Beautiful British Columbia

We left Alberta and headed for the last time over the Continental Divide and the Rockies and arrived in British Columbia staying a few days at the town of Revelstoke on the Upper Columbia River.. It was Wendy's birthday so we celebrated in style (or at least as well as Revelstoke would allow)

The next day we climbed up Mount Revelstoke keeping  a wary lookout for bears to a very alpine vista of melting snow, wild flowers and lovely views over the western Rockies.

Then it was time to leave the Rockies and we headed south west to the area known as Okanagan. Waat a contrast. It was hot. It was dry and it was lovely. An area full of lakes with all manner of water craft on them including lots of houseboats. It is also the premier BC wine area and we took advantage with a visit to may wineries including Mission Hill Vineyard (below) who make some of the best wines we have ever tasted. We had a lovely lunch there overlooking Lake Okanagan. Our campsite was in Kelowna right in the middle of an orchard. Probably the best campsite we have ever had.

We drove until we hit the Pacific Ocean and then headed back inland a bit into the heart of the Coastal Mountain Range to the town of Whistler. A very busy leisure town, site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It has the most comprehensive ski runs that we have ever seen. Over 20 different runs. We took a gondola half way up Whistler Mountain.

And then continued to the toil by chair lift for an amazing view over the snow capped Coastal Range. From the top of Whistler Mountain you can take the  Peak to Peak Gondola between two mountains over to Blackcomb Mountain where there are lots more ski lifts. Even on a hot July day there was lots of snow up the top and the skiers and snowboarders were everywhere. A really magically place with lots to see and do. On the way back down on an open chair lift we saw these black bears just below us.

On the way back down on an open chair lift we saw these black bears just below us.

From Whistler, we took the ferry with our fifth wheel to Vancouver Island and drove 150 miles north to Campbell River. At another beautiful vamping ground where we were backed right on the water at the narrowest point between Vancouver Island and the mainland - a place called Seymour Narrows where the cruise ships on their way up North to Alaska pass by a few hundred metres from the shire each night. This is the Celebrity Century heading North to Alaska at 11pm. It was a real spectacle every night.

This is Seymour Narrows during the day. The weather was glorious and hot and again another magical place to stay.

We next headed to south on Vancouver Island to the capital of BC - Victoria.  A charming city that we fell in love with. Like nothing else we have seen but with bits of all the best cities we have been to.  Right on the water but sheltered with lovely houses dotting the never ending bays and lovely old architecture befitting  a capital city like the Parliament Buildings below.

We visited the world famous Burchart Gardens converted from an old quarry to a riot of colour and in the evening had dinner in the gardens and then watched a concert by Jason Romero playing Canadian Folk music.

We are in Vancouver now just by the US border. Its 5am in the morning as that is the only time I can get a decent wifi signal.  Tomorrow we board the Sapphire Princess and sail to Alaska.

Wow - The Canadian Rockies!

It's been a while since the last post due to a relaxing time in Montana and not being able to get a Canadian Sim Card, so having to rely upon WiFi to post when and if we could get it.

We enjoyed our home State Montana. Not a lot to see but a very relaxing place to stay with great countryside and views. We stayed in Missoula for a day or two and then headed up to Flathead Lake where we stayed with wonderful views over the lake at a small town called Polson. Then we drove along the very large lake to one of the highlights of our trip at Glacier National Park. The main road which takes you over the Continental Divide had only just opened in late June. Unfortunately we struck bad weather but we drove the road called "going to the sun" anyway. There was snow everywhere up at the top of the pass. It takes 3 months every year to clear it for a few months before it is closed again.

 It is an engineering feat as the road is carved out from the steep mountain sides. So steep the water cascades down the walls all over the road. This section below is called the Weeping Wall. We enjoyed a taste of huckleberries in Montana. Very unique - a sort of cross between a blueberry and a redcurrant. They are sold everywhere around the park. As far as we know they only grow up here and have to be hand collected from high mountain meadows.

The weather cleared but alas our time in Montana had come to an end and we crossed into Canada and headed north to Edmonton, Alberta to visit old friends of Wendy's from Port Elizabeth.  Southern Alberta had just been deluged with 100 year rains and there was signs of flooding everywhere. Houses were still covered, cars were inundated and many roads impassable. But we got to Edmonton in time for the Canada Day weekend which was glorious hot and sunny. We had a great time with Leonora and Paul Macy who showed us a round their lovely city full of parks and one of the largest shopping malls in the world.

Edmonton was the furthest North we had or were to travel in North America and when we left we headed West to the Rockies and our first port of call Jasper National Park. We stayed in the Parks Canada campgrounds which were very good and a good base for visiting the Jasper Area. One day we took the gondola up to the top of Whistlers Mountain and surveyed the magnificent mountains still capped with snow.

We visited the Maligne Canyon and wandered along steep paths beside the tumbling waters.

We spotted loads of bears as we drove around. On one day 9 bears were feeding on the side of the road including this Black Bear Cub.

Maligne Lake was another highlight in the area.

After Jasper we headed south along what is probably the most scenic highway on Earth - The Icefields Parkway. The Athabasca River hurtles over a waterfall along the way

as it descends from its glacier just off the road.

We spotted a family of Grizzly Bears munching on something nice  alongside the road.

Banff is a very scenic spot and has been very popular for over a hundred years when the Trans Canada Railway was routed through it. The Banff Hotel lies on the Bow River and is the most upmarket accommodation in town. We stayed at Tunnel Mountain National Park Campground in a very scenic spot with views of the mountains all around.

We went up another gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain again with panoramic views in all directions. It was a bit of a hike from the gondola station to the mountain top but we made it.

On one of the days we were in Banff we drove the 90 minutes to Calgary to see the annual Calgary Stampede. The recent floods had severely damaged it only two weeks prior to the opening. The stadium you see below was covered in 15ft of water. It rained heavily on the day we visited but the riders still managed to rope their steers,

and the cowboys to ride the broncos.  It was a long day but very different. A bit like the Auckland Easter Show with a western theme.

On our last day in Banff we drove over to the lovely Lake Louise nestling at the foot of the Victoria Glacier. It was very crowded with tour groups everywhere snapping right left and centre.

We crossed the Rockies today on a  long drive that has taken us to Revelstoke in British Columbia. We plan on tootling around southern BC for the next two weeks before we arrive in Vancouver to meet a Princess.