We returned to the US after a long wait at a small town on the Montana boarder. We crossed back over the Continental Divide and headed to Missoula to meet Aili's friend, Lisa. We met her in town for dinner then headed out to her 20 acre ranch about a half an hour west of Missoula. We snaked up through a canyon following the Blackfoot River. Lisa lives in a nice log cabin home with her two boys. She teaches at the University of Montana but also has about 30 sheep...

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Our two nights in Canada's Jasper National Park were truly elegant. Upon arrival at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge we received a welcome basket of wine and cheese. The next day, we hiked the trail to Mt. Edith Cavell and gazed at a hanging glacier lurching precariously over a cliff. Its melt water feeds waterfalls flowing into a turquoise cirque below. At the base, we found a cool (no pun intended) ice cave that reminded us of the lava tubes of Hawaii. We snappe...

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From our cabin in "North Pole," we started our long journey home across the thawing tundra of central Alaska and the Yukon, passing giant mountains, endless forests and the world's largest gold pan. At one point, Aili had to break hard as a galloping grizzly tried to cross the road right in front of us. He swerved abruptly and ran alongside the car at full speed for a good 100 meters. We finally passed him and he crossed behind us, charging into the woods - what...