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Published: January 18th 2009
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Our Hotel
The small brown building, the St Regis HotelSat 9th Sept
Weather: Good
We boarded the shuttle to London on time and took off for the 30 minutes flight to that pit of despair, Heathrow. However for once it didn’t live up to its reputation and we got relatively smoothly through the route march from terminals one to four. And waited. And waited. Soon though, we were aboard our 747 and airborne.
Nine hours is a long flight and even the greatest excitement loses a little of its energy in the long wait to get to Vancouver. The food was served and was ok, and I got chatting to a lady sitting next to me who lived in Vancouver. We passed the time of day pleasantly enough and she gave me an email address to send her some pictures of York, which I have done.
It was just getting dusk as we touched down, and by the time we had got through customs, collected our baggage, met our courier, Pauline and got onto the coach it was fully dark. Our bodies were telling us that it was 3 a.m.., and I suppose any strange city in darkness is a little intimidating, but we
Vancouver Waterfront
Looking back at vancouver from Stanley Park watched a little nervously, as the coach threaded its way to our hotel.
The St Regis Hotel is one of those anachronisms, and elderly hotel in the midst of beautiful new buildings. We were welcomed and given a room on the second floor. The room was pretty comfortable and we had no complaints. We were both hungry, though Marg was a little too jetlagged to care, so we went over the road to an A&W, which seems a bit like MacDonald’s, but at least it isn’t!. I had a quick burger and Marg a drink, then, dog tired we turned in.
Sun 10th Sept.
Weather: Sunny warm, beautiful.
Refreshed and feeling much better we joined our coach and met our driver for the next 12 days, John Sola. He proved himself to be a good and safe driver. We also met the rest of the group (apart from one couple who had not made a connecting flight, and who we hoped would catch up with us later), and set off for the included tour of Vancouver. It’s hard to say how much we enjoyed this. Vancouver is one of those cities that have to be
Totem pole
One od several totem poles in Stanley Park. The work is remarkable seen really. The waterside is really lovely and manages to combine one of the world’s busiest container terminals with one of the world’s most attractive and impressive waterfronts in a way that seems to flatter both. The container terminal is massive and has hundreds of containers stacked several high, and yet we didn’t see one truck moving containers away from the yard. They all seem to be moved by trains, and what trains they are, but more of that later. Incidentally, I didn’t know, but containers were a Canadian invention. It seems that the Canadian Pacific Railway needed a way of transporting several types of goods in the most cost effective way and chose to put them into containers that could be shipped using trains, trucks and boats. Like all good ideas, it’s so simple you wonder why no one thought of it before.
Continuing around the town we went into Stanley Park, a huge area and the third largest city park on the continent. It’s beautiful, and on the day we saw it, green and calming. There is a section that is devoted to the totem poles of the First Nation inhabitants and the workmanship on them is
incredible. The lifestyle of these people was totally different to that of the other Indians that lived in the interior. The coastal people could stay in local communities as their food source, mainly seafood, was plentiful. The Indians of the interior were nomadic, following their food around its migratory routes.
Getting back on the bus we followed the road around the forest generally being amazed at the size of the trees. Nowadays there is very little “First Growth” left, these are trees that have never been cut and are several hundreds of years old, but there are one or two left here, and we stopped to admire them. One of the Douglas firs has a girth around the trunk of 35 feet! Time is always a factor on this sort of day and we had to continue to one of the most memorable viewpoints of the tour, Prospect Point. Here you can look across the water to the North Shore from a vantage point some 500 feet above the water. The view is amazing, taking in the open waters off to the left, the North Shore and over to the right, the Lions Gate Bridge
The bridge was
Marg...
Proving she isn't scared on Capalino Bridge. The smile looks a little forced, don't you think? opened in 1938 and was designed by the same man who designed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The similarities are obvious, except the Lions Gate only has three traffic lanes, as opposed to Golden Gates six. This causes lots of problems in rush hours so in an attempt to alleviate these, the centre lane works in a “tidal” fashion depending on which way the traffic is travelling in. Our bus driver had a wry sense of humour and explained that the city council had spent $2,000,000 on a study on how to improve things, and at the finish decided to paint it. Councils seem to be the same the world over!
We completed our tour by driving through Gastown and seeing the steam clock. Vancouver is very good at selling this as an icon of the city, and like most other people I wanted to see it in action. I didn’t have time this time, but later on (on our last day in fact) I did see it working and it’s pretty impressive. However, one thing that the tourist guide doesn’t tell you is that it is now all electrified and the steam is not produced in
Capalio Bridge
Quite a drop below it. the clock itself. It’s still pretty good though.
Well that pretty well completed our city tour, but we were going on to another one later on, this time to Capalino Bridge. This proved to be a memorable afternoon.
After lunch the small bus picked us up and took us to the bridge. It wasn’t far but took us over the Lions gate, so we got an idea of the problems. We stopped at the bridge coach park and got off. After passing through the admission turnstile we saw the bridge for the first time. Looking back I’m not too sure what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so small - no, not small, but very narrow.
I made sure that Marg went on first as I’m a bit of a coward about heights, though of course male pride will not let me lose out to my wife in such things, so that if she went I had to follow, but if she turned back I could do the male protective bit and reassure her that I didn’t fancy it much anyway. One thing I can rely on with my wife is her
Flying to Victoria
The view from our floatplane. Lots od trees in Canada! ability to surprise me, she took to the swaying, bouncing bridge with aplomb and made her way across, leaving me sort of floundering for an excuse not to go. Not finding one, I had no option but to follow - gripping the sides (yes both sides - it really is that narrow) with something akin to a death grip. She even paused in the middle for me to take a photo. Sometimes I don’t like Marg very much!
Actually, despite appearances the bridge is very safe and extremely strong. I read on one of the information boards that there had been a hurricane some years ago and several trees had been blown down onto the bridge. Of course the bridge withstood this, but one of the men who were sent to clear the debris away got caught in a sudden whiplash from a tree and catapulted over the side and into the gorge. Miraculously he survived with few injuries.
Having “done” the bridge we got back on the bus for the trip to Grouse Mountain. This involved going up the mountain in the biggest cable car I have ever seen. There are only two of them, but each
The floatplane
Our little plane bobbing peacefully at the terminal after our arrival at Victoria one carries 100 people swiftly to the top of the mountain, some 3000ft above.
We had dressed for it to be cold at the top, but it was balmy and warm so we wound up carrying our coats around with us. Strolling along a well worn pathway we found ourselves next to the bear enclosure. It seems that the two bears (Grinder and Coola) were both foundlings as cubs. Orphaned in some way they were doomed if left alone, so they were captured and left on the mountain in an enclosure. I always find it a little sad to see such wonderful animals held within a wire cage, but the alternative is no better, so at least they live - and we could see them close up.
Of course the bears, being highly intelligent animals, know precisely how to lead the audience on, so if you watch you can see the bears ambling slowly around the enclosure eating berries and so on, pursued by about 100 camera clicking people, each intent on getting that one perfect shot, while the bears seem equally intent on denying them it. It makes you wonder who is watching who.
The BC Parliament buiding
Practically the first thing we saw after walking off the dock Having seen the bears we went back down the hill to watch the lumberjack show. This is done strictly for laughs, but it’s extremely well done and involves some pretty spectacular uses for axes! There is also a demonstration of pole climbing. One young guy climbed a bare 60foot pole, using only a rope and spiked shoes in less then 20 seconds. It was very impressive to watch. Of course no lumberjack show is complete without an axe throwing contest, and this one was well done too (although I’m pretty sure it was fixed) and rounded off the show nicely - or so we thought. Unseen by the crowd who were distracted by the axe throwing, the comedy section had climbed the pole and was performing handstands and so on at the top. Of course he had to “fall” and Marg gave a very real gasp as he lurched off the top and dropped - for all of 2 feet, before doing a death slide down a rope to the ground to great applause.
Then it was back down the cable car (or tram as the Canadians call it) and onto the bus for our final stop of the
The Debating Chamber
Inside the Parliament building day, the salmon ladder. This was really great as they have built a ladder for the salmon to leap on their way to spawning. The ladder has a glass side to it and we watched as they leaped their way upwards. Procreation must be the most powerful instinct, as these fish only spawn once and die. It’s sort of sad, but magnificent too. We re-joined the bus and went down to the dockside to catch the sea bus back to the southern part of town while our driver took the bus to meet us on the other side. It was quite a nice way to cross the water and the sunset looked wonderful
Then it was back to the hotel and find a meal. We decided to push the boat out a bit and had a rather nice meal at the top of the tower in the revolving restaurant. Yes, it’s expensive, maybe overpriced, but you aren’t just paying for the meal, you’re paying for an amazing view over all Vancouver as dusk falls and the lights come on. The meal was pretty good too, so we didn’t have any complaints
So two drinks later we went to
Gimme fish and chips!
The local tough guy waiting to get fed! bed, completing our first day and both wondering if we could keep this up for another 11 days!
Mon 11th Sept.
Weather: Good, sunny and warm
We woke and went for our complimentary breakfast which was pretty good as it was free. Today we were to go to Vancouver Island, to visit Victoria and meet some friends we have made over the web, so a pretty exciting day was in prospect.
After breakfast we got back on the bus for the short trip down to the float plane port. This was going to be another first for us as neither of us had even seen a float plane close up, let alone flown in one. They looked tiny, but we were on the first one to leave so we had no choice but to put on our most intrepid faces and climb aboard. I’m not sure how many seats were on the plane, but I would think about 12. It does seem a little strange to know you’re sat on a plane, but to feel it gently bobbing about on the water. The two pilots sat immediately in front of us, close enough for me
Nice people
Our friends, their daughter and her partner. We had a wonderful day together to tap on the shoulder if I felt so inclined (I didn’t!), and when they turned round to give us the safety chat, we saw that one of then was an attractive girl of about 30. Immediately some divvy behind me came out with the really wearisome remark “Oh no, it’s a woman driver!” The girl just looked at him. I bet he felt so small he could walk under a snake on tiptoe with his top hat on! She then proceeded to taxi and take off.
It was a beautifully sunny day and we had some lovely views of Vancouver and Stanley Park as we climbed out of the bay. As we gained height it became apparent just how much wood there is in Canada. The land seemed full of forests. Even the little islands that we flew over were carpeted with trees so that the whole flight seemed to be dominated by two colours, the blue of the sea and sky and the green of the trees. The 25 minute flight only seemed to last seconds then we were setting down
She gave us a wonderfully smooth ride to Victoria and touched down barely kissing the water
Two tough women...
...and I wouldn't want to argue with either! as we landed - not bad for a woman driver eh!
I had to smirk a little as we got off. She insisted on shaking every mans hand as he left the plane, I’m pretty sure she knew who had passed the remark, but wanted to just emphasise her superiority - after all could any of the men do what she’d just done, so calmly and easily?
So we landed at Victoria. It’s a lovely city, very English we had been told, but personally I didn’t see many similarities. The streets are wide the buildings are impressive but on a human scale and the sunshine was warm. That, coupled with everyone’s accent made me very aware that I was far from home. As we walked along the harbour pathway we saw a huge building in front of us, The Parliament Building. Victoria is the capital of BC (British Columbia) and has an assembly building to be proud of
We decided to take a look at it close up and were allowed to go inside. There is a sort of vestibule inside and about a dozen people were sort of milling around, waiting for the next tour.
Butchart Gardens
Worth a 9 hour flight to see these alone! We decided to join them. We were shown round by a very knowledgeable man who told us of the history of the place and showed us some of the impressive stained glass, which it turned out had been made in Leeds, only 20 miles from our home! We were shown most places, including the debating chamber, though obviously some were out of bounds, but the whole building was in beautiful condition. The parquet floors absolutely shone and the wall paintings were admired by all.
Having completed the tour we needed a drink and asked the security man at the front door where he suggested. He reeled off several names that all involved a pretty long walk, and then said “Of course you can always eat here”. There is a small restaurant deep inside the building used by the politicians (so we knew it would be good!) that is open to the public. Most people who live in BC don’t seem to know this, and we were entirely alone all the time we were there. We were greeted like royalty, and the chap immediately picked up on our accents, asked if we were on holiday and said he’d visited UK
and had a great time here. We were just having our tea and lemon meringue pie, when this lad re-appeared and gave us a map on which he’s circled all the points of interest. This was typical of the people we met. There is genuine warmth about them. I can’t say they are the friendliest people in the world, as I haven’t been everywhere, but they must be up there with them, and when they greet you in bars or restaurants they seem really pleased to see you. We never met a rude person all the time we were there. I wonder how many Canadians can say that about us.
Back on the street again we turned left and walked along the shore line past some rather smart hotels making for Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a lovely day and we had time in hand as we strolled along. We passed a tourist bus parked waiting for it’s next group and to my astonishment it was exactly the same type as I used to drive on service 30 plus years ago. A good old Bristol Lodekker, still giving sterling service after all these years. I was tempted to give it
On the Road...
Heading for the Rockies a try, but Marg dragged me off it and back to the walk.
Fisherman’s Wharf is really a nice spot. There are lots of house boats parked (sorry moored) there and each one adds something to the scene. They come in all shapes and sizes and in every colour imaginable, some are tasteful and elegant, some are a bit grotty, but all make up a rich pattern and there looks to be a real community here.
After our walk we were hungry again, so we had some fish and chips, a British invention that we have given to the world. Instead of cod, however the big fish here seems to be Halibut. I tried it and found it to be delicious; I’m now converted and will try to find some recipes for it now we’re home. We ate, and watched the almost tame seal bobbing about in the water obviously hoping for some fish. He didn’t get any of mine! Then we took a harbour taxi across the bay to meet the coach at 2pm., the coach having come over on the ferry. We were then taken on a brief tour of Victoria, shown some of the
really expensive houses there and more of the lovely coastline. We were also taken to Mile Zero, the start point of the Trans Canada Highway that ends more than 3000 miles away in St. Johns, Newfoundland. Just out of curiosity, I used Google Earth to measure 3000 miles from London, it takes you well out of Europe to Abu Dhabi. in the Gulf. That gives an idea of the size of Canada. At the same place there is a memorial to Terry Fox, an amazing young man who developed a cancer tragically early in life and had to have a leg amputated. To raise money for cancer relief, he embarked on a run across Canada. He must have been a gutsy kid, but sadly he died before he could complete the run, but one of his friends finally completed it for him. I don’t know how much money was raised, but it’s a hell of an achievement - on both boys’ parts.
Then it was back on the bus and to the hotel, where we had arranged to meet our friends, Jude and Ron. Jude and I have been writing, and chatting for just about two years now,
Huge mountains that drop into Maligne Lake
No photgraph can convey the size of these mountains. To use that overworked word, they are just awsome so we know each other pretty well. But its still a little daunting to meet someone for the first time, however we all got on really well, and we met their daughter, Margo and her boyfriend Evan . We only had a day and a half together, but we certainly packed it out. They had very kindly brought their car down and drove us about like royalty. The initial meeting went so very well with lots of laughter that the nervousness just fell away and we quickly decided to all go for a drink and a meal. Marg and I felt a bit grubby, so we had a quick shower then we were off. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant we went to, but it served the most delicious steak, and we all tucked in as though we meant business, as in fact I did. I’ve since been prompted - it was “The Keg”
Ron’s an absolutely ace photographer, has a camera to die for, and his own website, http://www.geocities.com/through_island_eyes/ More importantly he knows how to use if properly, and offered to take some night time shots of Victoria and it’s waterfront and Legislative building, which is
beautifully lit at night. As you can imagine this offer was gratefully accepted.
Then we just sort of wandered around just enjoying each others company.
Afterwards we made our way back to the hotel for a drink, but I think the hotel was something like Fawlty Towers, In true Fawlty Towers style the bar was closed, so we had a quick look outside and found a karaoke bar. We went in and sat - well away from the stage - and had a drink. I’d promised Jude a G&T when we met and I was at least able to fulfil that promise, but the music was really dreadful. “Music”, as Marg remarked, “To slit your wrists to!”, and she wasn’t far wrong. So we made our way back to the hotel, said goodnight and went to sleep.
Tues 12th Sept.
Weather: Warm, sunny.
We got up for a leisurely breakfast with Jude and Ron and were later joined by Margo and Evan (lazy little so and so’s these kids aren’t they!), then we were taken to the top of the town to a place called Beacon Hill Park. This has the loveliest flowerbeds and we
The view walking along Main Street Banff
This is exactly how it is. No foreshortening of a telephot lens, it's just like this - and wonderful wandered among them for quite a while. There is also a sort of pet’s corner, which R& J were hoping to show us, but it was closed. We did, however, see one of the largest heronries in Canada with nests high in the trees near the park entrance, and I saw the biggest dragonfly I have ever seen. It was about 3 inches long, and looked mean enough to drop a mosquito at thirty paces! Once again Ron took some photos for us. We can’t wait for the cd.
Then it was back in the car, down into town and a visit to the Royal BC Museum. Marg and I love museums, especially those that grip the imagination, so when we walked in and were confronted with a hairy mammoth, we were hooked! Ok, it was a reconstruction, but it was huge, hairy and fairly intimidating, especially when the lightning flashed and the thunder sounded. There have been some pretty impressive fossils found in the area and some of the wildlife exhibits were good too. Lots of birds and other creatures in believable landscapes. Unfortunately they were stuffed. But the exhibits that really caught my attention were in the
First Nation rooms. I’m not sure why, (though I have a feeling it’s for religious reasons) but photography is not allowed in these rooms, not even without flash so I have no photos of any items in there, but the use of natural materials and the ingenuity of these people can only be marvelled at. They produced beautiful gowns with amazing colours from almost nothing. They made canoes out of hollowed out tree trunks, they made fishing implements from thorns and they lived in sympathy with the land. I could have stayed in here for much longer, but inevitably the time was limited and we were all getting hungry.
Ron drove us back to a White Spot near the hotel for lunch. They seem to be a pretty big chain, but whenever we ate there we had a nice meal. This was no exception, and could have been very cheap too, as the waiter made a mistake with the bill and nearly wound up giving our money back plus the change we were due to as well. Being the honest type I am I called the lad back and we made things right. Here I have to say that
From the top of Sulphur Mountain
Looking along one of the many glacial valleys around here one of the few things I really don’t like about Canada and America is the tipping idea. Everyone seems to expect a tip. Now Jude said that if the service was ok, you tip. If it isn’t you don’t. That sounds pretty easy, but how much do you tip - or how little? I know we made mistakes more than once, and I distinctly remember a waitresses eyes light up when I left her $10, so I knew I’d got that wrong, but you can’t say “Hold on a moment …” .Well I can’t anyway.!.
We said goodbye to Margo and Evan here. We both really liked them, a nice friendly hard working young couple who just seemed to fit together and who this country will reward well, I’m sure.
Then our chauffeur drove us out of town to see some of the island. I knew Vancouver Island was a pretty big place, but I didn’t realise quite how big it is. It took Ron and Jude four hours to drive from their home in Campbell River to meet us in Victoria. That’s about the same time as a drive from York to north London - except there
is very little traffic on these roads. Needless to say we didn’t go that far but we took the same road for a few miles. It went up hill for quite a time and we caught tantalising glimpses of the ocean below us, but then Ron pulled into a lay-by and what a view we had!
I’m not sure of the height, but it was pretty high, and we could look over the cliff to the islands beyond. It was a perfect day and wonderfully clear. Marg and I just gazed at the view for a while, it was just beautiful
Then our friends decided it was time for a walk in the woods. Again we just drove a short distance back toward town and stopped near a river. There was a footpath that ran alongside it for a while then went deep into the woods. We followed it for a while, enjoying the encroaching silence as the road sounds disappeared. I got a couple of pics of the girls, cheeky grins on both, demonstrating just how strong they were…
I love a strong woman…!
Finally Ron drove us to Butchart Gardens. Now I have
to be honest and say that I’d never heard of these until we started planning this trip, but they are world famous - except in Yorkshire! That said, though, the gardens are really magnificent, and as we saw them quite late in the day, they were quiet too. Marg knows much more about flowers than I do and she got quite carried away with the size of some of the plants whereas I only admired the colours. We walked around most of the gardens and were just lost in the colours and scents of the flowers.
By now we were tiring a bit, but we made our way back to the White Spot restaurant near the hotel for our evening meal. This was pretty good as Ron told us tales from the backwoods of bears an so on. We to laughed a lot, drank a little bit and ate our fill. We had a wonderful time in our friends company, and I just want to thank all the family for making us so welcome and being kind enough to share so much with us, and we both really hope to be able to return the favour if (when) they
visit England
Wed 13th Sept.
Weather: Dull but warm, turning to wet and miserable.
So, an early start. Cases out of the room by 7am and on the bus by eight. We were booked onto an early ferry back to the mainland, and set off on the short trip to the ferry port. Thinking back I aren’t sure what I expected from these ships, but I was taken aback when I saw one for the first time at how big it was. The one we were on is about the size of a cross channel ferry and took our coach and several others on one deck while cars and trucks filled up several others. I think I must have through it would be a little puddle jumper like some of the Scottish ferries, but this was a serious ocean going ship, called “The Spirit of British Columbia” of some 18,000 tons
It takes about an hour and a half to cross back to the mainland, and we weaved in and out of the Gulf Islands, before the stretch of open water and the mainland. We landed at the port of Tawasan near Vancouver and struck
inland, bound for the Rockies. We followed the course of the Fraser River through the valley heading for the small town of Hope. Really speaking the hills didn’t start till pretty close to Hope, but the town itself is surrounded by huge tree clad hills with clouds floating gently along their flanks. As I’ve said Hope is only a small town, charming, but small. It was named after the gold rush days of 1848. It is said that the pioneers would leave and abandon hope… It was our lunch stop. We hit a bit of a problem, in that it seemed to be everyone else’s lunch stop too. There were eight other coaches parked up all with hungry passengers trying to get into the two cafes in town. You can imagine the crush - or maybe you can’t!. We nearly abandoned hope too!
Anyway we fought our way in, Marg first like a small battle cruiser, got our coffee and sandwich and went for a quick look around town. It’s a lovely little place, with just about everything you need and nothing you don’t. Apart from the cafes there is a bank, filling station and a few shops. We
Me, being intrepid...
...and attempting LIons Gate Bridge in the rain. Eventually, the rain, traffic spray and road noise defeated me. The noise especially is really intense walked across a nice little park and stopped to admire the wood carvings. I’m told these are done using only a chain saw, so whoever wielded it must be very clever.
Then it was back on the bus for the long climb out of town. We were entering the serious mountains now, the Cascade Range, but the weather started to change, a few spot of rain covered the windscreen of the bus, then it started to rain as if it really meant it. The rest of the journey to Kamloops was completed in heavy rain - even though we were told that the area is generally arid!
Kamloops is a First Nation name, meaning “meeting of the waters”, the waters in this case being the Fraser and North Thompson rivers. We stayed at another cracking hotel, with a lovely view from the bar over the whole valley - well it would have been lovely if it had stopped raining, but it didn’t. We were sort of marooned here as we were a little way out of town, so we made the best of it and ate watching the rain through the double glazing. I had a curry (I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms) and it was really nice, as indeed it should have been as the hotel was run by some Asian guys. If they can’t make curry who can? Then a drink and turned in for the night.
Thurs 14th Sept.
Weather: Rain, turning to snow Cold Daily Mileage 263
Well. So much for the wettest arid area I’ve ever seen! It rained all night - hard, and was still raining as we left Kamloops. The waters certainly met while we were there!
We set off fairly early again, at about 8 am I think. This time we were following the North Thompson River. Leaving Kamloops behind us we headed for the Wells Gray Provincial Park and drove along in pleasant rolling country criss - crossing the river and climbing all the time. The rain eased, but the wind got up as we got higher and higher. We were supposed to have an outdoor lunch stop at Blue River, but the wind became so strong that the idea was abandoned and we went to a nearby café instead. These people were great. Admittedly they had been forewarned that we were coming (thank goodness for mobile phones), but they were fully prepared for the 56 hungry Brits who descended on them and had us all fed in short order. AND they did it all with a smile and like so many times seemed really pleased to see us. They were either really good liars or completely genuine, I think the latter.
We got back on the bus to drive the mile or so back to the lake for our boat trip. It was cold, cold enough for me to put on my fleece. We got onto the boat and I was about to forego the waterproof and life preserver when I got a warning look from she-who-must-be-obeyed and put both on. I am so glad I did! It was absolutely freezing out on the water, and as the boat went into warp speed heading for an island that seemed miles away, the wind whipped around my ears. It was one of those “thrill rides” where the water splashes over the sides and so on, but as we got to the island the lad cut the motor and we drifted silently. He explained about the totem poles on the island, and how old they were. He also told us of how the First Nations peoples still use the island as a place for the dead. Its illegal in modern Canada, but the local government has the rather enlightened idea that these people were here first and they have rights too. As we drifted around Marg caught a movement out of the corner of her eye - and there on the opposite shore was a bear.
Of course we all turned to look and cameras started clicking like mad. There were “ooohs” and aahhhs” and we all behaved like little kids, but none of us have ever seen anything like this. He was big and black as night, just ambling along at the waters edge turning over the stones looking for bugs and things to eat. I suppose he (I’m saying he, it might have been a she, but I wasn’t checking!) was laying in supplies for his long hibernation over winter. Whatever, he took absolutely no notice of us and just ambled off back into the woods when he was good and ready. It was one of those moments. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything, and I’ll always remember it.
Then it was back on the bus and off again, heading for Jasper. Along the way we came into the Rockies proper. These mountains are something else! They had a humbling effect on Marg and myself, making us feel almost insignificant. They are vast, snow capped peaks that sometimes appear then disappear into the clouds. The weather gradually improved, but we were so high by now that it was still freezing cold Our afternoon stop was made at viewing point to see Mt Robson. Here again I have to confess my ignorance. I’d never heard of Mt. Robson until this trip, but it’s the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. There is a higher peak in America (there would be wouldn’t there) called Mt. Elbert - which I’ve also never heard of.
Anyway, back to Mt. Robson. Its huge and at 12,972 feet the highest mountain I have ever seen. Of course “seen” is a term that can rarely be used about this mountain as it’s peak is usually covered in cloud, but believe me, its big.
Mt. Robson sits with several other high peaks in one relatively small area that we seemed to get through fairly quickly. I wish the weather had been sunny, but when you’re in mountains like these you get what you’re given I suppose. Then it was on to the border with Alberta crossing a time zone (Canada has 5) losing and hour and into Jasper
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Jasper. I’d heard of it, in fact it’s quite famous over here as a sporting venue for the great and the good. Prince Charles and the boys (Chuck, Will and H) ski here on occasion, and the town is pretty famous for that and for celebs. In actual fact, it started life as a railway halt, and the trains still come through here. I mentioned the trains once before, so let me tell you a little about them. Like so many things in this giant country, they are huge. They are normally hauled by 3 enormous locomotives and can be anything up to a mile and a half long. Obviously they aren’t the fastest things in the world, but imagine trying to stop several thousands of tons quickly, you can’t. It follows then that if you get caught at a level crossing you could be stood for 25 minutes or so while they pass. Time for lunch maybe!
So, here we were in Jasper. Its small and really only two parallel streets, one of which is mainly residential. The rail track runs along the main street too and the long mournful sound of the trains whistle is your constant companion. It’s a sound that seems to just typify Canada (and America too I suppose) It seems to get under your skin and neither of us could hear without catching the others eye and smiling. I don’t know what it is about it, but the Wooooo wooo is sort of romantic and lonely at the same time. Neither of us will be able to hear it again without our thoughts drifting back to Jasper. We stayed at the Marmot Lodge. It was pretty comfortable and roomy and about 20 minutes walk out of town. We decided to stroll in and set off just as darkness was falling. The temperature was falling with it and soon it was freezing. We had a meal in the pub the locals use - at least that’s what we were told, but it looked to me like there were lots of tourist pretending to be local! But another generous meal later and a couple of Guinneses for me, and we set of back to the hotel. Now it was really cold. I couldn’t fool Marg any more (could I ever?) by saying “It’s a bit nippy” or “Chilly tonight”, because I was shivering like jelly at a kids party. We gratefully closed the door on our room, turned the heating up to “roast” and went to bed.
Friday 14th Sept.
Weather cold, snow, crystal clear air.
Morning dawned and I looked out of the window. A few flakes of snow dusted the window sill and the air was cold and clear, though the sky was dull. Today was a “day at leisure”, but we had booked to go on an excursion to Lake Maligne. So once again we got on the bus. I noticed that John (the driver) was wearing a heavy jacket for the first time and I wondered about the weather. I wasn’t disappointed. We set off and once again started climbing. Jasper itself is at some 3000ft, but we seemed to be going much higher. As we travelled along we noticed the snowfall seemed to have been heavier. Trees that had been lightly dusted in town were bent under its weight up here. We made a quick photo stop overlooking Vanishing Lake, so called because over the summer, the outflow from it exceeds the inflow from the mountains and the lake “vanishes”. It was just starting to refill from the autumn rainfall and when the snow melts in Spring it will be restored to its huge size again before gradually draining. It’s a strange cycle, but birds find lots of food in the mudflats in the dry and swim on it in the wet. We just stood and gazed around us at beautiful snow covered mountains. Wherever we looked peaks soared above us and into the clouds. I walked a little way toward the lake and grabbed a handful of snow to make a snowball with, I was going to get Marg, but she was in front of me as ever and I got caught by the camera instead!
We carried on and arrived at Maligne Lake a little time later. I was a little disappointed by it to be truthful. There was a sort of café affair and some wooden decking that went down to the shoreline. It was very pretty in a routine sort of way, but nothing like I expected. We were booked onto the 1pm cruise so we had a little time in hand. We strolled, drank coffee, and wandered around the shop before joining our boat. Things changed as we got onto the water. As you leave the shore, the mountains seem to close in on you. They are huge and defy my attempts at describing them. Avalanche routes were pointed out to us, and one in particular was very dangerous. In about three weeks time the cruises were about to stop for winter and the lake freezes over. When this avalanche rolls down the hillside, it goes straight over the lake to the other side, providing the ice will take its weight. I’m sure it’s very impressive, but I don’t want to be anywhere near it when it goes. In fact England is near enough for me!
Lake Maligne (its pronounced “Maleen” by the way) is very famous, in fact it is one of THE views of the Rockies, and we were given the chance to re- create the most famous photo of it, from a little spit of land that juts out into the lake.
Whatever, we were still blown away by sheer beauty of this place, and my former reservations were forgotten. On the way back the guide told us a pretty amusing story about a girl dressing up as an elk, but you’ll have to ask me to retell that some other time…
Back in Jasper we ate and drank a little before turning in for the night.
Sat 16th Sept.
Weather: Overcast, cold, occasional snowfall. Daily Mileage 180
We took our leave of Jasper and headed for The Road of Wonders and Banff. En-route we were to see some amazing things. The Road of Wonders was built in the 1930s as a make-work project. The men who built it worked for 25 cents per hour in summer and winter. Winters are beyond my imagination as even in September it was very, very cold. It is said to be the third most beautiful road in the world to drive. In that case I’d like to see numbers one and two! This road starts at 3000 ft and rises to 7000, dropping back to Banff, which, at 4000 ft altitude, is Canada’s highest town...
Our first stop was at the Athabasca Falls. These aren’t Niagara by any means, but they are the biggest and most dramatic waterfalls I have ever seen. The water from the Athabasca River suddenly drops into a narrow gorge. The river can be heard from the bus park which is quite a way away, but as you get nearer the roar of water is almost deafening. Over aeons of time the water has gradually eroded the hard stone away into the most fantastic swirls. It looks so violent. One slip from the wrong side of the safety railing would be the end - and yet people climb over them. Normally one, at least one person, dies here every year trying to get that special picture. It really is nature at her most impressive and dangerous.
Then it was onwards and upwards, heading for the Columbia Ice field where we were to see a sobering reminder of global warming in action. The ice field is an enormous glacier, and we were to be taken onto it in the biggest vehicle (ok rigid vehicle) I have ever seen. The wheels are huge, nearly as big as Marg is tall and probably about three feet wide - and there are six on each vehicle! There are several of these and they trundle tourists up to the top of the ice field to see what it feels like.
Ours simply swallowed up all 56 of us and set off. The first piece if ice you hit is an almost vertical drop. The bus (for want of a better word) simply crawls over the edge and lumbers down the slope with no trace of skid and perfectly under control. There is no way that anyone could stand on this slope without having some kind of equipment like an ice axe and crampons. The passengers are full of slightly nervous laughter, but the driver soon calms things down by giving some amazing statistics about the vehicles, all of which cause the men to think of the power and the women to think of the petrol consumption and all of which are instantly forgettable. The Columbia
Ice field truly is The Canadian Great Divide. Melt water from the ice field flows into the Pacific, the Atlantic and The Arctic oceans. It’s quite a strange feeling to get out of the vehicle at the top and know that you are standing on top of snow that fell anything up to 400 years ago.
It is only on your way down that the guide explains the amount of loss from the Glacier. Only 100 years ago, the visitor centre would have been in the middle of the flow. In living memory the ice bordered the road, and yet now the ice is at least 400 yards short of the roadway. Again this is a very dangerous place. People fall into crevasses on a regular basis and most die fairly quickly as the intense cold gives them hypothermia in minutes. It’s a place, like so many others in this beautiful, but savage land that needs treating with a great deal of respect
We set off again dropping down from the ice field and heading for Lake Louise and Banff... I’ve seen pictures of Lake Louise, and how its waters are almost emerald green. I’ve seen them and thought pretty cynically that the photo was doctored, enhanced and so on. So I was interested to see if it really was this colour.
It is.
It’s beautiful, but looks “wrong” somehow. Water should be blue - right? It has an almost hypnotic effect on you as you look at it. It’s big, very big, but it’s dwarfed by the mountains that fall sheer into its waters. It is so still that they reflect back and it’s almost like looking at a mirror image. It’s got a serene beauty about it. I ‘m trying my best to describe it but it’s really beyond me. I wonder how the first white man, Tom Wilson, felt as he looked out across its green water. Uneasy? Afraid? The First Nation peoples didn’t like the place, and I can understand why. They called it the “Lake of Little Fishes” because the few fish that inhabit it are small owing to the lack of food in it. Wilson could only come up with “Emerald Lake” Two years later, the lake was officially renamed after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, one of Queen Victoria’s daughters and the wife of the then governor-general. It is the most strange lake I have ever seen. And yet it is so very beautiful. Far away, on the opposite shore a glacier streams into it, and that is the clue to it’s colour. It seems that the water carries with it tiny granules of rock. This forms a mix called “rock flour” and gives the lake its colour. It’s a spellbinding place, and the Canadian Pacific Railway quickly realised its potential for tourism and built a few log cabins there. This grew and grew until we now have the magnificent Chateau Lake Louise, a huge hotel over looking the lake.
Leaving Lake Louise, we headed for our night stop of Banff. Again I’d seen photos of Banff and couldn’t believe that mountains could be so close to town. It must be foreshortening from the telephoto lens, yes? Well, no, actually they are so close. We arrived and drove straight down the main street and there, seemingly close enough to touch was a huge mountain. The sun was shining and the clouds were high so we could see the snow covered peak with its tuft of cloud. People were just strolling around and ignoring this wonderful sight. I felt like grabbing them and shouting “Look, look around you”, but I suppose visitors to York feel the same about us. From this you’ll have gathered that we kinda liked Banff…
It was about 6.30 pm when we arrived, a bit travel weary, but having had a stunning day. Pauline our tour guide told us about some of the many restaurants around, but we opted for something quick, cheap and cheerful and went to the nearby mall food court. and had some Chinese concoction that was surprisingly nice and Marg had the same. Then we hit the streets. The shops were busy and darkness was falling as we strolled along the main road. Marg was dying for a cup of tea some of the stuff we’d been given under the guise of tea was really appalling. We looked and looked, but nowhere seemed to sell it. Eventually we found a MacDonalds and had a cup in there. What is it about Canada and tea? When you do find one its served black. I can see we’re going to have to go back to educate the colonial types about teapots, boiling water and milk!
Back outside we continued our quest for presents for the kids and so on. The shops seemed to fall into two categories, those which sold beautiful things at incredible prices and those which sold - well to be honest - junk, also at incredible prices. We settled for looking at the former, sighing a little and moving on. There are some really lovely shops that specialise in ambers and semi precious stones here, just the sort of thing I love, but that’s my trouble - I have champagne taste but a beer income. It was getting late by now and we were both tired after seeing the wonders of the day - bed called and so we had quick drink and turned in.
Sunday 17th Sept.
Weather: Sunny, cold clear. Air like wine.
We had a two night stay in Banff and took advantage of having a lie in as our excursion didn’t start till about 10:00am. Rested and refreshed we set off for our tour, which included a lunch at 7,800 ft on top of Sulphur Mountain. First stop though, was a view point over the Bow River valley and the Hoodooes. A short stiff climb out of Banff took us here and the view was just wonderful. I feel as though I’m getting repetitive in trying to describe things, but honestly I can’t think of anything else that would adequately describe the view. First let me tell you a little about the hoodooes. They are three rock pinnacles that have been left standing after millions of years of erosion around them. When it’s in the right quarter, the wind whistles and whines around these monoliths in a really weird way, making ghostly sounds. The First Nations people thought it was their ancestors calling them and were afraid of the place. Many still don’t like to visit. But when you raise your eyes from the Hoodooes you see the view. And what a view! The whole of the Bow River valley is laid out below you. The trees and the river, shimmering in the sunlight, present a picture that can never be captured by a camera. I guesstimated that we could see at least 20 miles in the clear air and the relatively low sun put its own spotlight on the scene. It was - well here’s that word again - wonderful.
Leaving the hoodooes behind us we dropped down toward the town again and made another stop at the famous Banff Springs Hotel. This is something else. An enormous hotel that caters only for the rich, I mean the seriously rich! One or two of the recent visitors were Madonna, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. From that you can judge the type of customer they want - and it isn’t a coachload of Brits! There was no sneaking in here, the doorman would have made three of me, and even Marg was a little diffident about trying it on here. So we didn’t. Instead we had a look at the falls nearby which are lovely.
Finally, leaving the hotel and falls behind us we went to the high spot of the day, (literally) lunch on Sulphur Mountain. Sulphur Mountain is a peak of about 8,000 feet. On the top there is a large restaurant with picture windows to the outside. That’s where we were going. Of course, first we had to brave the cable car…
These cars are much smaller that the ones on Grouse Mountain and only take four passengers each. We queued for ours and were joined by another couple amazingly from York - Rufforth actually. Of course we got on famously and all sat in the car as the guy shoved it into the line to be picked up by the cable. Things all move very quickly once you’re in the car. There is a bit of a jerk and you’re off. The next second you’re suspended 40 or 50 feet above a mountain side whizzing along. The cars cover the 8,000 feet to the top in about 15 minutes going from memory, and the views just get more and more incredible.
From the top you can see Banff laid out almost like a 3D map. The grid pattern is obvious and you can see how the town just starts and stops. Its quite strange but most English towns sort of peter out into the country Banff is built up and then 50 yards later it’s wilderness. It looked really strange to my eyes. The Banff Springs Hotel is visible too, a huge block of stone just outside town. It really is an amazing view.
We sat in the restaurant and a bit disappointingly our window was covered in ice, but we ate our meal fairly quickly and went to look around outside, after all you can eat at anytime (how fortunate we are to be able to say that!), but that view is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Outside the air is cold and clear. Not the biting cold that we had experienced, but then the sun was shining and took the edge of the temperature. If it had been dull, or even worse, at night it must be really cold. Just look at these icicles - and this was at mid day
Soon though it was time to come down again. We joined the queue to take the chairlift and went down. It was yet another unforgettable experience. I don’t mean to bore you, I expected this piece to be done in 10 or so pages, but it’s just grown. We’ve brought back so many amazing memories, seen so many incredible sights that somehow I can’t stop writing. It’s as though I just go to close a section and something else pops into my head. As I’m writing this for my own personal record as much as anything, you’re kind of stuck with it. So if I go on a bit - well, sorry, but tough luck !
Arriving back in Banff we strolled around the shops and along the riverside. The Bow River is a small river here, though small is a relative word, it’s pretty big by UK standards, and we strolled along it for quite a while enjoying the peace and the views of the mountains. There is something about seeing snow covered mountains from a warm valley. It’s almost a comforting feeling to know you’re not up there and trying to imagine how it must feel. And these mountains can’t be that difficult to climb, can they? After all you just shin your way up that bit there, and across that small face along that ridge and up that last little bit - and your there. It’s only when you stop to consider that these features may be 20 miles away from you that you realise the size and difficulties involved.
We were booked on an evening excursion to see a show called “Oh Canada Eh!” which I must admit to having misgivings about. I had a feeling that it would be a bit like a really cheesy review, but it wasn’t. As the coach pulled up a pretty girl hopped on and introduced herself, explained that she was going to be looking after us and ushered us into the room. We were sat at long tables facing the stage and told of our included meal. It sounded pretty good, though I can’t remember much about it as the girl shot off to take her part in the show. She sang - very well actually. The show was all about the music and talent that has come from Canada and it’s really surprising to think of some of the songs. The cowboy song “Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweed” was written by a Canadian, along with many many famous songs, far too many to remember. There was some really funny comedy sketches, and the finale was a lovely song, which I’ve never heard before. It was very melodic and had the memorable line in the chorus of “You call it Canada, but we call it home”. It was a fitting end to a super day.
Mon 18th Sept.
Weather overcast at times.
It was pretty tough getting up the following day, but we made it as we had a long days drive in front of us. As we were leaving Banff we saw a herd - yes a herd of elk just browsing away at the grass on a street corner. These are big animals. A big buck can weigh up to half a ton, and with antlers about three feet long and in the rut season they ain’t to be argued with. In answer to the question “Where do they feed normally?”, we were told “Anywhere they like!”. Hmm, food for thought there.
We quickly left Banff behind and were once more on mountain roads. This time we were heading for the slightly less famous Glacier National Park. There are no less than 422 glaciers in this park, though only two are visible from the road. Here again we were to see global warming in action. One of the glaciers is called the “The Eagles Claw” and until recently it was really obvious how it go its name. But a little while ago both of the claws melted away. I took a picture of it, but it was a failure. However it’s really is scary to see what is happening to the ice fields and glaciers.
Another symptom of the lack of the intensely cold winters in these parts it the advance of the beetle that is killing whole swathes of Lodge Pole Pines. Staggering statistic time: This beetle is killing more trees than forest fires and logging combined. We saw it in action, mile after mile of forest turning or turned red. The beetle has always existed in these parts, but until recently the the winter temperatures killed them off. Now it doesn’t get cold enough for long enough and the population is exploding. It’s heartbreaking to see beautifully green forest, then miles of dead and dying trees and know that the forest you have just seen is next. The authorities are trying to stop the devastation by cutting down whole sections of trees so that the beetle cannot spread, but somehow the beetles seem to be winning.
Oh well, enough of doom and gloom, we were headed for Rogers Pass, an amazing piece of road. and part of the Trans Canada Highway. The road between the towns of Revelstoke and Golden uses this pass and it is really spectacular. The pass was only completed in 1962 and before it was finished; avalanches “the white death” had claimed the lives of 250 Canadian Pacific Railroad workers. Now there are 5 long tunnels which you have to drive through. These allow the avalanches to shoot over the road and keep it clear. They can be a little unnerving but we weren’t in avalanche season - thank goodness!
Parks Canada operates the world's largest mobile avalanche control program to keep the Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway operating through Rogers Pass. Slopes adjacent to the highway are closed due to artillery fire. Other areas are reserved as test slopes or snow profile sites and must not be disturbed because of their importance to avalanche hazard forecasting. It’s an awe inspiring place.
Having negotiated the pass we headed down to the town of Golden and started to leave the Rockies behind. There was one large mountain left though and a rather nice story attached to it. It was Castle Mountain.
You only have to look at it to see how it got its name and yet it was all nearly so different. Just after the war there was a move to re name the mountain Mt. Eisenhower. Ike was consulted and agreed, and a whole day was set aside for him to come and name the mountain. He duly came to Canada armed with his golf clubs and went off to play a round or two. He enjoyed the golf so much that he neglected to come to the mountain naming ceremony. Canadian officials were a bit cheesed off with this, but none the less went ahead and named the mountain. Ike went home without laying eyes on it. Canada became more and more upset. People started demanding the “old name” back. In the end the mountain reverted to its old name, but the single peak on the right was named for Eisenhower. Imagine, he could have had the whole wonderful mountain named after him, but chose to play golf instead! How odd (or possibly arrogant) some people are.
Then we continued along through ever flattening country, past vineyards, and lakes eventually arriving at our nights stop over Kelowna.
Kelowna didn’t make a favourable impression on me. It reminded me strongly of Fresno. A long soulless street lined with fast food and tyre shops and shopping malls. It looked like everything I don’t like in a town. Almost nothing was within walking distance and the car is king. We were told of one restaurant where we could get a really nice meal so we chose to walk there; nearly getting ourselves killed trying to cross the road. It was called Moxies. Now I’ve gone on about how great the service is and the warm welcome you get from the service industries in Canada , but these girls were really over the top. We walked in and were approached by a girl wearing a long black dress with a split almost up to her navel (yummy) who greeted us as though we were - well who greeted us er - lets say so warmly thay for an awful moment I wondered if I ‘d brought Marg to something where it wasn’t just food on the menu! And I’m not kidding! The waiting staff, all girls by the way, all wore black dresses that were either very,very short or very,very low cut or if you were really lucky - both!
It was all too much, carried way too far and although the meal was ok, and only ok I wasn’t distracted enough to not wait for my change, and leave behind one very fed up girl And so to bed.
Tuesday 19th Sept.
Weather: Nice, warm and sunny
Today we were due to head back to Vancouver via Princeton. Unfortunately due to forest fires along our route it was decided to not go this way and head back over ground we’ve already covered to Hope, then back to Vancouver. It was a pleasant, though long day and we stopped again in Hope for eats. This time there was only our bus in town and we had plenty of time. I’m not going to go over the journey again as it was the exact reverse of our outward trip. We arrived back at the St Regis again at about 4.pm .
Wed 20th Sept. Weather Rain - and how!
We awoke after a good nights sleep to hear traffic sloshing past outside the hotel. I looked out of the window to see huge puddles and the rain sheeting down. We went down for breakfast and for the first time got chatting to a couple of Irish people who were also on the tour. We exchanged various tales of highpoints and so on, then Marg and I decided to go for a walk. We had virtually all day in Vancouver as we were not due to leave for the airport and home until 4 pm. Of course we had to vacate the room by 11.am so we packed our cases into a spare room near reception and set off. Marg wanted to check out the shops on Robson Street and I was happy go along with that.
I had fortunately bought a new jacket before leaving home and been told that it was really waterproof. Today was going to be its test! We walked down the hill and along the full length of Robson, but I was disappointed. Do you find that all shopping streets are the same now? They all have the same international stores like Gap and Next, and all the little local shops, the ones that were interesting have gone. I find it rather depressing really.
We continued walking and it continued raining until we eventually found ourselves at Stanley Park again. We hopped on a bus to have a look around the park again. I was impressed that this is a free service (gratuities gracefully accepted) and rode around to view the Lions Gate Bridge. It was just as impressive in the rain, so we decided that we were going to walk it. Yes I know, we’re crazy Brits, but it’ll be a long time before we see it again …
So we set off. The footpath is lower than the roadway making the spray from the traffic, by some absolutely brilliant planning, just at eye level. So we walked. It’s a big bridge. Marg kept looking over the side and saying “Ooh look how high we are…” in a slightly tremulous voice. We walked out as far as the first tower, but then the wind down the channel started up, driving the rain before it. That coupled with traffic spray and noise finally changed our minds and we went back into the relative peace of the park. By now we were both soaked, and although my jacket was waterproof, my trousers were not!.
We made our way via the free bus back to the park entrance and from there walked back to Canada Place, where the liners on the Alaskan cruises dock. We’d decided that enough was enough and we were going to go to the IMAX cinema for an hour or so. We did so, quietly steaming our way through the show, before making our way back to the hotel and the coach to the airport, and home.
We have some wonderful memories of Canada, and one day we’ll be back. We’re already planning on going to Niagara and so on next year…Who knows next years write up may be even longer…
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