We are off on our Banff/Jasper adventure. It’s a place I have dreamed about for 60 years and now we are on the way. The day took us alongside two active fires, one in the Hood River area of I-84. The other was just blowing up beside the 395 freeway (we got baked as we drove by) going into Kennewick. It was driven by high wind and became huge as we drove through Tri-Cities.

Lunch with Nicole and Joy was a treat in between the two fires.

The biggest adventure was getting a room after I discovered that my Pinehurst reservations were in North Carolina rather than Idaho. No Vacancy was all I heard as I called place after place from wind blown table at the Travel Plaza. Finally I found a room and made a reservation at 4:51 pm (can we spell expensive??). We arrived at 6:30 to find the reservation was in corporate database, but not in the property computer. That began a half hour investment by Gillian, my new best friend, as she worked and worked to honor the reservation even though she had no rooms. Finally she cancelled a reservation where the credit card declined payment – but only after trying repeatedly to contact that person. So we have a very comfortable room for our first night even if a lot too much stimulation for my travel anxiety disorder.

Hungry Horse Montana and Glacier National Park tomorrow.