Road Trip Chronicles II (Banff National Park)

This post is a continuation of a previous post . I am gradually putting together photos from road trips I made with my family . 

So,On the 3rd day of our trip, we left our friends in Regina, Saskatchewan , and drove  westward to Calgary, Alberta, to visit another friend. 

After 2 days in Calgary, we visited Banff National park.

Banff National park is about 2 hours drive west from Calgary. It is in the Rocky mountains, very picturesque all year round. The park was established in 1885.

It is a beautiful park, with mountainous terrain and glaciers. We hope to visit next time and spend at least 2 nights in Banff,  because there is no way one can explore the 6,641 square kilometers the park encompasses in one day.☺

It was a surprise to see wildlife(Elk, Bison) roaming free at the park. We were told we  might run into Grizzly bears, Cougars, Lynx, further up in the mountains.

One of the entrances leading to the park.

One of the Rocky Mountains peaks.

Mountain view from the Sally Borden Fitness center located at the Banff Center.

The Banff National museum is full of Canadian history like the Royal visit to Banff in the early 1900s.

Road-trip Chronicles I (Mount Rushmore)

Hey people, hope you are all well.

The holiday season is upon us, and the year is running (literally) to an end.

So, as part of reflecting and taking into stock the past year(s) and events, I have decided to share photos of some my family's road trips.

Road trips have somewhat become my family's annual tradition . We travel by road to different places in the United States either for a family event or to just sight-see and visit friends.

The trip to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, in Keystone SD, was part of our road trip during Spring-break 2016.

We drove up from Missouri to Minnesota, spent the night at a friend's place, then drove into Canada through North Dakota, stopped briefly in Fargo to sight-see, then drove to Regina, a city in Saskatchewan, Canada, to see some friends. In case you are wondering, the drive took more than 15 hours from MN to Regina.☺

Our stop at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, was on our way back home. It was a rather short visit because of the inclement weather the day we arrived there (last week of March), so we did not get to explore as much as we wanted.

Anyway, here are some photos from the visit:

A  wall with the names of individuals and organizations that contributed towards Mount Rushmore Memorial National Park project.

The sculptor who designed and created the sculptures of the heads of 4 US presidents. Gutzon Borglum oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941, with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum.

A wall listing the names of the workers that built the Mount Rushmore National Park.

Some items associated with the area and people (Lakota people)  the Mount Rushmore Memorial park is located.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,  Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln's heads carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore. The sculpture is about 60-foot tall.

A  line-up of flags representing the 50 states of the United States.

Pottery by the people of Lakota.

A view of the sculptures from the road leading to the National park.

Thanks for viewing!😘