Lakes, Rivers and Waterfalls

Thinking it would be cold overnight and with no heating apparent in the room, we asked for a blanket (and later found another in the bottom drawer of a chest!) but some time during the night the heating was turned on and I awoke absolutely boiling hot so of course this meant nocturnal activities to open the window even further and discard the blanket!  Luckily we could have a lie in with morning coffee/tea as we didn't even have a deadline for breakfast!  Our improvised fridge (ice bucket) worked well - as did the sporks!

The weather was looking pretty grim when we left, rain and low cloud so we went prepared with waterproof trousers which we never actually needed.  It was quite cold though so gloves were appreciated.  After loading up the car with lunch, maps etc we set off up the road to Lake Louise itself.  We were lucky that the rain had stopped and some sunshine highlighted the peaks surrounding the beautiful lake.  We walked as far as we could around it and then returned to the car to resume our travels on route 1 via Kicking Horse Pass.  We stopped at the lower Spiral Tunnel viewpoint where we waited patiently and were rewarded with an extremely long goods train which we could see winding along into and out of the tunnel - an impressive sight.  We had actually traversed these on the Rocky Mountaineer a few days previously but because of the slow travel had not really appreciated the complicated construction.  Even though it was raining at the time, we managed to catch some good photos before heading up to the higher viewing point and managed to catch sight of another train doing the same manoeuvre, in the Upper Spiral Tunnel.

Further up the road  (involving a very tight hairpin bend at which the RV in front of us got stuck and had to reverse to obtain a better position to make it up the hill!) we saw the impressive Takakkaw Falls which are apparently even better in the summer with more melt water, but we were still able to walk right up to the base and take some good photos.  We stopped here for lunch before heading further on up the highway and turned off for the Natural Bridge which demonstrated the power of the thundering rivers pouring over rocks where once had been a waterfall, but over time this had been eroded to become a natural bridge.

Our final destination was off the main highway to Emerald Lake - where we grabbed a cheap coffee before walking some 5km around the lake.  The colour of the lake was just absolutely fabulous although more turquoise than emerald.  The rain had stopped and the sun was out, highlighting the gorgeous colours in the different habitats on the lakeside. The icing on the cake was a distant view of the Burgess Shale (very famous fossil bed, for non-biologist readers!).

Back at Lake Louise we had to stop at the market (grocery store) for some items which had been omitted from the original packing (such as contact lens fluid!),  plus further supplies of milk & lunch roll contents.  We dined at the hotel again in a more British pub style of restaurant with such meals as fish & chips, although the coleslaw was definitely an improvement on the stuff sold at home.

A change of wheels

Sleep was as usual disturbed by noise, mostly the goods trains which for some obscure reason have to sound their whistles several times as they pass through the town. Two helicopters added to the din.

The hotel filled up with yet more Chinese tourists last night, but breakfast wasn't quite the scrum we were expecting. We went into town to pick up the hire car, and found the Avis office in the rather chaotic shopping mall, which was under redevelopment. We had ordered an `intermediate' size of car, and were issued with a gargantuan 7-seater 4x4 Ford Flex (whatever that is). The first challenge was to get the parking brake off, as the car park was so dark that it was hard even to find the pedal (foot operated as usual). After releasing the bonnet by mistake, and several attempts to secure the same, rather by accident the parking brake came off and we were able to move. The next surprise was that the driver's seat adjusted itself when the ignition key was inserted. Had the vehicle sized Les up before he got into it?

On the way back to the hotel to collect the bags, Stella started playing with the various electronics, and was delighted to find that the climate control enabled separate temperatures for left and right, and front and rear. The radio stations are all categorised by genre, everything being displayed on a big central screen, which also gives a panoramic rear view when reverse is selected. The auto-box is vastly superior to the terrible one in the RV.

With the bags stuffed into the back, off we went to see the sights of Banff and surroundings. The first one was the curiously named Lake Minnewanka, actually an artificial one resulting from a dam built in the early 1900s. We walked up to a bridge over the gorge which feeds the lake, in quite cold weather, the sun trying weakly to break through. Next stop was Tunnel Mountain, with very good views, and then the geothermal area of Sulphur Mountain. The route took us over a long section of unsurfaced road where gas pipes were being laid, but with our 4WD this didn't bother us. The reason for the name was obvious to our noses as soon as we alighted from the car. Several hot springs poor smelly water into pools, which amazingly harbour a unique species, the Banff Snail. The area was discovered originally when a cave was found to contain a hot pool, which of course has been used for quack `healing' ever since. The hot springs also emerge further up the mountain, where a more commercialised bathing facility has been set up. We are not sure why anyone would want to immerse themselves in such noxious water.

The final sight Banff had to offer was the Vermilion Lakes, which with the lowering sun lighting the mountains behind, afforded excellent photography opportunities. The walking trail however went far too close to the Trans-Canada Highway, so we gave up on that.

It was now time to press on to the next overnight stop at Lake Louise. On the way we diverted to Moraine Lake, where a vast pile of fractured rock blocks the outflow of crystal clear water. It seems most likely that this is a genuine terminal moraine from a former glacier, although some authorities think it came from an avalanche. It is very popular with tourists, and although the road signs advise against large vehicles, we found a lot of coaches there.

The Lake Louise Inn is basic but OK. With one small window and a single dim light the room is rather dark! There are not many dining opportunities here so we ended up eating in the inn. Prices are much higher in the mountains - last night we paid $4 for a pint of beer and tonight it was $6.75! We are trying to offset this by self-catering for breakfast and lunch.

Needless to say the railway is within line of sight, so earplugs will be required tonight.

Recuperation, and another river

The usual poor night's sleep - I just find hotel rooms so stuffy so had to open the window wider in the small hours which then let in the noises of trains, reversing lorries and returning revellers!  Breakfast was included at this hotel and we were pleasantly surprised at the good range of items available plus, for an additional charge, the usual cooked breakfast items.  We were fine without these and were soon on the way downtown with a rucksack full of laundry to be done!  Passing another hotel further down the road we found a very naughty elk munching flowers!  I wonder if the hotel gets compensation from the parks authority? We found the shopping mall and eventually the laundry in the depths.  Coffee was fetched but we were beginning to fade in the hot atmosphere by the time the drying was finished.  Next stop was the supermarket where we were horrified at the prices of items but this is a resort after all.

By now the cloud had cleared with brilliant skies showing off the surrounding mountains to great effect.  It had also warmed up considerably so no coats required in the afternoon when we ventured downtown to check out the park pass (about twice the price of the US one) and walk around the river to Bow Falls which were pretty impressive.  We walked up one side from town and then along the other side with spectacular views and colours.  We headed back downtown, back to Safeway for more fruit and then back to the hotel.  We had sussed out a cheap place to eat down the road - meal deals between 5-7 and returned there after distributing the washing/dried items to dry/air - the rooms were just being sorted when we ventured out in the afternoon so not sure what the maid thought of all the clothes artistically draped and hanging off lamp fixtures!  We turned up the heating (now whisper quiet after attention to a noisy fan) to finish off said washing so when we returned from our meal (and yet another trip to Safeway for donuts!) the heat hit us as we opened the door but needs must!!  The special today (at the backpacker hostel) was roast pork and very nice it was too.

Rocking on

Oh dear, another very early start. The bus was scheduled to pick us up from the hotel at 06:15, which we just about made, but of course some other guests got the time wrong and departure was 10 minutes late. Nevertheless the train got going at 07:00 as planned, under grey skies. Today we were on second sitting for meals but with the earlier start we were called for breakfast not long after 09:00. To stay the pangs of hunger until then, we were supplied with coffee and scones at our seats. The breakfast itself was excellent as before - we chose Eggs Benedict (well only one egg each).

Meanwhile the train rattled along at varying speeds, usually slowly to allow appreciation of the views. The straight bits were taken rather faster, causing the now familiar bouncing and swaying. Stella preferred the downstairs open viewing platform at the end of the carriage, where the swaying wasn't so bad - the top deck of the carriage amplifies the movement. The scenery became steadily more dramatic, the sky gradually clearing. We passed through more tunnels, including the famous Spiral Tunnels which were bored so as to reduce the gradient which was causing the old locomotives to break down. Wildlife spotting wasn't up to much though - a juvenile bald eagle, the usual cormorants, and that was about it.

Lunch was very late this time, as we sat down at almost 3 pm. On top of that, we were to move into Alberta which is an hour ahead, so by the time lunch was finished it was after 5 pm. The food was again superb, although we thought it odd to serve coffee before dessert. The afternoon also involved crossing the Continental Divide, ie the watershed and the highest point of the journey at 5,800 feet. As the sun lowered, the light on the increasingly craggy mountains became even more dramatic.

The train stopped at Lake Louise to drop off some passengers, and then pulled into Banff at nearly 7 pm. Just before that, there was an elaborate farewell from the crew, no doubt to bolster their hopes of a generous tip. Other passengers agreed with us that inviting a gratuity of $70-$90 per couple, for which envelopes were provided, was rather cheeky, in view of how much the trip was costing. It is of course colder here, maximum today forecast to be 18 Celsius. We did see a prediction of snow later in the week, so will have to ask the car hire company whether they provide snow chains.

The Rocky Mountaineer certainly met expectations. The scenery is literally breathtaking, and we were very well looked after.  We also met some charming people aboard with whom we shared a table for meals.  We are now back to our standard accommodation - shabby but functional!

A Rocky Start

We did not get off to a good start at all this morning as due to poor communication, it was unclear whether an alarm had been set in order to be up and out for the taxi due at 0630.  Therefore when one member of the party awoke in the small hours she was not aware that the alarm had been set so dug out her mobile to set one!  It took ages to get back to sleep and then of course the alarm went off!  Great difficulty was had with bag packing but we managed to be downstairs in time for the taxi and then things took a turn for the worse!   The address given to the taxi driver took us to the north side of Vancouver to decidedly rough looking dock areas and the poor taxi driver did not have any idea where he was going - stopping to ask security guards at some depot before we realised that we had given him the incorrect address and he then had to do a speedy turnabout to get us to the correct place just in the nick of time - they were waiting to finish booking in passengers.  We were hustled inside a huge warehouse building absolutely full of people, with a pianist trying vainly to be heard above the hubbub. After checking in we were offered some quite disgusting coffee before being piped aboard the train, amid great ceremony.

I should add at this stage the rain was pouring down and so it continued for the first few hours as we slowly - and I mean slowly - made our way out of Vancouver.  The surroundings were pretty dire - mostly goods yards and factories.  On board we found the facilities to be very good with comfortable seats with plenty of leg room and of course the excellent windows extending all across the roof.  Catering started with fruit juice and supposed non alcoholic bubbles which were hard to find!  Each carriage was divided into first and second sitting for breakfast and lunch with this being reversed tomorrow.  Luckily we were on first sitting which commenced shortly after we started and offered croissants and fruit, followed by a choice of cooked items such as scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar, pancakes and a full fry up.  Plenty of tea and coffee which was a definite improvement on the muck at check in.

Feeling much better after breakfast we could either return to our seats or hang about on the outside platform at the rear of the carriage which was covered but still wet at this stage with the wind (and speed of the train) blowing the rain straight onto those brave enough to venture outside.

The rain gradually eased in time for the journey through dramatic gorges with picturesque rivers.  Some wildlife was spotted but was almost impossible to film - apparently bald eagles and bighorn sheep.  The bar opened so we made full use of this throughout the day with an excellent choice offered such as beer, wine, spirits as well as soft drinks and hot drinks.  Lunch was a choice of soup or salad (we chose the latter which was very tasty with toasted pumpkin seeds, a pleasant change) followed by fish, beef, or chicken and then chocolate brownie with ice cream which we managed to finish between us. We chatted to other passengers over both meals.

We trundled on - never really going fast and often having to wait for incredibly long goods trains but not delayed too much and thoroughly enjoying the experience whether sitting upstairs with the grandstand view or outside in the fresh air.  On the very few straight sections the train speeded up a bit, usually to the detriment of the ride as the track seems to date from the 19th century. We arrived at Kamloops at about 5 but it took further time to slowly creak our way into town - perhaps the coaches weren't quite ready or something.  Room keys were handed out when we arrived at the station and we boarded one of over 13 coaches to take us to various hotels.  There were actually 35 carriages on the train but there will be less tomorrow as it divides with some passengers going to Jasper and others (including us) to Banff.

We were delighted to find we were far away from the station, were greeted in reception with a large warm cookie for later and that our room was large and very comfortable.  We dined on slightly chewy cheese rolls, the cookie and fruit - certainly didn't have the time to go looking for anything else and after all the food on board, we could not justify eating more!

Forest and foreshore

We all slept rather better, and opted for the all-you-can-eat breakfast in the Irish pub attached to the hotel. This set us up well for a walk around Stanley Park, a forest area to the north west of central Vancouver. It has apparently the longest uninterrupted shoreline path in the world, and is heavily used by cyclists and inline skaters. This we discovered after being nearly run down by cyclists because we were walking in the cycle path. Lesson learned. The walk started at the slightly famous Sylvia Hotel, an old (by local standards) building encased in wistaria.

The route took in stunning views of bulk carrier ships and piles of solid sulphur on the dockside opposite, while floatplanes did a brisk trade in joy rides from the harbour. Information boards explained what sea life we might have seen 100 years ago before the waterway was industrialised. We had to content ourselves with the usual cormorants and gulls. However the display of totem poles, mostly quite recently carved (in 1987) was most impressive.

Thoughts turned to lunch, which we took in a restaurant in remarkable gardens. Even at this late season we ate outside, despite a few raindrops at the end. After this, further walking was indicated, and we struck inland to the wonderful forest. It's never far from a road, yet always looks primeval, with young trees growing from the rotting remains of big old fallen ones.

We took a taxi back to the hotel, where Charlotte was faced with packing for her return flight to the UK. After last night's anguish ("I can't fit everything in"), somehow the bags were closed. We all made our way to the airport for a tearful farewell - she will be sorely missed, and has been great company and a source of expertise for wildlife and the blog!  We are not sure how we are going to cope!  We end the day trying to pack our bags to a different protocol which brings new issues and we just hope we can be ready for 05:30 tomorrow to catch the Rocky Mountaineer train.

Moving on

Unfortunately none of the party had much sleep - a combination of stuffiness and street noise as we attempted to alleviate the former by opening the terrace door.  We breakfasted on leftover croissant and jam (from the RV supplies) and then attempted to cram all belongings into the bags.  The party was not in the best of moods departing the hotel but at least we did not have to search for a taxi as there was a complimentary shuttle bus.

We staggered into the departure area with the bags - no trolleys available!  Having checked on-line the previous evening and paid for checked in bags, tempers were not improved when we found we had to enter information all over again!  Dropping off the baggage we further discovered that two of the party could go via the express security line whilst the other poor member was forced to discard items of clothing before entering some sort of scanning area and rejoin the party.  We fortified ourselves with some excellent, but huge, coffees before making our way to the gate for boarding.  The plane was tiny - just two abreast - unfortunately slight injury was sustained to a party member's head whilst being seated.  An uneventful and straightforward flight for nearly 2hrs - broken only by drinks and nibbles.  One member of the party tried the coffee which even the stewardess was doubtful about.

Further cracking of the head was unfortunately sustained upon leaving the plane where we joined hundreds of travellers - mostly from China it seemed - in a huge crocodile through security with bags being left then moved across queues to avoid being carried - sure British security would not tolerate that!  Eventually through, we realised that one member of the party had to have certain purchases examined and hopefully approved before the party could formally enter Canada!!  This involved some degree of unpacking of bags with breath held that this did no cause a full explosion of articles!  Finally with entry approved, sustenance was required in the form of a ciabatta each, before getting a taxi to our hotel.

First impressions were not the best as the automatic doors opened outwards - one needed to be quick to avoid being clonked!  Then steps up into a lobby that had seen better days!  The room, however, was fine with all requirements so baggage was dumped (mostly all over the floor), valuables stowed (mostly) and the party ventured out to see the recommended sights.  Unfortunately half way down the rather seedy street (dubious drug addicts, transvestites etc) one member of the party realised she had not stowed all her valuables and had to race back to the hotel to do so!!

Order restored, we made our way to the ferry to catch the very short water bus to Granville Island where we spent a very enjoyable time in the numerous shops and the food hall.  This is a bit like Borough Market in London with all sorts of delicacies - including doughnuts holes in numerous flavours - cinnamon, chocolate and sugar raised  being sampled, plus a punnet of mixed fruit - raspberries, strawberries, grapes plus a few local delicacies kiwi berries, kumquats and some rather odd items that looked like tiny pears (and did not taste the best).  Fortified we set off back across the harbour to find a taxi to the Chinese Garden near Chinatown and Gastown.

After some negotiating we were asked to return in a short while for a reduced entry so decided to see what Gastown had to offer.  Our navigator seemed to have chosen all the streets Trip Advisor followers advises not to try!  We were horrified at the sheer number of homeless and general down and out people just lining the streets begging, lurching around the pavements and roads with the ever-present stench of wee.  We were understandably anxious to leave this area and after wandering about for some time, and not seeing anything worth the effort, we made our way back to the garden for an altogether more peaceful and delightful view of the garden with the added bonus of a display of artifacts from the Peking Opera Company including the most exquisitely embroidered clothes and exotic masks.

Anxious to avoid the dodgy streets, we tried to find somewhere to eat in Chinatown (should have read the reviews before we tried) but found nowhere - it was seedy and run down - not at all like ours in London.  We abandoned the idea of chinese for dinner and found the Old Spaghetti Factory where an excellent meal was had including mushroom ravioli, generous steak and fries and thai style linguine - with bread, appetisers of soup or salad plus ice-cream and coffee - all included.  Taxis were easy to come by so we were soon back at the hotel for Charlotte to check in for her flight home.   We managed to get the room to a comfortable level in both noise and coolness before falling into welcome beds.

Looking forward to proper beds

Today the RV goes back to Cruise America, so there was much wailing as vain attempts were made to stuff personal kit into bags. Some of us had multiple bags within bags, which may have helped or hindered. Of course, the accumulation of cuddly toys at national parks has created a challenge. Somehow everything seemed to disappear, meaning either that it has been packed or has been lost.

The last items of excessive food purchases (eg catering packs of rice, multiple cans of tomatoes), were left at campground reception for the poor and needy, although judging by the size of the other RVs (and some of their occupants) poverty is a scarce commodity round here. The journey to Salt Lake City was taken at modest speed to avoid refuelling before reaching the RV depot. The actual journey was mostly dull, with the only entertainment being the numerous large advertising boards, promoting such things as ER departments and all-natural breast augmentation (and possible resulting buttock reduction?). About 10 miles out from the depot, however, came the comment from Les "I think I am getting a migraine". Groan. We thought he might make it, as we were so close, but this was not to be. Unfortunately, this meant trying to find a service station quickly. These did indeed come quickly but without any warning, so we missed them. This coupled with roadworks on the hard shoulder meant we were a bit stuck and with Les saying "this is becoming dangerous now because I can't see" the panic set in. Thankfully, the hard shoulder miraculously reappeared, and Les screeched to a halt, trying to avoid the large amount of debris (burst tyres etc) and the wall of the freeway as it was so narrow. It was a bit hair-raising as large trucks thundered passed inches from the mirrors, but with a change of drivers (thank heavens Charlotte had been putting in the hours) we were soon on our way once again, joining the freeway somehow, and reaching the depot to dispose of the hideous van, very thankful of the satnav.

Then began a diatribe of complaints to the Cruise America rep, regarding the shabby condition of the vehicle when issued to us. He seemed remarkably blasé about this, and immediately agreed to a 10% refund of the hire fee - we should have asked for more. Another customer had no better opinion than we did.

A suspiciously unmarked taxi, recommended by the Cruise America chap and lurking on the street, took us to our hotel, no doubt at an inflated fare (although we did check that before the journey). Fortunately our room was ready so we could check in at 11:00 am. We are on the 10th floor and have a city view ("I expect a view"). Our bags pretty quickly exploded into the room, as a minor panic ensued regarding various stashes of cash. The problem was that one party member had forgotten that he had originally carried some of it, and another member had forgotten that she had actually packed it this time. The result was the spreading of bag contents across both beds, until the loot was located in the bag of the person who had squirrelled it away and then very quickly erased the relevant memory.

Much relieved, and with the cash secured in the hotel safe (after a minor incident involving lack of comprehensive instructions provided to the party member wanting to lock it, and lack of patience from that party member in following the instructions - this nearly resulted in a call to reception to unlock the safe, but luckily the party member, having not followed the instructions, had not in fact locked the safe...), we set off into the town for lunch. We found the City Creek shopping mall to be delightful, with the eponymous artificial creek flowing languidly through it, bordered with lush vegetation and containing numerous trout. Salad and sandwiches purchased from a bakery were excellent, as we sat in the shade outside. We then popped into Harmons grocery (very nice indeed) for fruit and went back to the hotel to eat it.

The city centre is of course dominated by huge buildings associated with the Mormons. If nothing else, they seem to be very good gardeners, as Temple Square is beautiful with well designed and maintained flower beds.

The rest of the afternoon was largely spent on toiling uphill in the hot sun to the State Capitol, a very impressive building faced inside with grey marble. Not much going on though - no politicians to be seen, perhaps they are all on holiday.

The bags are mostly repacked now and we are getting ready to go out for dinner, most likely at an Italian place we spotted earlier. It's a very nice city and well worth the visit.

ADDENDUM: We had a lovely meal in City Creek again (also featuring cocktails!), and admired the lights and gushing fountains, which had been designed by the designer of the Bellagio Fountain in Vegas - a lovely end to the day.

Birds and bites

For  a change the rain had kept some of the party up during the night, and this continued throughout much of the morning, including torrential downpours with limited visibility back through the valley on our way to Salt Lake City.

We retraced our steps to Bear Lake/Garden City in the deluge, and then took the more direct route to Brigham City, where our campsite was booked. This turned out to be surprisingly scenic, climbing through the Beaver Valley, once again admiring the colours of the trees, the river through the gorge and the mountains.

Our initial destination was the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, in an attempt to delay the awful prospect of packing all of our dispersed belongings. We quickly found the visitor centre - very new indeed, and with a very impressive range of displays and interpretation within the building, and extremely keen staff that practically pounced on Les as he loitered too long at a board, and had a bird ID guide pressed upon him.

We started our exploration with an attempt at walking the arduous 1/2 mile 'wet and wild' trail. This turned out to be very short lived, as we had only just made it to the wetland when great clouds of mozzies descended upon us, prompting a quick about-turn and hurried retracing of steps, flailing as we went to prevent further bites. Alas, Les had been the sacrificial protection for the rest of the party, leading to much scratching for the remainder of our tour.

Piling back in the van, we started the auto tour. This involved a 12 mile drive down the road, then beginning a very slow and bone-shattering further 12 miles across gravel track, before returning along the same access road. The route was beautiful, with wonderful light over the lake (part of the Great Salt Lake), the adjacent mountains and canals. Clouds of dragonflies and big grasshopper-like insects, with impressively coloured wings, enveloped the vehicle as we lurched along. We saw many birds, both in numbers and species, including American pelican and a possible sandhill crane. The Refuge is known for the largest population of resident American avocet, of which we saw a few. To be honest, it was hard to look through binoculars when you are being jarred so much. Photography was limited to through the bug-splattered windows of the van, as opening them was totally out of the question (the ravenous mozzie hordes...).

Returning our bird guide to the visitor centre staff (who turned out not to know anything much about the birds either...), we started our journey to the campsite, entering the I15 and then getting off at the next exit, about a mile down the road. The campground is located amongst orchards, at the foot of the mountains, with views across to the Salt Lake. This was the calm before the storm as we began the increasingly-panicky packing up of everything, and palming off of the surplus foodstuffs (of which there were a great many - Les will not let the jetlagged girls shop for food again - especially for carbs). We managed to leave the huge sack of rice (and pasta, and tins of tomatoes, and couscous and yet more rice...) with the camp reception. We also had much surplus booze, which didn't need palming off (a noble sacrifice), including a bottle of Californian champagne, which slid down very nicely as  a way to say goodbye (and good riddance) to the van. This was accompanied by the only other food items to hand as canapés/nibbles, namely a hunk of red pepper and the remaining crumbs from a bag of crisps.

Tomorrow we hand the van back (accompanied with much moaning and complaining about the many faults) before having a quick tour of Salt Lake City. We then catch our flight the next morning to Vancouver, which will be our base for the next couple of nights before the party splits up!