Canada 2018

april 2018 - juli 2025
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Celebrating 37 years married by discovering Vancouver and the Rockies plus Seattle & Vancouver Island. Läs mer
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  • Jasper... Queenstown on steroids

    5 maj 2018, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    With a name like Jasper, you'd expect something special for this town. It didn't disappoint! We arrived in the town after travelling along the Icefield Parkway, a 230km trek from Lake Louise.

    Whistlers Campground was our resting spot. This park, 5 mins out of Jasper, is run by National Parks and set amongst tall fir trees next to Whistlers Peak. It is huge taking 10 mins thru to our spot. You park next to your picnic table, hook up electricity and toilets are walking distance.

    Overnight temps were bearable. I rose early, before 6 am, and went for my 5k walk, saw my first elk. We went up Whistlers Peak on the Air Tram, from 1200m to 2200m, with clouds scudding past, briefly interrupting our views. Vistas of Jasper, Pyramid Peak and many other mountains.

    I decided to do the 45-min. trek to the top of the mountain, still peppered with snow and ice, but with enough rocks and dry path to make walking possible. Discovered another red chair.

    Next we visited Maligne Canyon, only metres wide but carved by water over the years. We went past an empty Medicine Lake finally found frozen Maligne Lake. Our day was complete after discovering two red chairs... we just sat and enjoyed the serenity!
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  • A morning snapshot

    5 maj 2018, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    It's a delight to sit in our Canadian campsite [Whistlers in Jasper] and listen to the morning sounds. Kids waking up, birds squawking, train whilstling in the distance, but the overall volume is of 'no sound'. Silence. It can be so deafening at times, but in a luscious way.

    I look out from my picnic table and see a ranger vehicle, bear-resisting rubbish bins, several RVs, tents and 5th wheelers amongst plenty of fir trees. Some trees are dead but most are a mid-green colour. There is grass in various states of repair after a long winter from late November. Now everything is straining for the warmth and energy of summer.

    Today's walk was exhilarating, showcasing my first two elk seen in the wild. I walked on one of many paths created by Parks Canada, seeing the fast flowing Athabasca River. It just amazes me the volume of water flowing so strongly and so far from the coast. Water is abundant supply!

    This part of the country, the Jasper region, sits at just over 1000 metres in elevation, with the surrounding mountains rising up over to almost 3000 metres, providing snow-covered vistas all around. The air is fresh, the temperature is above zero [about 8 degrees right now]

    Peace reigns in this moment!
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  • Words can hardly express the ‘WOW’ factor of this 230km trek. Travelling north, and then south three days later, we found ourselves amazed, speechless, exhilarated and finally exhausted.

    Frozen lakes became common, starting with Lake Louise. It wasn't perfect blue skies, pristine waters, green grass and red canoes. Oh no, there was more than a metre of snow in places, with ice rinks still noticeable on the lake’s surface and heavy skies in the background.

    Heading north saw increasing snow, with our highest point just over 2000m. On the return trip a detour saw me walk in snow for twenty minutes to get a view of the famous Peyto Lake!

    Flowing water has led to amazing rock formations and waterfalls - Mistaya Canyon, Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls - all highlighting the incredible force of water over time. Photos don’t really show its true power and dynamic.

    Athabasca Glacier was amazin - it's deeper than the Eiffel Tower is tall. We ventured through some snow to a viewpoint. With a strong glacial breeze, it gave us an inkling of its uniqueness!

    On our return journey gloriously clear skies were enjoyed. We were blessed with wildlife - black bear, grizzly bear, large horned sheep, elk, deer... to name a few. Q. What's a traffic jam along the Parkway? People photographing wildlife. Parkway... you are beyond WOW!
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  • Lake Louise still shrouded in mist and ice
    Lower Joffre lake - our first ever frozen lake!Stunning Maligne Lake still a frozen emblem of winterLoving the freezing conditions... feeling ALIVE!Emerald Lake beginning to reveal its colour thru the iceNormally brilliant blue Peyto still covered in white [ice]

    Oh no... it's frozen!

    3 maj 2018, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    Ever walked on water? Maybe when you’ve been chased by a shark in the surf. But besides Jesus 2000 years ago it’s not common. So the intrigue of ambling across a frozen lake was enticing to say the least.

    Both of us ventured a little on the ice seeing the water below. Most lakes in the Rockies were beginning to melt, but spring was still early and night time temps held the water solid for now.

    We had the privilege of accidentally discovering Lower Joffre Lake, [See Accidental Discovery] With low cloud, plenty of snow on 300m trail to the lake and then tall trees surrounding this little gem of water above the snow line.

    Once into the Rockies frozen lakes became common. We enjoyed seeing a stunningly white Emerald Lake, the famous Lake Louise, the well hidden but majestic Maligne Lake, and of course my favourite, the normally deep blue Peyto Lake - still frozen and it's early May!

    What an honour to see these majestic bodies of water! And then to imagine paddling a red canoe across their crystal clear waters in a few week’s time. That’s for another trip!
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  • Revelstoke Bakery & Cafe... great place
    RV style... stopping where & when you desire!Poutine - traditional Canadian winter's delightAn awesome chicken dinner @ The Local, Victoria BCMy best coffee... discovered on our final day!Our Royal afternoon tea @ Fairmont Banff Springs

    Foodies on the road

    3 maj 2018, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We can't deny that part of our travel experience involves food. Why? We are intrigued with the tastes, colours, origins, ambience that combine to make the eating experience. Add the unique settings and you enter a world of intrigue and magic delight.

    Rather than work through a long list of great moments, let me share a few.

    Cafe/bakery in Revelstoke - a cafe filled with cakes and pastries plus the best coffee in town

    Eating in the RV - It's a privilege to prepare a meal anywhere you choose whilst travelling

    Poutine - a famous Eastern Canadian delicacy - chips, melted cheese, gravy & chives

    Great meal @ The Local - for our last dinner on Canadian soil a pub meal @ The Local

    The Best Coffee - an unexpected moments, after 2hrs walking. Made by old Asian guy

    Our 37th anniversary afternoon tea - May 2018 royal wedding food at Fairmont Banff Springs

    Delighted!
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  • One of 3 bridges across the ColumbiaBehind us the mighty Columbia RiverA delightful perspective and backdropIconic domes & art deco building of the main streetThe symbol for the town... the grizzly!

    Stoked in Revel

    2 maj 2018, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    How would I describe Revelstoke, BC? Think Queenstown [NZ], Beechworth [Victoria], Obberamagau [Bavaria] then add charm, pride, setting and really friendly people and you've got 'the Stoke'. In winter a skiiing / snowboarding mecca; in summer a mountain bike paradise.

    We arrived Tuesday, and just the entrance alone was enough to say we had to stay. With six main mountains well over 2000 metres surrounding the town and the mighty Columbia River flowing through the centre, the setting is spectacular.

    Snow was on all the mountain tops, but only a month ago the whole area was struggling with the heaviest falls in the valley ever - one to two metres deep everywhere! A lovely walk across the deep blue river saw us finish our day. The sun disappeared behind one of the mountains at 6:30pm but still light well after 9pm.

    After breakfast we walked into town and found the mandatory coffee shop, enjoying a decent 'flat white'. The town has many 'art deco' buildings so the cameras were busy. Then Sheree wandered around the shops and I hired a bike to enjoy the delights of the trails along the river.

    Our dinner under our tree at the RV park was delghtful, enjoying the quietness, the stillness and the freshness on offer. We were 'stoked'!
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  • The Last Spike being driven in November, 1885
    Sheree driving it in even furtherTrying to be the hero... missed... OUCH!!!Rocky Mountaineer arriving with another load of visitorsCan you imagine stepping off the train to this view? BANFFAnother freight train making its way besides the Fraser River

    How the west was won!

    1 maj 2018, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    When you’re on a four lane freeway driving through the Rockies it's hard to imagine a time before modern transportation. The indigenous people understood the climate, landscape and migration of Western Canada. The prairies to the east were vastly different to the mountainous west. Navigating the Rockies meant mountains, river crossings and massive winter snows.

    Along came the ‘white fella’ and the resources were quickly taken/'stolen' and consumed for profit. Transport became a critical factor in building a new economy. First, foot and horse, then stagecoach, and eventually paddle steamer.

    But a mid-1800's Gold Rush saw rail as the best transport option. Fast forward to 1885 and Craigellachie, right in the middle of the Rockies, became the site for driving The Last Spike, where east joined west. The frontier was open for trade.

    Paddle steamers, horse, stagecoach and foot transport quickly lessened as rail became the dominant transport mode. Durng our sojourn we were never far from a train whistle, these behemoths taking up to 10 minutes before they'd finally passed-by.
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  • Hope - chainsaw carving capital
    The flowing Coquihalla RiverOur campsiteThe main town parkBlue Moose coffee and sconeOthello tunnels no longer used by the railway

    Hope... full moments

    30 april 2018, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    When you visit the town of Hope you expect something special. This town is familiar with fame, various big movies have been shot in the area [Sylvester Stallone and one of the Rambo series]. I expected to see a familiar face or two, but to no avail.

    Our stay overnight was wonderful, the second night in our RV. Quirky little park, but it suited our purpose of visiting the Othello Tunnels, old train tunnels dug in the push for rail running east to west. We walked alongside the Coquihalla River, joining the much larger Fraser River.

    Hope's other claim to fame, CHAINSAW CARVING. Many unique carvings littered the centre of town. With no shortage of logs, artists with chainsaws [not a common tool of creativity], created eagles, tigers, moose and even a hairy mountain man [Sheree suggesting that would be me after living in the Canadian wilderness for a month or so]

    Our main discovery was the Blue Moose - the produce a coffee to die for! It was a fascinating study in the locals - people proud of their little patch, surrounded by snow and tree covered mountains, Highway 1 and the mighty Fraser River flowing through its midst. A pleasant time... a place worth we will visit again!
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  • Looking down into Hell's GateThe mighty Fraser River valley heading to VancouverIncredibly powerful dynamics of water and mountainVery comfortable chairs

    Fraser Valley flaunt

    29 april 2018, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    The Fraser River originates near the Rockies' tallest mountains, Mt Robson. But today was about following a section of the Fraser, from Lillooet in the north to Hope in the South, including the towns of Lytton, Boston Bar and the famous Hell’s Gate.

    If you want to see the amazing power of water, do this drive. Incredible mountains and agriculture on each side, farms eeking out an existence on each side on any available flat section. This drive offers spectacular cliffs, great ingenuity and the resilience of the locals.

    It was a tad long and rough at times for Sheree, but well worth the several hundred kms of detour. The bonus was seeing our first deer in the wild. We finally made our camp site right on dark, ready to call it a day.

    It's really hard to capture the essence of the river but here are some highlights… Enjoy the pics!
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  • An accidental discovery

    29 april 2018, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    An absolute highlight of our trip so far was the accident discovery of Lower Joffre Lake. We’d been climbing a range in the RV for at least 20 minutes, taking us into snow region, but with low hanging cloud it was hard to make out what was around. Then this sign indicated a lake was nearby and with the car park half full we decided to stop and take a peek.

    Well, to our absolute delight, a fifteen minute walk through snow covered ground led us to a lake covered in snow and ice. It was like we’d entered a winter wonderland, a magic place we’d dreamed of many times. The spring melt had only just started at Joffre Lake and so both of us got to walk [very gingerly] out onto the ice. What a privilege! The silence was profound and extremely magnetic… could have stayed there for hours!

    Then the road descended rapidly, the sky cleared and we entered a much dryer part of the country, with very tall mountains, plunging cliffs and powerful rivers flowing in the valleys, resulting in our eventual arrival at Lillooet, a First Nations town in the middle of BC.

    Now onto our Fraser River experience!
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