Falls into spring day five

Tuesday, May 2nd

This is the last day of our little getaway. We had a leisurely start to the day with breakfast at the hotel and a stop at one of our favorite places, Crossway Community Thrift Store. My brother is a railroad enthusiast and I found a book from the fifties about the Pennsylvania Railroad for him.

We decided to take the scenic route home via Highway 1A rather than the busier, albeit faster, Trans Canada Highway. Highway 1A is a two lane road that mostly follows the Bow River as it flows eastward through or past Exshaw, Seebe, Morley, into the Ghost Resevoir and then to Cochrane, Calgary and beyond.

It's a beautiful stretch of road with a sedate speed limit of 80kph for more than half the route. We stopped in Cochrane for a snack then made our way back to Calgary. A short day on the road but enjoyable nonetheless!

Three Sisters

Along the banks of the Bow River

Ghost Reservoir with the dam in the background

 

Eastward to Cochrane AB

Approaching Calgary

As much as we enjoy our time away it's always nice to get home!  If you have any suggestions for road trips, long or short, close or far, please share them in the comments section below!

Upcoming road trip!

I just realized that it's been six months since I last posted! I hope to start getting back to some more regular posts for the balance of the year starting with report on our upcoming road trip. Starting next Friday we'll be on the road for five days with overnight stops in Vernon, Penticton and West Kelowna in BC's beautiful Okanagan valley and one stop in Canmore AB  on the way home.

Westside Road between Vernon and Kelowna

Planning on a couple of hikes and/or bike rides,  perhaps a wine tasting or two, and maybe even some spirited driving down some twisty roads!


If you have any suggestions or recommendations for some low cost activities in the area please leave a comment below.

A 'bucket list' drive: Bow Valley Parkway

In an earlier post I shared a link to an article listing five great Canadian roads you need to drive one day. One of those drives was the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park. Here's a quote from that article on www.driving.ca that sums it up better than I can...

"Winding between Banff and Lake Louise inside Banff National Park, the Bow Valley Parkway (Highway 1A) is a remnant of a different time in Canadian motoring. The Parkway was built to be an enjoyable route to the glamorous Chateau Lake Louise hotel some 85 years ago. Today, it serves as a scenic alternative to the bustling TransCanada. The road actually splits the eastbound and westbound lanes at several different points for no apparent reason other than to send drivers along different curving paths. These “one lane” sections are delightfully twisty and fun." (Link to full article above)

My wife Sharon and I were on a mini vacation in the Banff/Canmore area and decided to drive the Parkway on a rather cool and damp afternoon. We took highway 1 west from Banff, past the eastern access to the Parkway to the western end at Lake Louise.

Approaching the eastern access to the Bow Valley Parkway.

Westbound on the Trans-Canada Highway Weather starts to close in near Castle Mountain.

 

Bow Valley Parkway entry sign

Me and the Festiva at the west entrance to the Bow Valley Parkway.

There are a number of spots along the way with exhibits of one sort or another. We chose to stop at Johnston Canyon and save the rest for a day trip of their own. Johnston Canyon is a short distance east of the mid point of the Parkway. It's a popular tourist stop during the summer with the parking lot overflowing and large crowds up and down the trail. Being off-season, mid-week and with iffy weather we found a parking spot very close to the beginning of the trail and very few people around. 

Some straight bits...

 

Some curvy bits...

The Parkway has a split personality....

Two lanes rejoin.

Johnston Canyon is a beautiful spot. If you plan to go on a weekend and especially during high season we would recommend that you either get there early, before 10:00am, or later in the day, say after 4:00pm. That way you should miss the bulk of the tour busses that have this as part of their itinerary.

One of many catwalks on the way up the canyon

Upper falls in Johnston Canyon, May 7, 2015

On the way down.

A beautiful afternoon for a stroll in the mountains....

A little bit east of Johnston Canyon you will find a gate! From this point to the eastern portal the Parkway is only open from 08:00 until 20:00. There is a major wildlife corridor in the area so the closure, along with the low 60kph speed limit, was implemented to reduce animal/car collisions.

Grazing elk spotted in a meadow just east of Johnston Canyon.

The weather co-operated while we did the hike to the upper falls in the canyon, with a little bit of sunshine and very little precipitation. Once we left the parking lot we ran into quite a bit of rain so didn't get a lot of photos. This trip down the Parkway reinforces my opinion that you don't have to go fast to thoroughly enjoy a drive.

Tree in the way? No problem, we'll just split the lanes around it!

So there you have it. One drive off the bucket list. We'll be trying to fit in a couple of close drives listed in the linked article over the summer.  For our Alberta and British Columbia readers please be sure to let us know what your favorite drive is. I'm hoping to put together a list of reasonably local drives, perhaps something that could be done as a day trip.

Thanks to Sharon for taking the photos. 

Going-to-the-Sun: Day 3

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 22nd, 2012

The third and final day takes us from Cranbrook BC home to Calgary. The weather was great for driving as we headed north on Highway 93/95 towards Radium Hot Springs. This is a relaxing drive with enough twisty bits, hills and valleys to make it interesting and not too much traffic.

Somewhere north of Kimberley

Another great vista.

Approaching the hoo-doos just south of Fairmont Hot Springs.

It is amazing how much the stretch between Fairmont and Radium has developed over the past number of years. There's even a Tim Horton's at the Windermere turn-off! Highways 93 and 95 take their own routes from Radium Hot Springs. Highway 95 heads north to Golden BC and Highway 93 turns east as it heads towards the Continental Divide and into Alberta; this is the route we took. There's along climb from Radium out of the Columbia Valley that starts in earnest just past the world famous Radium Hot Springs swimming pools. We didn't have time to stop for a swim... we'll just add that to our "places to visit" list.

Heading through Sinclair Canyon between the town of Radium and the hot pools.

Castle Mountain in the distance where Highway 93 joins the Trans-Canada.

HIghway 93 is another great stretch of highway that I always enjoy. Traffic was fairly light and the
weather very comfortable. There's lots of places to stop along the way but we chose only one as we had to be home at a specific time. That stop was at the Great Divide which forms the Alberta/British Columbia border for much of southern half of the provinces.

Which way do we go?

At the Great Divide straddling the provincial border.

As we crossed from British Columbia into Alberta we also moved from Yoho National Park into Banff National Park. Our plan is to drive right through, saving Banff for another time, and stop in Canmore for a quick lunch. One of our favorite places in Canmore is the Rocky Mountain Bagel Company. It's a big step up from a typical fast food restaurant and a lot healthier too. They have two locations, one on Main Street and the other on the Bow Valley Trail. 

After lunch we continued our eastward trek down Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway.

Leaving Canmore.

Lots of room with the two boys in the back!

E and I hamming it up for the camera

Only 10 miles to go! Eastbound on the Trans-Canada Highway approaching Calgary.

Although this trip has been the shortest of our recent road trips to date it was no less enjoyable. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is a stunning experience from both driving and scenery perspectives.

Would I do it again? With no hesitation. Next time, and there will be a next time, we'll take more time to enjoy the stops along the way.

If you are anywhere close to the north west corner of Montana I would highly recommend you add this drive to your itinerary.

A couple of stats to close out the trip...

Distance travelled: 1240km / 770 miles

Average fuel consumption: 39 mile per US gallon / 6.0 liters per 100km.

Average hotel cost: full price one night, second night free on points! 

Watch for more travel adventures. We're already discussing our next big road trip!