Blogs from British Columbia, Canada, North America - page 11

We woke to the sound of steady rain falling, thankfully it had stopped by the time we left for the ferry. It was only a short ride and we got there and on board with plenty of time to spare. The conditions were quite calm and the trip took just over two and a half hours arriving at 10:45am. We then had to collect our luggage and bikes and go through customs (as we had travelled from the US to Canada). At border security we went through as a group. The conversation went something like this . . . . Border Security Officer (BSO): So are you going to leave anything in the country? Tom: No Mark: No Jeff: No Mark: Hey Jeff, what about that present for Edna? Jeff: Oh yeah, I have a present ... read more

Today we will be travelling to the ski resort town of Fernie which is up over the range in British Columbia. First stop is the very picturesque Lundbreck Falls which are in the foothills of the Rockies just off the Crowsnest Highway. Emma and Michael lived in the small settlement of Coleman in Crowsnest Pass (“the Pass”) until very recently, and our main reason for coming up this way is for them to show us the places we’ve heard them talk about from when they lived here. We move on to the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre which is near the eastern end of the Pass. This is a series of displays about the 1903 tragedy in which more than a hundred thousand tons of rock from the adjacent Turtle Mountain slid into the valley in less ... read more

Hyder, Alaska We have arrived in Stewart, BC which is just outside the very southern tip of Alaska. This is the area of the Hyder Grizzly bears and the boardwalk where you can see the bears when they come to eat. Mom and Jake were here 6 years ago and it was great fun. We are going to be here for 4 days. I can’t see the bears because ”No food” is allowed on the boardwalk. We have been traveling for several days on a daily basis since we left Fairbanks. Some nights have been in pretty primitive RVSites with limited WiFi access. But aMom continues with picture taking. One site was last night at Watson Lake area where we were in a dry campground on the side of a pretty lake. They stayed there last ... read more

Thanks to Graeme we had a fine selection for breakfast today - porridge, yoghurt, begals and soft boiled eggs. The begal has become a staple of our meals when forced to fend for ourselves. It travels well, is dense and filling and tastes good to boot. We aimed to leave by 8am and left by 8:20am. Forecast was for some early morning showers after overnight rain. We certainly heard the rain overnight but as we set off from Sicamous there was no rain about. Today's ride was a short 71kms from Sicamous to Revelstoke along Highway 1 with about 500m of climbing. We travelled easily in the cool morning air and the rain seemed to be holding off. We were all waiting for a significant climb but nothing came. Instead there were a number of small ... read more

In Dante's Inferno there are seven levels that you descend through on your way to hell. As far as the Kettle Valley Rail Trail is concerned, I think we started at Level 8! But today we ascended through all levels and saw the Rail Trail in all it's grandeur. In a 15km section there are 18 trestle bridges, 2 tunnels and numerous cuttings. On display was the undeniable determination of the Canadian government back in the day to build a railway where one should not have been. The trail hugged the sides of the Myra Canyon on it's way north to transport goods to wherever they needed to go. The railway is long gone, proving to costly to maintain and keep open, especially during the winter. What's left, in this well maintained mecca for day trippers ... read more