Banff Gondola at Sulphur Mountain

Riding the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park is an easy way to take in countless views in just a few hours time. From the top of this mountain in the Alberta Rockies you can clearly see the Banff townsite, the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, and (just a short hike away) the Cosmic Ray Station historic site.

A Visit to the Calgary Stampede in 1967

There was a lot going on across the country in 1967, Canada's centennial year. Of course, the Calgary Stampede was a huge draw - something reflected in this vintage postcard (featuring the chuckwagon races) mailed from Calgary, Alberta that summer. 

Affixed with two 4 cent stamps, this card was postmarked in Calgary, then sent via San Francisco, California to Ronald Schuck who was serving in the Vietnam War. I couldn't find very much about him, but he was in the U.S. Marine Corp, was 20 years old in 1967, and survived the war. 

Aunt Jean writes, "We arrived here in time for Stampede Week. We are going to see the big parade tomorrow. We can come back for the show if we want to. Everybody wears ten gallon hats here. It is quite a town." It sure is, Aunt Jean.

Postcards like this are why I started this series. They get my mind racing because of all of the little clues left behind. It's just a small slice of someone's life and yet it links a vintage image of the Calgary Stampede with Canada's centennial year and the Vietnam War. That's a lot of 1967 captured on a single piece of cardstock.  

Snake Alley in Burlington, Iowa

Built in 1894 and completed in 1898, Snake Alley in Burlington, Iowa was originally devised by three German immigrants who wanted a faster link between Heritage Hill and Burlington's downtown business district. Because of the steep grade, the road was made to wind down the hill with bricks laid at an angle so horses had better footing as they descended. San Francisco's iconic Lombard Street has a few more turns in it, but Ripley's Believe It, Or Not! once recognized Snake Alley as the 'Crookedest Street in the World'.
 

Mississippi River