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DAY 19: Saturday 1st May 2010 -CANMORE (by Darryl)
Vernon was a nice little town, we found the cbd was pretty handy with some good, cheap shops and all in walking distance of the motel. Sounds like it gets stinking hot here over summer though, with temperatures over 40 degrees C!
Back on the road again, we pass some classic American rural scenery which includes those red/white barns, some tumbling down and on a serious lean. Soon we arrive at Sicamous which is on the beautiful Shuswap Lake, so we stop for a picnic lunch by a boatramp near the railway.
Theres quite a cold breeze and the town is very quiet. While wandering around Callum spots a fish near the jetty so we convince Sarah that it needs to be caught! (she rolls her eyes). The boys all have a go and lots of casts later still no takes, but by now the weather is closing in - so on the famous “last cast” I finally manage to hook up and land a Northern Pikeminnow, similar to the one Lachie caught. My first fish in Canada!
Now we are back on Highway 1 (the Trans Canada Highway?) and
our next stop is just a short stretch of the legs at Revelstoke, surrounded by beautiful snowy mountains and the wind is getting really icy now. We drive through Glacier national park, where the mountains just keep on getting larger and steeper and the temperature continues its steady decline. We pass through a series of snow sheds which I think are there so the avalanches clear the road? We stop occasionally to take some photos, and see channels of ice or snow that extend all the way down from the mountain tops to the river below the road.
In a small place called Edelweiss we spot a real McCoy roadside diner (which Sarah has been looking forward to) so as its near enough to dinner time we decide to take a break and check it out. Well the diner is just what we were looking for - a big meal of burgers and fries, lashings of coffee, with some hard case local yokels in the background. The service was the best yet, so I felt the tip was worthwhile, and the boys were fascinated with a full size gumball machine. In fact, we decide that ‘New Sensations’ by Lou
Reed should be our new travelling soundtrack, as he put it much better:
I took my (Dodge Caravan) out for a ride, the engine felt good between my thighs,
The air felt cold - it was forty degrees outside.
I rode to Pennsylvania near the Delaware Gap, sometimes I got lost and had to check the map.
I stopped at a roadside diner for a burger and a coke.
There was some country folk and some hunters inside, somebody got themselves married and somebody died, I went to the jukebox and played a hillbilly song.
They was arguing ‘bout football as I waved and went outside, and I headed for the mountains feeling warm inside. I love that (Dodge) so much you know that I could kiss her.
Ooh ooh, new sensations
Ooh ooh, new sensations……… Its getting late now and it makes it worse that we also have to put our watches forward one hour, as we pass another time zone near Alberta. I think we also pass through Yoho National Park. More stunning mountain vistas with snowy tops and jagged rocky faces greet us so we just have to stop here and there for photos. One
stop is near the Kicking Horse River (cool name aye?) which is crystal clear with a colourful stoney bottom, and we all have a bit of fun running around in the snow along the rivers edge. We pass a few more rivers that look pretty fishy (The Eagle River and the Illecillewaet? To name a few) and we spot a few deer on the roadside. We are soon into Banff National Park and pass the town of Lake Louise.
It’s getting dark now and the twilight is tricky to see in as the headlights make no difference. There is bugger-all roadmarking in places too, and just to make it more interesting we approach a long series of roadworks where the traffic is deviated off & on the carriageway over and over again. By now I’m finding it hard going trying to see where the hell I’m going, and just to top it off it then starts to snow!
We pass under lots of short, half round tunnels that we are not sure of the function, as there are no roads above? (Could be something to do with heavy snow or snowmobiles?)
We finally arrive in Canmore quite late
(10pm BC time / 11pm Alberta) and the motel looks nice and welcoming as we approach to see a few patrons chatting around a big log fire out front. Although we made a lot of stops, the actual driving time took a hell of a lot longer than the 5.5 hours anticipated; I guess the weather and darkness didn’t help. Anyway it was a spectacular drive and we all had a great time along the way. A nice hot soak in the bath was a welcome end to the day.
DAY 20: Sunday 2nd May 2010 -CANMORE
There was a light dusting of snow outside this morning but it disappeared quickly. As I wandered around outside the motel, I was stunned by the close proximity and shear size of the snowy jagged mountains around us, as we had not seen this view last night arriving late in darkness.
Canmore is situated between two main ranges of the Canadian Rockies and the setting is breathtaking. I thought Jasper was cool, but this is even better. You feel these mountains towering over you and it makes you feel quite insignificant.
We were all just about to all hop in the
car for a daytrip to Banff when I noticed the passenger rear tyre was quite flat. No problem, just put the spare on and we’re off? Not quite - it turns out that some mean bugger (the previous owner?) has switched the spare and it doesn’t bloody fit!! (it starts snowing on me about this time too) So I roll the flat wheel down to the nearest servo (where it costs 50c for air!) and roll it back, and we are finally off - although a bit late now at about 1:30pm.
You have to purchase a Parks pass to drive the roads/use facilities here in National Parks, but we were issued with one from the motel.
Banff is gorgeous, and fairly new looking with architecture in Swiss Alps style using lots of timber & stone, and many two storey buildings. It also looks very expensive!
We pickup some late lunch at the Safeway supermarket (hot wedges and chicken bites) cos its pretty cool today - I guess around 5 degrees?
On our way up to the Gondola on Sulphur Mountain, and we spot a wild deer wander into a driveway and start grazing on someones front lawn!
The gondola ride is spectacular and pretty exciting for the kids. It starts off at a typical gondola height and then further up you realize it is suddenly very bloody high and a little scary - Sarah is hanging on!
The wraparound views from the observation deck are incredible, but freezing cold so we nip into the restaurant for some hot drinks and keep checking out the view from the warmth behind the glass windows.
Outside again later, the boys enjoy walking along a path where we can play in the snow, and later there are some light snow flurries which is nice. The weather looks threatening at times, but passes quickly.
After another squillion snowy mountain photos and picking up some tee shirts and a book at the gift shop, we hop back in the gondola for the return ride at about 5:30pm.
Stopping to look at the National Park HQ building which is a beauty old stone mansion, a deer comes hurtling down the road - spooked by a car. We follow and find it grazing in the grounds of the Nat Park HQ and the boys stalk it and shoot it down in blazing rounds of
camera fire!
Back to the motel for dinner and later we catch up on journals, downloading photos, checking emails, booking more accommodation etc. Talking to the lads on the front desk - it sounds as though the Cougars are a bit of a worry around here. They are pretty big wildcats and apparently quite sneaky as they will stalk you!
Well the gondola was definitely one of the more significant highlights of the trip, well worth it.
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Colin
non-member comment
No idea if you still need this information, but those overpass things are generally for wildlife to pass over on.