Blogs from Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, North America

THE BASICS We crossed into Canada, through southern Alberta to Calgary. We visited the Calgary Zoo and drove out to the amazing dinosaur fossil site at Drumheller. Then off we went to Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper, which we had declared were the prime goals of this whole trip. A few days of enjoying those parks, and now we are spending a couple of days in Revelstoke BC, "catching our breath." THE FLUFF (This might not have been the most exciting birthday of John's life.) There was quite a backup at the border headed into the U.S., but we were the only vehicle and breezed right through into Alberta. The landscape changed substantially from the mostly barren Blackfoot Indian Reservation below the border. It suddenly started looking prosperous; though flat, it was covered with "amber waves ... read more

After waking to the sound of others already up and getting ready to load up once more, I removed myself from my very uncomfortable sleeping position; rolled my sleeping bag up before getting my wash kit and a change of clothes and heading to the showers to really wake up. After returning, and packing my wash kit and clothes from yesterday away, I moved my kit from the container and put it behind the trailer ready to move on. As the others had their tents and kit to still pack up as well as breakfast, I decided to call work, speaking to Andi and Karl once more. I talked about the Tour since we last spoke. Once more it was great to speak to Andi and Karl, and left me in a great mood to start ... read more

Hiked up Glacier Crest Trail in Glacier National Park yesterday. Only two hours from the trailhead under sunny skies. Alone. Slow-paced. Seeing mountains as they are.... read more

Well, we have 9 more days of work and then we are off! We have spent the last few months in the office, cleaning, serving pancakes, answering phones, dumpster diving, cleaning 'washrooms', cutting trees and making many bundles of firewood, as well as security and chasing Black bears. It has been an interesting time for us both, as thinking outside the box is discouraged and coming from professional work, that aspect has been hard. For all the boredom and frustration we have managed to save a tidy amount for the next exciting adventures. We have had a nice time in Revelstoke and the environs have offered plenty of things to see and do on the 1 day off a week we have had. One of the favourite 'days off' we have had, was a jaunt up ... read more

Friday …..my penultimate day. Well the trip is nearly over and with it comes the reality of getting myself back home and resuming a normal life again. My last stop has been in Nakusp to visit the Horizons Unlimited meeting www.horizonsunlimited.com if you’re interested in motorcycle travel. The ride here from Prince George was punctuated by a stop over just north of Falkland B.C. at a wonderful little resort on Pillar lakes. The further south I come the more “civilised” everything becomes with fast food joints, Auto dealers, recreation complexes and wineries. Driving through Vernon yesterday I was hard pushed to find someone that wasn’t retired. Most of the population here was going about their daily routine dressed in golfing shorts and tops and were living the quiet life. Coming from the wilds of the north ... read more

We’re now in the town of Revelstoke, having been to Edmonton, the Jasper National Park, and Wells Grey Provincial Park. Last Thursday, after our epic journey across the Alberta Prairies, we finally made it to Edmonton. We decided to start our visit with a trip to the Edmonton Mall, which is allegedly the largest shopping centre in the world (at least that’s what it says in the guidebook, and who are we to argue?). Whether it is the largest or not, it certainly is big. Inside the mall there is a theme-park (rollercoasters, waltzers, ghost train, etc) along with a huge swimming pool (wave machine, artificial beach, water-slides, etc), a multiplex cinema, nightclub, and a life-size model of the Santa Maria (as you do)) along with an area where they, somewhat improbably, have Sea Lion displays. ... read more

When: Victoria Day long weekend Where: Glacier National Park & Mt.Revelstoke National Park, BC Weather: 19C - 6C Highlights: First camping with little S; first black bear sighting; S touching a squirrel Mileage: ~ 900km With a pretty late start on Saturday, we ended up following a bunch of cars on the road across the Trans-Canada. Fortunately no major traffic bottlenecks despite the heavy construction all through the Rockies. It was a long drive, but with the little one asleep for most of the journey, it was a breeze. Part of the drive, we encountered snow showers & it was a pretty cool site. And not to mention all those bikers(I have no idea where they were going to) riding along the Trans-Canada. People do love the outdoors here & they care not what the weather ... read more