk, bear, coyote etc. I poked the sleeping bear and it jumped up on the prod. Saw moose in pond near Big Fork. Had dinner along East shore at a Marina. Halibut steak. Wind was really kicking up the waves. Got gas at Finley point 10 ga. $3.90 F. Most cherries frozen this year. Hossberg may have some. Got MBS home about 4:00 Pinky and 2 little boys home. Russ had shot himself. Pink thought Dude had gotten lost. Russ went after Chrissie. Pink & MB went after Doug. Had supper. Went to bed. Chris and Doug went to the Mission dancing.

Sunday, July 13. nice day.

Got breakfast. MaryBelle had stomach flu from water at 2 Medicine Lake. Left for home. Went over Jocko. Slow road. Serviceberries here got to lily pond water high so crawled out on log and got two. Lots of Sego lilys from top to Seely. Ate lunch near Swan Lake. Got home 2:30.

49,009 miles
47,335 start
  1,674 Trip

Gas F
3.90
3.05
2.80
2.50
3.20

15.45
  7.67

2312 gas

Gas MB
2.96
2.36
2.37

7.67


Camp
3.50 F
2.50 MBS

Additional notes:

Broke fibula on Mothers Day

Mary, Frank (Rittel) and 4 kids came Tuesday, left Thursday.

Wades and Bertsches here Saturday all day.

Sunday - Cliff died went in to Ann.

Monday - Wash & ironed
tues. 29th went to Cliffs funeral. Tag and Lyla went too.

Wed. 30 - froze 7 packages peas, hurt ankle, Lyla's sister came

Thurs. 31 - Weeded Frank hauled garbage and mowed lawn.

Friday - Weeded - Tag, Lyla, Jeri & John, Betty Gabby, Danny going on a pack trip