Canadian Rockies Road Trip! - Week 3 Part A

This had been in the pipeline for awhile and we got to join Sigs friends Jason and Natalie (a young couple from NZ) in their white Chevy 20 beast of a van. We had a rough idea of what we were going to do but still would play by ear each day. We would eventually do a figure 8 loop of Whistler – Revelstoke – Banff (2 nights) – Jasper – Vancouver – Whistler.

21/04

We had a spoiler to our energetic early start by driving down a remote road to D’Arcy, a cluster of houses next to a beautiful lake with no other exit, doh. The view priceless, the cost 25 minutes each way. Our first postcard moment was Kamloops Lake before a lunch stop in Kamloops and then continuing past The Last Spike into sleepy railway town Revelstoke for a stay at the local Samesun Hostel. We would consume our first of many cheap A&W Mama burgers (on special at CAD $1.50 each) to sustain our energy levels that night.

22/04

Unfortunately the only decent attraction which was the local Revelstoke railway museum was closed that next morning so we continued to Golden for another Mama burger and a look at the recently closed local skifield where it started dumping snow at a warm -2 celsius! Finally crossing the Canadian Rockies (and a small diversion to see a wolf sanctuary) to arrive into Banff, Alberta that early evening in time to see deer merrily walking around the back of our hotel eating the local greens. A relaxing sit down in the Banff Hot Springs would top off what was a long day.

23/04

Unbelievably we woke up to Banff covered in snow! Free coffee in McDonalds was required before hitting the local Fairmont chateau hotel (luxury hotel chain) in search for a snap with a knight in amour. Then onto the Banff Gondola for scenic regional views before a scenic drive down the 1A Bow Valley parkway towards Lake Louise in search of wildlife. Only a few hundred metres in we saw a mountain goat licking overnight minerals in the middle of the road in what would become a common sight in the days ahead. Unfortunately there was no further wildlife to comment but we did go and see the Johnston Canyon Falls, this required walking on a slippery icy walkway alongside the canyon and so we were gripping onto those side rails pretty tight. Later got snaps of a frigid still ice covered Lake Louise before going back to Banff where funnily elk were observed just minutes away from our hotel, all that driving and the wildlife was closer to “home”.

Rockies A