With the closing of another school year and summer holidays lurking ahead, a plan was hatched to take our two teenage sons on a trip through the Rockies . Our goal was met with the help of a brand new 2005 Citation Class C Motorhome rental from Arbutus RV & Marine Sales and the course was plotted with guidebooks and maps
. On the afternoon of Wednesday June 22 nd /05, a convoy of two other RV families and us met on the outskirts of Duncan and headed for the ferry line up at Duke Point. We arrived with ½ an hour to spare for the next sailing and with fingers crossed, boarded the Queen of Alberni.
Our first nights destination was a campground just outside of Hope on Othello Road, paralleling the Coquihalla Hwy and the Coquihalla River . On waking, our plan was to explore BC's must see Othello Tunnels. The Campground owner said there had been a rockslide last fall but thought they were still accessible. We ventured over only to find they were blasting and the tunnels would be closed for two weeks. Oh well, an adventure saved for next time. In no time the power was disconnected, sewer unhooked, hatches closed and we were back on the road. Climbing the Coquihalla we saw some beautiful scenery.
The 2 nd night of our journey was spent in Armstrong on a working Dairy Farm. Our traveling companions John, Shelley and Jessica had family who kindly invited us to stay. We received quite the education on the inner workings of a farm. There were cows being milked, calves being fed, (just missed a calf being born) and even watched while a cow received a pedicure. I'm sure that's not the correct farm lingo for what was actually happening because it didn't look very relaxing or comfortable. Quite the symphony of noises with all the Pigs, peahens, chickens, cats, kittens, peacocks, dogs, and even off in the distance the yips of coyotes.
Our hosts Terry and Bob were very hospitable and obviously hard working as we witnessed when 4:30 a.m. broke and the chores started happening. Needless to say we had an early start to the day, we left part of our traveling group behind for an extended stay and carried on. Our drive took us through gorgeous valleys, rolling hills, meandering rivers and along side pristine lakes, all looked like they could offer hours of exploring and entertainment. Once again I thought how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful province.
My sister and her daughter decided to stop at the " Enchanted Forest ", truly living up to its name, with whimsical houses holding fairies and ponds with boardwalks and row boats. We chose to carry on, parking the RV along side a pretty lake and having lunch and then into Revelstoke for a look around. We didn't quite make it to the Train Museum but it looked very impressive.
We regrouped and refueled and headed out of Revelstoke when about 15 km outside of the city a police officer pulled our group over to say the fuel we had just got hadn't been paid for. Fortunately, the receipt had been kept and a very embarrassed officer said he'd be speaking with the gas attendant. With hearts pounding we carried on.
The Kicking Horse Pass offered some incredible sights including Mountains that rose up at all sorts of angles. We arrived at Lake Louise just around dinnertime and checked with the Tourist Info Centre (very helpful) on camping locations (just a reminder that a park pass is required in both Banff and Jasper areas). With the onset of Summer Holidays, the tourists were definitely starting to roll in, and things were busy. We found a campground and with a watchful eye for the Grizzly that had been sighted we set up camp. Part way through the night we woke to realize the campground was next to a busy railroad, but no crows were heard so all wasn't so bad.
The next morning we woke to slight drizzle and headed off to see Lake Louise and it's famous hotel. We had fun wandering through the Chateau and reading up on its history. We chose to save the hiking for another trip. From there we headed into Banff . This is a bustling town where I'm sure a week could be spent exploring the town and surrounding area. We opted for an afternoon, restocked the groceries, grabbed a bite to eat, and shopped for souveniers. We decided to go to the infamous Banff Springs where we enjoyed a relaxing soak in the Natural Mineral Water while enjoying the vista. We decided to spend the night at the Johnson Valley Canyon Provincial Campground in between Banff and Jasper. Very nice spot set along side a river looking up at some majestic mountains.
Had a great nights sleep and upon the advice of the camp attendant went across the road to hike up to the Johnson Canyon Falls . Well worth the stop but get there early as the parking lot fills up quickly. It's a well maintained (90% paved trail) that takes about ½ an hour to get to the lower falls, not too challenging but well worth the effort. From there we drove through the awe inspiring Columbia Ice Fields. These massive glaciers are over whelming in size and magnitude; definitely make you feel small in comparison. We lunched at the base and then tentatively walked up the glacier on a designated path. This glacier was marked every 10 years, showing how quickly it's receding. A definite highlight. The next 100 miles is filled with Kodak moment after Kodak moment. Prepare to have lots of film.
We arrived at Jasper around 6:00pm with enough time to walk through the town and enjoy a stop at the local ice cream parlour. Once again the Tourist Centre gave us lots of information and we were able to find a campground. We set up camp just before the thunder and rain started, thankful to be in a Motor home and not a tent. On rising I ventured over to the bathrooms only to turn the corner and be charged by an elk. While the cow elk was chasing me, all I could think of was, I hope these bathrooms are unlocked. She chased me right to the bathroom door, which fortunately was unlocked. I was fearful she might just know how to get the door open. I waited in refuge hearing one other person running and finally a calm camper entered. I poked my head out and made a hasty return to the Motorhome, where I notified all of my run in with Nature.
Those memories I won't be forgetting any time too soon. Packed up and back on the road near the BC/Alberta border we saw 3 more elk resting in a field. We were sure to view them only from the safety of our unit. Our journey took us right by Mount Robson - BC's highest mountain. We stopped at the Tourist Centre and were once again surprised at the amount of history including interactive information. The viewing wasn't spectacular as it was cloaked in a low fog but the centre had great pictures of what it actually looked like. With the weather not being great we only stopped for a brief lunch along the way and carried on through Barrier where the fires devastated so much of the forest onto Kamloops . So different from the Rockies , here it's arid with rolling hills. Beautiful in it's own desert way. After some wrong turns through Kamloops we found a private campground and set up for our last nights stay. We decided to go through the Nicola Valley , which was very picturesque and it appeared the road wasn't well traveled, as often we'd be the only ones on it.
By late afternoon we found ourselves back at the ferry terminal, already wondering when we might have the opportunity to go back.
