Today we left our cabin and set off along the Trans-Canada Highway from Jasper to Banff.
On the way we stopped off at the Icefields Parkway by the Athabasca Glacier. We bought tickets and we taken, first by bus, and then by a heavy duty truck up part of the glacier. We were able to spend 20 minutes walking around on the ice before we returned to base.
Our journey was constantly interrupted as we saw wildlife or glorious views and had to stop to get a picture. We did see a bear and cub but they were hidden by dense undergrowth and I couldn't get a good picture.
The journey finish when we arrived at our friend's house in Cochane, just outside Calgary.
We will be up early tomorrow to ensure good seats at the opening parade of the Stampede.
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Splashing out
Today is our last full day in Jasper National Park. The sky wasn’t as overcast as yesterday and we could see some blue sky as we drove to Jasper. We met up with our guide and driver for the rafting. There were six of us in the bus as we drove off. Our guide, Ron, went through the introductions. There was one Canadian pair, one Australian couple and us two English.
As we left Jasper we were held up by a road closed after an avalanche. When we arrived at the river we unloaded the raft and were issued with our wetsuits and life jackets. Ron demonstrated how to get into the raft and secure yourself. He also told us what to do if we fell overboard.
The river looked wide and fast flowing as we carried the raft to the bank. I was at the front of the raft for the first part of the trip. Off we set. The trip was a 5 miles long and ranked as class 2 so not too difficult.
Ron told us that following the hot weather the river was running higher and faster than normal. He estimated that the river was running at 10 kept. The journey time would be 50 minutes, whereas a couple of weeks earlier it would have taken 75 minutes. During the journey the cloud cover reduced and we were in sunshine for most of the trip.
Off we set. Ron explained that he would ask us to row to that we would move faster than the water so that he could steer the raft. Our first set of rapids were not too big but it did leave our feet rather wet. We didn’t paddle all the time and during the rests Ron told the history of the area and pointed out the flora, fauna and geology we were passing.
The next two sets of rapids were hard and at times the raft shop upwards leaving me with no water to put the paddle in. Waves splashed over us.
Eddie, the driver, had taken the bus further up the river and as we rounded the bend he was there taking a few shots of us struggling against the waves.
Just after this the two of us at the front exchanged places with those in the second seats.
Ron then announced we were about to arrive at the last chance to be swept overboard, and up ahead we saw the tell tale white horses. We paddled like made so that Ron could steer us into the middle of the rapids. We were lifted up and throw down over and over again. Screams of laughter and excitement could be heard.
There was one last rough patch as we went under the bridge and we were told to paddle like made to Ron could steer to the landing area. We failed to make the first inlet and had to settle for the second one. The raft following us up failed even that and ended up about 30 metres further down river.
By the time we had got changed and been driven back to the pick up point the pictures had been burned onto a CD ready for us to take away. We drove back to the cabin had a snack and relaxed. I put the wet underclothes on the back on the car to dry in the sunlight.
After our rest I suggested a trip out along the highway eastwards towards Hinton. So off we set. After about 10 kilometres we passed the entrance gate. The scenery was slowly getting flatter and no t looking too interesting so we turned round. We saw a sign for Wild Horse Lake, 5 km, so we turned off, straight onto a dirt track, a very rocky dirt track. We gave up after 2 km and turned round as the dust was getting too much.
We joined the queue waiting go through the Park Entrance. When we got to the front we were asked how long we are staying and then discovered there is a $20 per day charge for staying in the park. Thanks to the ambulance a couple of days we had saved $40 plus tax.
I wanted to take some photos of the mountains so we droved passed Pocahontas and back towards Jasper. We stopped to take photos of some mountain goats that were climbing on the rocks at the side of the road. As I walked back to the car I noticed that my shirt was hanging from the rear windscreen wipers and suddenly realised that I hadn’t taken the clothes off the back of the car. God knows where they were. Rita made sure she reminded me that I was as bad as my Dad, who had driven off with a cake still on the car roof some 40 years earlier.
We are now back in the cabin packing for our journey to Cochrane tomorrow. We will be stopping off on the Ice Fields on the way.
As we left Jasper we were held up by a road closed after an avalanche. When we arrived at the river we unloaded the raft and were issued with our wetsuits and life jackets. Ron demonstrated how to get into the raft and secure yourself. He also told us what to do if we fell overboard.
The river looked wide and fast flowing as we carried the raft to the bank. I was at the front of the raft for the first part of the trip. Off we set. The trip was a 5 miles long and ranked as class 2 so not too difficult.
Ron told us that following the hot weather the river was running higher and faster than normal. He estimated that the river was running at 10 kept. The journey time would be 50 minutes, whereas a couple of weeks earlier it would have taken 75 minutes. During the journey the cloud cover reduced and we were in sunshine for most of the trip.
Off we set. Ron explained that he would ask us to row to that we would move faster than the water so that he could steer the raft. Our first set of rapids were not too big but it did leave our feet rather wet. We didn’t paddle all the time and during the rests Ron told the history of the area and pointed out the flora, fauna and geology we were passing.
The next two sets of rapids were hard and at times the raft shop upwards leaving me with no water to put the paddle in. Waves splashed over us.
Eddie, the driver, had taken the bus further up the river and as we rounded the bend he was there taking a few shots of us struggling against the waves.
Just after this the two of us at the front exchanged places with those in the second seats.
Ron then announced we were about to arrive at the last chance to be swept overboard, and up ahead we saw the tell tale white horses. We paddled like made so that Ron could steer us into the middle of the rapids. We were lifted up and throw down over and over again. Screams of laughter and excitement could be heard.
There was one last rough patch as we went under the bridge and we were told to paddle like made to Ron could steer to the landing area. We failed to make the first inlet and had to settle for the second one. The raft following us up failed even that and ended up about 30 metres further down river.
By the time we had got changed and been driven back to the pick up point the pictures had been burned onto a CD ready for us to take away. We drove back to the cabin had a snack and relaxed. I put the wet underclothes on the back on the car to dry in the sunlight.
After our rest I suggested a trip out along the highway eastwards towards Hinton. So off we set. After about 10 kilometres we passed the entrance gate. The scenery was slowly getting flatter and no t looking too interesting so we turned round. We saw a sign for Wild Horse Lake, 5 km, so we turned off, straight onto a dirt track, a very rocky dirt track. We gave up after 2 km and turned round as the dust was getting too much.We joined the queue waiting go through the Park Entrance. When we got to the front we were asked how long we are staying and then discovered there is a $20 per day charge for staying in the park. Thanks to the ambulance a couple of days we had saved $40 plus tax.
I wanted to take some photos of the mountains so we droved passed Pocahontas and back towards Jasper. We stopped to take photos of some mountain goats that were climbing on the rocks at the side of the road. As I walked back to the car I noticed that my shirt was hanging from the rear windscreen wipers and suddenly realised that I hadn’t taken the clothes off the back of the car. God knows where they were. Rita made sure she reminded me that I was as bad as my Dad, who had driven off with a cake still on the car roof some 40 years earlier.
We are now back in the cabin packing for our journey to Cochrane tomorrow. We will be stopping off on the Ice Fields on the way.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
What's Maligne?
Today is Canada Day. A national holiday so the roads would be busy.
We had read that the Maligne River and Maligne Lake were worth a visit and being only 40 miles away it would be a good day out. The morning had started slightly over cast with occasional burst of sunlight.
There was a small problem. I did something to my right ankle the night before just before bed and it really hurt. It was still painful in the morning and I was hobbling.
We decided to miss out breakfast so we could get away early. At the start of the road going to the lake there were warnings about the wildlife that we may encounter. We hadn’t gone too far when we saw break lights going on future up the road. There was a caribou eating the dandelions on the roadside. We got out and took a few photos.
Our first main stop was Medicine Lake. This is an unusual lake. During the spring the melting snow fills the lake and then as summer starts the lake level drops until it is nearly empty. The problem was that there was no visible outlet. It was only discovered recently that the water drains through dozens of sinkholes in the lake bed. I managed to hobble around and take a few photos.
We drove to Maligne Lake without seeing anymore wildlife. Not long after parking we bumped into an English couple who showed us a photo of a small black bear walking across the road that we had driven down less than 5 minutes earlier. Damn!
The scenery around the lake is beautiful. Unfortunately the sun was still behind complete cloud cover so everything looked washed out. While having some sandwiches we were entertained by a chipmunk that was running around the picnic area and under people’s feet, picking up bits of dropped food.
We booked a tour of the lake. The lake tour was enjoyable but we saw no wildlife except for two mountain sheep a long way away on the mountain side.
Not long after leaving the lake Rita suddenly shouted “It’s a bear, stop, stop!” I pulled over but I was unable to see the bear. Rita grabbed the camera and walked back about 50 feet and took a few photos. I got out and hobbled along. Just I got to her I saw the bear. It was black and looked small, but then it was about 50 yards away. By this time other cars had arrived and stopped. The bear did not seem to notice us but carried on eating. I got a few good photos are the bear appeared between the bushes. A few miles on we came across a family of goats.
We drove into Jasper. We wanted to get some supplies for breakfast. We also, rashly, booked seats on a white-water raft trip. OK it’s not the really serious raft trip. We are not that stupid. We found a very good restaurant, Fiddle River, where I had a Bison rib-eye steak and Rita had Muskox. The Bison steak was like a normal steak but much leaner and with a slight gamey flavour. The Muskox was like beef but sweeter.
We had read that the Maligne River and Maligne Lake were worth a visit and being only 40 miles away it would be a good day out. The morning had started slightly over cast with occasional burst of sunlight.
There was a small problem. I did something to my right ankle the night before just before bed and it really hurt. It was still painful in the morning and I was hobbling.
We decided to miss out breakfast so we could get away early. At the start of the road going to the lake there were warnings about the wildlife that we may encounter. We hadn’t gone too far when we saw break lights going on future up the road. There was a caribou eating the dandelions on the roadside. We got out and took a few photos.
Our first main stop was Medicine Lake. This is an unusual lake. During the spring the melting snow fills the lake and then as summer starts the lake level drops until it is nearly empty. The problem was that there was no visible outlet. It was only discovered recently that the water drains through dozens of sinkholes in the lake bed. I managed to hobble around and take a few photos.
We drove to Maligne Lake without seeing anymore wildlife. Not long after parking we bumped into an English couple who showed us a photo of a small black bear walking across the road that we had driven down less than 5 minutes earlier. Damn!
The scenery around the lake is beautiful. Unfortunately the sun was still behind complete cloud cover so everything looked washed out. While having some sandwiches we were entertained by a chipmunk that was running around the picnic area and under people’s feet, picking up bits of dropped food.
We booked a tour of the lake. The lake tour was enjoyable but we saw no wildlife except for two mountain sheep a long way away on the mountain side.
Not long after leaving the lake Rita suddenly shouted “It’s a bear, stop, stop!” I pulled over but I was unable to see the bear. Rita grabbed the camera and walked back about 50 feet and took a few photos. I got out and hobbled along. Just I got to her I saw the bear. It was black and looked small, but then it was about 50 yards away. By this time other cars had arrived and stopped. The bear did not seem to notice us but carried on eating. I got a few good photos are the bear appeared between the bushes. A few miles on we came across a family of goats.We drove into Jasper. We wanted to get some supplies for breakfast. We also, rashly, booked seats on a white-water raft trip. OK it’s not the really serious raft trip. We are not that stupid. We found a very good restaurant, Fiddle River, where I had a Bison rib-eye steak and Rita had Muskox. The Bison steak was like a normal steak but much leaner and with a slight gamey flavour. The Muskox was like beef but sweeter.
Monday, 30 June 2008
Onward to Jasper
We set off early this morning around eight but we failed to avoid the heat. Around 10am we stopped off to fill up with Gas and have some breakfast. There was an announcement on the radio that the forest fire cause by the car fire was still burning.
The traffic on the roads was light and we made good progress. Just after Valemont we were passed by a fire engine with al lights flashing. We started wondering if we would find the road ahead would be blocked. At Mount Robson we decided to stop off and have some coffee and a snack. The views were fantastic. While we were there an ambulance, sirens blaring, went past.
About 2 miles up the road we discovered the problem. An over turned car. It looked pretty battered. I could not see if anyone was injured.
A few miles later we arrived at the entry to Jasper National Park. We were stopped at the gate and the attendant started asking us some questions. Suddenly she stopped as she saw the ambulance we had passed earlier approaching. So that the ambulance could get through she waved us on, questions unasked.
The place we are staying, Pocahontas Cabins, is some 20 miles on the other side of Jasper through some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen ever. We are now settled in the cabin and Rita has disappeared to the laundry room. The cabin is very good, lounge with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The only thing missing is air conditioning. Luckily the cabins are under trees and are shaded from the direct sunlight.
Tonight we will eat in the restaurant and take a glass of wine while sitting on the veranda in front of our cabin. We will try to workout what we will do tomorrow which is Canada Day, its 141th birthday.
The traffic on the roads was light and we made good progress. Just after Valemont we were passed by a fire engine with al lights flashing. We started wondering if we would find the road ahead would be blocked. At Mount Robson we decided to stop off and have some coffee and a snack. The views were fantastic. While we were there an ambulance, sirens blaring, went past.
About 2 miles up the road we discovered the problem. An over turned car. It looked pretty battered. I could not see if anyone was injured.
A few miles later we arrived at the entry to Jasper National Park. We were stopped at the gate and the attendant started asking us some questions. Suddenly she stopped as she saw the ambulance we had passed earlier approaching. So that the ambulance could get through she waved us on, questions unasked.
The place we are staying, Pocahontas Cabins, is some 20 miles on the other side of Jasper through some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen ever. We are now settled in the cabin and Rita has disappeared to the laundry room. The cabin is very good, lounge with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The only thing missing is air conditioning. Luckily the cabins are under trees and are shaded from the direct sunlight.
Tonight we will eat in the restaurant and take a glass of wine while sitting on the veranda in front of our cabin. We will try to workout what we will do tomorrow which is Canada Day, its 141th birthday.
Hot off the Press
This morning we discovered that we were totally wrong about the temperature while we were waiting in line at Jackass Pass. It wasn’t in the 80s, it was in the 90s. In fact at 2pm it was 95°F, at 3pm it was 99°F and at 4pm it was 102 (39°C). This was a record for the area.
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Some like it hot.
We started out early before it got too hot. The night before I had phoned the transport help line at 10pm, yes they were still open, and was given the buses we need to catch to get to the Ferry Terminal. The bus arrived on time. Things were warming up by the time we got to the terminal.
The ferry journey was smooth and relaxing. We bought tickets for the bus to take us back to Vancouver. We arrived at the bus terminal were we had set out to travel to Seattle four days earlier. There we took the Skytrain, something we had not managed to ride on while we were in Vancouver the first time and then walked the 5 blocks to the car rental office. We arrived just after midday and by this time we were tired and very hot.
We were told that the cars were late in being delivered from the airport and we would have to wait. We waited nearly an hour. On the good side we were upgraded at no extra charge to a Chevy Outlander. Before we could start our journey we had to pick up our suitcases from the Ramada.
Driving in a busy city on the other side of the road with strange road signs in a car I had never driven was interesting. Rita’s job was to tell me what side of the road to go on at turns. It worked well.
We finally got out of the City. The aircon was working well and we were both felling comfortable. The raised position in the car was certainly a great benefit. There were two options to get to Kamloops; the scenic Highway 1 or the Highway 5 toll road. We opted for the scenic root. After about 50 miles we saw a huge plume of white smoke rising from the side of the road with black clouds at the base. Then saw the line of stationery traffic. We stopped and got out and withered in the extreme heat. It was at least kin the mid 80s. We discovered that a car had overheated and had burst into flames. It had also set fire to the nearby trees.
After sitting in the queue for about 45 minutes watching planes drop water and powder onto the fire and a helicopter Rita stopped a car going in the other direction. They had been close to the accident and had been told it would be over 2 hours before they would reopen the road. So they had turned round. We decided to do the same and drive the 50 miles back to Hope and then go on Highway 5.
We got as far as Merritt some 60 miles from Hope. We found a motel and a diner. We have an early start tomorrow to make up for lost time. Only 325 miles to go.
The ferry journey was smooth and relaxing. We bought tickets for the bus to take us back to Vancouver. We arrived at the bus terminal were we had set out to travel to Seattle four days earlier. There we took the Skytrain, something we had not managed to ride on while we were in Vancouver the first time and then walked the 5 blocks to the car rental office. We arrived just after midday and by this time we were tired and very hot.
We were told that the cars were late in being delivered from the airport and we would have to wait. We waited nearly an hour. On the good side we were upgraded at no extra charge to a Chevy Outlander. Before we could start our journey we had to pick up our suitcases from the Ramada.
Driving in a busy city on the other side of the road with strange road signs in a car I had never driven was interesting. Rita’s job was to tell me what side of the road to go on at turns. It worked well.
We finally got out of the City. The aircon was working well and we were both felling comfortable. The raised position in the car was certainly a great benefit. There were two options to get to Kamloops; the scenic Highway 1 or the Highway 5 toll road. We opted for the scenic root. After about 50 miles we saw a huge plume of white smoke rising from the side of the road with black clouds at the base. Then saw the line of stationery traffic. We stopped and got out and withered in the extreme heat. It was at least kin the mid 80s. We discovered that a car had overheated and had burst into flames. It had also set fire to the nearby trees.
After sitting in the queue for about 45 minutes watching planes drop water and powder onto the fire and a helicopter Rita stopped a car going in the other direction. They had been close to the accident and had been told it would be over 2 hours before they would reopen the road. So they had turned round. We decided to do the same and drive the 50 miles back to Hope and then go on Highway 5.
We got as far as Merritt some 60 miles from Hope. We found a motel and a diner. We have an early start tomorrow to make up for lost time. Only 325 miles to go.
Saturday, 28 June 2008
Whale of a time
The day started cloudless and sunny and it was like that all day.
We went out this morning on the Prince of Whales Zodiac. Unfortunately the Orca Pods were too far out for us to get to them. We did however come across a humpbacked whale. It was probably a young one and gave us quite a chase and it surfaced very briefly and then disappeared only to surface way away from where it had been previously.
Rita proved to be a natural at whale spotting and she is hoping to find a job on Japanese whaler. We never got really close but I got a few good photographs, although one was a fluke. The boat captain got out his fishing net and brought up some krill that were swarming all around our boat and why the humpback was there.
We also saw a bald eagle, seals and an elephant seal. All in all it was a very good trip out.
Tomorrow we are catching the ferry back to Vancouver to pick up the car.
We went out this morning on the Prince of Whales Zodiac. Unfortunately the Orca Pods were too far out for us to get to them. We did however come across a humpbacked whale. It was probably a young one and gave us quite a chase and it surfaced very briefly and then disappeared only to surface way away from where it had been previously.
Rita proved to be a natural at whale spotting and she is hoping to find a job on Japanese whaler. We never got really close but I got a few good photographs, although one was a fluke. The boat captain got out his fishing net and brought up some krill that were swarming all around our boat and why the humpback was there.
We also saw a bald eagle, seals and an elephant seal. All in all it was a very good trip out.
Tomorrow we are catching the ferry back to Vancouver to pick up the car.
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