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  • Mary Kieran Gap Year

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A 40-day adventure by Mary Kieran Gap Year Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 24, 2024
    Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 196: Canada Border Crossing

    July 24, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    So so so so so excited to start our Canadian Road trip. First, background:

    Kieran himself is Canadian and grew up in Vancouver until his parents moved to North Carolina when he was 7. While planning Gap Year two years ago, he suggested we road trip across so he could see more of his country. Hilariously, what Kieran really meant is he wanted to drive to Banff National Park immediately and go adventuring for 2+ weeks. This meant skipping New Foundland and Quebec and driving 9-12 hour days in a row. Mary said, “No.” Instead, we agreed to drive to Toronto and then slowly wind our way across the Great Lakes and the mid west in a leisurely fashion to ready band and then party.

    Woke up at 7am for a last minute Ray work call and picked up THB Bagel before hitting the storage unit for our stuff. We packed quickly, fitting Kieran’s both sets of skis 😑 and all our camping gear + clothes. We were on the road.

    It only takes around 8 hours to reach Toronto. We stopped in Harrisburg PA for a Costco run and then Monroe for Rita’s Italian Ice to wake up a bit. The trip took us along the Susquehanna River and Forest.

    Our main stop would be Buffalo New York to get Buffalo wings but also try on bridesmaid dresses. Can confirm Buffalo wings taste better in Buffalo. We finished up and made our way across the Canadian border. Kieran always gets anxious about border crossing and declaring stuff at customs (a real rule follower) where Mary is more like “They don’t need to know whether or not we are leaving our skiing equipment and car in the country for 3 months when we go to Asia and they don’t need to know we are going to Asia.” That’s why Mary drove through the border and did the talking.

    Of course the border guy asked questions like Where are you going? Why? Are you leaving anything? Where is Kieran’s family from? And she answered everything. “Alright have a nice day” and we were off.

    Got into Toronto at 9pm and went to sleep right away. Also peep the new sticker Kieran bought for Christmas.

    Hotel: Guest Home in York

    Restaurants:
    THB
    Coles

    Food:
    Bagels
    Hot Wings
    Salted Nuts
    Rita’s Italian Ice    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 197: Toronto

    July 25, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Today we walked around Toronto city! Rode the subway down to the St. Lawrence Market where we enjoyed coffee, roast beef sandwiches, and a wide selection of smoked fish. Next, walked to the harbor to see the lakeside a little island across the main city.

    Missing American pastime baseball, we transformed into Toronto Blue Jay fans today and attended a game against Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays clobbered the Blue Jays 13 to 0 so it was a little embarrassing; however, we get to wake up knowing we are Cardinals and Orioles fans so it did not matter as much.

    To close the evening, we walked to Nathan Phillips Square where a Vietnam festival was occurring and then climbed the CN Tower to see the city at night. It was a 45 minute wait, but the city was awesome.

    Spots:
    St. Lawrence Market
    Harbor
    Nathan Phillips Square
    CN Tower    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 198: Niagara Falls

    July 26, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Visited America’s and Canada’s most famous waterfall: Niagara Falls. It’s only a 1.5 hour drive from Toronto so if we didn’t make the park on Wednesday, we knew we could back track from the city.

    Arrived to the sleepy little town around 12 pm with plenty of time to beat the “leave Friday early weekend” crowd. We crossed back into the United States to see the US side first and ride the famous Maid of the Mist. There operation was so streamlined; we purchased tickets online, waited 15 minutes to trade out for real tickets, and another 15 before your placed in an elevator and given the poncho. We landed a spot on the boat top and one row behind the railing behind some short people. The boat took off and smelled like firework powder.

    It chugged along the American and Bridal Veil Falls and once it reached the Horseshoe Falls, the boat stayed in the middle while everyone was blasted with mist. After the boat ride, we hiked along the park while Kieran made sarcastic remarks like “Mary could swim that; Mary could paddle that.” Rude.

    There were a lot of Nepalese trucks so we grabbed momos before heading to the Canadian side. The Canadian was fantastic because the waterfall was bigger and you could see the river leading up to the falls and tip right over. They also had a power plant.

    Spots:
    Niagara Falls    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 199: Chutes Provisional Park

    July 27, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    As noted before, we agreed to prevent our roadtrip from becoming 12 hour days. Located several campgrounds along the Great Lakes that would break up our drive to Winnipeg and allow us to test out the new tent.

    One such area was Chutes Provisional Park, which offered car camping as well as RV. It took 4.5 hours to drive so we arrived around 4:00pm. The park is named after a logging chute that diverted logs around the waterfall on the River aux Sables. The workers were called White Water Loggers and they would literally stand on large log piles and help them float down the river to avoid jams!! It was a very very VERY dangerous job.

    Driving through Georgian Bay was beautiful and the Sabels-Spanish River area includes amazing views, white water canoeing, and beaching along the Great Lakes. Utilized our 5 hours of daylight to hike to the Chute Waterfalls and around the Twin Bridge. While hiking, Kieran saw a big frog and Mary failed to catch it. After failing a crawfish catch in Spain and frog catch, there was a lot of shame. However Mary made it up by catching a crawfish near the twin and bridge and then later that night grabbing a frog by the bathrooms (yes we realize it’s a bathroom frog).

    Got to break out the new tent (thank you Aubrey for the recommendation) and go through our hiking supplies only to realize we needed a frying pan and spatula. Instead, cooked hot Italian sausage on the grill grates and used sticks for flipping. Solid campground and recommend for all!

    Campground:
    Chutes Provisional Campground

    Restaurant:
    Duo Cafe and Bakery

    Spots:
    Georgia Bay
    Chutes Provisional Park    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 200: Lake Superior Provincial Park

    July 28, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Happy 200 days of travel! Continued our journey along the Trans Canadian highway to our next camping spot in Wawa for 5.5 hours. We drove through Lake Superior Provincial Park which curved through mountains and steep cliffs overlooking Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Along the drive we saw a little black bear and a truck flipped upside down while the trailer was right side up.

    The Wawa RV & Campground runs along the Magpie River. The camp owner gave us an awesome spot along the water. Once camp was set up, we visited the Scenic High Falls and Silver Falls. Also drove to Sandy Beach on the Michipicoten Reservation to relax in the sand and swim in Lake Superior. The water was super cold and waves were huge. There was a large pool of water close to the beach and we started building a canal between the two so we could watch it drain out.

    After the beach, we came back to camp, cooked kebabs using our new pan/spatula, and enjoyed the river flowing by with a fire.

    Campground:
    Wawa RV & Park

    Restaurant:
    Little Brew Cafe

    Spots:
    Lake Superior Provincial Park
    High Scenic Falls
    Silver Falls
    Sandy Beach Lake Superior
    Wawa    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 201: Thunder Bay

    July 29, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Plan today was to drive another 5 hours today to reach Thunder Bay! We woke up to crows cawing at each other and gave up on sleeping at 7:30am. The views and nature in this region continue to impress us and we believe that a road trip circling the entire Great Lakes could be turned into a month long event.

    We stopped in a little town called Nipigon for lunch at a townie trucker bar Chinese restaurant. Just imagine a dark bar with pool tables and flannel. We go to pay and an older man asked us if we like the food and why we were here. We mentioned we were from the US and he got really excited. Started chatting and found out he and the bar owner were actually from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and that their son was an electrical engineer with a masters like Kieran! After telling them we would visit Vietnam in the fall, they were so excited and started listing off millions of recommendations. Furthermore, they changed the Olympics on the tv to YouTube so we could see a famous street near where they lived. We spent at least 30 more minutes with the couple and had the most wonderful time learning about their son and opinions on northern Vietnam (they said the food has no flavor).

    We reached Thunder Bay around 3 and had time to walk around the city. The water and surrounding industrial districts were cool. On a sadder note, Thunder Bay was once an economic center for forestry, mining, and shipping but lost the business over the years. The town is suffering from this economic downturn and facing a huge opioid crisis; this has had impact on many First Nation Peoples and Indigenous communities. We constantly passed homeless across the town and several actively injecting or on fentanyl. At one point, an ambulance was called to administer Narcan.

    The good news is Thunder Bay is actively working to support this homeless population in an empathetic manor; instead of evicting them from public spaces, they are experimenting with providing shelters / housings in designated areas and also set low barrier entry for shelters (no restrictions on curfew or soberness.) As a result of these programs, they’ve been able to connect 50 people with permanent housing.

    There is still more to do yet we think the US and other cities could look to Thunder Bay’s strategy.

    Guesthouse: Casas Del Norte

    Restaurant:
    Robins Donuts
    China Gardens
    Prospectors Brew Pub

    Spots:
    Wawa
    Nipigon
    Thunder Bay    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 202-204: Go Wild in Winnipeg

    August 1, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 90 °F

    Sarcasm for the title, we did not go wild in Winnipeg. Instead we had a fabulous time relaxing with Kieran’s sister who drove up from Brookings South Dakota.

    Day 1 was a 7 hour drive from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg. The region geography started flattening out to swamps, lakes, trees, and farmland. We arrived in Winnipeg around 5 and elected to watch Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy until Stephanie arrived at 11pm.

    Day 2 we visited Assiniboine Park featuring a zoo, botanical garden, museums, and recreational fields. Opted for the botanical gardens and English Gardens / Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. The park had a free trolly shuttle service between the attractions. We came back to the apartment to get out of the heat and work a bit (Stephanie could only take half days). Enjoyed dinner out and grabbed some wine and snacks to rewatch Pirates of the Caribbean with Stephanie :)

    Day 3 Mary and Stephanie worked in the morning and then ventured off to Forks Market, an old train station turned into little shops and restaurants. Around the market includes the old port as well as a Oodena Celebration Circle. In the monument, they set up astronomic metal circles which listed when a certain constellation and star could be in view of the circle and how it related to First Nation practices. Ended the evening ordering Chinese food and then watching Law Abiding Citizen and Inside Man for some good 2000s rampage films.

    The rest and company was much needed and we were so happy Stephanie made time to come see us.

    Restaurants:
    State & Main

    Spots:
    Assiniboine Park
    Winnipeg Botanical Gardens
    Forks Market    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 205/206: Calgary Part 1

    August 3, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Drive time between Winnipeg & Calgary is 13.5 hours; plus, the landscape is Midwest farmland with fields and a few salt flats. We made the journey a single day with podcasts, music, and naps.

    We are staying with Kieran’s cousin Kathleen and her husband Dan and daughter Zoey. Their cute house is nestled in northern Calgary with pine trees and hills. Much of Kieran’s family lives in Calgary so we got some tips from cousin David and others on where to visit.

    Next day we drove downtown to try Establishment Brewing and Master Beef Hot Pot Restaurant; best hot pot Kieran has had! Next, hit the CN Tower and walked around downtown until a huge storm hit.

    Kathleen and Zoey were out of town, but arrived back at 7pm. Zoey made it clear that could snuggle with her dolls this evening. Once she was put to bed, we ordered sushi, had a delicious dinner, and snuggled with our plushies.

    Restaurants:
    Master Beef Hotpot
    Establishment Brewing
    Ginjo Sushi

    Spots:
    South Calgary
    CN Tower    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 207: Calgary Part 2

    August 4, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Woke up early, grabbed some breakfast, and enjoyed overlooking the city in Crescent Heights Lookout Point. Calgary has several parks and large river that you can raft/kayak down. We climbed down and walked around the river and crossed the Peace Bridge. We continued walking through Prince Park and then Chinatown for some bubble tea.

    Later that evening, Kieran’s Aunt Shiela and Uncle Bob hosted a family dinner! We got to see David, Aunty Rene, Uncle Rich, and Kathleen, Dan, and Zoey as well as Beaker the failed service dog (he was afraid of escalators). It was good to catch up which is demonstrated by the lack of pictures.

    Restaurant:
    Lazy Loaf & Kettle

    Spots:
    Crescent Heights Lookout Point
    Peace Bridge
    Princes Island
    Chinatown    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 208: Yoho National Park

    August 5, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Now introducing the moment Kieran’s been waiting for: Canadian National Parks!! From Calgary, we drove 2.5 hours to Yoho National Park. We would camp at Takakkaw Falls the next two days. This particular campsite was .5 km from the parking lot and provided wheelbarrows to carry camping gear up; our site 14 had a nice view of the falls. Along the way we met Sandra from Australia who was solo tripping through Canada, US, and then Patagonia.

    Setting up camp by 3pm, we opted to hike in the immediate area. There was a nice 8 km hike that passed two waterfalls as well as a glacial run off river. Towards the end of our hike, there was a huge storm and downpour. We made it back completely soaked and did not get struck by lightening.

    Cooked dinner inside a shelter hut with other groups and enjoyed potato, carrots, and steak while it stormed outside. Sandra eventually joined and we chatted for 2+ hours. It got super cold so we ran back to the tent and attempted to warm up. It continued to storm through the night, but the tent survived its first major downpour!!

    Spots:
    Spiral Tunnels
    Takakkaw Falls
    Laughing Falls
    Angel's Staircase Falls    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 209: Kootenay National Park

    August 6, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Today’s agenda included hiking to Sherbrooke Lake and Lake O’Hara. Sherbrooke is a nice 2 hour hike to an alpine glacier lake. It’s 200 m elevation gain in the first 30 minutes and we loved the workout. Hung out at the lake for awhile digging streams and admiring the clear blue green water.

    Unfortunately we learned Lake O’Hara is super popular and it’s necessary to ride a shuttle up to the lake. Shuttle seats open up in April and it’s a random draw. SKIPPED.

    Instead we drove to Kootenay National Park and stopped at the Chutes, Painted Pots, and Marble Canyon. At the Marble Canyon, we put our feet in the water (it was way too cold) and Mary tried to catch a little rainbow trout that was chasing her fingers.

    Spots:
    Sherbrooke Lake
    Kootenay National Park
    Numa Chutes
    Painted Pots
    Marble Canyon    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    210/211: Golden -Kicking Horse

    August 8, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Allowed two stragglers to join our Gap Year for a bit: Mary’s parents Susan and Andy flew into Calgary and we used Wednesday to pick them up and get some more hotpot (Susan request). Unfortunately there was a large accident on the highway and both lanes were shut down. It was necessary to take a 2 hour detour through Radium Hot Springs so we didn’t get into Golden until 9:30pm.

    Next day we visited Kicking Horse for hiking. Rode the gondola up and saw a Grizzly Bear enclosure where a bear was eating lunch. The hikes were nice except Susan and Andy getting mad that we said one 30 year old in the front and the back for maximum protection.

    Broke off later on to hike the top of the peak, where skiers will run down in winter. Returned back to Golden for a local brewery and pizza!

    Restaurants:
    White Tooth Brewing
    Red Tomato Pies    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 212: Emerald Lake - Canyon Creek

    August 9, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Visited Emerald Lake, another popular destination. You could rent a canoe for an hour, but it was first come first serve starting at 10am. Since we were already at the rental sign and second in line, we opted to canoe instead of hiking. The lake was green due to glacier water and silt/sun filtering. Harassed a goose family minding their own business. We turned our boat in on time, yet Susan and Andy cheated, returning it back 20 minutes late.

    Hiking in Emerald Lake was too crowded so we drove back to Golden for the Canyon Creek trail, which was previously under wildfire. This trail was intermediate and a little too steep for Mary’s parents. It was also full with mosquitos so after 45 minutes we ran back away from the bugs. Finished the evening watching Dune 1 and Dune 2 since Susan and Andy failed to see it in theaters and Mary was offended.

    Spots:
    Emerald Lake
    Canyon Creek    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 213: Glacier National Park

    August 10, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    SURPRISE MORE HIKING.

    Drove to Glacier National Park and checked out Loop Brook hike and Illecillewaet hike. Loop Brook has lots of train history; there are stone pillars that supported train tracks in an S-shape that enabled trains to pass through the mountains with little gradient. They are also some of the oldest remaining manmade structures in Western Canada.

    Illecillewaet had awesome glacier rivers, glacier cut rock, and fantastic views. We hiked for 2.5 hours up to a beautiful overlook while Mary’s parents walked down below.

    Spots:
    Glacier National Park
    Loop Brook Campground
    Illecillewaet Hike    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 214/215: Rafting & Lake Louise

    August 12, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    As requested by Susan, we found a white water rafting trip in the Canadian Rockies. Went with company Wild White Water and floated on the Kicking Horse River. The float lasts 2-3 hours and included a BBQ lunch. The camera lady caught Mary’s mini dry bag and took it, which is why we don’t have photos. It’s a shame because the river had long stretches of calm and the other guides were chill with it.

    The company used wet suits for the glacial water and boy, was it cold. The first rapid called Alarm Clock literally drenched everyone on the boat. Sadly, didn’t see any wildlife and no one fell out of the boat. Headed back towards Banff National Park for some camping at Johnston Canyon. We had a tent set up competition and obviously we won because our tent is 1 year old while Andy and Susan have a tent older than us…..

    Next day, we had to be strategic due to the popularity of Banff and specifically Lake Louise/Lake Moraine. First, you had to book bus tickets two days in advanced at 8am because there aren’t enough parking spots. We chose the 7am bus. Once you are on the shuttle there is a connector to the other lake and back to the parking lot .

    We arrived at 8:00am and started the 8.5 km hike up to Lake Agnes and back; we convinced Susan and Andy to push for it, even though it was straight uphill. For extra exercise, Kieran ran ahead and met us back down towards the top.

    We let Susan and Andy chill at Lake Agnes while we hiked up to Big Bee Hive which views Lake Louise and Lake Agnes above (3 more km). Below, boaters looked like little ants. We met Susan and Andy back down and took the connector to Lake Morraine. Sadly it started pouring rain. We checked it out, grabbed coffee, and went back to the shuttle bus.

    Bad news: Andy sucks at setting up a tent and the rain absolutely flooded their stuff. We drove off with Susan to find accommodation and located a walked distance lodge. Helped Mary’s parents move into the cabin to dry their stuff and ate dinner together.

    Spots:
    Lake Louise
    Lake Moraine
    Lake Agnes
    Kicking Horse River
    Johnston Canyon Campground    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 216: Icefield Parkway

    August 13, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    So obviously Jasper and Jasper National Park partially burned down and the road to the park is closed. It’s a downer because there’s lots of cool things to see along the way. We opted to drive as much of the road up as we could to enjoy the Icefield Parkway.

    Icefield Parkway received its name from the numerous glaciers that are visible along the highway. These glaciers melt into blue and green lakes below and offer accessible hikes/sites for those with little mobility.

    We started at Peyto Lake which offers a stunning view of Mt Patterson Glacier. Next, we visited Upper and Lower Waterfowl Lakes where little rivers offer opportunities for rafting and swimming. Our final stop was Mistaya Canyon which is cut from the same water supplied by Peyto Lake and Glacier!! This was some serious white water and cliff carving.

    There was no more vacancy at the Johnston Canyon Lodge site we moved Susan and Andy into downtown Banff. The hotel had a huge hot tub which was perfect for many days of hiking and nature. We grabbed dinner downtown and returned back to hot tub it up; after, made the cold drive back to our campsite in Johnston Canyon.

    Spots:
    Bow Lake
    Peyto Lake
    Waterfowl Lakes
    Mistaya Canyon    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 217: Johnston Canyon

    August 14, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    Today would be a jam packed day with precision planning and perfect execution needed to achieve all goals…which only ended in disaster and stress. See, we have a flight to catch to Seattle for a wedding and need to be back in Calgary by 5:30pm. We had also hoped to pack up our campsite, cook breakfast quesadillas, hike Johnston Canyon, get lunch with Mary’s parents, drop chairs off at Kathleen’s, pick up a paid of nude heels, and stop by Aunt Shelia’s / Uncle Bobs to grab wedding clothing.

    Well we succeeded up until lunch with Mary’s parents. Johnston Canyon was awesome and spring fed; there are actually limestone cave features exposed along the canyon. After hiking for 1.5 hours, we drove to Banff and grabbed poutine at their weekly Wednesday Farmers Market. We said goodbye and wished Andy/Susan farewell.

    We made good time reaching Calgary and pulled into the mall when we heard “CUDUNK CUDUNK CUDINK”. After parking, we did an inspection of the suspension and wheel bearings. Kieran caught it; 3 out of 5 lug nuts were missing!!!! After googling this, it was clear the worst case happened: the threads holding up the lug nuts stripped off and sheared off because if you lose one, the weight is not distributed and they all fall out. The “CUDUNK” we heard was the wheel wobbling…we managed to survive 1.5 hours on the highway without this problem…

    Extremely lucky, a repair shop was 4 minute drive away; Kieran tightened the two remaining lug nuts and drove the car up to the shop. We explained the wedding situation with the shop owner and he was super understanding; agreed to hold our car until Monday!!!!

    We Ubered to Bob and Sheila’s with our bags and got everything packed in time for our flight to Seattle.

    Spots:
    Johnston Canyon
    Banff    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 218-221: US Pit Stop

    August 18, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Fantastic weekend celebrating Andrea and Jason’s wedding in Seattle! Mary and Andrea met in college through drumline and were both tenor players. It was a rough start to the friendship (Mary was an annoying freshman and Andrea was a junior just trying to survive college). However, Andrea went away to Korea for a semester; when she came back, she realized all of Mary’s awesome perks (love for new food, similar music tastes, car to take Andrea to Taco Bell and Chipotle).

    They became super close over the next two years and Mary even visited her twice in Korea and hosted Andrea in Baltimore when she would come back to the states!

    Thursday we held a mini-bachelorette and partied in Seattle! This included hot tubbing, decorating, and pregaming with the bachelor party for a night out in Capitol Hill. Kieran and Francis were real champs helping set everything up, grabbing drinks, and providing party like atmosphere! Friday was recovery and rehearsal dinner.

    Saturday (wedding day) had its bumps and stresses, but it was all mostly in Andrea’s head (because she’s anxious like that). We finally got her to put down her phone and computer at 12 for hair and make up! The wedding was super beautiful and the DJ killed the dance floor with disco, dance hits, and a bit of KPOP.

    Sunday was a bit of recovery and traveling back to Canada! Our flight was delayed so we got into Aunty Sheila and Uncle Bobs at 12:30am

    Spots:
    Lynwood
    Snowhomish
    Capitol Hill    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 222/223: Drive & Perley Rock Hike

    August 20, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Spent the night at Aunty Sheila and Uncle Bobs after landing at 12:00 am. We got to see Aunty Rene one more time as well as cousin Tyne for morning coffee. Bob took us to pick up the car and we reloaded all our gear and hit the road. We would spend the day driving to Revelstoke and resting to prepare for our hike.

    Tuesday we pushed our bodies on an 8 hour hike to see a glacier up close. The trail is 11.9 km and 1,249 m in elevation gain. It’s about 6 - 7 hours to the upper ridge and back, and then you also can walk down to the glacier and explore the surrounding ridges.

    This hike was sooo fucking steep and beautiful at the same time. We had to jump across rocks, lean against cliffs, and continually make noise for the bears. Probably 45 minutes from the ridge, Kieran’s calves were killing him and all the youngins kept passing us.

    When we reached the top, we were greeted with the most beautiful glacier and glacier pool with running melt water. Some people even jumped in, screaming after they realized they swimming in literal ice water. We explored the ridge and could see the other glacier sections as well as the waterfall we hiked a week ago.

    The hike down wasn’t as fun. It rained and Kieran tripped / rolled his ankle 3 times. All close calls, but he made it out with no injuries. Ended the evening soaking in the Airbnb hot tub with jets on full blast for our sore muscles.

    Best hike thus far for Canadian Rockies and probably surpasses Cerro Castillo from Patagonia because we got to stand on the glacier :)

    Spots:
    Revelstoke
    Glacier National Park
    Perley Rock Trail    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler
    11

    Day 224/225: Rest & Bagbie Falls Hike

    August 22, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Well the 8 hour hike defeated us so we used Wednesday as a recovery day. Watched The Boys Season 4 and made use of the Airbnb hot tub, grills, and outdoor area.

    Thursday we ventured to the Meadow in the Sky Parkway. It was crowded; they held people at the National Park Ranger gate on a one out one in system. Turned around and instead hiked around Bagbie Falls and Revelstoke Mountain Bike Park. Lots of mosquitos so we power walked through most of it. The Columbia River was super close and we played in the rocks and streams on the shore.

    A really cool thing about Revelstoke is that in the summer they have live music every single night from 6:30 - 9:00pm. We put on presentable clothing and ate amazing, traditional Mandarin food at Kevin’s Kitchen and watched live music while exploring downtown. It’s a really great spot and we hope that Revelstoke doesn’t fall prey to the touristyness of Banff.

    Spots:
    Bagbie Falls
    Columbia River
    Revelstoke    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 226: Meadows in the Sky & Kamloops

    August 23, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    Today we hiked our last Canadian Rocky alpine trail on the Meadows in the Sky Parkway. Mary was not feeling it at all today, but we still accomplished 10km up to Miller Lake (yes, “another fucking alpine lake” as she would say).

    The hike had nice wild flower meadows and a few rock slides. Lake Miller was of course blue, picturesque, and has some fishes swimming around.

    We made record time back down and drove 2.5 hours to Kamloops through a severe thunderstorm (so cool). Grabbed dinner and crashed hard.

    Spots:
    Meadow in the Sky
    Lake Miller
    Kamloops    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 227: Highway 99

    August 24, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Plan for the day is to drive to Kieran’s Aunt Patty, Uncle Gordie, and Cousin Eric’s house in Pemberton. We got side tracked, though, meeting a lovely German couple Jan and Lina at our guest home. We spend 3 hours talking life in America, politics in Poland, and the Wire, which Lina and Jan loved.

    We got on the road about 12 and drove the beautiful Highway 99 through Lillooet and Duffey Lake Provincial Park. The views were incredible and wish we had spent more time in this area. Definitely saving this for a future trip.

    We got in just in time for dinner and got to hang with the family!

    Spots:
    Highway 99
    Pemberton    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler
    11

    Day 228: Perkins Party

    August 25, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    When Kieran told his cousin we were coming to visit, Eric thought it would be funny to suggest we go shooting. His joke was ruined when we said, “Yeah, sure, why not?”

    Eric and Gordie loaded the trucks with the dog and guns and we drove along Pemberton Meadows to Kieran’s grandparents farm (655 acres for sale BTW). They set up a wooden board and paper targets and loaded the guns for us. Kieran has shot before and it took Mary a bit of time before she stepped up. Those guns were so heavy and it’s a wonder that people can hold them up and straight to hit a deer.

    After shooting, we drove around the property looking for bear tracks and threw rocks/branches into the river. Eventually drove home and completed some yard work to help out at the grandparents old house since we were staying for free.

    For dinner we ate tacos and watched a documentary on the Columbia Space Shuttle last flight with Patty.

    Spots:
    Pemberton Meadows    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearCanadaTraveler

    Day 229/230: North Vancouver

    August 27, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    We took the last two days pretty chill. Spent Monday doing yard work and getting re-packed for backpack travel. Said goodbye to Patty and Mary’s car. Eric drove us down to North Vancouver to stay with Cousin Isabel and Carson. We got sushi for dinner and it was delicious.

    Isabel and Carson have the most beautiful home with Polo the big dog and two Siamese cats Moon and Pigeon. It’s tucked away behind pine trees and a little stream runs through the back. Because we are headed into Asia, we used Tuesday to research and book accommodations across Japan and Taiwan.

    Apologies for all the cat pictures since we didn’t go anywhere :)

    Spots:
    North Vancouver
    Lonsdale    Read more

    Trip end
    September 1, 2024
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