Writing-On-Stone

A year before we embarked on the Epic Journey to Alaska, Pat was busily requesting tourist info from Canada.  Alberta, as it turns out, has masterful marketing brochures for its spectacular sights.  We were completely enthralled by pictures of Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park and put it on the list of ‘must do’s’ during our return trip.  When you see the pictures you’ll know why.

Little Bow Provincial Park

We’re now done with bigger-than-life Banff and need to move on.  It’s September 5th and the smoke and heat are still oppressive.  Pat has picked out Little Bow Provincial Park as our next stop, mainly because it’s close to Vulcan, AB and has trees.  You read that right – Vulcan!  According to the visitor center info, they have a Trek Center and Pat is a total Trekkie.  Ah but I’m getting ahead of myself.

I’m amazed at the countryside, mainly because I didn’t think it would look this way.  Farm land as far as the eye could see.  Not sure what I expected, but this wasn’t it.  Could be Kansas, Texas or many Midwest places in the lower 48.  Once you leave the mountains behind, this is it.

Cattle, classic barns and silos abound here.

So we’re driving and driving.  I keep asking “Are you SURE there are trees?”.  I say this because they’re having record-breaking temperatures, it’s dry as a bone, and shade is preferred in 80+ heat.  There is also no evidence of trees in the area.  Pat tells me the description included trees, but I’m not convinced.  I’m grumbling all the way about no trees,  when we turn off the main road and dip down into a small canyon.  Lo and behold, there are trees and blessed shade for our camping spot.

You can see why I was skeptical.  This area like much of Southern Canada is extremely crispy from record temps, no rain since June and fires to the south and west adding a smokey haze to the mix.  The dam upstream from this picture created a little oasis that was such a contrast.  I’m on top of the closest hill looking down on the campground for this shot.

Even with the dryness, textures abound.  Loved the delicate sheaves of wheat and yes, even cactus.  Top right is my little trail to the top of the hill, and steeper than it looks.

Little Bow River meandering off into the hazy distance, Pat & Jackson on the bank of the swimming hole, and the noisy geese overhead.

My lonely tree

There weren’t too many people in the park with us, but we did have friendly next-door neighbors.  Myrna & Don from Alberta were kind enough to give us 8 ears of corn from their garden.  We hadn’t had fresh corn in quite a while so it was a treat.

Eerie red sunset compliments of the Montana fires and smoke

Welcome to Vulcan

We SO love the quirky tourist traps and couldn’t resist this one.  A perfect in-between stop with great appeal for Pat who has seen every original Star Trek episode there is.

The Vulcan, AB welcome center has an Enterprise replica, complete with Vulcan writing on the plaque.  At least that’s what Pat suspects it is.  He says the number on the ship is all wrong, but probably a licensing thing.  Anyhoo, great fun nonetheless.

And I nearly wet my pants laughing when he popped his head out with that crazy grin.  It’s a wonder I got a clear picture.

This place has a whole rack of costumes that you can put on for photo ops.  Pat was a most excellent Captain Kirk in the captain’s chair, as well as posing with Bones and Spock.  Phasers on stun of course.

The best signage was over the merchandise and said “Shoplifters will be vaporized to the fullest extent of the law”.  This tiny little town has certainly capitalized on its name and location in Vulcan County.  A stop well worth our time and it was completely free.  There was a pretty good Chinese restaurant in town, too.

Out and About

Just driving around the area was interesting.  It seemed like every farm had a derelict barn on the property and I found a grand one.

Rolling pastureland, the old North wind working on my favorite ramshackle barn and the perfectly straight crew-cut rows.

And the happiest “crop circle” I’ve ever seen.

Finally Writing-On-Stone

The smoke ran us out of Little Bow and we’ve got Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park in our sights.  It’s smokey here, too, but the outstanding views and other-worldly geography made it worthwhile.

We rounded the corner into the park and were greeted with this view.  Wow.

You could really believe you were on another planet with some of the rock formations.  Hoodoos at their finest.  According to park literature, glaciers exposed sandstone bedrock after the last ice age and thousands of years of erosion did the rest.  This is also a sacred spot for First Nations people.  This part of Blackfoot territory was a place they would come to await visions foretelling their fate during upcoming battles.  Battle stories were chronicled on the stones, and thus the name Writing-On-Stone.

This is an example of the petroglyphs we saw on the trail.  It likely dates back to the Historic Period around 1730 A.D.  Some of the art has been defaced over the years by tourists, so they have the remaining First Nation art behind fencing.

There were many signs on the highway and in the park warning of prairie rattlesnakes.  Apparently they are very important to the grassland ecosystems, so you aren’t supposed to run over them if you see them basking on the road.  That runs counter to every fiber of my being!

We’re walking Jackson the first day and fortunately he didn’t notice this guy right beside the trail.  We thought maybe it was dead, but my zoomed in picture tells otherwise along with the fact that he was nowhere to be found when we retraced our steps on the way back.  Likely a young snake with no rattles, so no warning sound.

Since we were worried about Jackson innocently sticking his nose where it didn’t belong, we took our next jaunt at sunset without him.

This time a much friendlier looking creature on the trail.

Grand views of the Milk River and the hoodoos.

Going, Going, Gone.  Day is done, gone the sun.

Then we encounter rattlesnake #2 and decide to call it a day while we can still see the trail and every “one” on it.

Just couldn’t get enough of the landscape here.

Industrious little beavers stay busy here although we didn’t see any.  Fortunately they have the treed campsites fenced off from the Milk River to keep the them from claiming all the wood.

It was extremely dry and dusty while we were here and the smoke kept us off the trails for the most part.  We definitely want to return one day when the valley is more lush and green and the views are clear.  Still, an extraordinary place regardless of the conditions.

From the moon rise over Banff to the sunset over Little Bow, Alberta was all the brochures promised.  And as they say in Vulcan, live long and prosper.  See you on the way!

 

 

Banff & the Musical Ride

If you take the Icefields Parkway southbound from Jasper National Park, you’ll cross right into Banff National Park.  Stop number two with our free Canada 150 pass.  It’s a spectacular drive in the summer and I found myself wondering what it looks like in the winter.  Ah, but that’s for another trip.

Icefields Parkway

A dramatic drive to be sure, but the jangle button is on high putting Jackson on high alert.  This is also where the smoke from the summer British Columbia fires finally caught up with us.

Approaching the Columbia Icefields and heading into the smoke

We stopped at the Columbia Icefields visitor center for lunch and took some shots of the Athabasca Glacier.  The picture in the top right shows the teeny bus heading out onto the glacier.  We were considering taking this tour, but in the end opted to stay out of the smoke since we’ve already walked on a glacier.

We were so intrigued by these weird looking overpasses.  Turns out they are actually wildlife crossings.  If you peer into that photo, you can just barely make out the mountains we’re trying hard to see through the smoke.

Banff – The Town

We camped in the national park and found it to be an odd setup.  Kinda like camping on the side of the road, but it was in a real campground called Trailer Court.  It served our purpose and was darn hard to get.  We had a whole week booked originally, but shortened it to 4 days since the last 3 required a campsite move.  A whole week in one spot sounds so long to us after our vagabond ways.  We’re happy with this change since it’s very smoky, and irritates our eyes and throats, not to mention obscures the lovely views.

Eerie red sun in downtown Banff

Right across the road from Trailer Court is the Hoodoo viewpoint.  What’s a hoodoo, you ask? A column or pinnacle of weathered rock and most often made out of sandstone.  These hoodoos looked like castles above the Bow River and this first night was our best view with the least amount of smoke.

The town itself was crowded and had lots of shops and restaurants.  Initially we weren’t sure we liked it, but it grew on us.  Mainly because we decided to forgo the scenery visits and hiking we had planned, and just enjoy what this touristy town had to offer.  Let’s just say we ate like kings for 4 days, eating out for both lunch and dinner.  If we can’t have stunning views, at least we can sample the local cuisine.  Chinese, Mexican, and even McDonald’s worked for us.  AND there was a Dairy Queen in one of the malls.  Yes, we went every day.

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Every evening there were different entertainers on the the street.  This guy on the violin was phenomenal playing top 40 music.  People had great fun dancing with the mariachi band and when was the last time you even saw a harpist?  She was delightful and I applaud her just hauling that thing around.

Each day we had high hopes for clear skies and each day we realized it was not to be.  Since we had time, I enlisted Pat to color my hair.  He did a great job and was certainly cheaper.  Of course I got a haircut at a Banff salon and I’m sure I paid as much for that cut as I normally do for a cut and color.

We also took the opportunity to take in a theater production at the Lux in town.  ‘Mavericks of the Mountains’ was a fantastic comedy with only three players and minor costume changes.  We laughed and laughed and learned about the town and park history.  Banff was the first National Park in Canada and people flock here year round.

Moraine Lake

In the end, we had one clear day in Banff and set out to make the most of it.  We took a drive to Two Jacks and Moraine Lakes and took in as much beauty as we could in such a short time.

The stylists in the salon said we HAD to see Moraine Lake if we saw nothing else.  Shocking color is the best way to describe it and we just stared at it from all directions.  It’s also surrounded by seven peaks making it awesome from top to bottom.

Just gorgeous aquamarine water

At the end of the lake, we found the stream that feeds it.  On the other end there is a huge pile of rocks.  There’s a difference of opinion on how it got here – avalanche, or carried by water.  We’re thinking it’s a bit of both.  Top right shot shows teeny people who climbed the giant pile, and the bottom shot shows just how big the chunks really are.

As much of the Seven Peaks as I could capture in one shot

Canmore To The Rescue

After we cancelled the additional three days in the Banff campground, we realized the error of our ways.  Those three days were the crucial three of the Labor Day weekend.  On the one hand, we didn’t realize it was also celebrated in Canada and on the other, we simply didn’t check the calendar.  Where are we going to go?  All Banff park campgrounds are full and we’ve been checking with the rangers every day.  We decided to bug out early on our last day and check a city park in Canmore, just a little over 15 miles down the road.  It’s first come, first served, so we’re crossing fingers.  Happy day!  We get a pretty good spot and it’s perfect for us to enjoy some local events we had our hearts set on.

Canmore is charming and we enjoy more eating out with perogies on a stick (just yum!).  Jackson gets star treatment with his own water bowl filled from a pitcher by our server.  And how about that for a lunch view?

This town has some great trails and that ever popular river walk we like.

More of the meandering Bow River

RCMP Musical Ride

You remember my need to to see one Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman actually on horseback?  Well with the Canada 150 celebration in full-swing, the RCMP scheduled musical rides all across Canada.  I was so bummed when I thought we would miss the one in Banff because of our scheduling mishap.  This was my big chance to see not one, but 32 Royal Canadian Mounted Policemen on horseback.  But Canmore saved the day and I promptly bought tickets.

The RCMP has a group dedicated to performances on horseback.  “Their performance consists of intricate figures and drills choreographed to music. These movements demand the utmost control, timing and coordination”, according to the RCMP website.  You just don’t know how thrilled I was to see this pageantry in Banff at the foot of Rundle Mountain.

The horses were groomed to a high gloss and and the RCMP uniforms were crisp, even in the 80+ degree heat.  Do you think I got my photo op?

You know it!  Sybil, a 12 year old mare, is the star in this shot.  The Mountie isn’t bad either.  All the riders moved to the crowd at the end of the show, and patiently answered questions and posted for pictures for as long as we wanted.  This mountie noted that the Musical Ride is a full-time assignment for three years.  They perform and raise money for charity year-round.  Canada should be very proud of this impressive group and I’m so glad we were able to see them in action.

Canmore Highland Games

I wasn’t the only one who had a must-see event in the area.  Our stay in Canmore also allowed us to go to the Highland Games.  We saw a flyer in town and thought we’d have to miss this event, too.  We’d never been to one, but always wanted to go rub shoulders with men in kilts.

The best of both worlds!  A mountie AND a group of bagpipers in kilts.  We are both satisfied this day.

And how about this enterprising business!  I wish we had something that needed cleaning.

The sheep herding demonstration was great fun.  At one point, a young sheep dog in training chased one of the sheep on stage.  A bit of chaos ensued.

We also got to see some of the actual games.  All competitors have to wear a kilt and they show off with feats of strength and control.  This is the best shot I could get of the caber toss.  Essentially they have to lift up what looks a lot like a telephone pole, take a few running steps and flip it up and over to land in a twelve o’clock position.  I couldn’t even believe it could be done.  This guy made a perfect toss.

There were pipers, drummers, dancers, and of course food.

I enjoyed some poutine topped with macaroni and cheese.  A most healthy meal I’m sure.  Definitely a non-skinny choice!

The vendors were interesting and I loved a photo titled ‘Highland Coo’.  That’d be a cow with long horns and a giant gold ring in its nose looking straight into the camera.  We don’t have enough wall space or I would have purchased that lovely.  And finally, my biggest disappointment.  Pat refused to try on a kilt for me.

What do you do when the dryer is disappointing?

And what do you do when the campground dryer refuses to dry?  You string a crazy clothesline all over the motorhome.  Pat may not be willing to try on kilts, but he does solve problems for this gal when needed.  Underwear was removed from the shot to protect us both.

So, we can’t show you lots of beautiful scenery from Banff, but it’s a great place with or without the mountains in view.  Turns out we did need a whole week here and glad we got it with the Canmore relo.

Next up – more Canadian travels on our way to Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park.  See you on the way!

Jasper National Park

Canada is celebrating their 150th anniversary this year and providing free passes to all their national parks.  We ordered ours in advance and waited anxiously for months to use it.  Jasper is first up and our first stop in Alberta.  I’m so very far behind on the blog, so keep in mind it’s October when I’m writing this, but we visited at the end of August.

Mile 0

The end of our drive on the Alcan, but normally you stop here at the beginning.  Dawson Creek is home to the iconic sign that everyone making the Alaska trek has to photograph.  Seemed silly to do it on the way out, but that’s just the way our travels went.  We didn’t actually catch up to the Alaska Highway until the Yukon on the way in, so this was our chance to drive the first half of the famous road.  Can’t say we drove every mile of it since we took that Tumbler Ridge side trip, but close enough for us.

Dawson Creek also had Mary Brown’s Chicken across the street from the sign.  Normally I wouldn’t talk about random regional fast food joints, but this one had chicken breaded like my mom’s.  I hadn’t tasted anything so close to her famous fried chicken since she made it for me over 10 years ago.  Funny how a smell or a taste will just take you back.

Wild Rose Country

Alberta is our second Canadian province and the stops included Grand Prairie and Grande Cache.  We’re making tracks at this point since we have reservations in Jasper followed by Banff and they were hard to come by.  These are pretty popular places to visit in the summer and seem to be akin to visiting Yellowstone in the lower 48.  Lunch stops were still required and the one almost to our destination was at Berland River.  Nice river view at the turnout and we took a stroll with Jackson.  Getting down the riverbank was ok, but up required a butt shove from Pat.  No photos please!

Whistler Mountain

We could only get 3 nights in Jasper, but it required moving to a new site every day.  A drag, but worth it.  We ended up shortening the stay to two nights.  Definitely a place that deserves much longer and we’ll surely be back.

Only two nights means we have to be out and about from the moment the wheels stop rolling.  We settle in at Whister’s Campground and head on over to the Jasper Sky Tram for a trip up to the top of Whistler Mountain.

Simply gorgeous view atop Whistler and a few teensy people to give you a sense of scale.

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Pat has a little fun at the top

Together on top of Whistler Mountain

The Sky Tram in Jasper is the highest and longest in Canada with spectacular views.  We were able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Robson, highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, in the distance.  The tram operator said it’s only visible from that spot about once a month.  It’s been particularly elusive this season due to all the smoke from the BC wildfires.

The Canada parks also have these red chair pairs positioned at particularly scenic spots in the hopes that you’ll take pictures and share them on social media.  I’m going to post this on Facebook, so that’ll be my contribution.  These chairs are at the “faux” summit which turned out to be just about right for us.  The hike up from the tram station was quite steep and us oldies but goodies had to rest a few times on the way up.  We didn’t want to get caught at the top in the dark, so didn’t venture up to the real summit.  At least that’s what we’re going with.

A few more from the faux summit

Since we took one of the later tram rides up, we had the sunset on the mountain virtually all to ourselves.  So beautiful.

Sunset on the mountain and the city of Jasper from the tram

Maligne Lake

We had one more full day in Jasper, so we opted for a day trip to Maligne (pronounced ma-LEEN) Lake.  First up is a stop off at Maligne Canyon to marvel at the limestone walls and the unique path cut through the rock by the rushing water.

 

The tricky part to this view is walking over the extremely slippery rocks along the path.  They are so smooth like glass and you have to really hang on to the fence rail.  It’s probably impossible to do in the rain.

Next stop, Medicine Lake.  This one drains completely dry every year like a bathtub.  It’s not actually a lake, but rather a spot where the Maligne River backs up much like a slow drain would.  After the rush of snowmelt is gone, the “lake” disappears.  Also a shot here of the burned forest.  There are a lot of old burns in this area.  Finally a shot of the road winding along the lake.

Remember my one wish in Canada was to see a Royal Canadian Mountie in uniform and preferably on horseback?  Well, the cafe at the lake had this fine gentleman pointing the way to the serving line.  Figured I’d better take my picture with him just in case a real live one didn’t materialize.  As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about, but that’s for the Banff post.

The boat ride on the lake was just too tempting so we bought our tickets and dipped our feet in the cool lake water while we waited.

These people had the right idea paddling out on this lake.  Nice of them to take out red canoes to contrast with the scenery.

And one of the most photographed views in the Canadian Rockies – Spirit Island.  Simply gorgeous and the destination for the boat trip.  Our guide told us that when Kodak came out with color film, they had a picture of Spirit Island in their ad hanging in Penn Station in NYC.  I must have taken 30 pictures of this little island, ooh-ing and ah-ing over every one.

The drive back from Maligne Lake was a treat, too.  Another look at the scenery from a different angle and a bonus black bear lumbering down the road.  I drove right up beside him.  He turned and looked at me as if to say “move along sister”.  So I did.

Evil Dave’s

They had me at the name.  This restaurant was divine even if the name implies otherwise.  Dinner after our big day out was fantastic and I enjoyed the El Diablo Chicken with the best guacamole I have EVER had.  And that’s not just because I hadn’t had it in a while.  Pat had the Malevolent Meatloaf made with buffalo, bacon and something else we can’t remember.  Meatloaf is the one thing we haven’t made in the motorhome, so he orders it every chance he gets.  If you are ever in Jasper, you must try Evil Dave’s!

Jasper was, in a word, stunning.  We barely scratched the surface and it’s high on the list for another visit.  I’ll leave you with a view from the back of the boat on the return trip.  Can’t you just feel the wind in your hair?

Off we go to Banff.  See you on the way!