Week Nine: Glaciers, Family Memories at Banff National Park and the Bad lands of Alberta

23 augustus 2018 - Thunder Bay, Canada

Thursday, August 2/18

Glacier National Park was only 30 kilometres from the campground. The temperature was lovely and significantly cooler. The highway was busy with transports and campers and there were several spots where we had to stop for road construction as they were working to expand the  Trans Canada Highway from Kamloops to the Alberta border into four lanes. We passed through several snow sheds in places where it would have been impossible to remove the snow from the highway. The mountains were all gigantic and every mountain peak was different, some covered with more snow than others.

At Rogers Pass Discovery Centre, we learned about the history of the building of the railroad and of the highway. We received extensive information about the animals living in this area, which made us a bit apprehensive to hike the trails. Grizzly and Black Bears were everywhere and it was advised to walk in groups of four or more, to be loud and make noise and to carry bear spray. We watched a video on how to use bear spray safely and realized we weren’t very bear wise - two seniors and a dog didn’t have a chance against a grizzly.

We decided to hike the trails to Bear Creek Falls, once we discovered there were many cars in the parking lot. We assumed there would be enough people who could rescue us from bear encounters.

The trail was pretty steep going down to the Connaught Falls. I felt nervous about falling and again I remembered my fall on the hike to Mount Tzouhalem, Vancouver Island, two years ago. But the challenging hike was well worth the effort. The falls were magnificent - the water thundering downing the creek below.

Bijke: I smelled the water and wanted to rush in, but A and M both yelled, “No, Bijke, the water is too fast!” On the trail back, they asked me to wait. M is so slow, it’s not funny!

On our way back we visited the Rogers Pass Summit. At 1330 metres we learned about the avalanche in 1910, that had killed many people. There was the canon that was used to trigger controlled avalanches and we visited the memory garden, honouring the victims of that devastating disaster. The sculptures in the garden were built with leftover scrap metal.

Our last stop for the day was the Hemlock Grove boardwalk trail through old growth Cedars and Hemlock, a Unesco Heritage Site. We felt if we were walking through the rainforest. The giants were breathtaking and calming.

Back at the campground we heard there had been a bear sighting and we were glad we weren’t sleeping in a tent.

The next morning, we planned to go up to the Sky Meadows Highway on Mount Revelstoke. Rain sprinkled as we left, but it wasn’t enough to douse the forest fire, 15 kilometres from the town.

First we hiked the Giant Cedar Trail, a boardwalk winding through ancient western cedars, enormous firs and other lush vegetation. The trail was gorgeous, but already busy with visitors, many of whom needed to take selfies in front of these giants.

We enjoyed lunch in Revelstoke at some hippie cafe and then headed up Mt. Revelstoke. We couldn't get to the summit, as Bijke wasn’t allowed on the shuttle bus or on the trails, because of the Grizzlies. The weather on the mountain was drizzly and it became foggier as we ascended up to the point where we couldn’t see the road anymore and we decided to turn around.

We stopped in Revelstoke for groceries and on our way back to the campground we hiked one more trail. The Skunk Cabbage Trail wound through wetlands. It was interesting to learn about the unique birds that visited this area just because of their attraction to the Skunk Cabbage.

The campground was extremely busy. Trailers and motorhomes had formed a line from the office down to the next road. We took down the awning and packed whatever we could. We’d like to leave early tomorrow morning as we will loose an hour when we arrive in Alberta.

That night a pack of coyotes raided the campground. Their barks, squeals and howls woke us, as did the trains every half hour.


I watched the mountains

wake up slowly

shrouded in their cloud covers

As the sun broke through

those soft blankets

lifted

evaporated

one by one

exposing patches of

grey, green and brown

to reveal

the beauty of the mountains

The Trans Canada Highway was already busy with trailers, motorhomes and vehicles towing boats, all on their way to vacation destinations.

The drive through Glacier National Park proceeded well, as there was less road construction on the weekend. But at the gas station in Golden, we waited in a lineup for our turn.

The road became steep and windy and we drove 40 kilometres an hour up the mountain, along the Columbian River.

At Yoho National Park in a wooded area at a dead end road, we ate lunch. It was quiet except for the songs of various birds.

The road to Banff became more busy, but at least the highway in Alberta was four-lanes. As soon as we approached Lake Louise, we noticed shuttle busses, leaving from overflow parking lots along the highway and the lineup of cars trying to get a parking space. When we entered Banff, it was stop and go all the way into the town centre. One parking lot showed a sign that read, ‘Free 12 Hour RV Parking”, and we weren't surprised to see a lineup of RVs trying to get in.

At one of the intersections in Banff we saw Romkje and Lauchlin going by in their motorhome. Later, we learned that they couldn’t find a parking spot, to pick up their rental car.

We followed the sign to the Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court Campground and again we stood in line at the registration office. The campground was huge, surrounded by stunning, white mountains. We had just set up when Rikst, Johny and Loesje arrived. They had rented a studio apartment in Canmore, about 15 minutes from our campground.

Bijke was beside himself, when he greeted them. He barked and told long stories.

Bijke: I couldn’t believe it when my favourite little human came to see me and her two big humans. I tried to tell them about all our adventures. My little human called, “Bijke! Bijke! Bijke!” and petted me and I licked her hands. Later I kissed her face and she chuckled.

Romkje, Lauchlin, Klazina and Alexander arrived a short time later. Their campsite was one over from ours. What a reunion! I just got goosebumps, when I saw the kids so happy to see each other. It had been exactly one year ago when we all had celebrated Albert’s birthday at the Cedar Grove cottages, in Restoule. They all sat in the snail house when the rain started, but it ended as soon as it had begun. Albert and Johny were the only ones getting a bit wet, while they were setting up the awning.

We had a potluck dinner at the picnic table. Klazina and Alexander told us all about their experiences at dinosaur camp at the Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller. They had had an unforgettable time and Klazina already wanted to save money, so she could go again, next summer.

We loved watching the kids play together. Klazina and Alexander enjoyed Loesje. We saw how much fun they had playing with her now that she was a year older.

Rikst, Johny and Loesje went back to Canmore and Klazina and Alexander came with us on our walk with Bijke. It was a gorgeous evening and the mountains looked majestic as the sun illuminated them with her last rays. We took family pictures in the red chairs at the Tunnel Mountain lookout.

It had been an exceptional day, with two of our children’s families joining us at this amazing place.

After a noisy night, our Spanish speaking neighbours were loud and had a lot of fun, we woke up to a sunny morning.

Klazina and Alexander joined us for breakfast in the snail house. It was a little crowded, but we squeezed into our seats and had lots of fun. When Rikst, Johny and Loesje arrived, Loesje wanted to eat breakfast in the ‘nail house, too.

Bijke wasn’t allowed on the shuttle bus into Banff, so we drove into town with three cars hoping we would find a parking spot. We were lucky and found parking space for three hours, away from the centre.

We went shopping in all the little stores and had coffee at the Second Cup. The sidewalks were packed with tourists. But the town looked picturesque, tucked in by the Mountains.

Lunch at a Vegan restaurant was no success. It took so long for the food to arrive, that by the time the waiter came to serve us, our three hours were up and we had to take it to go.

In the afternoon, the McKeigans picked me up to go swimming in Canmore at the pool in the building where Rikst and Johny were staying. The children enjoyed Johny's antics at the waterslide.

We had leftovers for dinner and then we hiked the Tunnel Mountain trail with Klazina, Alexander and Bijke.  The stark contrast of the bare, white mountains with the dark, green forests at the bottom and the Bow River weaving through the landscape made for a  breath taking panorama.

There were hundreds of ground squirrels, digging holes and tunnels all over the campground and Bijke had a blast trying to chase and dig up these creatures.

Bijke: A let me dig and dig, so I could try to get these creatures that were popping up all over the place, but when I thought I  had one, it disappeared into a hole.

On Monday morning, the McKeigans left early for an excursion to the Columbian Ice Fields and glaciers. We met Rikst, Johny and Loesje for coffee in Canmore.

We admired the neat little shops and storefronts and decided that Canmore was a much nicer town than Banff, even though there were many tourists as well. The town reminded us of the Alpine villages in Switzerland and Austria.

After lunch we met at the Hoodoo trail close to our campground. The weather had become quite warm. The trail was gorgeous and the Hoodoos were very interesting. From the lookout we could see the famous Banff Hotel. The road to the hotel was built by Ukrainian prisoners of war during the Second World War. A bus filled with senior, dutch tourists unloaded at the Hoodoos and the outcries of, “Prachtig! Prachtig!” made us laugh.

The McKeigans returned with great stories about their adventures on the Ice Fields. 

To our surprise, Romkje and Lauchlin had brought gifts for the kids from Ohio. They all received clothes with the Friesian Lily pads. All three paraded around in their new outfits and looked adorable. Sadly enough, Bijke had lost his bandana with lily pads in Canmore, that morning.

Lauchlin cooked burgers and sausages and Johny made a delicious salad and we enjoyed a wonderful family dinner.

We had set the alarm, as Albert and I wanted to hike the Johnston Canyon Trail. The weather was cool, 11 degrees, which was perfect for hiking. 
In 1927, Walter and Marguerite Camp, purchased the Johnston Canyon Teahouse. Seven log pole bridges crossed the stream along the way. In 1929, the couple discovered six more water falls. They cleared a horse trail to the biggest, the Upper Falls. In 1974, Parks Canada replaced the wooden bridges with steel and concrete ones. A million people cross through the canyon each year.

The hike was awesome. We loved the sights of the tall trees, the sound of rushing water and the well kept trail that meandered up and down the cliffs. Along the canyon trail we discovered seven water falls.

Of course there were Bear Warning signs everywhere and when we returned to the parking lot, a bus was unloading more ‘Dutch’ tourists. One woman cried, “How stupid are these warnings about bears. No bear in his right mind would go near so many people!”

We had breakfast and Bijke, tired from the hike at the Canyon trail lay down in front of the snail house, pretending to sleep, but he kept one eye on those mischievous ground squirrels.

After lunch, when everybody was back at the campground, we played UNO and Crazy Eights.

The sky was hazy from the wildfires that are raging in BC.

For our last family dinner, we ordered Pad Thai. It was delicious and fun. We were all sad, that our get-together was over, as all good things end too quickly.

Wednesday morning early, Rikst, Johny and Loesje arrived with a bag full of pastries from Canmore’s famous French Bakery. Klazina and Alexander smelled the goodies all the way from their motorhome and came over quickly.

At 9:00, that morning,  we said goodbye to the McKeigans. It was hard as the kids knew they wouldn’t meet a again for a long time. Romkje and Lauchlin were leaving their motorhome in Calgary and that’s where they will start their holiday, next year.

Rikst and Johny went for a run and Loesje and I shared coconut yogurt with mango in the snail house. We finished packing the trailer and then we said goodbye to Rikst, Johny and Loesje, who were also traveling to Calgary to visit friends, before returning to Vancouver Island.

Bijke: I was so excited to see my little humans this morning. I told them stories, they hugged me and I licked them … and then they were gone. And it was another long, boring day in the car.

The air again was hazy and smoky and we were sad to leave the majestic Rockies behind us. We drove the highway north around Calgary, but even the city was shrouded in smoke.

Nowhere on this lonely highway with endless fields of wheat and canola, could we find a place to stop for lunch. Finally at a sand and gravel storage area we stopped. Thank goodness our snail house had all the provisions for lunch.

After, we were on the road for another hour, the scenery changed completely. It felt like we were back in North Dakota , at the Theodore Roosevelt Park. The Bad Lands of Drumheller looked very similar.

We found the HooDoos Campground and as soon as we opened the door of the trailer, Bijke escaped. All the sites were on the outside of a large field and in that field was a playground with several kids.

Bijke: The door of the snail house was open, I wasn’t on a leash. I heard the voices of little humans in the playground. I thought I would find my little humans that had disappeared this morning, but I never found them.

The temperature rose to 33 degrees and we didn't have much shade, but fortunately, a breeze blew across the field. With all the windows open and the fan running, it was bearable.

After supper we went into Drumheller. Albert photographed the World’s largest Dinosaur and after many wrong turns we found the one and only grocery store.

The campground was much different from the on in Banff National Park. Trailers were decorated with Christmas lights and lit up Palm trees. Unlike the past three campgrounds where bonfires had been banned, due to the dry conditions, everyone at this campground had campfires burning, adding heat to the already warm air.

The sun went down in a red glow, illuminating the world in an eerie  light.

Foto’s

4 Reacties

  1. Marla:
    23 augustus 2018
    Such adventures you had. I cant resist correcting you about Banff. The road in to the hotel was built by Ukrainians who had come to live in Canada and had become citizens, but the government gathered them up at the start of WWII and put them in POW camps. Free labour even after the war ended.
  2. Trijntsje:
    23 augustus 2018
    Ik geniet van Bijke zijn uitspraken.
  3. Clazien:
    23 augustus 2018
    Wat wer in aventoeren. En Bijke syn teksten binne geweldich. Ik genietsje der fan. Sjoch no al wer ut nei it kommende ferhaal.
  4. Heather:
    31 augustus 2018
    Loved this chapter of your trip, especially the poem!