Category: Canada

This excludes the parts of Canada we experienced on the cruise trip, and is clearly written months after we left now, so I’ll spare the usual waffle and endless photos and jump to the usual (of what we can remember!)

Rule of Three

Highlights (Alex): laughing so hard I cried playing papelitos with Alex and Clive in a break from the fire threats and then watching the storm outside on the deck, seeing bears just hanging out living their best lives, the amazing views and scenery of the Rockies and outside Vancouver (the bit in between less so)

Highlights (James): A great week with Clive and Alex, beautiful Canadian scenery, poutine!

Lowlights (Alex): The existential threat of wildfires, car breaking down and still dealing with it when we were back in the UK, not being able to see everything because there’s just too many tourists now (but better it’s controlled)

Lowlights (James): car breakdown (then my breakdown), wildfire fears, knowing this is our final country

Takeaways (Alex): we’re really fortunate in the UK that we don’t have to worry about wildfires, mentally, physically and financially. Sitting in the back of a car on a road trip is way less fun than being up front, I get now why kids don’t enjoy it the same. Canada is huge and expensive and there’s barely any public transport so yeah, they’re not going to be investing in electric cars for a while, and that’s okay.

Takeaways (James): the sad realization of the damage wildfires can cause and the likeliness this will only increase with climate change. If there is an incident/accident on the highway it is a long, long way around in a country like Canada. We’re lucky to be so connected these days and from that we’re able to quickly adapt our plans when things go south

Description (Alex): Huge!, expensive, full of nature of extremes

Description (James): Gigantic, sparse, great for nature lovers

Entertainment

TV: The Bear

Where We Stayed

Wicked Hostels (Calgary): 3 ⭐️ curtains didn’t fit and the noisiest beds in a dorm

Kicking Horse Airbnb (Golden): 4.5 ⭐️ bit hot

Airbnb (Valemount): 4 ⭐️ hot, no sauna or hot tub as paid for, poor host, amazing manager

Windsor Guest House (Vancouver): 4 ⭐️

Mountain House of Wonder (Vancouver Island): 5 ⭐️

Andrew and Jacqueline’s (Victoria): 5 ⭐️

Sterling Cove (Vancouver Island): 5 ⭐️

The Pinnacle (Vancouver): 4.5 ⭐️

Ben and Jen’s (Vancouver): 5 ⭐️

Cutting Room Floor

• The noisiest bunkmate ever
• Feeling like we were in an episode of Colin from Accounts going to a craft brewery during a power cut
• Dog-sized mosquitos
• James acting out eternal growlers and me not getting it
• Clive acting out kayaking and Alex not getting it
• Amazing fresh food provided by Alex & Clive
• Bear bear table
• Acting out “in”
• Entertaining hold music on the phones to car rental companies
• Gorgeous cat following us to the guest house our first night in Vancouver and trying to follow us in
• Gorgeous dogs to make break-downs less stressful
• As we waited outside the laundry, the guy so out of his face that he imagined we were starting on him and I genuinely thought we might be in real trouble
• Accidentally putting in way too many tokens for the laundry, and gifting it to another couple of backpackers
• Loving Vancouver and finding a city we actually could feel at home in (until we found out it rains more there than London)
• The kids on the ferry swearing they were seeing whales every couple of seconds

ONE POST LEFT!

Today we reunite with my family, probably our blog readership, hello! 😉 after a final lazy morning, our journey back over to the mainland is relatively smooth, and by chance we arrive at the same time as my brother Ben, his wife Emma, and their two kids, Matti and Eddie. My mum and her partner (Diana and Gordon) arrived to Vancouver yesterday, so they’re already at the hotel. We reunite in the lobby at check-in. Having not seen the kids, who are now 4 and 6, in a year, there’s a huge difference. They’re definitely boys now! Mum has kindly upgraded our rooms and so we head upstairs to walk into amazing waterfront rooms. For now, the view of the hills over in North Vancouver are under a blanket of cloud, but we get to look out onto the water and the many sea-planes carting tourists and travellers into the sky.

My brother’s family have come straight from the UK, so the lot of them are pretty exhausted with it now being 1:30am their time. James and I are significantly less bushed and jetlagged from our 1 hour 40 distance from the island. Nevertheless, everyone pushes through to have a happy hour cocktail/wine and bite to eat before they call it a night. James fits in a quick gym session making the most of having free access to one again.

Lagging and Flagging

The non-backpacking Brits are up at the crack of dawn, or maybe even before it, as their bodies refuse to adjust. The weather is unseasonably grey and cloudy still, so there’s no urge to get out and do much other than make the most of the hotel’s facilities and brilliant location next to the water. They all go on a “Flyover” of Canada experience, where they are strapped into some seats and via big-screen display are ‘flown’ across the vast Canadian landscapes and waters. James and I decide we’ve seen a good enough portion of it from land, and enjoy our time going to the one and only laundromat a km away. The backpacking life never leaves you.

When we return, it’s a game of “find ways to expel the kids’ energy” as they seem to have more than all of ours combined! They’re understandably super excited to be here and be on holiday, and that excitement is bursting at the seams. It’s really cute to see this total lack of abandon and joy at every small thing. The Duracell bunny has nothing on kids on holiday! Some energy expelled at the gym, Matti shows some incredible rowing technique, and we show him some gym exercises. We suspect we’ll get the DOMS way more than he will!

The next day is much the same, and when we finally reach bedtime for the kids (and the adults too to be fair!), James and I drag Ben and Emma out for a quick pub visit and an escape room. They have their first taste of the Canadian classic poutine (chips, gravy and cheese curds), and we rush off to escape our space-ship that is Lost in Space, with a potential stowaway on board. We spend the experience in darkness except for two portable bulbs that are to be used as torches. Teamwork and smarts gets us out of the room in almost record time, but it doesn’t get us on the leaderboard. Almost though. Not bad for a group of amateurs.

Cycling Stanley

Our next day starts as early as the others (except for James and I, hehe) as the others battle the jetlag once more. Some naps later, we hire some bikes to cycle around Stanley Park. Little Eddie is on a bike extension thing, whilst Matti is on his own flourescent bike. I am humourously given a baby pink helmet, and then a matching baby pink bike. I suspect our jokes of how they must have known my favourite colour went straight over the attendant’s head. James gets given an all black set. Classic.

Thankfully, Emma falls for my claims that the huge pink bike is too big for me, and we swap over. It actually is a better fit for the taller Emma, and I can stop having to pretend to be Barbie on wheels.

We have a lovely biking bimble around Stanley park, stopping at playgrounds, beaches, and picnic spots on the way.

It really is a beautiful ride and route, the park seems to have everything, even a beach! We enjoy said beach with an ice cream and the boys (and Emma) running and jumping into the sand.

It’s a beautiful day and route and the weather has even cleared up just in time for us to enjoy a happy hour cocktail by the harbourfront.

‘Cause I’m Leaving… On a Sea Plane… Be Back in 20 Minutes, eh

Mum and Gordon have generously invited us all for a spin around Vancouver on one of the many sea planes we’ve been watching take-off and land from the fantastic view from our windows. The journey is spectacular, giving glorious views of Vancouver mainland, north Vancouver, and beyond.

We only have one pilot, which makes for a fun experience of feeling like we’re in a self-driving sea-plane from my angle. We’ve seen self-driving cars, will we get self-driving sea-planes?

It’s an amazing experience and I’d highly recommend it.

Sadly, that’s our lot for our time together in Vancouver. Mum and Gordon are staying behind to enjoy a trip to Vancouver Island, and experience more of the city and its surrounds, whilst the rest of us go on a road-trip around and down to Seattle, reuniting Ben and Emma with a couple they haven’t seen since pre-Matti days.

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Adventure – Exploring Vancouver by air and bicycle

Excitement – Seeing everyone again for the first time in almost a year, our first sea-plane experience. Smashing it out of the escape room

Trauma – being yelled at by someone clearly delusional as we waited for laundry

Today our journey starts on a ferry, connecting Vancouver on the mainland of Canada to Vancouver Island. We spend the ride looking out of the window trying to spot whales. According to the children at the front of the boat, there are dozens of them flopping about all over… We don’t see whatever is most likely in their imagination. Our ferry docks at Nanaimo where we take a taxi across town to hire another car. We’re given another “free upgrade” to an SUV even though we just booked the “intermediate” package. This time we have a Mitsubishi 4×4, a bit older than the awesome BMW we had in Vegas but it will do.

We set off to the ‘Mountain House of Wonder’ a lovely accomodation we’ve chosen on Booking.com. On our way there we stop at a supermarket for some supplies. I’ve had a message from the saying to ignore Google Maps directions and stay on Meadowood Way. I don’t think much of it and we get back in the car. Around an hour later we pull off the highway and follow the Sat Nav up the hill. After 15 mins it suggests we turn onto a non-paved road, mostly dust and loose rocks (which are technically out of bounds with any car rental)… we’re in a 4×4 it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s very slow progress and there are a few skids and clunks. We get around one quarter of the way up and decide it’s a bad idea to carry on up this narrow rocky path. Somehow Alex manages to turn the car around and we head back the way we came. I then realise that’s the road they told us to avoid, whoops. Oh well, no harm done… Or so we think.

About three minutes later Alex says a warning light has illuminated on the dashboard. Then the car starts to shake and shudder. Hmm. We turn the engine off to give it a breather. Trying to drive again and the same thing happens, even when driving slowly the car shakes violently. A quick Google indicates this is not good at all and to stop driving immediately. A few curse words are said and we make a plan (mostly Alex as I’m very enraged at this point) and decide to walk the rest of the way and call Enterprise before they shut in 30 minutes (our phone package is data only). I make this even more difficult by taking us the wrong way (with our heavy bags on) and more curse words are said. Alex remains calm and focused. I now wait at the car with the bags while Alex literally runs up the mountain to the accom to be a (somewhat sweaty) damsel in distress. I await further instructions and before long a black BMW with an inquisitive looking man pulls up behind me. I assume I’m about to be mugged/car jacked to make this day even better, but it is infact our accomodation host! As we are at least one hour from any Enterprise, and they all close before we could arrive, we decide to delay the tow trouble until the next day. We’re lucky we broke down walking distance away from our night’s stay!

Before we know it, we’re checked in, shown to our lovely room, take in the incredible view and relax on the bed while looking longingly at the hot tub that awaits our presence. We soon get in it and forget all about our woes. Alex also informs me that Enterprise told her on the phone that the car had just come back from the garage for the exact same issue. So perhaps we didn’t destroy it and it won’t cost thousands of dollars to fix. Phew. From Hell to Heaven in just under an hour.

We have a quiet night in, enjoying a giant bed, spacious room and not being roasting hot while trying to sleep. It’s just what we needed.

Two Peas in a Pod

The next morning, after several frustrating calls to Enterprise that always cut off after 12 minutes (and they really waffle on so progress is super slow). We wait by our marooned car for a tow truck to arrive. We don’t have to wait long and we’re soon setting off in a cramped cabin of the tow truck heading back to Nanaimo. The truck can only take us so far as the repair garage at the other end of town so we must take a taxi back to Enterprise. The garage calls a cab and a man in a neon yellow shirt and matching hat screeches onto the carpark. You know when it just takes one look at someone to know this is going to be a character. It takes him no time at all to start ranting about how boring car colours are, why aren’t more cars neon pink or rainbow colours. No one shows their individualism and everyone is a victim of conformity. Without us getting a word in, he’s then onto why marketing is the devil’s work, how he used to work in mining but the accountants and bureaucracy drove him to quit, after threatening to blow some accountants up with dynamite no less. Then how all political slogans are boiled down for the “little people/village idiots” to understand but “he’s just a taxi driver so has no valid opinion”. All somewhat valid points (sorry accountants) but my god the guy did not pause for breath once. Thank the Lord it was only a short journey. He drops us off and after giving us a lecture on how to drive safely in Canada, finds his next victim waiting in the car park. Enterprise then give us a 2024 VW SUV that’s barely clocked 8,000,km which is nothing in Canadian distances.

Back on the road we head straight to a pub serving poutine, hoping to give our ears and minds a rest. Typically there is another loon in the pub loudly shouting his opinion on everything at the top of his voice and finding himself particularly hilarious too. At least the poutine and wings were very nice.

With a bit of time on our hands we head to a “Trestle”, no I’d never heard of one either. It’s basically a giant bridge made of timber, here are some pictures to help.

In need of some sugar to keep us going we make a stop at a wonderful place called “Ice cream mountain” and devour some delicious sweet treats.

Our plan this evening is to meet up with Andrew and Jacqueline, who you might remember we met on the Lost City trek back in Colombia just before Xmas. Andrew welcomes us to their flat (wearing an England shirt no less) and we drop our bags off before heading out to meet Jacqueline on her way home from work. Andrew teases a surprise and sure enough Jacqueline provides it, she is happily expecting twins!

We’re treated to a lovely meal and great hospitality while we catch up on what we’ve been doing for the last 8 months or so.

Serene Victoria

Thanks to the hospitality of Andrew and Jac, we take the opportunity to relax in flat while they are at work. Andrew has been baking while we slept and has kindly left us some homemade muffins for us to wake up to. We spend all morning and some of the afternoon lazing around and catching up on various things.

As usual, after laying around for too long, we both get a bit restless and decide we need a walk. We’ve been recommended the Galloping Goose trail (what a great name) and pick it up from just outside the flat.

We walk over to the main part of Victoria and just as we are deciding where to go next we bump into Jac on her way back from work. Despite being heavily pregnant and probably wanting nothing more than to put her feet up at the end of the working week, she takes us on a guided tour of Chinatown Victoria. It’s the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second oldest in North America, the oldest being in San Fran (which we did not end up seeing). We walk down various tiny alleyways before ending up in a bubble tea shop. Alex has never had bubble tea before and it’s about time she tried it. Alex goes for the … And I try the Twisted Nipple (not sure who named these). They’re both very tasty but they’ve got far too many “bubbles” in them, which are basically like slimy balls of sugar that often get stuck in the straw.

Buzzing from all of the sweetness we continue our walk around the bay seeing sea planes, helicopters and water taxis all bobbing around the place.

We reach Fisherman’s Wharf before turning around and heading back to see Andrew and Jac for dinner.

We’re lucky enough to be treated to homemade poutine, our favourite Canadian dish. I must try making this myself when we get home! We have another lovely evening with our friends and enjoy a bottle of wine, one of which is from British Colombia, who knew you could make wine so far North!

Running Out of Time

Well it’s another Saturday morning and there’s a Park Run nearby, need I say any more! It’s an undulating route with great views out over the Pacific Ocean. The run director informs us it was possible to see whales here two weeks ago. He also tells us that Park Run first hit Canada in 2017 and has been growing ever since (with a slight pause due to you know what). We both have an enjoyable run and would love it if our local Park Run had such amazing views to distract us from the panting.

We return to the flat for a filling brunch, Andrew and Jac have kindly cooked every meal for us and have barely let us lift a finger to help. We really appreciate their hosting and boundless generosity that has helped us rebalance the budget in this most expensive country of our trip. We haul our bags down to the car, say our goodbyes and head over to a nearby castle called Hatley Castle.

After leaving the castle, we set off to the final accomodation of our travels as just the two of us 😢 and what brilliant accomodation it is too. We’re greeted by John who owns the magnificent house overlooking the bay from the Pacific Ocean. As he’s showing us around, a humongous dog appears and trots up to our bedroom door. “Do you mind if he goes in?” John asks, I’m not going to argue with this 80kg beast so we let him in. He hops straight up onto the bench by the window, “it’s his favourite spot” John informs us. We can see why, what a view.

We relax for a bit in the room before heading out to the 17 mile pub (only one mile away from our hotel). We have some yummy pub grub before heading back in the near darkness, once more jumping at any slight noise coming from the bushes!

Champagne Supernova

Our final full day of travelling as just a twosome! Now I have not had a haircut from a barber since the day after getting engaged in Belize, way back in mid-February. Since then, I’ve shaved it all off in the Philippines and tried to keep it somewhat tidy along the way. But as we’re meeting Alex’s family tomorrow, I feel like I need a professional to make me look presentable again. Having developed a slight phobia of going to the barbers during this trip, I’m delighted to have a friendly chap from Colombia chop my mop in Sooke town. Luckily he speaks fluent English so there is no awkward exchange in broken Spanish this time around. Funnily enough he’s also done a trip around the world and is thinking of doing another one before settling down for the long run.

Andrew and Jac recommended a nearby hiking trail, the full route is nearly 50 kilometers and requires camping overnight along the route. We will not be doing the full route. Instead we park up and walk a mile or so through the dense woods until we emerge on Mystic Beach. Here we spot seals popping their heads out of the sea while we enjoy lunch sitting atop one of the logs washed ashore.

On our way back from the walk we make a brief stop at a lighthouse. On the short walk down to it I realize that our trip started with a picture of a lighthouse way back in Lima when we went for a run with Romina. It seems somewhat poetic that our year long adventure has been bookended by lighthouses both overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

We celebrate our last night of couple travels with a delicious bottle of champagne generously gifted to us by Clive and Alex. Of course being seasoned travellers, we enjoy high quality champagne accompanied by supermarket chicken, microwave rice and salad! We take the bottle down with us to the hot tub and have a good hot soak while we finish off the bubbles. Not a bad way to mark the end of the trip 🍾🥂

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Adventure – First ride in a tow truck (Alex). Lunch while seal spotting. Exploring the sights of Victoria.

Excitement – First bubble tea (Alex). Amazing accomodation for our final stay. Catching up with Andrew and Jac, and finding out their big news!

Trauma – Car breakdown. Lunatic taxi driver.

Having been unable to go to Emerald Lake the other day due to a traffic accident, we decide to stop off on our way up to our next stop. The route takes us back to the east-side of the Rockies, up along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, then back through the Rockies to Valemount, nestled on the west-side once more. Alex does an amazing job of ferrying us around once more.

Emerald Lake

First stop is the amazing Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. There’s a lodge that sits right in the forest on one edge, but the rest of the perimeter is all path, and we enjoy the flat walk taking in the views from all angles.

The boys brave a quick dip in the once more ice-cold snow-melt. The rocky terrain under bare feet and wind make for a difficult game of Wilson-ball.

Once more, the traditional red canoes for hire make this beautiful lake even more picture-postcard.

To Valemount

Our route towards Valemount provides some even more stunning views, of many a retreating glacier and glorious lake.

We aim for Hector Lake for lunch, but alas Hector is elusive, and we have to resort to Bow Lake, which has an incredible blue colour compared to the green of Emerald Lake. Once more, the water is crystal clear.

After a quick re-fuel in the small town of Jasper, we make it across and into Valemount. It’s been a long day of driving for Alex whilst James and I largely snoozed in the back. Our next stay is a glorious chalet with views overlooking the mountains out west, surrounded by trees on all sides, giving the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere.

Thankfully, we’re actually only a kilometre or two from town, so the reward for the long drive is some burger van food and testing out some local beers from the next-door brewery. Up in the sky, the sun glows red, hazed out by the smoke of the wildfires further west in BC.

Little Lac Lost

The next morning we are welcomed to the property by the manager, rather unaptly called Bobo! An unassuming Hong-Kongese lady (and not the Santa Clause bearded old man James was expecting), gives us the bad news that we can’t use the sauna or jacuzzi, even with cold water, due to the fire ban and low water levels. We’re told there are ways to get to the river nearby though to cool off if we like. Bobo tells us that there are bears in these parts, and she’s even seen a moose! At my excitement to hearing we may get to see a moose in the wild, she seems shocked, “moose run very, very fast!”. Apparently she was trapped in the house once because of one outside. We can only hope! We say farewell to Bobo and enjoy breakfast looking out at the incredible views. Today’s plan is to check out a lake a bit nearer by this time to give Alex a bit of a break from lengthy drives. Today’s lake is called Little Lost Lake, which has a pretty intense start to the trail of heading straight up.

Thankfully the path flattens out and its just the four of us in the woods once more.

We arrive to Little Lost Lake looking forward to a bit of a cool-off in the water. Upon closer inspection, it seems it may be damsel-fly mating season, as they all scoot around the surface nearby. An even closer look into the water reveals a certain wavy, brown creature, that looks to have a sucker on the end…

Deciding this may not be the lake for a swim after all, we take a pit-stop on the picnic benches, whilst Clive has a bit of a wander around the corner. He returns to tell us that there’s a kayak just around the bend, and unsure whether to believe our luck (or Clive’s jokes), we all retrace his steps and find a neon green kayak with an oar just left on the side. There’s not a single soul around, and we’ve walked a hefty route uphill to get here, so we decide that someone must just leave it here to save them lugging it up here each time they visit. Alex and Clive have a pootle about on the kayak across the lake whilst James and I continue the walk of the perimeter of the lake. It’s not really worth it. So we both have a quick spin on the kayak when we get back, before returning on the trail.

Can It Ever Be Too Hot for a BBQ?

We return back to the chalet and decide today is the day for a BBQ. With the sauna and jacuzzi out of bounds, the BBQ is the only thing we can really use as it’s gas powered, and use it we will. It doesn’t matter that it’s in the high 30s and there’s no shade, Brits can BBQ in the rain and we can BBQ in the sun. Alex and Clive make a valient effort to try and fashion a shade for chef James. Their efforts are somewhat in vain.

Giving in, leaving the one born north of the wall to embrace the sun, the rest of us hide inside as we cook and assemble in the shade and floor fans of the chalet. James bravely but happily swelters in the blazing sun and scorching grill with just Alex’s hat for relief.

We feast on amazing salads and perfectly grilled food. Needing a serious cooling off, we brave the river at the end of the property, hoping we can create some kind of rock pool a la Yosemite. The water is freezing cold once more, but it does a good job of countering the still blazing heat from the sun.

Despite everyone’s best efforts once more, the water here is just so powerful it easily finds its path through any gap in our defenses. We need the kids from Yosemite to come and do their magic.

Lake Kinney and Mount Robson

Our last day in Valemount is checking out Lake Kinney that sits below the highest mountain in the Rockies, Mount Robson.

There’s a roaring river alongside us for the whole trail, as we see many a dead tree pile-up where the river narrows, and huge boulders that somehow withstand the incessant water flow crashing against it. We even see a rock that somehow has small holes running through it!

Soon enough, Mount Robson appears above the trees, and we’ve made it to Lake Kinney. It’s water nowhere near as green as Emerald, or blue as Louise, but a light grey/green, thick with minerals (and hopefully not leaches!).

We find an accessible spot to the lake shore, and admire the stunning view before us, reflected back in the almost still water. This is probably our last chance to swim in a glacial lake, so we brave our way in in varying approaches and speeds. Clive gliding in like a dolphin born in the freezing water, I squeeling and shrieking before counting James and I down to dip in, and James refusing my countdown and almost having to be pushed in. Alex is on camera duty and takes some fantastic shots of the experience.

The lake has a pretty strong current where we are as it flows into the powerful river we’ve walked past, so this is definitely more of a quick dip kind of lake. We warm up and head on back to the car.

Emergency

Tonight we’re treating ourselves to dinner at the only restaurant in town. Our server Andrew is a character who clearly loves his job, and does it brilliantly in convincing James to try a traditional “paralizer” cocktail which is a mix of a white and black russian. It tastes better than it sounds. As we’re about to pay up and leave, Andrew tells us that the road to Jasper is shut due to a wildfire. Thinking not a huge amount of it, we head back to the chalet to look a bit more into it.

Once back, we get online and receive a message from Bobo informing us of the full situation. Bobo seems panicked as her husband is in Jasper and is evacuating. We have no clue what to really do in this situation. We trawl the internet to try and figure out what this means to us. Clive and Alex are meant to be driving the hire car back to Jasper tomorrow morning, and then getting on the train east over to Winnepeg. We’re meant to be staying one more night in Valemount before getting the train west to Vancouver. There’s been wildfires ablaze through British Colombia since we arrived, but the train kept running, so maybe it will this time too? Surprisingly or not, the rail company nor car rentals have an FAQ of “what happens if the town I’m meant to drop my car to/board my train from is evacuated?”. We gather that the one and only road that connects east and west in this region is shut in the eastbound direction, to allow all evacuating vehicles to get out of town ASAP, and allow emergency services to get into town ASAP. How long it takes to evacuate a town, we have no idea. Maybe it’ll reopen in the morning once this all blows over? Will it all blow over?

Alex makes a call to the rental company who says that they can keep the car for two more days, and drive it 2,265km away from the original rental location to Winnipeg, for free. He won’t put it in writing though. Sus. Unsure if the train will run, if the road will reopen, if the fire will get under control, if the incoming storm will ignite a fire near us, if the fire near Jasper can travel to us, we have no choice but to sit and wait. Bobo informs us she has packed an emergency bag, and that her husband is now on his way on a 12 hour detour around the top of the rockies to make it back to her. Yeesh! We’re unsure if all these people will be forced to drive through the night, or sleep in their cars.

Thankfully we have a lot of booze to get through, and so we start cracking on with drinking it down, playing Papelitos that regularly puts us in stitches. Soon enough though, the sky outside starts lighting up, and we can’t pretend anymore that the wrong lightning crash couldn’t bring the emergency closer to home. We pack our bags, and then sit out on the deck watching the sky light up, and up, and up. Mostly sheet lightning, the odd fork crashes down to the ground over the vast view in front of us. We hold our breaths each time and check for updates on the situation. Unfortunately, the storms here seem to bring more lightning than rain, and this storm won’t be doing any natural extinguishing. We feel for all the people who may be hiking without a clue what’s going on, for the people at a standstill on the highway trying to escape to get to where we are, seemingly safe and sound, and the fire crews trying to halt its progress. We turn in as the storm heads to Jasper, and we hope it doesn’t cause more issues than everyone already has.

The next day I awake early to see the view the clearest it has ever been. The smokey haze that hung over the mountains beyond from all the westerly wildfires has gone. Maybe everything is okay?

But then I check my phone and see Bobo’s update that everything is still shut. Actually, things have gotten worse. We both recieve emails that our trains have been cancelled. The next bus out of Valemount isn’t for two more days. The only way for Clive and Alex to continue East is driving a similarly huge detour as Bobo’s husband, but going south-west away from the rockies, before turning back east and heading through to Calgary. They make another call to the car hire trying to explain the situation but of course the service agents reading their script don’t really have this situation to mindlessly read through. Eventually they get them to agree to the terms of last night, it’s a long road ahead! Luckily for us, that road goes through Kamloops, the nearest big town that has a regular bus to Vancouver. We’re able to cancel our accommodation for that evening in Valemount, and hopefully open it up for an evacuee. We book the bus and last minute Vancouver accommodation, and Clive and Alex manage to secure a night with a friend back over near Calgary.

On the road, we receive some well wishes from Bobo telling us to drive safe and let her know when we’re at our respective destinations, alongside her message is a photo of a destroyed BMW, as she elaborates that her husband hit a deer! Just when you think things can’t get any worse, you’re evacuated, you have a 12 hour drive over night ahead of you, and then you hit a deer and total your car in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully no-one was hurt. Although when James asks about the deer, we recieve the unintentionally comical response “deer die!!!”. We can’t help but laugh.

We leave our chalet hoping for the best for everyone, but fire updates show a worsening situation. It will not, it seem, all blow over. The closure of the park is already set until August 6th. We expect the worst is yet to come, and we’ve been unbelievably lucky to be on the other side of the Rockies and able to make our respective ways onwards. Even on our route out, we see a fire burning the trees in the distance, a river thankfully dividing us.

Eventually, we make it to Kamloops, and part ways, as Alex and Clive start the long stint back East, and we await our bus to take us West. For the most part, the road across to Vancouver is dry and desolate, but as the pines start reappearing and our ears start popping, life and safety from fires comes into view. We make it to Vancouver without delay, and head straight to a bar for some poutine, celebrating surviving our first real disaster.

It was certainly a memorable end to a wonderful stint with Alex and Clive. We had such a great time sharing this leg with them both, and it was extra great for me to get to know two more of James’s friends. We were certainly treated and spoilt once more by their brilliant research and planning, amazing meals, endless drives, and hilarious games. I’m so glad it managed to work out.

Update

Sadly, the wildfire did make it to the town of Jasper, and destroyed or damaged between 30-50% of buildings. Firefighters worked on protecting crucial infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants. Seeing just how much water is needed to put out a small campfire, and how much heat it retains even after the flames are gone, we can’t imagine the conditions faced in trying to manage wildfires. Hotels, homes, businesses, cars, and the like were completely destroyed indiscriminately in the path of the fire, others spared by random chance. Thankfully, due to the quick action of authorities and people to eaise the alert and evacuation of some 25,000 people, there were no casualties (of course except the deer).

Alex and Clive make it to Winnepeg where the car hire company has no notice of their troubles and agreement to waves fines and fees. They are given a 7000 CAD (£3000) fine. It seems the customer service desk notes are not accessible to the actual rental locations. Eventually, they manage to convince the office that it would have been impossible to return their car to a location that almost certainly been burned down, and the fine is waved. Phew!

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Adventure – testing our cold resilience in many a glacial lake, exploring leach-damselfly-mosquito-lake by free kayak

Excitement – Baking BBQs, breathtaking scenery, some more bear spotting, including a rather big grizzly

Trauma – tracking the devastation of the wildfire. Deer die!!!

Little Pleasures

A few months ago, I had a catch-up call with our friends Clive and Alex back home. At the time they were in the midst of planning their civil partnership and honeymoon plans. As fate would have it, they had plans to come to Canada around the same time we would be there. Fast forward a few months and they are now happily partnershipped and are on their way to meet us in the town of Banff!

Alex and I have had an early start (taking a 7am bus from Calgary) so we’re on the hunt for breakfast. I spot a menu that contains “breakfast poutine” and we’re through the door before you can say Banff. We enjoy a hearty breakfast and lots of coffee and before long Clive and Alex walk in to join us for some extra caffeine.

Following brekky, we head across the small town of Banff to visit a local market. We are drawn in by a cider stall, and after a tasting session we figure why not, and buy a few cans to take away. A drink we have not had for a long time, and on this sunny Summer day, it’s impossible to resist.

After we’ve seen a few streets of Banff, we hop in the hire car and Alex Scott drives us up a winding mountain road to a viewpoint that can only be reached by chairlift! Surprisingly, this is the first time Clive and Alex S have ever been on a chairlift, and they mostly enjoy the short and steep ride to the top.

We take in the stunning views and then, after we realise there are no hiking trails up here, decide it’s probably time for lunch. There is a bistro up here (again, only accessible from the chairlift) so we head in to the beautiful restaurant with incredible panoramic views of the area.

Another hearty meal in our bellies means it’s time for an afternoon hike to walk it off. We take the chairlift back down and find a nearby hike with a looping trail.

It’s quite a sweaty hike in the afternoon heat, but we enjoy catching up while walking through a haunting forest trail. Once again nervous about bears eating us for lunch we all keep one eye on any rustling in the undergrowth and once again we avoid a grisly fate.

Ok, next up is a visit to a nearby lake, it’s called Minnewanka (pronounce that how you will). We have a wander around the perimeter and decide to take a dip in the freezing waters to cool off. Well, the boys go all in, the girls sensibly relax on the beach after a quick toe dip.

Time is ticking on and the day is getting late, which is just perfect for us. There is another grand lake nearby called Lake Louise. It’s so popular that parking there is a staggering $38. However, Clive has found an excellent hack. Parking is free after 7pm. We get there just before 7 and faff around near the car pretending to look busy until parking is free (don’t raise your eyebrows, we are poor travellers!). With the car sorted and swimmers on it’s time to see what all of the fuss is about. Although we don’t need to cool off any more it’s too tempting to resist getting in to the glacier meltwater. Alex S bravely leads the charge and in my panicked haste I dive in behind her, soaking her with ice cold lake water (sorry Alex!) Clive and Alex W get in too and we all enjoy epic views of the mountains, trees and turquoise waters.

Alex W and I head back to the car while the other two get changed. As we’re waiting by the car, a young chap asks if we can give him a lift back down the hill as it’s dusk and he’s scared of being attacked by a bear. Of course with all of our recent fears and more importantly recent sighting of a huge bear and her cubs (from the safety of the car) we are more than happy to oblige. He is a very nice lad from Belgium of all places and is super grateful to us for dropping him off near his campsite.

After all of this fun it’s a long drive to the town of Golden where our Airbnb awaits. Alex S drives us the almost two hour journey home, gets us settled into our accomodation and almost immediately gets to work in the kitchen. We feel incredibly spoiled once more. We have a tasty meal of pesto pasta with broccoli and cheese and of course a few cold beers/ciders too. It’s really nice to be amongst good friends again after a long time of just the two of us.

Ok, time for plan B(rewery)

Call us mad but we plan to go and see even more lakes! Today we’ll go and see the majestic sounding Emerald Lakes where Clive and Alex hope to hire a kayak and enjoy the views from on the water. We set off on the one hour drive to the lake. Not far from the turning we get a ping warning on Google Maps that there has been a crash. A few minutes later we join a queue of traffic. We wait a few minutes more and haven’t moved an inch. People get out of their cars to try and figure out what’s going on. An ambulance passes down the empty side of the road where oncoming traffic would usually be. Hmm. After waiting another twenty minutes, Alex W and I get out of the car and walk down the road to get an idea of what’s going on. There are various rumours going around but whatever has happened it’s likely to take a few hours(!) to clear. We abandon our lake idea and have an impromptu picnic at a nice roadside spot.

We have no other choice but to return to the town of Golden. We figure that as we’re practically passing by it anyway that we might as well try out the local brewery, Wolftooth. Named after a nearby mountain. We all try different beers and decide to head back up the mountain for the next round in our apartment.

As amazing as Alex S is in the kitchen, it’s not fair that she should do all of the cooking. Therefore it’s up to the boys to recreate their famous chilli recipe first created in Cornwall on holidays several years earlier.

After a pretty amazing dinner, it’s time to use the hot tub out on the terrace. What other way is there to make a hot tub even better than to drink a scotch whisky or two and chat away until the early hours.

Holding on, in more ways than one

With the whisky still running through my system it’s an early start for a gruelling 5km run with Clive. He expertly guides us up the mountain, under the gondola and chairlift by the giant hotel and round the shed where the piste-bashers are resting for the summer then all the way home again. For some people, running seems to clear their system of a hangover but for me it has the opposite effect and accelerates the suffering!

There’s no time to wallow though as we are off to see the Golden Skybridge. No it’s sadly not a bridge made of gold but it is still very impressive! The first bridge is 130 metres high and 150 metres long, while the second bridge is 80 metres high and 140 metres long! Thanks to Alex S knowing a local here we can even get in for free! Result.

One look at the 140m high bridge dangling across the canyon is enough to put off Alex S who has an intolerance of heights. So it’s up to the three of us to brave the bouncing bridge and cross to the other side. Even for those not afraid of heights it’s quite a daring experience.

We read a few facts about the bridge construction, the canyon and even local folklore before heading back over to rejoin Alex. Here we all embrace our inner child and enjoy a four person see-saw and try our balance on the tightrope walk. It’s fair to say non of us will be joining Cirque de Soleil anytime soon.

After a quick bite to eat back at the flat, it’s time for another first for Clive and Alex S… White water rafting! The aptly named Kicking Horse river that flows through Golden offers grade 3 & 4 rafting experiences and I’m keen for more rafting after Costa Rica. Alex W is going to wait until we do it on the cruise in a few weeks so sits this one out.

The rest of us gather at the meeting point and are given the usual safety briefing, it’s slightly less intense than the YOU WILL DROWN lecture we got in Costa Rica. Before long, we’re boarding an American style school bus and Dakota who works for the company (A Jason Momoa lookalike with “raft daddy” tattoo’d on his chest no less) makes himself known. After we’ve all introduced ourselves, named our spirit animal (wolf for me, owl for Clive, sea lion for Alex) and where we’ve rafted before, we’re at the edge of the river. Another safety brief over with and it’s time to board. In the raft with us are two Aussies and a Kiwi and as chance would have it, the booming voice of Dakota announces he will be our guide.

It’s a short but exhilarating ride down the river, the first splash of water is absolutely freezing but we get used to it and it’s cooling us down as we paddle for our lives. Although at times the rapid’s waves are so high that we end up paddling nothing but air! We make a brief stop to drink water from a fresh glacier-fed waterfall then it’s back in the raft to finish the course. I think it’s fair to say Alex and Clive loved it and will no doubt be back for more somewhere else in the world.

Onto the next one

Alex W is keen to show off our new Ghibli themed pancake pan, so the two of us make breakfast for the group while also packing in a bit of a hurry! There’s just enough time to enjoy some blueberry pancakes with a breakfast spread before checking out laden with bags. Thank God we have a car.

Over to Alex to cover our time in Valemount…

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Adventure – Swimming in many a cold lake. Crossing the skybridge.

Excitement – Being able to visit lake Louise. Alex Scott’s wonderful cooking 👩🏻‍🍳 rafting thrills. Eating poutine in Canada for the first time.

Trauma – Damn mosquitos. Getting stuck in the traffic queue (as far as we know nobody was seriously hurt in the crash 🙏🏻).