September in Canada (Kingston to NB)

September was a month full of driving and family!

Kingston, ON. was a pretty neat town, and there were quite a few tourists having a look around.

This was a steam engine in the center of Kingston. It was huge!

It was also SUPER windy! We actually had trouble walking.

The scene from our campground near the Ogdensburg border crossing. It was a really nice park with lots of seasonal campers. We had a laugh while using  some outdoor gym equipment, and we had fun playing a couple of rounds of mini golf.

We had some lovely weather and some lovely views.

We finally made it to Ottawa, where we had a full schedule of "events" to keep us busy. There was tennis, 

the ceremonial IMAX movie at the Canadian Museum of History (formerly The Museum of Civilization),

Thai food with Dan's cousins,

 and lunch with Dan's "Aunt" Anicka. There was also crosswording, swimming (Dan and Lenka), visiting with family and meeting old friends.

A cool church in a small town in Quebec.

We stopped in Quebec City and did a walking tour that took us to some sights that were new to us.

This farmer's market down by the water was pretty fun, and the produce was super cheap.

We saw a couple of  cruise ships on our walk (this one wasn't even the biggest). We didn't even know cruise ships docked in Quebec City. 

We took a nice walk in a great city park in Riviere-Du-Loups, QC

Nice boardwalks for the marshy bits.

During the hike, the trail left the woods and emerged into an old apple orchard. It was surprising, but it explained why I kept seeing half eaten apples along the hiking trail!

Some of the falls along the trail.

The main show.

We stayed the night at Lake Temiscouata in Quebec. Dan had a very cold swim the next day!

Jewel Cave National Monument, Mt. Rushmore and Rapid City, SD

Dan and I have been to a couple of amazing caves (Carlsbad and Oregon Caves), so we were hesitating a bit about going to Jewel Cave National Monument. In the end we decided to go, because National Parks are always worth visiting. It turned out to be completely different than the other caves we have been to, and of course, well worth the journey. We followed up with a trip to Mt.Rushmore before ending up in Rapid City, SD for 4 nights.

Inside the Caves

There is a "strenuous" version of the cave tour, where a person must be able to fit through a cave tunnel the size of this mock tunnel. Dan and I can both fit through this box, but have no desire to take the claustrophobia inducing tour.

The presidents. 

I wasn't 100% in love with this park, but Dan gives it two thumbs up.

This dam was in a really nice city park in Rapid City, SD

We went for a stroll and dinner in downtown one evening. They have done a lot of nice work and it's a pretty cool place to roam around.

Yellowstone to Cody, WY.

We stayed at the Snake River RV Park in Idaho Falls, ID for 4 nights and then made our way to Yellowstone National Park  on the weekend. We had both been to the park before, but this time we took a different route through it (West to East) and did two short hikes. While we were hiking in Yellowstone, we met a nice couple from Quebec, who highly recommended that we visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, WY. We drove to Cody, stopping to visit the Buffalo Bill Dam on the way. We spent the night in Cody, and the next morning we toured the museum (which is really five museums in one center) and it was fantastic. It is probably one of the best museums we have ever been to, and I would almost suggest going to Cody, just to see it. 

At Gibbon Falls in Yellowstone

More Gibbon Falls. Sadly, there were no Gibbons.

A hike by Yellowstone Lake. Dan is carrying the bear spray and I was in charge of occasional clapping.

A different hike by Yellowstone lake. This part felt better because you could see well around you so the grizzlies couldn't sneak up on you ;) It actually felt sort of like being at the ocean.

A picture of Dan, for once! 

Buffalo Bill Dam. What a nightmare to make this thing!

Ending with the obligatory trailer shot.