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Grand Tour 2026 pt 2

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Duffey Lake Rollercoaster Duffey Lake Rd/Hwy 99 If  Hwy 16 between Jasper and Prince George,  aka the Yellowhead Route, was as 'dull as ditchwater', the road between Cache Creek and Whistler, mostly Hwy 99, was more 'seat-of-the-pants' stuff.   I'm not sure I'd want to drive it again with an 8500lb trailer behind me.   With significant changes in elevation and direction (there were quite a few switchbacks/hairpin bends) and a speed restriction of 60 kmh max, down to as low as 10 kmh on the tight turns on the steepest sections, the focus for me was on the driving, not the scenery.  It was though a stunning drive if not hard work.   Spotted Sandpiper We started this 2nd leg of our Grand Tour 2026 in Prince George.  Not a town we'd rush back to, though we had a good campsite out of town.   Spotlessly clean with manicured gardens, friendly and well-planned individual campsites.  The campsite ponds had a lovely collection of w...

Grand Tour 2026

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Greetings From Jasper The 2024 Jasper wildfire destroyed 32,000 hectares of forest and city Our campsite in the Jasper National Park was in the most beautiful of settings, nestled between the mountains on four sides, and on the other side of the highway, t he Athabasca River, the longest in Alberta which eventually drains into the Arctic Ocean.  Dropping down from the Icefields Parkway towards Jasper, burnt out forests lined the road.  Blackened tree trunks sticking up like pencils in the earth, with verdant green grassland underneath which left no doubt of the conflagration that consumed 32,000 hectares of this stunningly beautiful environment, including a large part of the town itself.  Equivalent to 1/5 of Greater London. Before the fire our chosen campground was forested, today the black stumps and charred trees are a reminder of 2024.  The lush grass and meadow flowers hide many of the remaining stumps. Interim housing - Jasper National Park - Parks Ca...

May Celebrants

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It's Party Time Me - at Squamish Canyon Trail I am late with this blog, very late, it's two months since my last ramblings.     In mitigation May has been full-on with visitors and by the time I realised I'd missed April, it was too late.   We have loved sharing our beautiful part of BC’s Sunshine Coast with all of them.   But it has been non-stop. L to R - me, Alex, Maddy, Graham, Alice & Fred at Smuggler Cove Our visitors have all been delightful guests, every single one.  They have mucked in with the household chores and all been gracious visitors, keeping the drinks cupboard stocked, and of course helped empty it.   Thinking we could manage a continuous stream of guests was ambitious....w e’re knackered.   Firstly friends from the UK with Vancouver based son and fiancée.   What a delight to share our home with an old work pal of Fred's and since long-time friends.  Hikes, walks, lunches and the odd glass ...