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Day 15, Sunday, June 29th
We began our third week on the road with a wonderful day of hiking, birdwatching, mountain and waterfall scenery with lots of wildlife thrown in plus dinner out. We got an early start and did some hiking along Vermillion Lakes surrounded by mountains (see photo) then hiked along the Fenwood Nature Trail. Next we headed up to Johnson Canyon for short hikes to a couple of beautiful waterfalls (photo). Along the way we saw a distant herd of Elk, a Bull Elk browsing along the roadside 16 feet from our car (photo), Bighorn Sheep, Osprey diving for fish and a pair of Common Loons with a baby on the mother’s back. All together we hiked about 8 miles today. We then drove to Lake Minnewanka where we took an informative and relaxing boat ride along the lake. After a brief stop at the motorhome to freshen up, we went to dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Banff valley. Good food and a great view. We completed the day driving to the Banff Springs Hotel to check out the many shops.
Day, 16, Monday, June 30th
Today we headed up to Lake Louise on the scenic route, the Bow Valley Parkway where we saw the Bull Elk and Osprey yesterday. We saw more Osprey and Elk but it wasn’t as exciting as our initial sightings.
We got some hiking trail information in Lake Louise Village and then headed up to the Lake itself at about 5700 foot elevation, framed by beautiful snow capped mountains, the highest of which is Mt Victoria at 11,400. On the shore of the lake is Chateau Lake Louise. I’d be hard pressed to imagine a more magnificent spot for a hotel (see photos of both of us).
After soaking in the view of the lake and mountains for a while, we headed up the trail to Lake Agnes, 2.1 miles and 1260 feet UP the trail. The final quarter mile was pretty steep but we persevered and were rewarded with yet another beautiful alpine lake, this time at 7000 feet elevation (another reason the last quarter mile was tough). Another reward was a Tea House on the shore of the lake, serving tea, hot chocolate, snacks & sandwiches. A delightful way to rest and get refreshed. Needless to say, the trip down was far easier and faster.
We ate our picnic lunch on the shore of the lake then browsed the many shops in the hotel. Sandy found a beautiful pendant of Ammolite, a very colorful fossilized mineral found only in Alberta,
After dinner in the coach we finished off the day with a soak at the Banff Hot Springs for which the area is famous.
Day 17, Tuesday, July 1st
We headed up the Icefield Parkway towards Jasper National Park today. It is 153 miles along the spine of the northern Rockies, described as, “perhaps the most beautiful road in the world”. Just soaking in the magnificent mountain scenery as we drove along would have been enough but there was lots more. Every 20-30 miles we stopped at an overlook or short trail with views of irredescent blue alpine lakes, roaring waterfalls and peaceful meadows where we looked unsuccessfully for moose, elk and mountain goats. The highlight was the Icefield Center where we took a “Sno-Coach” out on to the Athabasca Glacier. This is one of the six glaciers that flow from the Columbia Icefield along the Alberta British Columbia Border. To get on to the glacier ice, these six wheel drive busses first drive down the edge of the lateral moraine, the pile of dirt and rocks at the side of the glacier. It was 32% down grade. Once out on the ice we had about twenty minutes to walk around take pictures and fill bottles with pure glacial melt water, ;cold and delicious. Speaking of cold, did we mention Carl was wearing shorts! As you might expect, standing on top of a 1,000 foot thick ice cube, the air doesn’t get far above 32 degrees. The views were wonderful, the meltwater streams were a wonderful shade of blue and the realization that the water from the Columbia Icefield flows to the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans made this the highlight of the day.
Once we got to Jasper, we got a lovely forested campsite at one of the National Park Campgrounds, drove to town for maps and info at the Visitor Center, had a pizza and went back to the campground for a campfire. We are very fortunate to have experiences like this
Day 18, Wednesday, July 2nd
Another great wildlife day mixed with getting some chores done. In the morning we hiked around Cottonwood Lake just outside of Jasper. We saw lots of beautiful wildflowers and many interesting birds including a Black Backed Woodpecker, Willow Flycatcher, Ring Necked Duck, Bufflehead, Goldeneye and a pair of Canada Geese with four goslings. On the trail we met a couple from CA who reported hearing Lincoln Sparrow and Sora. I remain in awe of people who can identify so many bird calls. As we were getting to the end of the trail Sandy spotted a Black bear about 200 yards away in a meadow (photo). He seemed to be digging up roots and turning over rocks looking for insects. He stayed down in the meadow as we walked past.
After lunch we had a really exciting afternoon. We washed the car (boy was it filthy after being towed behind the motorhome for 3,000 miles!). We may wash it again tomorrow when we go back there to wash the motorhome. We then put in three loads of laundry at the in town laundromat, did some window shopping while the clothes got done then did some grocery shopping. On the way home from town we spotted a young bull Elk standing under the sign warning motorists to watch out for wildlife (photo). We then saw three female adult Elk with two juveniles. Actually, what we saw were about a dozen cars stopped by the side of the road; then we saw the Elk.
Tomorrow we head northwest into British Columbia. On Friday we get to our first Alaska destination, Hyder.
Day 19, Thursday, July 3rd
Today was mostly a driving day. We washed the motorhome (and the car again) and since the place didn’t open until ten, we got a late start on the road. However, fifteen miles down the road we crossed into the Pacific time zone and got an hour back. Along the road we saw Mule Deer and glimpses of two Black Bear. We stopped briefly at Mount Robson Provincial Park with a great view of, you guessed it, Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies at over 12,000 feet. We could see almost all of the mountain, the top thousand feet or so were in the clouds.
Stopped for lunch at a roadside pullout then drove some more- 462 miles total. That’s a long day on a road where you have to slow down to 30 mph every time you drive through a small town. Still, the traffic was very light and the scenery was just one snow capped mountain after another. We got to our destination, Smither, BC, about 7 pm. Time for a quick supper, downloading some email and bedtime. Tomorrow our destination is Hyder, Alaska!!!!
Day 20, Friday, July 4th
We awoke to a light drizzle but went for a run anyway. The place we are staying is Riverside Golf and RV. We jogged round the golf course. Today’s route took us north on the Cassier Highway which connects with the Alaskan Highway near Watson Lake in the Yukon. We’ll be there in a few days after our stop in Hyder. This little community of about 100 people is the southern most town in Alaska. The only road in, 38 miles west of the Cassier Highway in British Columbia, ends at Hyder, in a steep valley with hanging glaciers above.
What a delightful surprise. We arrived in Hyder in time for some of their July 4th celebrations (axe throwing, bush woman contest and ugly vehicle parade). The contestants were a combination of locals and tourists, although that word hardly applies to anyone who comes here! We missed the pet parade but heard that just after the parade passed by a Black Bear and two cubs walked out of the woods on to the road. We wandered through the three shops in town and found a remarkable proprietor. This woman makes the beaded jewelry, mixes the natural insect repellant she sells, makes the fudge and the CD playing in the background is her singing and playing guitar. All of the prices in Hyder stores were in Canadian dollars. When I asked why, I learned that there is no bank in Hyder so they have to use Canadian money
We got a site at Camp Run-A-Muck. The people in the RV next to us are from Laconia, NH and the one beyond them is from Wellesley, MA. The Laconia couple have been full-timing for six years. This is their second trip to Alaska.
Day 21, Saturday, July 5th
Our plan today was to pick up our mail at the Post Office, then drive up to the Salmon Glacier. Since the Post Office didn’t open until 10:30, we slept late (8:30) and went for a run. As we ran along the dirt road leading north out of town I was reminded of the advice given if you encounter a bear on the trail. “Don’t run away!!, it triggers predatory instincts in the bear and he will chase you! Well we didn’t get chased by any bears. I guess we don’t run fast enough to trigger any predatory instincts.
At a little after 10:30, I went to the Post Office, which was adjacent to the campground. I got bad news and good news. The bad news was that mail is only flown into Hyder on Mondays and Thursdays and last Thursday’s flight was fogged in at Ketchikan. The good news was that an extra flight was coming in today. The better news was that the Postmaster is married to the woman who runs the campground so he brought our mail home with him and we picked it up later in the afternoon at the campground office, long after the post office closed.
We then headed up the dirt road to Fish Creek and Salmon Glacier. Fish Creek is a famous place where bears come to feed on spawning salmon. Unfortunately, the salmon don’t arrive in quantity until late July. We watched one pair spawning in the creek and that was not enough to entice the bears out of the woods. Perhaps on our next trip.
Beyond Fish Creek the road gets progressively rougher and steeper. We stopped at a few interesting spots along the way and saw Common Goldeneye (that’s a duck), Spotted Sandpiper, Red Tail Hawk and a soaring Bald Eagle. We also saw several Beaver and a Hoary Marmot. After 12 miles we were on top of the world, looking down on a vast glacier as it came off the mountain top and made a sharp right turn down the valley (photo but it does not do the scene justice). We ate our picnic lunch overlooking this wonderful scene, seated on a smooth rounded rock that no doubt got that way from a previous, bigger glacier. Just an extraordinary sight. I fear I will run out of superlative adjectives long before this trip is over.
The trip down the mountain offered one more treat. A Black Bear ran across the road in front of us and climbed the hill to eat berries on the hillside. We parked and cautiously got out of the car to watch and photograph the bear. He was about 50 feet away and about 20 feet above us on the hillside. Mostly he was hidden by the bushes but occasionally he would peek out or push down the bush to eat, giving us a great view (photo).
Now we are off to dinner at a seafood restaurant in an old bus, run by the wife of a fisherman. We are told the seafood does not get any fresher.
