Day 22: Banff

287 miles
8:45 AM - 5 PM

Thank you, Lord, list:
another bear
beautiful places to enjoy without having to pay the hotel bill
warm grilled vegetable salad with balsamic reduction and goat cheese
hot tub that looks out on mountain views
good health for all three of us
comfortable beds almost every night
Great weather almost every day of this trip

We didn't exactly hang out in Banff today. We returned to Lake Louise, the most photographed spot in Canada, and I threw out the dark, dreary pictures of yesterday in exchange for this:

Lots of foreign languages and accents in this iconic place and all over this part of Canada. I met a couple from Durban yesterday on the Glacier Walk because they recognized my Ekhuruleni Libraries ball cap. (Ekhuruleni is the post-apartheid name for our part of Johannesburg.) We have been surprised at the number of waiters, tour guides and hotel workers with Aussie accents. Easy visas one told Steve and a beautiful place to work.

We checked out Moraine Lake, another turquoise jewel and then drove west on Route 1. It was marked scenic on our map and lived up to its designation as our lunch spot at the Visitor's Center for Yoho National Park at Field, BC, shows. I asked what Yoho means. Evidently it is Cree for "Wow!" Appropriately named.

The guy at the Visitors Center recommended the Natural Bridge where a waterfall has eaten out the rock beneath so that it goes under the stone bridge. A short walk for Mom.

He also recommended Emerald Lake. It had that gorgeous turquoise water surrounded by mountains and not nearly as many people as Lake Louise. The wildflowers were mostly past their peak, but the scent remained strong. I fantasized celebrating my birthday at this lodge next year until Steve went on-line and discovered it cost $350 per night withOUT breakfast.

At the town of Golden we turned south on Rt. 95. Rt. 95 was NOT marked scenic on the map. Mom concluded the lack of scenic designation just means they don't provide turnouts for gaping at the view. Or taking pictures. This "non-scenic" area includes the headwaters of the Columbia River, route to the Pacific for early explorers. This view was behind a rest stop. I had to climb through the woods and along a railroad track to get it. It should not be considered scenic because there were no little dots along the road on the map.

At Radium Hot Springs (scary name if you ask me!) we turned back northeast on officially scenic Rt. 3. We could see the hot springs pool from the road.  It looked like a YMCA. Liard River was way better! We were now in Kootenay National Park. As the guide book said, it has a pretty dramatic entry. The road  is built OVER a waterfall where it passes through a narrow gorge.

The upper part of this route was devastated by fire in 2003. For forty days it burned! The dead trees cover 170 acres. So sad to see.

We saw a bear in the morning on Rt 1, the only wildlife we spotted all day. This whole area is national park. Jasper and Banff and several over towns are located inside the parks. I thought these flyovers for wildlife were a great idea.

Tomorrow we start home in earnest. We have gotten only a taste of the Canadian Rockies, but it is a taste like dark chocolate or Alpha Morning Sun five-year-aged cheddar from Burnett Dairy--something to be savored. I am thrilled that Steve is talking "when we come back," not "if we come back." 

Afghan update: I actually did four rows on that "not-scenic" part of our day. The valley was broad enough that the view wasn't changing every hundred yards. But I didn't take a picture. This Red Carpet Inn is remarkably blah for such a spectacular setting. Don't ask me about the housekeeping.

Day 19: Dawson Creek, BC, to Jasper National Park

519 miles
9:45 AM-6:30 PM (5:30 get-up time)

Thank you, Lord, list:
Sunshiney day to drive back into the mountains
Passing lanes around slow trucks
People who repair these roads even if I get impatient while they are doing it
Smell of pine underfoot
Clouds and evergreens reflected in water
Sunlight on snowy peaks
Mom's cell phone is actually off
Promise of good weather to explore Jasper National Park

Late start to the day. Would you believe it's already time to change the oil again? Have I mentioned the distances up here?

Or you could say it was an early start to the day. At about 3:30 AM Steve and I woke to a pinging. (When Mom takes her hearing aids out, she can sleep through anything.) Before we went to sleep (in a comfortable Days Inn with fridge, microwave, TV and a bed for each of us to stretch out at little more than half the price of the night before with none of those things), Mom had clarified, "The alarm clock IS turned off, isn't it?" We have all been awakened at way too early an hour by hotel alarm clocks set by previous occupants. We verified that, as far as one can understand a strange alarm clock, it was turned off. So the pinging at 3:30 was very irritating.

Steve pulled out my mattress looking for the plug. No, that was the cord to the lamp. He pulled out Mom's mattress. (She never stirred.) Got it.

Ping. Louder than before.

It was Mom's cell phone, telling her the battery was low and she needed to plug in. She thought it was turned off, but obviously it wasn't because she had received an ATT text earlier in the day,reminding her that she was abroad and although she could use her cell phone, international charges would apply.

Where was her phone? Not in her purse. Here it was beside her bed. Now, how do you turn this thing off? The only thing worse than figuring out how to turn off a hotel alarm clock (and not have it ring again after a ten-minute snooze) is figuring out how to turn off someone else's cell phone.

Ping. Still louder. You really do have to plug in if you don't want your phone to go dead. Dead was what we wanted. I even suggested throwing it int he toilet.

Finally, Steve figured it out. Black screen. Silence. Back to bed. But I don't think he more than dozed the rest of the night.

When we did get up and get the oil change, we then set out across the prairie. Looks kinda like prairie, doesn't it? Instead of wilderness we have wide fields and distant farms.

It's Sunday so we let a gospel CD be our worship time. An old group called "Melody Four." The bass made Steve keep thinking of his dad. 

At Grand Prairie, Alberta (sounds kinda prairie, doesn't it?) we turned south on Hwy 40, Bighorn Highway. Didn't see any bighorn, but we left behind the strip malls, traffic and all services. We were definitely ready for bathrooms by the time we hit the Big Cache visitor center. We also left behind the fields. The way  became more and more rolling and definitely wilderness. After Big Cache, it was downright beautiful. We had to remind ourselves that we weren't yet on the scenic route. The Big Cache Visitors Center people advised us to stop at Kelly's Bathtub in . William Switzer Provincial Park.  Good advice. I took a walk around this small lake while Mom and Steve napped in the car.

Then we reached Canada 16. NOW we were on the scenic route.

We have two nights in this lovely Best Western Suite complete with ski locker and mountain view. Tomorrow should be LOTS of fun. Can't go to bed until I get the laundry done--the curse of travel.

Afghan update: Prairie is a good place to knit. Mountains are not.

Day 18: Liard River to Dawson Creek, BC

501 miles
7:55 AM - 6:15 (Thanks to almost an hour of road construction delay during rush hour at Fort St. Johns)

Thank you, Lord, list:
Bull moose by a lake with mountains behind--exactly what the North should look like
Easy picnics in the sunshine
"Facilities" that don't smell bad (mostly)
Traffic jam at the end of today instead of setting off tomorrow
hotel with free Internet and breakfast included


Sun breaking through the clouds on beautiful mountains to start the day.

Steve thought Muncho Lake sounded like a great place to retire.

This bull moose was our SECOND one of the morning.

I don't think I have commented on "facilities" along the road. Mostly long-drops, but such a setting!

The road became a lot less photogenic after our lunch outside the Visitor's Center in Fort Nelson.

Suddenly we were out of the mountains, nudging the prairie. Traffic is much heavier. Lots going north. This is the beginning of the crowded season. Eventually we came into rich agricultural and oil and gas areas. After becoming accustomed to rarely seeing another vehicle, even moderate traffic was rather overwhelming. Then we got to Fort St. Johns where the highway department decided that putting oil in cracks was more important that rush hour traffic. We were nearly an hour in start and stop. When we got through, we counted more than a hundred cars waiting in line going the other direction. If I were local, I would definitely writing a letter to the editor about priorities between 4 and 6 PM.

I'm beginning to feel quite at home in my nest in the back seat with all the maps, snacks, jackets and knitting within easy reach.

Afghan update: Hanging on a sign post in our Dawson Creek hotel pointing to Mile Zero of the Alaskan Highway.

Tomorrow we are off to Jasper National Park and the Great Rocky Mountains.

Day 7: Williams Lake to New Hazelton, BC

452 miles
7AM to 4:30 PM
C 1 Cariboo Hwy, C 16

Thank you, Lord:
Sunshine
Bears
Snow on mountain tops
Getting the afghan pattern right at last (I think)
Strawberries with tapioca pudding

We spent half the day driving up the Fraser River valley between long ranges of mountains, following the route of gold prospectors in the 1860s. Lots of historic sites and re-enactment experiences if we had had the time to enjoy them. This area around McLeesh Lake was typical.

Saw this critter ahead along the side of the road, but still no moose despite all the signs of Moose Crossing.

But by the time we turned west on route 16 at Prince George there were snowy peaks in sight in several directions. The further west we got, the more the mountains closed in. The Canadians are not real good at scenic overlooks along the highway. Maybe they are so used to the beauty that they aren't tempted to take their eyes off the road to ogle. Most of the rest stops consisted of a place to pull over with a trash bin (no recycling) and maybe a long drop (or occasional flush), all of it enclosed in trees with no view. So pictures had to await reaching our stopping point.

The Hazelton side of our family will appreciate where we stopped tonight,chosen in their honor. (See the blue highlighter and notice the mountains.) 

The motel caretaker directed us to a nice walk to a waterfall and a lookout. Great for stretching my legs.

Old Hazelton is a first nations community with a village museum we wished we had time for. but we were hungry and made our way back to the motel for microwaved Hormel Compleats and tapioca pudding and strawberries for supper.

The roads have been well paved, four lanes further south. Now they are mostly two-lane with frequent passing lanes on hills. There is a surprising amount of traffic, although it gets less and less the further north we go. The do tell you how far to the next passing lane to help you stay patient behind a slow truck or RV. RVs seem to be the way to travel up here. If they could just get the mileage up on those things ...

The fan in Mom's car hasn't worked on low for years. Now it doesn't work at all. Did something get disconnected when they fixed the gas pump leak? So far opening all the windows a crack has worked. At least it is nothing essential for safety or running.

Afghan update: Almost back to where I ripped out. At least now the pattern shows. Hopefully that will prevent needing to rip out (again).  the last couple pattern rows I have had to ... um ... "adjust" at the end of the row.

Day 6: Puyallup, WA, to Williams Lake, BC

598 milies
8:40 AM to 7:30 PM

I-5, WA 9, Trans Canada Hwy (1), Carabou Hwy (97)

Thank you, Lord, list: (We'll get to it below)

We didn't get off quite as early as we would have liked this morning due to a hot breakfast and good-byes to family. It's a holiday so easy to get around Seattle and up into the mountains beyond. About half an hour short of the border we stopped for gas since we anticipated higher prices in Canada. "Why don't you get out the car papers and passports so we are ready," Steve suggested as we stopped.

The first passport Mom pulled out of the glove compartment was mine. That was fine; she could see a second passport in there. But when she opened it, the picture was not of her, but of her husband who died fourteen years ago. Not valid for entry to Canada! In the old pre-9/11 days you didn't need a passport to go from the US to Canada if you were born in one or the other. Now you do.

While he pumped gas, Steve came up with a plan, and we headed back toward Seattle. We called Patty who drove with daughter Janna an hour north to meet us coming south. Mom got ahold of a friend in Cambridge with a key to her apartment who can go in and get her correct passport and overnight it tomorrow (since today is a holiday). She has found a plane reservation to Fairbanks and will meet us there Saturday morning. She's missing the next few days of driving, but will not miss Denali, the ferry to Valdez or the Jasper/Banff area of Alberta on the way home.

Steve just wants everyone to understand that he was not the one to lose his passport ... this time. He has rather a reputation--a reputation that goes right up to ten days ago when he left his wallet (with passport) on the top of the car when driving out of a fast food place. It didn't fall off until the entrance ramp to the expressway where someone found it, figured out his cell phone and called. We waited at the Grantsburg exit until they came by on their way to Duluth. As usual, his guardian angel working overtime.

So Mom has a few extra days in Puyallup.

I snapped this in Washington just south of the border thinking to joke and take another just north of the border and laugh about how "different" Canada was from the US, except the other side of the border really was different.

First there was Abbotsford, home to some of our old friends from Mozambique days, but we have no idea if any of them are still there. Beyond Abbotsford it stopped raining for a bit and fabulous mountains appeared much like the ones we came through in the Snowqualmie area of Washington. To tell the truth, there might be mountains in this picture too, but they are hidden by clouds.

Mom missed some spectacular waterfalls, dropping off awesome cliffs, steep slopes and lush green trees. We saw snowy peaks much closer than we did in Washington.  Before I found anywhere to take a picture the skies opened up, so you will just have to imagine the beauty.

She also missed a black bear--just after the moose crossing sign that made me scan the sparse woodland. A black tailed deer as well. (Note: If I do not see a moose in the wild this will not count as a real trip to Alaska and we will have to do it again.)

Eventually we must have passed over to the eastern side of the mountains because I suddenly realized that the trees were not so thick, the grass was much more sparse, and the land looked a lot like eastern Montana. It also stopped raining. So we did stop and get out for a picture looking back at what we had come through.

Thank you, Lord, list:
That the error was noticed before we got to the border
That it was a holiday and Patty was free to come and get Mom
Janna's love for her grandma that made her want to come along
That Steve came up with an alternate plan so quickly
That everyone has been good humored and able to laugh about the situation
Water falls in every crevice of the mountain
The color green
Safe driving in the rain
That it didn't rain the whole time
A new tire
That the substitute hotel Expedia found for tonight after the fire in the original was an hour closer than if we had gone where we had originally planned. (After a 2 1/2 hour detour back to Seattle, that was very welcome!)

Afghan update: After four rows of border, I did the first pattern row. It didn't come out right. I found my error way back in the first section of pattern (made about the time we discovered Mom had the wrong passport.) Do you have any idea how hard it is to rip out nubby yarn?!?! Especially the knit two together bits (6 of them each pattern, not 3!) Rainy mountains are also not conducive to knitting. By the end of the day I had ripped out that row, redone the pattern row, found 2 dropped stitches, corrected them, and knit one plain row. To the Thank you, Lord, list I can add, Thank you, Lord, that there is no deadline on finishing this project. No one is expecting it to be done by the end of the trip!