“Rocky Mountain High” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Jul 03/19) – Well that was FUN!!! Just returned from a 2 week roadtrip in HOBBES… nothing better than relaxing & grooving to the rhythm of the road.
N&J’s first stop was in Barkerville, BC (east of Quesnel), N has never been here before, it was fun to see the wonderment in her eyes as we strolled back into the 1860’s. Billy Barker’s town is the measure for all other historic parks in the world to gauge their success. It is absolutely amazing how this piece of history has been maintained & restored to reflect the ‘real feel’ of those times of years past. N&J loved how the park personal stayed in character all throughout the townsite, their dedication to giving a real experience to visitors really struck home. The walking tours given of the main townsite, Chinatown, the mining operations, Richfield Courthouse all made the visit special. Nothing was ‘candy coated’, if it was raining the streets were muddy & you better stick to the raised wooden walkways (as was in old times). You can even stay overnight at the local historic hotel, or a B&B run out of a 150 year old house; great restaurants (the Chinese was their favourite). The local campgrounds run by the park are excellent… showers, full hookups all available.
click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery
The next few days traveled via Prince George, to Jasper along the Yellowhead Hwy 16. Lots of wildlife all along the highways, many bears, moose, deer, fox, coyote, elk & owls were observed. The arrival in Jasper meant the difficult process of finding a place to stay, everything is booked solid, reserved months ago. Ended up staying at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (in the parking lot, mind you), a beautiful resort by a country mile. The town was packed with tourist as the Canada Day weekend was looming. While in Jasper they ventured to Maligne Canyon where the stream digs deep into the rockbed after eons of wear, grinding down the rock.
The next day N&J headed south onto the Icefield Parkway towards Lake Louise. It is a beautiful drive made even better as the road is restricted mainly to tourist, no commercial trucks permitted to drive through. Found camping at a beautiful lake, a perfect campsite right on the lake, enjoyed a great fire, ‘roasted’ the dinner. Next morning awoke to a visitor outside the van, a black bear (probably a 2 year old) was grazing for berries & foliage… needless to say Jesse was mesmerized by this large black creature outside…
The visit to the Columbia Ice Fields was a gloomy experience, not just the weather but the ever receding glaciers, proof that climate change is really taking hold… the effects are disturbing. Glaciers in the 1800’s would recede by a few millimetres yearly, now recede a few metres every year…
After leaving the Ice Fields, Hobbes climbed to the highest point in the Rocky Mountain Parks, it was here that they hiked up to a viewpoint overlooking Peyto Lake. The blue-green colour of the lake is breathtaking…. you are transfixed on the sight below you.
After a peaceful night, traveled to Lake Louise, the jewel of the Canadian Rockies. Because of the insane amount of tourist for the Canada Day weekend N&J decided to continue south. The drive along the alternate parkway from Lake Louise to Banff is just gorgeous, slow pace, no impatient drivers tailgating… easy to stop to enjoy the scene.
Next day headed to Calgary. Everyone was leaving town for the long weekend, N&J decided it would be a good time to visit ‘Stampede Town’. Stayed at N’s cousin place (in the driveway) for the evening. Next day visited Heritage Park , first time visit for N… a lovely re-creation of a typical prairie town in the early 1900’s.
Heading west on their return to Whistler, stopped in Banff for a meal, walked the main street enjoying the beautiful weather. Crossing into BC stopped to see Takakkaw Falls near Field, BC… the 2nd tallest falls in Canada. Also spent a bit of time in Field, completely blown away on how it has become a place for people to move to. Beautiful older homes, incredible restorations…. B&B’s everywhere.
N&J stopped overnight between Golden & Revelstoke at a rest stop, next day dropped into Canyon Hot Springs for a dip in the hot pools, then a quick visit to Revelstoke. The next camp spot was Herald Provincial Campground in the Shuswap, what a gem of a campsite, so nice N&J have decided to reserve a week here next year.
The trip home was uneventful, stayed overnight along the Duffy Lake Road (south of Lillooet) in a BC Rec Camp. Parked alongside the Cayoosh River made for a restful sleep… next day a short 1.5 hour return to Whistler 🙂