The Adventure Begins

We arrived in Calgary, Alberta and spent a short time in the city beforeheading west toBanff. This was the first time our daughters have seen the Rocky Mountains, so we spent timehiking and driving north of Banff to take in as much of the scenery as possible. The glacier lakes were a spectacular turquoise color. Peyto Lake has a short trail going through what they call "The Snow Forest" and it was actually snowing when we hiked to the lake! Hiking the trails was our favourite activity and it will take another vacation to hike them all. The Johnston Canyon Trail in Banff National Park was the most unique because of the catwalks bolted to the canyon wall.

Our first B&B accommodation was very special in Kelowna, BC, which was our next stop heading west from Banff. Leaving the mountain scenery and entering the desert-like scenery of the Okanagan Valley was very different. We were glad to warm up in Kelowna because we were in a cool stretch of weather in Banff. The home where we stayed provided us with two private bedrooms downstairs. It was sweet cherry season and the girls were invited to pick some cherries off the backyard tree… that's what you call hospitality! Of course, local wineries are well noted everywhere so we took a day to visit a couple in Kelowna and spend some time at a local beach along the massive Okanagan Lake (the water was surprisingly cold, but refreshing) just to relax.

We traveled onward to Vancouver after spending two very enjoyable nights in Kelowna. We had lots to check out in Vancouver, so we spent three nights. Our B&B was in West Vancouver, in a quiet residential area, next to the newly developed "sea-walk" that takes you near the Lion's Gate Bridge. Over the next few days we were able to check out the city and we even rented bikes for 6 hours one day to cycle around Stanley Park, then to Granville Market. That day was very special because my husband and I were celebrating our 25th anniversary. The day ended with a special meal at a restaurant that was recommended by our B&B hosts. They had also given us info on places to check out in the city. We emphasize the advantages of staying in a B&B home where you can be given information, which would not easily be available staying elsewhere! We call them personal "perks"! Again, our hosts respected our privacy, but we enjoyed having interaction, especially during the delicious breakfasts.

We left Vancouver after doing as much as possible in three days. We headed west to Vancouver Island. Our hosts advised us to make reservations for the ferry, another valuable piece of information. Before going to our B&B in Victoria, we stopped to spend some time at Butchart Gardens. This was a return visit for my husband and I and just as enjoyable the second time… 16 years later! Victoria reminds me of a quaint little city, something similar to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where you have a waterfront boardwalk with street entertainers and artists. It left you feeling all warm and cozy!

We left Victoria after spending two nights and headed north and then west to the Pacific Rim of Vancouver Island. We found the drive longer than expected but we made frequent stops…Chemainus, Cathedral Grove (massive cedar and hemlock trees!) and Port Alberni. We found the tiny crab-fishing village of Ucluelet, where we stayed at a wonderful B&B. It felt like we had our own apartment in the lower level of this home. The fridge had breakfast foods and so did the table (freshly baked croissants, homemade jam and granola, yum!) Our hosts were very proud of the newly finished Wild Pacific hiking trail. It was exactly that, wild rocky coastline that brushed your face with the smell of the Pacific Ocean. We did drive north to Tofino, a more popular tourist town with the nearbyLong Beach where you can walk forever (we watched surfers also). We could not leave without having a meal of the famous Dungeness crab, delicious!

It was time to leave Vancouver Island so we took the Horseshoe Bay ferry, which takes you to North Vancouver. We had a nice drive to Whistler where we spent one night at a very luxurious B&B. It was within the same price range of the previous B&B's and it had goose down duvets and a family Jacuzzi just outside our bedroom! Our hosts provided us with a decadent German breakfast the next day. They gave us directions to take a more scenic route to Clearwater, BC and we found it to be well worth the bit of extra time it took. Can you imagine a desert canyon country with sagebrush, and the only source of water was the mighty Fraser River! It was incredibly hot and the air was heavy with the smell of smoke from a nearby forest fire that added to the surrounding atmosphere. It was an incredible drive and we highly recommend the route also.

We had a classic country setting for our overnight in Clearwater. Our hosts raise sheep and keep a couple dogs to ward off the local wildlife of cougars and bears. We had a very brief time to check out one scenic area that was a must according to our hosts. It was only 10 minutes north from their home in Wells Gray Provincial Park. We hiked a very short trail through a campground and to our surprise we suddenly came to an incredible canyon where the Spahatts Falls was gushing to a several hundred foot drop! Ellison also recommended this park and we did not allow enough time to check it out. There never is enough time to do everything …… oh well, next time!

After having one of the best home-cooked breakfasts, we continued our journey east to Jasper (about 300 km from Clearwater).We stopped at the Terry Fox roadside park to view the mountain dedicated to Terry Fox. It is a nice size mountain but the nearby towering Mt.Robson demanded more attention, being the highest peak in the Rockies at 3954 meters. Jasper was our base for the next two nights. It is very similar to Banff but it does not attract as much as attention because it is that much further north. We found the mountains were more spectacular south of Jasper. We spent a day going to the Columbia Icefields, taking the SnoCoach Tour on the Athabasca Glacier. This was the third time for my husband and he really noticed how much the glacier has receded in the past 20-30 years…global warming! We had time to go on a hike just a short drive south to the Parker Ridge trail.There is no doubt that this was the most spectacular scenery we have seen. The weather was perfect, the alpine flowers were in full bloom, the view of the Saskatchewan glacier was breath taking and the girls had a blast throwing snowballs. It was warm enough for shorts and cool enough for snowballs in July!

We continued east to Edmonton where our sole purpose was to take the girls to the West Edmonton Mall. Having two teen-age daughters involved fitting in a shopping day at the world's largest indoor mall! Our B&B was in West Edmonton so we literally crashed for the night after spending several hours at the mall. Our host was very hospitable and wanted a photo of our family to put in her album of guests. This was our last B&B and we were sent off with another excellent breakfast.

We could not finish our three-week vacation without visiting another world-famous site, Drumheller, Alberta and Dinosaur National Park.One of our keen interests is geology and what a perfect ending to our road trip before flying home from Calgary.The landscape was very surreal because after driving the prairie, the land opened up as if it was rippedopen to view the layered ancientland where so many dinosaur remains are still being found.We spent one night in Drumheller, a small town that has tastefully utilized the presence of the dinosaur fossils. The Royal Tyrrell Museum is incredible and we would love to return and take our time just to absorb all the information that is displayed so well.

Sadly, our vacation came to an end but not without a big smile. Thanks to Ellison from Canada West for playing such an instrumental role in making this, our family's dream vacation, come true!

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