Goodbye Mountains

Next stop Calgary

Today we leave the mountains and head for the prairies after two weeks of exploring beautiful British Columbia we now get to drive over to Alberta.

It has been an amazing first two weeks to our four months of travel, not all as planned! The roof glass, which shattered ten minutes into the trip is due to be replaced in Calgary on Monday, to much relief. The almost daily ritual of replacing duct tape will not be missed!

After our three days in Revelstoke we had a 482 km drive west and south to Kikomun Creek Provincial Park in East Kootenay. As we drove south the mountains slowly gave way to more undulating hills and mixed forest and grassland, following both the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers. It also got warmer. After waking to frosts and 3c in Manning Park, Kikomun topped out at 33c. The AC was both welcome and necessary. RV's are not as thermally efficient as one's home. The heat also ensured the duct tape glue softened which allowed our temporary car roof repairs to fail on a regular basis.

Lake Koocanusa

Kikomun sits on Lake Koocanusa, a 144 km long reservoir created by the Libby Dam on the Kootenay River in Montana. I bet there are no tariffs on the water! Water levels were down. The Columbia River has also risen up the political agenda with the USA as many will no doubt have seen in the press. The Columbia River Treaty between the USA and Canada is currently being negotiated and progress is not good, according to media reports.

If we were packed in at Revelstoke, Kikomun was relatively sparse. Access to the lake was limited as Long Billed Curlew were nesting on the foreshore. Walks with Jack were earlier in the day because of the heat and a bit repetitive. One of the wardens pointed us to some trails suggesting the Curlews would alert us if we got too close and encroached on their nests. They did

Long Billed Curlew

and we altered course accordingly. We also got buzzed by a Western Meadowlark, who was too fast to get a picture of, but did show us the nest.

The park did not have fully serviced sites (power, water, sewer), and only eight had power, which we had for the AC, thank goodness.

Our next stop had us backtracking to Radium Hot Springs and the Redstreak Provincial Park campground. Redstreak, because of the red streak in the mountain rocks above the town. Here we were getting back in to the edge of the Rockies and the campsite is at an elevation of nearly 1000m. Warm the first night but welcome rain has pushed temperatures back down to 16c. We thought we'd booked a fully serviced site, but we ended up 'power only' so it was a quick emptying of tanks, filling with water and back to our site. After 3 nights here our water ran out as we started packing.

Forest Hideaway in Redstreak Campground

The site is secluded, forested, on the side of a mountain so any significant walks have a fair degree of elevation. Good cardio! Our three night stop enabling us to explore Invermere and Lake Windermere.

Invermere has a very Germanic feel despite it's Scottish name. Early settlers from Switzerland, Austria and Germany came here during the gold rush and post WWII and remained as the area reminded them of the valleys and mountains of home.

In Radium Hot Springs we discovered the Sinclair Creek, Falls and Canyon where the water and human intervention created the Highway 1; a road that cuts through the rocks is pretty impressive.

Sinclair Creek Canyon with Hwy (single lane)

Friday and further 150 km up the highway back to Golden (which we passed through on our way down to Kikomun), a lovely small town with quaint local shops and good facilities. The riverside walk is a delight.

Our campground, Whispering Spruce, has stunning views over Kicking Horse River (fast-flowing mineral coloured water) and Kicking Horse ski resort on the mountain opposite. Some of the mountains around us, all part of the Rockies, were still capped in snow, and we were not yet into the highest peaks of the range.

Saturday we headed to Lake Louise in Alberta as it was easier to visit without the trailer. The views were stunning, the crowds overwhelming and the well photographed Fairmont Hotel at the foot of the lake hideous. Whoever thought it a good idea to build this monstrosity needs locking up in its basement.

If you ever visit, go early in the day before the crowds. We didn't stay long but drove back to Golden stopping off at Takakkaw Falls, a 13km detour off the highway.

Lake Louise

It was worth the visit for the drive alone, but the Falls themselves were just an amazing sight pouring down 373m making it the second tallest waterfall in Canada and higher than the Shannon Falls (335m) on the Sea to Sky Highway, which we've visited on the way to Whistler. The water thunders off the Falls in to a chalky blue glacial Yoho River which joins the Kicking Horse River close to Hwy 1 which itself flows in to the Columbia River at Golden.

Apart from the pleasure of seeing the bear in the wild we spent the first part of Saturday watching Bath beat Leicester in the Premiership final. Rather incongruous, sitting in an RV in the middle of the Rockies watching a domestic rugby match. Nonetheless, the best result!!!!

The trouble with driving in BC and the Rockies particularly is a temptation to stop every few km to enjoy the mountain or river views, or both. On the way back to the highway we pulled over to a large untimbered area of mountainside to watch a large black bear foraging on the grassy slopes. It seemed unbothered by the half dozen cars and spectators watching it feed.

So how is this RV'ing lark going?

We're getting in to a better routine of breaking down and setting up before and after each journey; and making fewer mistakes. The cabin is comfy and practical, plus there have been no more black tank (t)errors!!

We are using the washrooms at each site rather than fill up our black tank with anything other than than the occasional pee. This had introduced a new social dimension as one cubicle neighbour insisted in holding a conversation while I was focused on the job in hand. I'm not sure I was quite ready for that!

Contemplating the moment in one cubicle at Radium Hot Springs a grey furry thing with a long tail ducked under the rather nominal partition that seem to dominate North American washroom stalls, took one look at me and rushed out, as I nearly did until I realised it was a squirrel and not a rat! Someone had propped the main door open. I am not sure who was more surprised! Note to self, "shut the outer door when I go in again". Washroom stalls seem to be very social places.

Camp sites seem to be very communal places and this too was a new experience, liking my own company as I do. Some neighbours just nod, some pass the time of day, others enjoy meaning of life conversations. I am getting used to it and you can always disappear inside! Fred, on the other hand, has been chatting to campers from Montreal in French and some locals who use the laundry only to learn they have friends in Sechelt!

If the last two weeks have shown us anything it is that British Columbia is the most stunning province. We could easily spend the next few months exploring here and will certainly do more trips in future.

We shall miss the mountains as we now spend a few weeks navigating Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and Ontario then onwards to the Maritimes.