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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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