Ucluelet – Vancouver Island

After passing Port Alberni the first sunbeams came through the clouds and when we arrived at Ucluelet the weather was grandiose and sunny all over. We walked the Lighthouse Loop, heard a whale singing and enjoyed our stay at Black Rock Oceanfront Resort with nothing but the silent Pacific Ocean between us and Japan.

from Whistler to the sea

What a bad weather! We couldn't see many scenic views on our way 'Sky to Sea'. Anyway we saw some really spectacular waterfalls. I did a reservation in advance for our ferry passage from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay at Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, and everything worked like a charm. When we arrived at the island the rain had stopped and therefore we did two short hikes around Cameron Lake (Little Qualicum Falls and Big Tree Trail). Later we had some fun when doing 'zip-lining' at West Coast Wild Zipline Eco Tour at Ha'uukmin Tribal Park on our way to Ucluelet.

Whistler-Blackcomb

Over two million people visit Whistler annually, primarily for alpine skiing and, in summer, mountain biking. Whistler was also host of lots of events during the 2010 Winter Olympics (including the alpine ski racings). They finished the skiing season three days earlier. What a pity! We took the Whistler Village Gondola up to Whistler Mountain and then crossed the Fitzsimmons Creek via Peak 2 Peak Gondola to Blackcomb Peak. The Peak 2 Peak Gondola holds world records for the longest free span between ropeway towers (3.03 kilometres) and highest point above the ground (436 metres). We have a similar gondola here in Austria connecting the Kitzbuehel and Jochberg skiing areas (3S Bahn). After our mountain adventure we strolled through Whistler Village and had a couple of beers at Citta' on their last evening because it would close its doors forever the following day.

Fraser Valley

After a night high above Hope at High Hopes Bed and Breakfast we continued our road trip on the Trans-Canada Highway going north through Fraser Valley. We stopped at Hell's Gate and took the airtram across the Fraser River. Hell's Gate is an abrupt narrowing of the Fraser River with towering rock walls that force the waters through a passage of only 35 metres. After this tourist trap we headed north untill Lillooet where we changed on Highway 99 (Sea to Sky Highway) to reach Whistler in the early afternoon.

E. C. Manning Provincial Park

The Manning Provincial Park includes most of the Hozameen Range sub-range of the Canadian Cascades. The terrain varies from wet coastal rain forests to jagged snow-capped peaks, alpine meadows, small lakes and broad rivers (i.e. Similkameen River) along the valley floors. There are also Rhododendron Flats near the park's western entrance. On our way to Lightning Lake we saw a black bear posing especially for us!

Okanagan Valley

We went south the Okanagan. This central region in British Columbia is known for its dry, sunny climate, dry landscapes and lakeshore communities and a recent focus to vineyards and wines. The vegetation in the Okanagan Valley ranges from cactus and sagebrush in the south, to Cedar and Hemlock trees in the north. We spent a night at Chez Nicole Bed and Breakfast at West Kelowna with a stunning view of Okanagan Lake. The next day we saw our first brown bear on our way to Osoyoos! The common name for the semi-arid area around Osoyoos Lake is Okanagan Desert. They call the lake also 'the warmest freshwater lake in Canada'. In Osoyoos you can see a dutch style windmill (it is NOT a must-see). When leaving Osoyoos in north-west direction (Highway 3 – you remember Crowsnest?) one can see a saline endorheic alkali lake called Spotted Lake. Most of the water in the lake evaporates over the summer and therefore large colored 'spots' appear on the lake. From hearsay the lake has mythical healing powers. There is no public access to the lake shore but the lake can be easily seen from the road.

Glacier National Park

A lot of snow at Rogers Pass! Even the main entrance of Rogers Pass Discovery Centre was blocked by snow. Rogers Pass is a narrow valley surrounded by a number of mountains and can receive up to 17 metres of snow over the course of a winter. We hiked a steep trail to the Bear Creak Falls at the eastern and relatively drier (rain shadow) edge of the park.

Revelstoke

When entering Revelstoke first we visited the Revelstoke Canyon Dam, a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River and thus building Lake Revelstoke. After a silent night at Powder Pillow Bed & Breakfast we did some hiking at Mount Revelstoke National Park. Our first stop was the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk an interpretive trail that leads through valley bottom rainforest and fragile wetlands inhabited by the strange skunk cabbage plant. The plant is called skunk cabbage because of the distinctive "skunky" odor that it emits when it blooms. Next we did the Giant Cedars Boardwalk showing us old-growth western red cedar and hemlock trees, some more than 800 years old. Afterwards we drove the Meadows-in-the-Sky Parkway untill its 2nd section offering a great view of Revelstoke and the Columbia River (due to the early season the parkway wasn't open till the summit).

from Kaslo to Sandon (ghost town)

After not reaching Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park we decided to drive to Kaslo, located on the west shore of Kootenay Lake. There we visited the SS Moyie another National Historic Site of Canada. She's a paddle steamer sternwheeler that worked on Kootenay Lake from 1898 until 1957. We also watched someone who curiously towed his house across the lake (?). On our way to Slocan Lake we discovered a ghost town called Sandon which was once the unofficial capital of the mining region. There is a museum in the old mercantile building ran by the Sandon Historical Society. We had a really fascinating and stirring lecture by the local guide that allowed us to undergo the history of Sandon. The city was incorporated on January 1, 1898 and for a few years had more than 5,000 residents, brothels and a booming economy. Even two different railways raced to reach the town. Like the other silver towns of the era, Sandon faded with the silver prices and in 1955 a massive flood destroyed most of the remaining buildings (the main street of Sandon was built over the creek). That's - in short - the story of Sandon. On the access road we saw our second bear that day - again a black one. Afterwards we did a coffee break at nearby New Denver and headed forward to the Upper Arrow Lake which we crossed by ferry. As the weather conditions were bad we tried to reach Revelstoke.

Nelson and the Kokanee area

Nelson is a beautiful city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake. It is known as 'The Queen City' and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush. The day before we strolled through historic Baker Street and had dinner at the Hume Hotel. After nice conversations at breakfast we tried to enter to Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. Nevertheless half the way an avalanche buried the access road. What a pity! But we saw our first bear on the road – a black one.

crossing the Rockies

We crossed the Rockies (as well as the Continental Divide between Alberta and British Columbia) via the Crowsnest Pass featuring scenic Crowsnest Mountain. After a short stop at Fernie (a quaint coal mining and ski town at the base of the Canadian Rocky Mountains) we headed forward to Kimberly. Once being the home of the worlds largest lead-zinc mine Kimberly – located at the foot of the Purcell Mountains – is known nowadays for its Underground Mining Railway as well as its alpine resort. The city has also the 'largest freestanding cuckoo clock in Canada'. WOW! Following Crowsnest Highway to Creston we decided to drive along the eastern shore of Kootenay Lake where we had a lot of charming views. At least we crossed the lake by ferry from Kootenay Bay to Balfour and checked in at a lovely Bed 'n' Breakfast in Nelson.

Waterton Lakes National Park

The first national park of our tour! The Waterton Lakes National Park offers many scenic trails as well as the Waterton lakes overlooked by the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. It's definitely worth a trip. Prairie, mountains and water melt together in an outstanding scenery. Although access to the Cameron Lake wasn't possible (we were a few days to early) we did a wonderful hike at Red Rock Canyon. There are a lot of wild animals around even in the town of Waterton. We saw bisons, deer, bighorn sheep yet a fox early in the morning.

cowboy trail

After a quiet night we left the metropolis via Higway 22 which they call the Cowboy Trail. The road follows gentle rolling hills with the prairie on the one side and the majestic Rocky Mountains on the other side. On our way south we did a breakpoint at Bar U Ranch National Historic Site of Canada. One can visit the original ranch headquarters situated along Pekisko Creek, consisting of 35 historic structures. For 70 years it's been one of the leading ranching operations in Canada.

goin' to Calgary

Hooray! Holiday! This spring it's been time for Western Canada i.e. Alberta and British Columbia. Via Frankfurt Air Canada brought us save to Calgary. We picked up our rental car (this time a brand new Chevrolet Equinox) and did a cruise through downtown Calgary (Saddledome, Calgary Tower, Stephen Avenue, olympic ski jump). In the evening we arrived at our 'charming overcrowded' Bed 'n' Breakfast situated beside the Bow River (and therefore they lost half their garden toward the Calgary Flooding 2013).

pleasure festival

I've been thinking about attending this nice festival for years! There's never been time. This year we did it! We went to the 'Genussfestival' at the Vienna City Park. The weather was gorgeous, the gastronomic specialities were tasty, the friends were funny and we found some excellent red wine that was really 'exciting'!

together forever – part 2

One week after the civil marriage the church wedding took place. We celebrated an outstanding feast with family and friends in a combination of ancient atmosphere and contemporary light-flooded architecture. Thumbs-up!