Days 1 & 2 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
Even though the air was hazy and clouds hung over the Bighorns, approaching Buffalo, Wyoming SPHP stopped at a pullout along I-90 so Lupe could get out and stretch her legs. With the haze, the view wasn’t nearly so good as it might have been, but Lupe was in great spirits! It was the last day of July, and the first day of what was going to be her most stupendous Dingo Vacation of the entire summer of 2017.
Lupe’s day had started early, before 6:00 AM. She’d had to take a bath, not her favorite thing. Then she’d had to wait hours while SPHP packed the G6 and scurried around taking care of a seemingly endless list of last minute details.
Events started improving rapidly after that. Getting Beggin’ Strips and breakfast on the deck overlooking the canyon at Grandma’s house had been fun. A last minute check on things at home and Lupe was on her way! (10:29 AM, 84°F)
Nearly this whole day would be spent on the road, but Loop didn’t mind that in the least. Perched up even with the dash on her traditional pile of pillows and blankets, she was having a riot barking at cows, horses and anything else that struck her fancy as the G6 sped on by.
After a short stroll and as good a look at the Bighorn Range as conditions allowed, Lupe and SPHP were ready to hit the road again. Before Lupe reached Billings, Montana, the temperature hit a high of 102°F. Beastly! Of course, Loopster rode in air-conditioned comfort, so it hardly mattered, except when SPHP stopped in Billings. SPHP had to race into Albertson’s to buy fried chicken for dinner, then dash back out before the G6 became a Dingo oven.
NW of Billings, SPHP turned W on Hwy 12. The long drive up the Musselshell River valley heading for the Little Belt Mountains was relaxing and delightful. Near Harlowton, Lupe could see Crazy Peak (11,209 ft.), and it’s long SE ridge which she had been on with her mountaineering friend Jobe Wymore only 9 days ago at the tail end of her last Dingo Vacation. The mountain was barely visible in a smoky haze, but SPHP was certain that was it.
Lupe reached King’s Hill Pass (7,393 ft.) on Hwy 89 in the Little Belt Mountains shortly before sunset (8:17 PM). No time to lose! Lupe and SPHP set out immediately, following the gravel road W up to the fire lookout tower and Showdown ski area on Porphyry Peak (8,192 ft.).
The sun had already sunk into a bank of clouds on the W horizon by the time Lupe and SPHP reached the summit. It was pretty clear the sun wasn’t going to make a reappearance, and light was fading fast. Conditions weren’t all that great for seeing anything anyway. A smoky haze hung in the air here, too. At least climbing the mountain had been good exercise after a long day in the G6.
While twilight lingered, Lupe and SPHP strolled around Porphyry Peak’s summit.
Before the light was completely gone, SPHP wanted to go at least partway up the fire lookout tower. The tower wasn’t staffed at present. In fact, not another soul was around anywhere on the mountain. The access door to the observation deck was locked shut.
That was fine with the American Dingo. While Loopster doesn’t mind clambering around on high mountains, she doesn’t care much for lookout towers. From her perspective, there’s too much air between those big steps. It’s not natural and just plain scary! Lupe refused to go any farther up than the first flight of stairs.
The last light of day faded away. A half moon hung in the evening sky as Lupe and SPHP made the trek back down to King’s Hill Pass.
The next morning, Lupe was underway again as the sun peeped above the horizon. This was another travel day, and at 11:00 AM the Carolina Dog crossed uneventfully into Canada at Sweet Grass. Southern Canada looked drier than Lupe had ever seen it before. The smoke of forest fires farther W filled the air even here.
By 3:00 PM Looper was in the huge metropolis of Calgary. It was sunny when she arrived, though the sky was clouding up. An hour later, as Lupe headed W on Trans-Canada Hwy 1 toward the Canadian Rockies, dark clouds dropped light rain showers.
Lupe reached Banff at 5:00 PM. It was August 1st, 3 years to the day since she’d last been in beloved Banff. SPHP drove slowly down Banff Avenue, crossed the bridge over the beautiful Bow River, and parked near the tennis courts and picnic ground.
After spending most of the day in the G6, Looper was more than ready to get out. Loop and SPHP went for a stroll down by the Bow River.
Being back in Banff was great! Montana’s blistering summer heat and smoky air were a thing of the past. Low clouds and cool mist hung over the mountains. Lupe and SPHP strolled E along the S side of the Bow River. When Loop got to the pedestrian footbridge over the river, she took it.
On the N side of the river, Lupe came to a posted map of Banff. The map showed a trail leading up Tunnel Mountain E of town. That was a great idea! There was time enough to do that right now! Lupe and SPHP kept going. Soon the Carolina Dog was on the Tunnel Mountain trail.
The Tunnel Mountain trail is an easy climb and hugely popular. Even though it was cloudy and cool out, Lupe met plenty of people and dogs. Since it was getting to be dinnertime, most were on their way back down to Banff.
The views weren’t nearly as spectacular as they would have been on a clearer day, but Lupe did see the famous Banff Springs Hotel at the base of Sulphur Mountain (8,005 ft.), and the Banff Springs golf course at the base of Mount Rundle (9,675 ft.).
The absolute summit of Tunnel Mountain (5,551 ft.) was a rock formation surrounded by thick forest. However, not far away was a sloping rock ledge with a great view of the town of Banff. Lupe visited the summit first. A large crowd of people, who turned out to be in town for an ergonomics convention, were occupying the ledge with the view.
While waiting for the ergonomics people to finish their sight-seeing, Lupe proved to be quite popular with them. Many wanted to pet her, and SPHP heard quite a few tales of how much others were missing their dogs. Lupe didn’t even know what ergonomics was, but she was getting a good impression of it. She willingly submitted to being adored for however long the ergonomics people wanted to keep it up.
When the ergonomics people finally moved on, Loop was a little sad to see them go. However, she could now get a good look at the beautiful town of Banff from Tunnel Mountain. It was sort of a shame that it was so cloudy out. The view would have been totally gorgeous on a sunny day.
August 1st, yet it was almost chilly up on Tunnel Mountain when the breeze came up! Temperatures were only in the upper 50’s °F. Lupe started back down the trail. She was back in Banff before 8:00 PM.
Lupe and SPHP enjoyed a late dinner. It was dark out by the time SPHP asked Lupe if she wanted to go on the Pretty Puppy Parade. The Pretty Puppy Parade? Loop hadn’t done that in 3 years now. Oh, yes, she did want to go on the Pretty Puppy Parade! She had forgotten all about it until SPHP mentioned it.
Back on her 2013 & 2014 Dingo Vacations to the Canadian Rockies, Lupe had gone on the Pretty Puppy Parade virtually every night she’d been in Banff. All it really amounted to was an evening walk among the throngs of tourists all up and down Banff Avenue, the main drag through town. People had often commented on Lupe’s good demeanor and wanted to pet her. She got to sniff with lots of other dogs on their own Pretty Puppy Parades, too.
Even though it was the heart of tourist season, the crowds on the streets of Banff had thinned out quite a bit. The evening was cool and breezy, and Lupe had gotten a late start. Some people did notice her, though, and she did get to sniff with a few other dogs. Lupe went up and down both sides of Banff Avenue.
What Lupe really wanted to do was go shopping. The restaurants and stores had their doors open, and Loopster wanted desperately to go in and have a look around. It was all so intriguing and smelled so good! Of course, she couldn’t. The poor American Dingo had to settle for getting her photo taken with some of the big animals guarding shop entrances.
While SPHP sympathized with Lupe’s frustration at not being able to go exploring the shops in Banff, it wasn’t really necessary to feel too terribly sorry for her. After all, she was at the very beginning of a long Dingo Vacation to lots of fabulous places, and was going to get to do loads of fun stuff other Dingoes only dream of.
Related Links:
Banff, Alberta, Canada (7-20-13)
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