Canada - 7th to 27th June 2009

Introduction  

After experiencing Alaska and arriving in Vancouver we were back to the life of backpackers while waiting for Tipperdee. On this jaunt we visited the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta and hope to return to the east coast in August after trekking across western USA .

Background and History

Canada 's first inhabitants were hunter-nomads who crossed over from Asia on the land bridge about 14000 years ago, but according to different native legends the first nations originated here and separated into numerous tribes as they spread east. Although the first Europeans to arrive in 1000AD were the Vikings, real excitement with the new world only started in the late 15 th century with the British, Spanish and French all searching for riches. A Brit arrived in New Foundland in 1497 but the French established the first settlement in Quebec City in 1608. Control for the beaver pelt trade resulted in skirmishes between the two from 1670 until France lost the 7 years war and handed the area over to Britain in 1763. The colonies eventually united under the British North American Act in 1867, giving birth to Canada . Although Canada 's independence from Britain was formalised in 1931 and complete sovereignty in 1982, she remains a constitutional monarchy. It is amazing that the country's aboriginal people only received citizenship in 1960!

Our Experience

Vancouver is a fine example of Canada 's affluence – it's a modern, organised city with a world fusion culture and is surrounded by the typical B.C. jewel-like natural setting of snow-crowned mountains, shimmering lakes, lush rain forests and tree covered islands. We checked into the Riviera Hotel with great downtown views for 3 nights and started exploring the next day. First on the agenda was the Capilano Suspension Bridge which spans across a 140m canyon to a temperate rainforest walk which included a swinging network of smaller cable bridges strung between trees. The kids earned another badge after completing a booklet on the local ecology. We then wound our way back downtown to Canada Place (a legacy of Expo 86) and a walking tour pass glassed condo's and office towers which led to Vancouver's historic Gastown with its landmark hissing steam clock, and the rather quiet Chinatown. Vancouver 's eastside was quite a contrast to its glitzy heart with destitute, mentally disturbed and shuffling beggars replacing the chic shoppers of Robson Street . Stanley Park took a full glorious sunny day to hike along Burrard inlet with views of the Vancouver Harbour and skyline then through forests to Beaver Lake and beaches along English Bay . Its mystical natural aura only interrupted by totem poles, a rose garden, water park, sculptures and an artist corner.

With the vessel carrying Tipperdee delayed, we took the bus and ferry across the Strait of Georgia between the gulf islands to Vancouver Island . At Swartz Bay , Gayle Garlock (parents of Chris Garlock who now resides in Cape Town ) escorted us to their fabulous home on Ten Mile Point in Victoria , BC 's capital. Barbara greeted us with a ‘Welcome Globeriders' banner at the front door! We spent a week at their home with incredible views across the waters to the Olympic Mountains in Washington State , while being fattened up with bison burgers, artic char, delicious salmon leek quiches, blackberry pie and of course Canada 's ice wine plus the local brew of Hermann's dark lager – we didn't want to leave this heaven!!! We did the odd hike through the immaculate neighbourhood and forest to stony black sand beaches, but the endearing chats and their enlightening conversation dissolved most days away while the kids had their fill of TV and read kiddies books! Barbara arranged an interview by their local newspaper, which was done telephonically – this resulted in various emails welcoming us to Victoria ! Our stay was also interrupted by a trip downtown to a bookstore and a walk from Market Square to Boston Square and along its harbour with views of seaplanes, houseboats and famous buildings like Parliament and the Empress Hotel. A drive through Beacon Hill Park further immersed us into Canada as we learnt about Terry Fox, a one-legged cancer victim who attempted running across Canada in 1981. On another day we took the winding road through Victoria 's suburbs to the islands' south-western tip and East Sooke Regional Park . Trails led us through a dense canopy of Douglas firs to bluffs and the beach where we had a picnic, spotting the odd otter. In between all this we celebrated Jade's 12 th birthday with a yummy chocolate ice-cream cake courtesy of the Garlocks.

With the help of Barbara and Gayle and their friend Paul Ridout, we organised Tiperdee's release. This took a full week trying to get customs to do a soil inspection (which we are still not sure if this was done or not!) and the paperwork for the transport of the flat rack to a warehouse, where we eventually could drive her off to explore the west's interior - a mission that would have been a lot more stressful without Paul. A heartfelt thanks to him and to the Garlocks, we can only sing your praises for the effort and kind hospitality you put into making our stay a ‘balanced', memorable and enjoyable one.

On the 17 th June, we were back at Swartz Bay for the ferry to Tsawwassen to be reunited with Tipperdee at the warehouse. Unfortunately the height of the vehicle resulted in yet another $282 for an alternative route which would miss tunnels and low bridges and to hire a lifting company to unload it from the flat rack. This lifting had our nerves rattled as we normally drove the vehicle off the rack but somehow the Canadians thought they had to lift it themselves. So with worried minds we arrived at the warehouse, delighted at the sight of her and with a single twist of the key she purred and we were off to fill her belly with diesel and groceries. We had one last look at Vancouver while driving through Stanley Park , then crossed Lion's Gate Bridge to the northwest of Vancouver and up highway 99 to camp at Porteau Cove Provincial Park – perfectly positioned on the banks of a sound. Back to the routine of vehicle schooling, we then made our way to the Alpine ski resort village of Whistler . En route we had scenic stops at spectacular Shannon and Brandywine Falls parks. 160km later we wild camped along Duffy Lake between sheer granite snow-capped mountains. Like virgin travellers we marvelled at the green mountains that gave way to brown canyons as we travelled further east via Cache Creek and Kamloops to a bushcamp along Shuswap Lake .

Onwards on highway 1 to the town of Revelstoke and the rather tiny farmers market soon had us exploring Mt Revelstoke National Park – first a drive up the ‘Meadows in the Sky Parkway' through cedar forests to 1700m with views of the Columbia River Valley – here the kids enjoyed the remnants of snow. Then 25km later we stroled the Skunk Cabbage Trail – a 1.2km boardwalk along the Illecillewaet River in a wetland, and decided to bush camp there.

The following day, another 4km east had us on the Cedars Boardwalk around a grove of huge old-growth cedars and our farewell to this National Park, as we continued via Canyon Hot Springs to Glacier National Park – home to some 430 glaciers! Here we paused for an interpretive walk through an ancient hemlock rainforest and then again at Rogers Pass where the information centre was packed with material on history, wildlife and avalanche management.

At this stage we were in desperate need for hot showers and a Laundromat, so in the town of Golden , we settled in at Whispering Spruce campsite with roaming big-horn sheep. Here we met 2 South African couples and shared a wonderful evening in great conversation and too much B.C. wine! Chris and Anne had immigrated to the USA in the 1980's and Avril and Eugene were visiting for a couple of weeks. The next morning they entertained us to a great bacon and egg breakfast. Thanks a million guys, for a bit of South African culture.

On the 22nd June we left for Yoho National Park , home to the glacier fed ice-blue Kicking Horse River . We hiked the 5.2km perimeter of Emerald Lake and marvelled at a natural bridge over the river which was formed by water erosion. After deciding to wild camp just outside the Park at a perfect stop in Kicking Horse pass, we were asked to move back to Golden at 10pm due to road works. Together with a German couple who were also overlanding, we made our way back to a spot overlooking Golden for the rest of the night. Cold overcast conditions forced us further north into Banff National Park and the Ice-fields Parkway to Jasper, 230km of scenically overwhelming big snow-capped mountains with hanging glaciers, turquoise rivers curving through carpets of pines, and magnificent emerald lakes which took our breath away as one sight after the next seemed to become almost surreal! Littered with well placed viewpoints, this grandeur had us stopping every few minutes to take it all in and to capture highlights like Crowfoot Glacier, Athabasca Glacier and Falls. By 10pm we eventually had our home cooked supper in quaint Jasper and continued along the Maligne River road in search of a spot to wild camp. The sighting of a black bear and a regal male elk with massive antlers signed off this perfect day as we nestled in at Medicine Lake for the night.

The wonders of Jasper National Park continued on the way to Maligne Lake where we saw white-tailed deer, then on taking the old road snaking up to Mount Edith Cavell , we were lucky enough to be a few meters away from another black bear, marmots and mountain goats. At the end of the road, a 2km climb through alpine meadows brought us face to face with 3 hanging glaciers feeding icy Cavell Lake – mind blowing stuff! The return high altitude drive towards Lake Louise along the backbone of the continent was again equally spectacular with brilliant turquoise Lake Peyto a ‘WOW' stop. We spent the next 2 nights back in Yoho National Park , wild camping at the base of the drive to Lake O-Hara . Unfortunately rain discouraged the bus trip to the lake so we rather spent a leisurely day learning about the geology of the Rockies at Lake Louise 's Visitor Centre. When the sun managed to peek through the clouds we explored Moraine Lake set between imposing ten peaks and then the jewel of the Rockies – Lake Louise, a turquoise mass of water perfectly positioned by surrounding mountains with Victoria glacier suspended at the far end!

On the 26th June our patience paid off as the rain settled enough for our visit to Lake O'Hara . We were lucky to get standby seats on the school bus and the 50 minute ride to the lake was well worth the advice given by Barbara. Lake O'Hara truly encapsulates the beauty of the Rockies in a controlled unspoilt area. To really get a feel of this emerald gem wrapped by mountains, we did a 5 hour hike around the lake and up a steep trail past 3 smaller lakes to the unbelievable still frozen Lake Oesa which had some turquoise peeking through its iced surface. This almost surreal environment had us captivated at a height of 2500m, where alpine meadows relented to the snow and glaciers – a perfect place to have lunch! After a few kilometres of the alpine trek through snow and loose rocks in the company of 3 Australians, we were forced to link up with our ascent route – with the inevitable snow-ball fight en route!

Exhausted by late afternoon, we ventured down to Tipperdee's wheels and continued south east past playful grizzlies on the Bow Valley Parkway to a campsite in the mountain town of Banff . Although a pretty setting, Banff is centred around tacky souvenir shops, so we spent a few hours visiting the surrounding sites like the ‘Hoodoos' – natural sandstone pillars with great views of the Bow Valley and a drive around the famous Banff Springs Hotel. The road then led south over the continental divide into Kootenay National Park . We stopped frequently for short walks and viewed sights such as Marble Canyon , Olive Lake and Radium Hot Springs.

Just outside the Rockies huge grey peaks, we followed the Columbia River Valley south to wild camp along highway 95 at a rest stop. Our final day in Canada was 400km of hard driving southeast through scenic mountains and petite towns along Highway 3 that led across Crowsnest pass and into Alberta 's green undulating prairie landscape – cowboy and Indian country. We were very tempted to stay for the Calgary Stampede which is known as the biggest show on earth but time had us pushing on. We skirted along sublime Waterton Lakes National Park , part of the world's first International Peace Park with the USA 's Glacier National Park , and by 5:30pm we crossed chief mountain border post into the U.S. of A – a formality of less than 5 minutes!

Canada 's immense natural beauty, especially the Rockies National Parks, have been a ‘WOW' affair around every bend – albeit it rather costly and a tad over-organised (which has its pluses eh!), but what a pleasure!

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