30th June Monday
Today we were up nice and early at 7.30 so we could get ready, make lunch and be out of the apartment by 9.15.
We drove to Malign Canyon as our first stop, which is only a little way out of town, down the Malign road. The canyon is quite cool as it has been eroded by the underground rivers flowing from the lake systems.
We took a walk around the main trail, stopping for plenty of photo opportunities on the way. For the first half its all downhill, but then you have to return, but still easy compared to the walks we had done; the elderly were doing it.
From there we carried on, on the Malign lake road towards the lake, where on the way we had to stop for a photo – though far away it was a moose. We stopped at the Medicine Lake next which already had a few people stopped, taking photos. With the cloud cover the lake looked quite dull, but the mountain backdrops were still quite cool. The lake is not actually a lake, but part of the malign river backing up, so its level changes alot over the year.
Carrying on, with spotting a mouse in the distance as well as another black bear, we got to Malign Lake, driving past the main car parking area where the main facilities are to the part next to the fire road.
The start of the walk is up the old fire road which goes all the way up nearly to the top of the hills. The walking here was a bit so so as there were very large trees to the side of the road obscuring the view, but eventually we came to a side path, going much more vertically up, which we took.
It was much harder going as it was a trail and very steep, but we got to have some brilliant views of the lake and surrounding mountains. There was a lot of cloud drifting past, so often the peaks would be hidden. As we got to the top of the side path, we again joined people who had taken the main road instead.
We had a bit of a rest talking to some people before the final push. The bold hills are a series of peaks and we aimed for one of them, which was the marked finish. We ended up walking around the top of the hill, so that we could climb up without going across too much snow.
At the top we found a bolder (after photos) and had some food before it started drizzling. Another family had come up the top, and recommended going down the big snow drift as they had come up it. Not sure it was great advice; I was ok, but Bhavni bless her slid down (like me also), but stopped her self with her hands so she got cold and suffered most of the way down the trail.
Going down we just took the main road, which was going to be easier than the side road. At the bottom, we went to the Malign lake and had tea at the restaurant there. There was a great model of the area and mountains near the malign lake, so it was nice to put in perspective where we had been and the sights we saw.
Driving back to Jasper, the weather had really improved and we followed the sheer mountain that were really impressive. By the time we got to Medicine lake the sun was starting to come through so we stopped for some more photos. Getting back to town we had a bit of time to unwind and relax before we went for dinner, again to the pasta restaurant, but had to go for a walk as it was busy till 9pm.
1st July – Canada day
Today is Canada day – and as we had no major walks planed, we had a bit of a lie in, however we were still breakfasted and out by 10.30. After taking to the people in the information centre, we decided to abandon the flag raising ceremony and instead head to the Pyramid lake – just a short drive away. Here we had a walk around on the island and then Bhavni decided she wanted to go boating, so we ended up going for 30 minutes of canoing – quite relaxing in the middle of the lake, though Bhavni could not row a lot, so there was a bit of going around in circles.
We managed to get into town, park at the apartment and sit at the kerb for the start go the parade at 1pm. It was an amusing parade with lots of silly things going on, but we did get to see mounties, and gather some sweets.
After the parade, we headed back to the apparent and had some lunch, leaving soon after though. Our next destination was to the Edith Cavel mountain to see the angel falls – it would have been a nice walk to the meadows if they were open, but we were still to early in the season. The angel falls is actually a glacier, that is from the mountain. We were opposite it on an adjacent slope, and below there was a frozen lake with lots of warnings not to go near there because of falling ice – though plenty were down there.
From here we went and did a walk called the valley of 5 lakes, which as the name implies is a walk in a valley with 5 different lakes to go round, each a different hue due to the local conditions and depths. The only downside to this is there were mosquitos….
The walk itself had quite a few gradients and it took a bit before we got to see the first lake, but they were nice and tranquil, especially when we came to some red deck chairs that had been put out overlooking a perfect spot over the 3rd lake. We sat for a while enjoying the view and having an apple each, before continuing (Bhavni kept on getting scared by a chipmunk and a baby chipmunk).
Finishing the walk, we went back to town and freshened up, going to the pizza place again for dinner. After, there was a bit of packing to be had then I microwaved some popcorn and headed back into town for the firework display. It was amusing that we kept on being told to move to a safer location, but we finally settled on a place not far from the main park. It took a while for the display to start, but I was impressed with the fireworks which went on for a while. Nice end to the day.
2nd Wednesday
We were leaving Jasper today, so it was a bright and early start to be out of the Moose haven suite by 9am, after saying bye to our hosts. We tried to take the 93a road, but were blocked by a train going through, so I did a u turn and took the main 93, which becomes the Icefield Parkway highway.
There are plenty of stops on the way, along this spectacular route and our first was the Athabasca falls, which were quite nice, with a few different areas to view from. A really cool bit was descending the stairs to the lower lookout, which was like from a scifi movie in that the walls were water smoothed stone. It was a good place to take some photos and also we had some fun with photos with fake tight squeezes.
After we then drove to Sunwapta falls, which is again nice but its amazing how this one does not look that amazing after seeing some of the ones we had seen. There were plenty of views and stops along the way as we went through this impressive valley with mountains on both sides.
Eventually we got the the icefield parkway at around 11.40am, including Bhavni making me turn around as she thought the lookout bridge they had built was it; buses only. We found parking soon enough, but there was a massive queue when we got in, which took over 20 minutes to get through. Apparently some of the buses were in for servicing and hence we got the next available tour – 1.15pm.
As we had about an hour wait, we headed to the seating and had some of out packed food with some tea, there we set next to an older couple. They turned out to be American and had come driving from home, Bhavni and the lady had a conversation as she turned out to be a nurse. They were on a tour 15mins earlier than us. Our tour consisted of getting on a normal bus, which went to the entrance way and dropped us off to board the special arctic buses. We were given an amusing commentary by the driver all the way to the glacier. It was definitely a tour for Grandparents, as we just walked on ice which had been compacted by the company, in a safe massive area, but we got much closer to the glaciers that were around here.
Getting back to the main area we got back on the road and drove the short distance to the Parker Ridge car park at around 3pm. This really was a brilliant short (but ok – 250m) walk. As you went up, you could see the road on valley we were driving on, but nearer the top the other side came into view after the trees disappearing. What a view of the Saskatchewan glacier. We took plenty of photos and helped another guy take photos (whos partner eventually made it).
Descending we were back on our way at around 5pm. The views were still amazing all the way. Our last proper stop on the way was to see Bow glacier and Bow lake, which was really nice from high up – though I got hit by a member of the public, trying to get the mosquitos. We got to Lake Louise at around 7pm, where we checked into the Mountaineer lodge. Not that great a place from first impressions. Well we left our stuff and had dinner at the Snow Wolf pizzeria. I had quite a nice Calzone and Bhavni had a pizza. Getting back to the accommodation, I was surprised to see people with doors open, but it became apparent that the reason was to cool the rooms which were way too hot, making sleep really hard.
3rd Thursday
We had breakfast included so after putting the bags in the car we found the food area. The food was continental with a waffle station. I put some bagels in for toasting and bhavni was looking after them, but a old man decided he wanted them, even with Bhavni saying they were hers – cheeky man, made us a bit pissed off. After breakfast we sorted out some food for ourselves for later and meant to check out – I dont think they were interested in my suggestion of opening the windows in the apartments before guests arrive to cool them.
Driving to the Lake Luise car park, we arrived around 10am. I had decieded that today we would do the plain of 6 glaciers walk – which was just over 6km. The first bit was from the Fairmont hotel right around the lake, so there were lots of casual walkers around. This ended when we had to cross some water, marking the start of the real walk. It again went up a valley and we had good views as we got higher and higher, with the trees quickly disappearing and rocky paths the norm.
You could actually do this by horse as there was a specific path for them also. Eventually we got to the Swiss tea house, marked by a sudden appearance of a nice path. We decided to forgo the break for now and continue on the last part of the walk, which got us to the area I had seen in photos – overlooking the the glaciers. The path stopped and became an unofficial scree covered trail, which we followed for a bit, just to get to a nicer lookout position. After a bit of time to take it in, we took the trail back to the tea house, going to the second floor where we got a seat. Ordering tea and coffee, I got tempted by tortilla chips with salsa, which was quite good. It was nice looking out over the forest having the food.
After we started the walk back along the trail, eventually we came across the path the Lake Anges, which we were looking out for. Taking it, we were soon climbing again, hugging the mountain. We could see the original path below now and again, then we were over the end of Lake Luise, with views of the Fairmont.
Wrongly following signs we descended a bit to see the mirror lake, before realising we had to go up again, quite a bit to the lake, including a set of stairs. The tea house there was really busy with no spaces. I had to order tea inside which took a while as they normally only do table service – infact they did not give milk. After being amused by the “Fresh” Indians who were quite noisy, we headed down, via the mirror lake, which definitely was not a mirror. By the time we got down it was 4.30pm, with ominous clouds appearing. We went to the Fairmont hotel and tried to enquire about reserving a place for dinner. I think they chose to play dumb a bit as we must have looked a mess, so we left.
Our next night was at the Paradise Lodge, where we checked in, getting chalet 8. We asked about the dinner, the owner was sceptical about getting a place, but found out that the lounge was turn up and see – plan. We unloaded the bags and Bhavni suggested we visit the Moraine lake. Driving there the heavens opened up, so we got parking close as many were leaving, but we saw the lake in driving blustery rain.
We headed back and getting caught in a bit of a queue to the town, we went to the shops to get our milk – expensive prices. By now the sun had come out again, so it was nice to get back to the chalet and get ready. We headed out at 7.40 and went to the Glacier lounge where we were put on the wait list and give an electronic buzzer. So we went down to the saloon bar and had a cocktail and beer. Our table was ready in 2 minutes, 2nd table in front of the main window with a great view of the lake. For dinner we had soup, quinoa roulade, a vegan burger and a nice desert. While we had dinner, we watched a storm form, the view disappear and torrential rain, then clear and the mountains and glaciers re-appear.
After dinner and a few pictures outside we headed back to the lodge and phoned kenya.
4th – Friday
Waking up in the chalet, it was nice to find the fire on, keeping the chill out. We had another busy day today, so we had breakfast by the window, got ready and checked out, leaving at 9.30am. Joining the main highway (SH1), we drove through Yoho national park. The first stop was just on the side of the road, which was a small area which displayed information about the loop tunnels that were created to allow trains to go through without going up massive gradients.
Next was Takakkaw Falls, another massive waterfall – the second highest in Canada and over 250m, which was a few km off the main highway. Getting there, we parked in the car park and walked the path to the falls, which we could see (at least partially) all the time. Crossing the bridge we went to the end of the path taking photos. Here we did every now and then get sprayed with the falls when the wind direction changed.
Getting back to the car, we were off again, stopping a little down the road to see the falls with the natural bridge. This was where the waterfall had cut under the rock leaving part of it straddling the flow. We saw the falls from a few different lookouts before getting back in the car and driving to the Emerald Lake (a few km off the highway). We had a walk around the area, taking in the view and taking a couple of snaps. The restaurant there seemed to be having a function later the day, so it looked closed. The sights were quite inciting as we read about some of the walks here, to far off glaciers and rugged ranges, especially as we saw a large group of backpackers heading out.
From Emerald lake we drove back to the highway and started our drive out of the park and back into BC, driving past Golden and into Glacier national park, showing our badges. We drove to the Glacier park visitor centre which was recommended in all the guides for the park. There was a museum type of display showing the animals that are around the area and the human influence such as building of the train line. We also got some hints at places to stop and have a lookout along the road (again there was lots of information about some amazing walks that were around to the glaciers). We stopped at a couple of viewpoints to get views of mountains and glaciers, although one im sure was not really a good view point as trees obscured the view.
Leaving the park, it was only 10km to Mt Revelstoke national Park, where we went for one of the walks that was recommended by the ranger. We parked and showed our badge to the ranger at the walk entrance. The walk was a along boardwalks around an old ceder forest, it was nice and cool, although we had to keep walking to avoid getting bitten. We walked the “wrong way” as recommended by the ranger. Some of the trees were quite big and impressive.
Finishing the walk we drove the little way to Revelstoke, parking the car at the I centre and walking to the center – just one block away. We ended up eating lunch in a little cafe. We both had some wraps. Bhavni got tempted and had a shake – bad idea as it was overly sweet. My coffee on the other hand was fine.
From Revelstoke we started the rest of he long drive to Kelowna, leaving the large mountains behind and getting back into rugged terrain. Leaving the SH1 at Mara lake, the road became single lane with quite a bit of slow moving traffic. As we were driving we spotted a strange store on the side of the road, so we had to ingestive, which required turning around. The store had mostly touristy stuff in it, but it was the dinosaurs, dragons and other creatures that were interesting. I had to get some chilly popcorn as I hate stopping without buying anything. Well that was awful
In Kelowna, Bhavni guided us to the B&B – the Apple Tree, where we were greeted by our hosts for the next 2 nights, who gave us lots of information on what to do. We freshened up, and chilled for a while before heading out to town. We parked not too far from the center and walked along the main street, going into the restaurant that the guys at the B&B had recommended – RauDz. Well it was very busy so we gave them our name for coming back about and hour later. So we walked to the river front. It had cooled down nicely as the cloud had come in, but it was pleasant. There was live music near the entrance to the city park, but it was not really our music, so we walked a bit taking photos and finally relaxing on a bench just enjoying the view. Soon enough we went back to the restaurant where we were shown to our table. We had some nice dishes – Risotto, holoumi and pasta with a special vegetarian option with quinoa.
After dinner we went back to the B&B and after a bit of tv we retired for the night.
5th – Saturday
Breakfast was ready for us at 9am, after we had got up and ready – continental starter course followed by a courgette pie. We were seated outside on the deck in the morning sun with the other couple who had stayed the night.
After breakfast whilst Bhavni got some packing done, I did some research into activities for the rest of the day and soon enough we were out of the door and in the car. We were off to the Myra Canyon, up about 1000m to get to the kettle train, which involved over 8km of unsealed road. We parked in the car park – here you could hire a bike to do the whole kettle train, but as we were going to do other stuff today we decided to go for a walk. The sun was really out in force, but as we walked our few km, we got a bit of cloud cover which was pleasant. The kettle train tracks, were disused and re-purposed recently for walking and cycling, with the route hugging the canyon, with trestles (bridges) and tunnels. We walked past the first tunnel before turning back and getting back to the car and down back into town.
We drove across the river to West Kelowna – actually a different city with a different mayor, and started on a bit of a wine trail, as this whole valley is very famous for its wines, and it was quite nice as the roads had flags showing the different coloured trails. Our first vineyard – Volcanic Hills – was a winery owned by an indian family, hence they were selling quite a bit of stuff inspired by indian culture also, and we had a talk with one of the sons, who was born in Canada. The problem is that we are spoilt by New Zealand wines so its hard to find anything that beats that for us. After we visited Quails Gate vineyard where we did some more tasting, it was busy but we had fun talking to the person serving us. Finally we went to Mission Hill, which is a lovely vineyard, but it was really really busy, and our idea of having lunch there could not happen. We instead had a try of wine and took some photos.
After which we drove back to our Kelowna and stopped on the way to get a Subway sandwich, which we took to out B&B and had. We then had about an hour to relax before heading back out,
Again we went to the Myra Canyon, but this time up the other side, to the Myra Canyon Ranch, where we were part of a group of 5 plus 2 instructors. I was given a draft horse to ride and after the signing of the usual disclaimers we went for a ride in the forest. My horse would usually open up the gap as he was a draft horse, but as we carried on I stated to get the hang of making him canter a bit to catch up. They took us around some tracks on the mountain, through dense woods, meadows and skeleton forests, with views now and then of Kelowna. We had a bit of rain, but nothing too bad, and it was uneventful apart from once when Bhavni nearly got hit by a horse.
After the 2 hours, we said bye to the horses and went back to the b&b, where we freshened up, said hello to our hosts, then headed back into town, where we went to the Thai restaurant that we had seen last night – which also had good reviews, where we had a nice meal. After we had a walk, which included getting a scoop of ice cream. Then it was off to the B&B for the night.
6th – Sunday
Waking up we had breakfast on the deck again which was continental with some fruit pancake. Some guests from Mexico were staying, who turned out to be doctors, so the conversation was steered in that direction. We finished gathering our stuff and left by 10.30am. We drove back over the bridge to West Kelowna and just near the end of town we stopped at an I centre. The guide suggested doing the more scenic route down the 97 nearer the border, but as it was going to take longer, we decided against it and took the 97c to Merit, which is the newer road, built high on some of the ranges. The weather was mostly nice on the way to Merrit, but from there it gradually got cloudier as we carried on (Bhavni had her usual rest). We drove past Hope, where it was raining with lots of clouds – a pity as we had been told there was a gliding club there. I stopped in Chiliwack, at a little restaurant (Younies) for lunch where I had a sandwich with plenty of cheese and Bhavni had spring rolls.
Rejoining the SH1 we got stuck in traffic for a while until past the Langley junction. Now just for avoiding the toll bridge we went the long way through Surrey and Richmond. However we drove past the VanDousen Botanical gardens. So we turned around and visited, spending a couple of hours there taking a few pictures.
After, we drove to the hotel and checked in – I parked the car across the road at a multistory car park for $6 as the street parking was expensive and I did not want to pay for the hotel parking. We then did a full unpack of all our bags and got ready. We took the car back out and drove to Acorn – the restaurant that Milans cousin recommended. It was not too far by car. When we got there it was totally packed, but we only had to wait 20mins for a table. I had beer battered holoumi, whilst Bhavni had raw courgette pasta. We followed this by a nice shared desert.
Driving back we filled up petrol and as we did not need the car, returned it to the Avis car park. The instructions to do this leave a bit to be desired – and even putting the keys in the deposit box was hard. It was not just us as others returning the car were confused.
Just 5 minutes walk back to the hotel and we were soon packing before retiring for our last night.
7th Monday
Our last few hours in Canada. We got up and had a few croissants with coffee and tea at a cafe just a few doors down from the hotel, Bhavni got an normal tea, but wanted a ice one – big mistake as it was too sweet. We then had a quick final walk before returning to the hotel and checking out. We took our bags to the central station and took the train to the airport.
We check in and then after spent a while looking at the shops for some decent Ice wine. Eventually we did buy some. Soon enough it was time to board the flight. Bhavni got some sleep, but as it was a day flight, I ended up watching quite a few movies.