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Canada & Alaska Summer 2019Canada & Alaska Summer 2019
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Canada & Alaska Summer 2019

July - August 2019
July 2019 Read more
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  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 6

    Banff in the sunshine

    July 21, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Heading back into Banff, the sun was out in force. And what a difference that made. Whilst the mountains and lakes looked glorious under the clear blue skies, it also brought out an army of tourists all armed with huge RVs into the national park. The sight of these monstrous vehicles choking the small streets of Banff and filling the campsites is hugely dispiriting. Equally, it was interesting that the park looked equally beautiful shrouded in cloud and rain as in sunshine.

    At Lake Minnewanka, we scrambled down to the lake front and padded in the water. Initially we considered a swim until we realised that just being in up to your shins was enough to give you frostbite! The view was stunning though, and none of the photos do the scale of the whole park any justice.

    At Tunnel Mountain Village II camping, we checked into our oTENTik, the absolute best place to stay in Canadian national parks. We dumped our kit and headed out to the Cave and Basin, home of the Canadian national parks, where we learnt about the endangered Banff snail which feeds on the sulphur in the springs. Certainly, the smell of the nine hot springs in hangs in the air around Sulphur Mountain.

    For dinner, we barbecued up sausages, mushrooms and sweetcorn with some beer whilst covering ourselves liberally in deet to protect against a mosquito onslaught! We then headed to Banff Upper Hot Springs for a late evening soak. As we imagined, it was rather a tourist trap, but nonetheless worth a visit in the shadow of the surrounding mountains. On our return, we set a small campfire and enjoyed a night of beer, wildlife and reading.

    Number plate update: Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Dakota, Illinois, Florida (27/50)    Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 7

    Glacier National Park, Montana

    July 22, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We left Banff and again enjoyed the scenic drive along the Trans-Canada Highway. Past Calgary however the scenery was rather different - this was cowboy country. Wide open and flat prairies, with a house every couple of kilometres and a 'town' every 45 minutes or so, all against the backdrop of the distant Rockies to the west which we tracked all the way to the American border.

    Just the other side of the border crossing is the 'town' of Babb - a gas station, general store (looking like something out of Victorian Britain), and a church were about the only things in it...I'm not even sure where the houses were. So we filled up the car and headed into Glacier National Park - what a sight. Something like Banff crossed with Monument Valley. The colours of the mountains was incredible, and photos do neither them nor the scale any justice. The road in was rather rough, but we eventually made it to our 'historic cabin', a little two room wooden hut nestled in Swiftcurrent valley.

    We had a bison burger for dinner from the hotel up the road, a Swiss-chalet-looking affair on the edge if Swiftcurrent Lake before taking an evening stroll to Fishercap Lake where we watch some moose and deer splashing about in the water. The creek we crossed on the way was full of the most colourful array of stones from the surrounding mountains and the trees and flower meadows were alive with colour. But perhaps most striking was the crystal clear reflection of the mountains in the lake as the sun went down.

    Of course, all this awe and wonder was balanced by the fact we were surrounded by buzzing things and I got bitten to hell despite having layers of deet on! On the plus side, we bought a massive bag of trail mix for tomorrow.

    Number plate update: Massachusetts, Maine, North Dakota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Wyoming, Alabama, Maryland, Georgia, Kansas, New Mexico (39/50)    Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 8

    Apikuni

    July 23, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    A somewhat inauspicious start to the day today. We walked to the local hotel for breakfast, who singularly failed to take our order, and we hoped to hire a canoe but we only allowed spitting distance from the dock if we did! So hastily we re-planned the day, and walked to the trailhead for Apikuni Falls. The two-mile round trip up 650ft to the falls was classified as 'moderately strenuous', and under the baking Montana sun (even at 10am) this was a very accurate description.

    We wandered up the trail, through grizzly bear country, with Ben whistling and clapping loudly to scare off any bears...! The trail led to a small waterfall, but a quick scramble over the rocks led to a huge falls, and a stunning view over the valley under a deep blue sky. We climbed over the falls and took I the view (and caught our breath), before returning to the hotel for a well needed pint (and about three pints of water). Feeling a little weary and very sticky, we wandered back to our cabin for an afternoon nap out of the stifling heat, but only after stopping at the Ranger Station to collect a stamp for my National Parks Passport.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 8

    Red Rock Falls

    July 23, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After a hearty lunch of cup noodles, we took a late afternoon stroll to Red Rock Falls. The clouds had come over and the temperature had mercifully dropped. However we only got a small way into the track when we met a family who were deciding whether to continue having been told a grizzly bear had been sighted ahead. We did carry on, as did they, with great caution and with Ben resurrecting his whistling and clapping routine from the morning. The route took us around Red Rock Lake and we were able to climb onto the falls at the far end.

    The name is no misnomer- the redness of the rock here is both unbelievable and stunning. We spent some time climbing in and around the falls before heading back with similar caution! We did not see (for better or worse) a bear, but we did see some deer, squirrels, chipmunks and again some moose splashing about in Fishercap Lake.

    During tea (more cup noodles - we couldn't face a big meal after the heat of the day) we were treated to thunder and lightning as a storm rolled through the valley. Onwards to the west coast tomorrow and a likely 12 hour drive (the biggest of our trip by a long way).

    Number plate update: Indiana, Connecticut (41/50)    Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 9

    Packwood, Mt. Rainier

    July 24, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Up at 6am, and almost immediately on the road. We drove out of Glacier National Park to an amazing sunrise, dropped a little south and then drove east across the entirety of the park on Going-to-the-Sun road. The winding mountain trail was both breathtaking but also illustrated the changability of mountain weather, with clouds blowing swiftly through the peaks. We briefly stopped at Logan's Pass, the continental divide, before descending to Apgar Visitors' Center for my NPS Passport stamp.

    The whole day consisted of hour-on-hour-off driving, through three states (Montana, Idaho and Washington) and the changing landscape was unbelievable. From glaciers and snow capped mountain trails, lush forests, vast farming plains, dust bowls, canyons, lakes and rivers before back to mountains and forests. The whole day passed amazingly quickly, not aided by a minimalist choice on the radio of country music, God or local news. We also found out that Boris Johnson was Prime Minister, which was utterly depressing...maybe we'll stay here...oh, wait...

    We rolled into Packwood, under the shadow of Mt. Rainier at around 7pm and rocked into a local Inn to ask for a room - the first time we've ever turned up to a place without a booking! Just down the road, a local brewery offered sustenance in the form of a flight of local beers and some tacos as the sun dipped behind the mountain.

    Number plate update: Kentucky, West Virginia (43/50)

    Number plate update pt. II: Ben not speaking to me after I yelled "WEST VIRGINIA" at great volume as he was overtaking a car transporter at 70mph in a cross wind... 😂    Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 10

    Paradise, Mt. Rainier

    July 25, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    After a breakfast scone (a scone mixed with cheese, ham, and green peppers) at the Mountain Goat, we headed out of Packwood and in to Mt. Rainier National Park and the visitors' centre at Paradise. Not knowing really what to expect, I can honestly say it was breathtaking, in a literal sense. As we climbed up the mountain, the glacier covered crater hoved in and out of view, in amongst thousand-year-old Dougkas firs, cavernous valleys and sheer cliff edges. All around us were mountains, and (again) the photos simply do not do the scale or beauty of the place justice. At the visitors centre I picked up my passport stamps before setting out on a trail up the mountain.Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 10

    Glacier Vista, Mt. Rainier

    July 25, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    From the Visitors Centre, we set out for Glaciet Vista...a mile or so up the mountain. Up. In places, it felt like straight up. The path did become more bearable after a while but the start nearly killed me.

    However, the view is incomparable. Every direction we looked was just unbelievable - under a deep blue sky, snow-capped mountains peaked in every direction whilst the meadows beneath were lit up with the colour of flowers.

    We sat at the top, eating trail mix and soaking in the glacier, which appeared so close you could almost touch it. We could definitely come back here.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 10

    Olympia State Capitol

    July 25, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We wound down Mt. Rainier from Paradise to the visitors centre at Longmire for another stamp. But the mountain remained a feature of the entire day, being visible from our morning in Packwood right up to our sunset in Seattle.

    Driving through national and state parks and forests, we headed for a brief detour to Olympia to visit the state Capitol building. The huge rotunda and marker directly underneath resonates of Congress in DC, and we spent some time visiting the two chambers of the government building, as well as the State Supreme Court opposite, before heading for our final destination of Seattle.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 10

    Seattle

    July 25, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    The drive up the I-5 to Seattle was busy - accidents and fire caused traffic snarl-ups as we went, but we did make reasonable time. With the Space Needle eventually appearing through the windscreen , Mt. Rainier still loomed in the rearview.

    Our hotel is an historic building in the University district and was very pleasant and super-friendly. We dined at Shultzy's - famed apparently for it's sausages - before going to the Mountaineering Club for drinks. Here we were afforded a superb sunset over the icons of the Pacific Northwest - Mt. Rainier and the Space Needle - from a rooftop bar on a balmy evening. A cracking end to a cracking day.

    Number plate update: None today 😔 (43/50)    Read more

  • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
    Day 11

    Seattle Underground

    July 26, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Up early, we breakfasted at the hotel before heading into Seattle on the light rail. The weather forecast was for 30°+ today and at 9am it was already shaping up to be a scorcher. At Pioneer Square, we wandered the historic district stopping first at the National Park Historic site for the Klondike Gold Rush (and a passport stamp!). After measuring our weight in gold and ascertaining I am worth £1m more than Ben, we headed to the Seattle underground tour.

    Having been burnt down in a fire, Seattle was rebuilt higher and many old tunnels and basements remain which we were taken into and told stories about. The history was fascinating and the tour guides were absolutely superb.    Read more

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