Day 60 Vancouver to Kamloops 13.06.12
Leaving Vancouver today for a 1 night stay in Kamloops, it's very cloudy & the mountains are invisible so good job we video’d them yesterday. Set off through the amazing Canadian countryside of trees, more trees, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, sheer rock faces, just like on the tv. It rained a bit but doesn't detract from the views at all. We stopped at a rest area in the mountains & had a hotdog & hot chocolate. There was still snow on the ground & it was freezing! We finally got to the hotel after firstly going to the wrong one, then sitting outside Starbucks with the computer on looking for directions, luckily it was only down the road!
We checked into the Maverick Motor Inn & have got a great room on the top floor with views of the city through the picture window, perfect.
I unpacked & sent Roy off to do the washing. We got ready & went to the chinese restaurant next door. The food was brilliant but the portions were enormous! Even the waitress talked us out of having rice as she said we should see the portions before deciding. We didn't have the rice! Back at the hotel we got 'The Great Outdoors' with John Candy & both enjoyed watching it.
Day 61 Kamloops to Valemount 14.06.12
Off to our 2nd & last B & B of the trip today, 220 miles to drive. The sky was overcast &, lo & behold, not far into the journey the heavens opened & it rained for the rest of the day. We stopped at a place in Blue River for some food before carrying on. Just down the road I spotted a flash of black & it was 2 black bears near the side of the road grazing on the plants. Roy quietly pulled up nearby so I could video them. It was thrilling, one didn't mind at all but the other moved further & further into the longer grass as if it was hiding. What a buzz!
Not much later we arrived at the Solstice B & B run by Leneaya & her husband Keith. She greeted us like long lost friends with her almost 2 year old daughter, Jessie. We were made to feel very at home in their lovely log cabin. The huge deck looked out over the trees to a river & snow capped mountains. It really is out in the woods! What a view to wake up to every morning.
We settled in to our room with wooden furniture that Keith had made & then were invited into the kitchen to talk to her while she cooked their tea. While we sat there with our cups of tea we saw humming birds coming to feed on the deck.
We went into the living room that is for guests & watched 'The Patriot' with Mel Gibson before turning in for the night. Everywhere is so quiet.
Unfortunately, & because I'm so biteable! I had a few midge bites!
Day 62 Valemount to Jasper, Alberta 15.06.12
We slept well in our extremely comfy bed & went out on the deck until our cooked breakfast was ready. The rain has stopped so we took some photos & the dog seemed to get on them all!
Brilliant breakfast, fresh fruit salad, bacon, eggs, potatoes, tomato & toast. While we were having our breakfast Jessie decided to sit on the dogs back out on the deck. It was so cute, the dog rolled over as if to say, 'go on then!' The next thing Jessie was lying by the dog & they were cuddling each other. Pity we couldn't get the camera fast enough! What a wonderful life for a child.
Then we set off, reluctantly, on our 130 mile drive to Jasper. We'll do some stop offs on the way. We had to stop to pay for a 3 day pass to Jasper & Banff national parks - we didn't know about that & left $60 lighter.
The scenery is amazing, hope we don't start taking it for granted. We stopped in Jasper for a drink & a look around & were quite disappointed by it as we thought it would be a bit more vibrant. Nice but not quite what we expected. decided not to go up on the cable car but save the money towards tomorrows trip.
We stopped at a few viewpoints for waterfalls & lakes & then I spotted a coyote. They are such shy creatures but I tried to film it. We saw another one at a stopping place a few miles further on but it ran off as soon as it saw us. It's brilliant seeing animals in the wild.
Then we stopped at the Athabasca falls which were fast & furious & just by the carpark. An Indian gentleman asked Roy where they were when he could see & hear them!!!
We arrived at the Sunwapta Falls Lodge, the most expensive hotel apart from New York, at 4.00pm & checked in. Our room is very nice with views of the mountains. Unpacked & went for the 5 minute walk to the Sunwapta falls, again very fast moving water, nothing would stand a chance if they fell in. My bites were starting to itch &, to top it all, I've got another on my foot from the walk to the falls! Blast!
We booked a table at the restaurant for 7.30pm & relaxed before getting ready. When we went down the lad made a comment about being late, then we discovered that the time has changed again & it was actually 8.30pm! Thankfully there was a table for us & we both had the spaghetti with buffalo bolognese sauce.
It was lovely but pricey, we couldn't eat like that every day on our budget but it's nice for a change.
Day 63 Jasper to Canmore, Nr Banff 16.06.12
Woke this morning with terrible earache in my left ear & swollen glands. Packed up & set off for our 2 day stay in Canmore. We are travelling along the Icefields Parkway which is one of the top 10 drives in the world. They are absolutely correct, so I won't bore you with more talk of the scenery.
On the way we stopped off at the Columbia Icefield & paid $104 to go on a trip on the Athabasca glacier.
I put on 2 fleeces & my waterproof coat with a hood for my poor ear. We were driven in a coach to the edge of the glacier & then transferred into an explorer. The drivers / guides are all very knowledgable about the glacier, history, everything to do with the area & kept us entertained. Once we had got quite a way onto the glacier we had 25 minutes to get off & explore, but only in specific places. The wind was so fierce it almost blew me over & it was so cold, like being in the arctic! Absolutely amazing though, a trip not to be missed. Sadly, at the rate it is melting, there will be no glacier there in 100 years time.
After we got back to the centre we had a slice of pizza & hot chocolate to warm us up.
As we drove along the road we could see 2 cars stopped so we pulled up & there was a large brown bear on the roadside grazing. He wasn't bothered by us but then other vehicles started pulling up so he scarpered.
Further on there was another group & there was a large grizzly with 2 cubs but I could only see it's head. Looked big though. There were some orientals & they were making so much noise I'm surprised the bear stayed where it was!
Next stop was Lake Louise, very pretty but, unfortunately, it was raining again so we had a quick look, took some photos & left. We carried on to our hotel in Canmore, the Bow Valley Inn & another nice room looking out on the mountains. It's hard not to look at them as they are all around.
We went to the brew pub, The grizzly Paw, next door & I had a raspberry beer & Roy had another sort of beer & we both had the burgers. Had a walk down the street then back to the hotel as the rain had started again.
Photos going on a separate blog.
TTFN xxx
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