Oh Canada! 🍁
Canadian Rockies 2015
On our way in our new Chevy Duramax truck and Northern Lite Camper to meet friends and explore the Canadian Rockies!
We left late, due to spending most of Monday getting Sally’s passport renewal in process with a passport expediter/ courier. The old one expired April 4th 2015, unbeknownst to us. 6 hrs later and $429 poorer (not including the $200 Federal Government renewal fees), we recommenced our preparation activities. The good news is that Sally’s passport will be shipped to our friends in Spokane and we will collect it when we arrive!
Small delays aside, we had a lovely drive up the Poudre Canyon, over Cameron Pass (where the aspens are beginning to turn), through North Park, over Rabbit Ears Pass, through Steamboat Springs, past my absolute favorite ranch gate and arriving at Dinosaur National Monument, Green River Campground after dark.
Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains
In the morning, we drove west on Hwy 40, turned north on I84, found our campground in the Sawtooth National Forest north of Ketchum, had a late dinner after 9 hrs of driving and went wearily to bed.
Next day, driving further northwest we passed through the gorgeous Sawtooth Mountain Country. Down the “Ponderosa Byway” following a branch of the Payette River, then down the “Wildlife Canyon” byway to the Payette River itself. We are camping in the mountains above the river, off-road, in the Boise National Forest. Peaceful, quiet and lovely.
Our pretty campground north of Ketchum, ID, scenes from the Sawtooth Mountains and appetizers of smoked oysters on Ritz Crackers at our off-road campground in the Boise National Forest,
From Idaho’s Payette River to Washington’s Palouse
A beautiful drive north, through the Palouse of Eastern Washington — lovely rolling hills, planted in wheat, recently harvested, some already ploughed under, prepared for planting winter wheat soon.
Arriving at the Millers in Spokane, burgers were on the menu, along with good conversation, good company, and old friends….
Hiking Deep Creek Canyon
The Okanagan Valley
Leaving Spokane, we journeyed north to the Canadian border, then west to the Okanagan Valley — the “wine and fruit basket” of Canada. Miles of vineyards, wineries and orchards line the Okanagan River. We stopped for peaches and a cherry pie.
Reaching Kelowna at 6pm, we enjoyed a picnic dinner of fried bagels with cream cheese, spinach, and smoked salmon and smoked trout, washed down by a gifted bottle of 2006 Penfolds Shiraz.
Northern Lite Factory and Wells Gray Provincial Park
We had a great visit to the Northern Lite factory — an informative tour of the production process, a few minor repairs and an opportunity to meet the staff and the owner! A truly professional organization striving for excellence in their field.
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After our factory tour, onward along the North Thompson River to Wells Gray Provincial Park — 30 miles off the beaten track in the mountains of British Columbia.
Jasper National Park
The drive from Wells Gray Provincial Park to Jasper National Park is spectacular! Densely treed ridges give way to rugged snow topped mountains with new vistas presenting at every turn of the road.
Alpine Lakes and Hot Springs
Jasper National Park is chock full of unexpectedly beautiful vistas. Around every turn, it seems, we find a new opportunity for exclamations of “Oh, my god, look at that!” In addition, abundant wildlife viewing opportunities (today, including Bighorn Sheep, elk and moose) remind us that we are truly in the wild.
Todays destinations included, Medicine Lake, Lake Maligne and Miette Hot Springs, where we soaked in the 104 degree waters (outside air temp being 46 degrees!), ate a home cooked Greek dinner at our innkeeper’s restaurant where we rented a small two bedroom bungalow cabin for the night.
Icefields Parkway
The drive from Jasper to Banff is spectacular. More incredible alpine vistas, Athabascan Falls with its moss-clad rocks, the Athabascan Glacier Fields and our lovely Wilcox Campground near Sunwapta Pass having a spectacular view of a snow clad mountains.
Peyto Lake and Lake Louise
Driving in a light rain. A short hike to Peyto Lake
Waterton Lakes National Park
Starting the day in Banff at Touloulou’s Louisiana breakfast restaurant, we tried their “hearty breakfasts”, aptly named, everything covered in hollandaise sauce!
On the next day, we drove 150 miles down to Waterton Glacier NP — pretty, rolling, fall countryside. However, crosswinds gusting to 50 MPH, made for pretty interesting driving. We saw one truck and travel trailer combo pushed clear off the road into a field.
Akamina Lake
Before driving back across the border, we explored the Akamina Parkway (a grand title for a narrow, twisty two-lane road) to Cameron and Akamina Lakes. The clouds were low, making for some lovely, moody shots of both lakes.
The Beartooth Highway
Often described as the most beautiful road in America, the Beartooth Highway is steep, winding and spectacular!
After breakfast at a local diner in White Sulphur Springs (great, crispy hashbrowns, tender chicken fried steak — OMG are we eating this?) the drive to Red Lodge, Montana took us through pretty ranch country. Out of Red Lodge, we started climbing the narrow, winding road to Beartooth Pass at 10,947 ft.
Finding Island Lake campground (9,500ft) closed for the season, we decided to camp at the boat ramp, next to the lake. Technically illegal, but sooo pretty!
Cody Wyoming
Clear sky, absolutely no light pollution, amazing stars, 30 degrees last night. Up early, lakeside breakfast…
On to Cody, Wyoming to tour the Buffalo Bill Museum (Rocky Mountain Natural History, Plains Indians Life, Buffalo Bill Cody’s life, Western Art and firearms history wings). Then to our camp near Cody at Buffalo Bill State Park and our last dinner together for a while.
Tomorrow — home to Colorado
Originally published at spark.adobe.com.
