Trip Report
On Thursday, September 7th, thirty-four Obsidians plus our tour guide Joe Silence & wife Kay and our wonderful bus driver, Baxter Shaw, departed for our long planned trip into Canada. Our first night was at Pasco, Washington, then through Spokane and the scenic panhandle of Idaho ending our second day at Cranbrook, British Columbia. Saturday, the 9th, we passed Radium Hot Springs Resort and across the Continental Divide into the beautiful Canadian Rockies arriving at Banff the same day. We stayed two nights to acquaint ourselves with this quaint mountain community. This was followed by a trip through Bow River valley, which included the viewing of Mt. Eisenhower, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Another highlight was the trip in an enclosed snowmobile on the Columbia Ice Fields. This is a massive glacier and its massiveness made us all aware of the smallness of man. From the Columbia Ice Fields water flows to three oceans.
Our next stop was at Jasper National Park followed by a cruise on beautiful Maligne Lake. Here as well as other places, we saw the most photographed spots in the Canadian Rockies. Wednesday, as we crossed the Yellowhead Pass we left Jasper National Park and followed the North Thompson River and into the Kamloops. Thursday we enjoyed the panoramic views of Fraser River Gorge before re-entering the U.S. to spend our last night at Bellingham, Washington.
At Portland, on Friday, we enjoyed a farewell dinner and then hone to Eugene, with many happy memories of our visit to the majestic Canadian Rockies where we saw a cow moose on her knees drinking water from a ditch beside the road. To our delight this continued long enough for plenty of picture taking. We also saw a buck elk with a five or six point rack leisurely grazing beside the road. Other animals seen by some were coyotes; a bear resting in the river; mountain goats and big-horned sheep on the far distant mountain ridges; and deer seen quite often which helped to give the feeling of being in a primitive wilderness country.
(With permission from the leaders, Cliff and Hazel, Jane Hilt would like to add a few remarks - some made by different passengers, including the bus driver, Baxter Shaw.)
The remarks were made following an excellent talk by Clifford about the Obsidians and what the Club is all about, giving the history and background, and some ideas on preservation and conservation, etc. They are as follows: "We are so glad to know about the Obsidians" and "We've never heard this before" and "We would appreciate a map in the bulletin sometime showing us how to get to the Lodge on account of we've never been able to find it" and "It would be nice if all new members could hear this" and Baxter's comment to be remembered "Old Obsidians never die, they just peak away."
- and so ended the bus tour of 37 happy people: Blanche Bailey, Margaret Barnand, Julia Barnhill, Margaret Block, Ingrid Carmichael, Grace and Melvin Carter, Irene Flynn, Vera Heidenreich, Jane Hilt, Virginia Horton, Ruth Keyes, Bea LeFevre, Nellie and "Mac" McWilliams, Mary Mallery, Madge Malmstrom, Helen Mathiesen, Dorothy Medill, Jennelle Moorhead, Ruth Nichols, Janice and "Pat" Pattison, Jacqueline Porch, Bertha Richardson, Alford and Lila Smith, Grace Smith, Myrtle Smith, leaders Clifford & Hazel Stalsberg, Helen Stovall, Thelma Watson, Mildred Weatherby, escort Joe Silence and wife Kay, plus bus driver Baxter Shaw.
