Day 6 - Bus Tour Banff and Lake Louise

Ira and Beverly Miller Rig #8                                          

Today, June 14, 2010 was our day to tour Banff and Lake Louise. We started out with much not needed rain. Our tour driver JT did a great job explaining everything along the way. We learned that in order to own a home in the national park of Banff, you either had to own a business or work in Banff. Townhouses and condominiums around Banff started at $300,000.00 while residential houses started at $600,000.00.

Other points of interest were Surprise Corner in which we got to see Banff Springs Hotel which opened in 1888, Million Dollar Lookout/Tunnel Mountain which offers beautiful view of Banff, Mt. Rundle and the Bow Valley. Bow Valley has Norquay with an elevation of 8,300 feet and it is one of Banff's popular skiing areas in the winter. Norquay has skiing this year from December 1st to mid March. While touring Banff Springs Hotel a beautiful rainbow enlightened the sky. What a beautiful site to see.

We also learned about the Hoodoos. Geologists believe the formations were cemented together with dissolving limestone over twenty thousand years ago.

Banff National Park has a campground in which 5,000 campers can spend an over night.

We stopped by a flower garden in which 50,000 plants have been planted and they expect the peak of the bloom to begin in about 3 weeks. Bow falls was another point of interest in which Marilyn Monroe went over the falls and broke her ankle. Castle Mountain, which was once named Mt. Eisenhower, in honor of the General for exploits in WWII and for his service as President of the United States, is nearly mid-way between Banff and Lake Louise.

After our points of interest on the trip, we were dropped off to shop and have lunch. Allot of the Adventure Caravan travelers met at the food court where we all ate. I want everyone in the family to know that Ira (Dad, Poppy) had Japanese Food at Edo and he ate Beef Yakisoba. I don’t know about you guys, but if I couldn’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t eat it. I asked him how he liked it and he said it was okay. I asked him if he would eat it again and he answered, rather emphatically, NO.

Final stop of our trip was Lake Louise. We were hoping to see animals along the way, but today we only got to see Dahl Sheep and an Elk laying down by the roadside. Lake Louise is the most famous glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies and one of the most beautiful in the western hemisphere. The lake, named for Princess Caroline Louise Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria, is 5,680 feet above sea level. Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise sits at the opposite end of the lake from Mt. Victoria Glacier, named for the Queen.

Day 5 - Canyon Hot Springs, B.C. to Canmore, Alberta

The Curbs #5                                                                                                     Sunday, June 13, 2010

After a night of rest in beautiful Canyon Hot Springs Resort, we resumed our journey at 7 am. Shortly after leaving, we entered Glacier National Park and began to encounter snow sheds over the road. Crossing into the province of Alberta, we set our watches ahead one hour-mountain time. Mini waterfalls cascaded down the mountains by the road and the snow seemed very close. We passed two RCMP – they looked very official with their bullet proof vests on the outside. At mile 52.6 a good sized black bear crossed the road in front of us. The Blackberry River was the first river that we had seen that had that “milky” look from glacial flour.

At Golden it was time for a morning coffee break. We went to a place called LEGENZ – all about the fifties and cars. They had pictures and posters of Elvis, James Dean, etc. There were lots of restored pedal cars, a gas pump and all sorts of toy cars. The food was excellent and lots of it. As we crossed the Kicking Horse River, a train was going by below us. A nice waterfall and unusual slate looking rock formations appeared right after the bridge.

At Field, we stopped at the Visitor Center which was under construction – bathrooms outside. There we collected maps and info about Lake Louise, Banff and Canmore. At the Spiral Tunnel, a train came right on time but it was three or four cars too short to see “head and tail.”

On Hwy 1 between Lake Louise and Banff we saw what looked like a grizzly bear – size, color, and shoulder hump all looked right. We took the first exit to Banff and make our way through town to the Banff Gondola. The ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain and the view from the top were spectacular.

                               

 

After an easy drive to Canmore, we topped off our tank and made it into the campground in time for our meeting at 5 pm. Then, it was back to Banff for a delicious dinner at the Banff Springs Hotel. The waterfall behind the hotel was awesome. We finally made it back to the coach at 10 pm – a long day but a good day of travel and sightseeing.

Day 4 Oliver, B.C. to Canyon Hot Springs, B.C.

Larry & Ada Beaver Rig #4
Gilbert, Arizona

• We overnighted in Oliver, B.C. at the Desert Gem RV Park

• We awoke this morning to a great day and Larry took a five mile walk which was two miles longer than he meant to because he got on a never ending path.

• We left at 8:30 a.m. on a super drive to Canyon Hot Springs Resort headed to Canmore

• On the way we saw numerous retro-rods and classic cars on the road

• We drove forever along Okanagan Lake. This lake must have more water than all the lakes in Arizona.

• We saw lots of Canadian geese and their goslings and one osprey.

• Plenty of spring wildflowers along the way.

• Saw a neat sign at a tire dealer that said – MAN WHO RAN IN FRONT OF CAR GOT TIRED –

• We stopped and watched some water skiers at one of the lakes.

• Stopped at the “Golden Spike” site where the trans-continental railroad lines were joined in 1885. We had been through here in 2001 on the trans-Canada railway from Toronto to Vancouver for our 40th wedding anniversary.

 

• Drove thru the town of Revelstoke but did not stop because it looked too touristy.

• We stopped at a roadside pullover area by a really cool waterfall and a large fast flowing river.

• We pulled into the Canyon Hot Springs Resort at 3:30 p.m. and was met by our Wagonmaster.

  



• We drove about 210 miles with no problems and had a great time.

• We went to the hot springs pool and are feeling very relaxed.

• Getting ready for bed with a smile on our face.

Day 3 - Oliver, British Columbia

The Atteburys - Adventure 3             

Day three of the grand adventure begins. We visited two wineries and a fruit and vegetable stand by bus. Sounds kinda’ dull doesn’t it? But we had a wonderful time together.

The first winery we visited was the Gehringer Brothers. One of the brothers, Walter, gave us a very in-depth tour. He gave us some history of grape growing and how the Okanagan Valley has changed, for the good, as far as climate goes. He took us into the fermenting room to see the stainless steel tanks that they use to age some of their wines. But the best part was the tasting room. They have some pretty nice wine up here. Our favorites were the Auxerrois and the Merlot. All in all we tried five wines and a real ice wine. We all piled back on the bus and headed for Silver Sage Winery.

Now this place didn’t teach us much, but the wine maker is a hoot. Her name is Anna and it is amazing how she can have such a wonderful outlook on life after she’s lost her husband and her son was in such a terrible accident in only a few months. And her wine is interesting. A lot of what she makes is mixed fruit wines. Some are even made with grapes. I guess the weather up here is unpredictable and you take what you can get. She is one of those people when life gives her lemons she makes lemonade. And she is very generous. We must have tried ten or eleven different wines. Anna has over 400 rose plants on her estate.Her gardens are lovely. Now it’s on to the fruit stand.

   

We were lucky that the early cherries were ready to sell. A bunch of us got a basket of them and other things because we didn’t have any fresh veggies with us anymore. It seems that the border patrol doesn’t like fresh veggies and we had to put them in their freezer.

We all had a LEO (let’s eat out) tonight. We went to a cute Greek/Italian restaurant for dinner. We had a good time together even though several had to wait a long time for their meal. At least the food was delicious.

                                               

Day 2 - Soap Lake, Washington to Oliver, British Columbia

Spence and Madi Schaaf, Tailgunners, #2

This morning was our first day of travel for the caravan. As Spence went around “thumping” tires, he discovered that one of our guest’s towed had a flat tire. They were able to go into town and have the tire repaired and return to the park with time to spare. As we were leaving the park we realized that our steps had not retracted, nor would any amount of banging, hammering, cursing, or pushing release them from their frozen state. With the help of a neighbor, Spence disabled the mechanism and tied them up, allowing us to be on our way.

We passed the Dry Falls Visitor Center on our way north. Dry Falls is the remains of what was once the world’s largest waterfall. Dating back to the end of the last ice age, and catastrophic floods that swept through Washington, it is considered a geologic wonder.

We then began meandering through the Okanagan Valley. A beautiful valley, filled with vineyards, wineries and fields of fruit trees, that follows alongside the Okanagan River. At the Canadian border, the crossing was uneventful for most. Others had a little more excitement or had to dispose of some fruits or vegetables. But we all made it to our campground in Oliver, B.C., unscathed. We all gathered in the patio for a little social hour. Tonight we celebrated two anniversaries. Marvin and Dee Curb (pictured below,center) celebrating their 48th anniversary, and Ivan and Shirley Yurtin (pictured below, right) their 49th. We discovered that no one else on this caravan has been married longer. Congratulations to both couples!