2016 August Canada Cross Country in an RV

AUGUST 27. SATURDAY. PARRY SOUND TO HOME
We are home, sweet home.  It was so nice to hug the boys.  The clean up of the trailer was not as nice but, I made a good dent in the work which, is to be continued tomorrow.  The trip was amazing and a "once in a lifetime" but I am glad to be home.  Canada is an amazing country and I hope every one gets a chance to see it.  
AUGUST 26. FRIDAY. SAULT STE MARIE TO PARRY SOUND

Only 1 more sleep until my own bed.  Having been away for 3 months, I am looking forward to being home except for the list of things that will need doing when we return.

Our first destination today was Elliot Lake, a two hour drive from The Soo.  For much of this journey we had a freshly paved highway.  The Civic Centre in Elliot Lake houses the Elliot Lake Nuclear Mining Museum.  Today they waived the admission fee because the place was being repainted and exhibits were being moved around.  It took about 1/2 an hour to look at the displays.  

We then drove up the hill to the Fire Tower Lookout for a view of the town, surrounding lakes and forests. 

Upon driving back down the bumpy road we visited the city centre.  The city consisted of various small shops on one side of Ontario street.  There are however some chain stores like Tim Hortons, McDonald's, SDM and Rexall.  Getting a McDonald's in the 80's was considered a major coup.  There are many hiking trails and opportunities for outdoor leisure. 

We drove for the rest of the afternoon through Sudbury and arriving at Parry Sound just after 5.  We  gassed up at 99.9/l so we could get home.  Tonight we are staying at our usual accomodation of Walmart; the groceries are close and the wifi is free.  

AUGUST 25. THURSDAY. WAWA TO SAULT STE MARIE

Yesterday I saw the weather forecast for Wawa was, foggy and it is was 100% accurate.  It was like walking in a cloud this morning.  We saw both giant Canada geese in Wawa; one at the tourist centre and one at Johnsons general store.  Then we saw another one, on top of a motel so there actually 3 giant geese in Wawa.

I thought the scenic views would be a wash but the day brightened up as we went along and by noon it was sunny.  The views of Lake Superior with the vast blue water, rocks and trees made the journey much nicer.  

In Sault Ste Marie, we went straight to the Bush Plane Heritage Museum.

It was surprisingly entertaining, more so because we tacked onto a tour group that had come by bus from a cruise ship from the US. We also saw 2 short movies about bush planes and wildfires of which the latter was in 3D.  

Next door to this museum is a re-opened brewery called Northern Brewery.  They give away free beer in the hope that you will buy a growler to take with you.  Carl did enjoy the beer tasting.  

We spent the rest of the evening and overnight at the Walmart.  

AUGUST 24. WEDNESDAY.  THUNDER BAY TO WAWA

This morning we drove away from Thunder Bay stopping first at the Amethyst Mine Panorama.  It was 8 km off the highway, four of which were on a gravel road.  Upon arrival we learned that this mine charged $8 admission plus the cost of the amethyst you pick so we decided to backtrack to the Blue Point mine.  This mine charged $15 for a small pail filled with amethyst or $25 for a large pail.  I just wanted to see the vein of amethyst and I helped another couple fill up their pail.

Carl had been to Ouimet Canyon many years ago on a scout trip and said the side trip would be worthwhile.  It was indeed a scenic spot with a 1 km hike to get us off our butts for a bit.  

The views coming around Lake Superior were quite show stopping.  The highway followed the lake for quite a while.  

We were travelling until early evening and made it as far as Wawa where we spent the night in an RV park.

AUGUST 23. TUESDAY. WALDHOF

After a scrumptious blueberry pancake breakfast we packed up, said our goodbyes and headed for Thunder Bay. As we passed into Ontario we passed another time zone making it an hour later.  

We arrived to late to do any touristing so, we stayed over at a Walmart and made plans for the next day.   

AUGUST 22, MONDAY, WALDHOF

Today started with a little rain showe and then morphed into a beautiful sunny day.  After a hearty breakfast we did a grand tour of Vermillion Bay.  We walked a piece of the Trans Canada Trail along Eagle Lake and then visited the Coop for some groceries.

We also saw a piece of Waldhof and visited some blueberry patches.  Unfortunately, the blueberries were scarce.  On the way back, we stopped in at the egg lady, who has lots of kittens and she was kind enough to give us some of her blueberries.  

Upon return to the house we had a light snack lunch on the deck and we just stayed there enjoying the day until dinner.

A bon fire, blueberry pie and star gazing topped off the evening.

AUGUST 21. SUNDAY. PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE TO WALDHOF

Argh!  We lost another hour yesterday.  Even this small change makes me more tired during the next day.  Luckily I could nap on the way to Winnipeg.  

We gassed up at the Costco in Winnipeg and drove all afternoon, reaching our friends house in Waldhof around 4 o'clock.

Our friends hwave a beautiful large property here and after a venison steak/salmon dinner (both of which Bill caught) we went for a long walk around.  

AUGUST 20. SATURDAY. REGINA TO PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE

We got away about ten en route to Esterhazy, a trip of about 3 hours.  Approaching Esterhazy, we entered the tip of the Qu'Appelle Valley.  This was a more hilly terrain and had more bumpy roads.  

At Esterhazy, the Potash Interpretive Centre was closed and we had to ask the lady at the museum next door to open it for us.  It is actually a very nice center and also informative.  The Flour Mill National Historic Site had no one around to open it for us so we missed that one and headed eastward.

Much very flat land and some cattle were part of the landscape here.  Our final destination was Portage la Prairie for the night and tomorrow . . . northern Ontario.

AUGUST 19. FRIDAY. REGINA

Today we got up and had a late breakfast with our hosts of egg pie ( so called because real men don't eat quiche).  We then set off to do the tourist attractions starting with the Legislative Building and proceeding to the RCMP Heritage museum and training facility.  Both sights were interesting in their own way.

The four of us went out to Bushwakker Pub for dinner and beer tasting.  Everyone enjoyed their beer and meal.  I even had room for a strawberry cheesecake.  We went back to the house and just hung our for the remainder of the evening. 

AUGUST 18. THURSDAY.  MOOSEJAW TO REGINA

The Walmarts that we have been staying in now have guest wifi so I was able to install the software update for my phone while shopping.  That was quite handy.

We started the day at the Visitor Centre, asking for directions and maps to the local Moosejaw attractions. 

Maps in hand we drove to the Moosejaw Tunnels and did both tours.  Miss Fanny and Gus were the guides for the Chicago connection tour which explains gangster Al Capone's bootlegging operation and the tunnels he is said to have used to escape American authorities.  The Passage to Fortune Tour depicts the story of early Chinese immigrants who came to build the Canadian Pacific Railway and their footsteps through adversity and persecution to eventual success.  The tours were entertaining and informative and I would recommend the experience.

The Murals of Moosejaw are a collection of scenes depicting the towns history.  We tracked down several of the art works to look at.  

The trailer had to be retrieved from the Visitor centre before we could proceed to Regina.  We arrived late afternoon.  We had a brief wait to meet Robert and Joyce, who we are meeting for the first time.  They are family with our good friends, Ivan and Anna Marie.  We spent the evening in enjoyable conversations and retired to a real bedroom.  

AUGUST 17. WEDNESDAY. MEDICINE HAT TO MOOSEJAW

Woke up in &The Hat& as it is referred to here on the radio and went to see the Saamis Teepee.  The Teepee stands 20 stories high and was moved here from the 1988 Olympics in Calgary.  It now stands on the Saamus archeological site, location of a 16th century buffalo camp.  Story boards incorporated in the teepee stand .6 m hhigh and depict First Nations history.

The nearby Visitor centre gave us directions to the Medicine Hat Clay Industries National Historic Site and we proceeded there next.  When we got there, all I could do is stand there looking at the kilns and be reminded of my Dad's clay tile business in Shallow Lake.  It was like looking at my own history.  This site used to produce brick (until 2010 when it flooded), sewer tile, flue pipe and Medalta pottery.  Medalta pottery is still being produced on site today and the rest of the plant is undergoing restorations.  

We drove by Chaplin Lake and saw banks of white that looked like snow but it is actually a saline lake where many birds are sheltered.  

It was a very long drive to Moosejaw where we got our spot in the Walmart lot along with others who we had seen the night before.  

AUGUST 16. TUESDAY. DRUMHELLER TO MEDICINE HAT

We moved on this morning, headed for Vulcan.  To prepare ourselves mentally we watched an episode of Star Trek last night.  In Vulcan, we stopped for a picture with the Enterprise and then went on to the Visitor Center.  They have a small collection of memorabilia and some clothes to try on so you can take photos.  

The Trekcetera Museum was only 2 blocks away and took about an hour to go through.  This is one whole room dedicated to crew costumes from the various Star Trek series.  The co-owner came out and talked about some of the uniforms but, more specifically Seven of Nines outfit (the corset looked brutal). We also saw 7 of 9's Regeneration alcove.

We continued our drive south to Lethbridge to see the High Level Bridge and, from there drove through Taber (as in Taber corn) on the way to Medicine Hat.  We arrived there and went out for a chinese food buffet recommended in the CAA book.  We again spent the night at Walmart with a number of other Rver's.   

AUGUST 15. MONDAY. DRUMHELLER

We moved the trailer to 11 Bridges campground and drove the 48km Dinosaur Trail.  The Little Church was our first stop.  It holds 6 people plus a minister.  

Horsethief Canyon provided views of the area with layers of colourful rock.  The canyon got its name when outlaws would steal horses and hide them in the canyon.

On the way to the Blierot Ferry there were fields of yellow and green crops and, another dinosaur.  There are dinosaurs everywhere around here(somewhere between 30 and 60).  

The Blierot Ferry is a cable drive ferry that got us 106 m across the Red River.  It holds about 6 cars or 62.5 tonnes.  

After the North Dinosaur Trail came the South Dinosaur Trail up which the first stop was the Orkney Viewpoint of the Red River Valley.  It was quite a scenic view. 

Upon completion of this trail, we headed to the Royal Tyrell Museum for the remainer of the day.  The museum was quite informative and had lots of dinosaur skeletons.  

We went out for dinner to the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne and had to drive over the 11 bridges.   

It should be noted that the No See ums are very irritating.  According to the locals, they are worse than usual. 

AUGUST 14. SUNDAY. ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE TO DRUMHELLER

We checked out of our RV Park on the North Saskatchewan River and left our friends.  The countryside turned completely flat.  Along the way we saw cattle grazing and occasional oil wells.  The oil wells became more frequent; some pumping and some not and then we saw no more.

Turning south, Hwy 2 looked lilke any other highway in Ontario and then we drove east to Drumheller. At Drumheller we stopped first at the Visitor Center and they gave us a map with all the touring routes on it.  I climbed 109 steps to the mouth of the T Rex that stands outside the center door.

Since it was still early enough in the day, we decided to go south to do the Atlas Coal Mine Tour.  The terrain here is very unusual with hills made of layered rocks.  

The coal mine Tunnel tour was quite good at giving us a snapshot of what life was like for the coal miners.  It was definately hard work.

On the return trip, we stopped at the Hoodoos.  The hoodoos are unusual geological formations and were very impressive.

We traipsed across another suspension bridge at Rosedale and then spent the night in the local Walmart parking lot along with four other Rvers.

AUGUST 13. SATURDAY. ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE.

Well. today was supposed to be relaxing but we still had things to do.  We went into town to the Visitor Center and I completed 3 days of blog. We also did a little grocery shopping, and bought some fresh corn.  When we returned to camp I did two loads of laundry.

For dinner , we returned to our friends and enjoyed another lovely dinner topped off with home made pie.  A huge thunderstorm kept us inside until 10 when Nicole drove us home.  Thanks.  

AUGUST 12. FRIDAY. JASPER TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE

After waking up from our deluxe accomodation we decided to tour the town.  Jasper is a pretty, little, cute town with two main streets for commerce and everything else is hotels and residential.  

On the road toward Edmonton is Maligne Lake Rd which leads to the second largest glacier fed lake in the world.  The first lake we encountered was Medicine Lake .  The Indians believed it to be magical because the lake disappears over the summer.  The water level can vary by as much as 20 metres because there are fissures under the lake that slowly drain away the contents.  

Some kilometres later we emerged at Maligne Lake.  There were busses full of people that came out here to see the lake and take a boat tour.  The lake has a gorgeous mountainous background.

The next stop at Athabasca Falls was one of the best stops.  The falls are very close to you and spectacular as are the canyons that the falls have carved over time.  

The Stutfield glacier was another show stopped, quickly followed by Tangle Creek Falls and then, the Columbia Icefields where the Athabasca glacier is featured front and center.  This glacier is flanked by others on either side.

We left the Icefields Parkway for the David Thompson Highway to Rocky Mountain House but first we got a minumum amount of fuel at $1.55.9/l at Saskatchewan River Crossing.  

This highway turned out to be just as scenic as the one we just left with mountains and the Saskachewan River running beside the road.   As we got further into the interior, the terrain flattened  out and became more forested.  

Since we still needed fuel, we went into a Husky station at Rocky Mountain House and were surprised that the price was .91.4/l and they pump it for you.  Needless to say, we filled up.

At the Riverview Campground we met our friends and they had a delicious halibut and chips dinner waiting for us.  A pleasant meal and evening fire were had by all.  Happy Birthday, Ruth!

AUGUST 11. THURSDAY. BANFF TO JASPER

On the way out of Banff we refuelled for 109.9/l.  We began our drive on the Bow River Parkway where Parks Canada hit us up for $20 for using the parks for one day.  

Johnston Canyon was the first stop and a short hike led up to the Lower Falls. We were able to walk through a rock tunnel and stand behind the waterfall which was very cool.

The Castle Mountain Cliffs were the next impressive sight.  

Lake Louise and the Chateau were so busy and all the parking lots were completely full. The attendents just kept waving you away so after a bit we just gave up and moved on to Highway 9, The Icefields Parkway.  

The views were astounding(running out of adjectives) with mountains on both sides of us, gorgeous turqoise coloured lakes and glaciers around each corner.  Photos cannot possibly do the views justice.   We did another good hike all uphill to Peyto Lake to see a glacier/lake combination.  We saw one bear roadside but, just a glimpse because traffic had to keep moving.  

At around 5 at another glacier we stopped to take a picture behind another car on the road.  A lady got out of the car and asked for help.  Their car was broken down and they had no cellphones (we had no service either) and were from Holland on holiday.  We stuffed all four of us into the truck cabin and drove 7 km to the Icefield Center.  Here in the hotel lobby, we were able to contact the roadside assistance.  Over an hour later and nothing resolved, they finally told the agent that we would recover the luggage, leave the car for them to deal with and we would carry on their B&B in Jasper.  One and a half hours later we dropped them off and found some street parking where we ended up spending the night.  That was enough excitement for one day!

AUGUST 10. WEDNESDAY. BANFF

The day started out grey and with an occasional shower.  We decided to take the free bus (what a great idea) to downtown Banff.  We walked up and down Banff Ave. and saw the usual touristy places such as gift shops, restaurants and shops.  At the Visitor Center, we caught up on our wifi and chatted with another couple for a bit.  Oh, we also got some tourist help.

A 20 minute hike took us out to Surprise Corner, a viewpoint.  The surprise is the view of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.  Along the trail are views of the pretty Bow River and Bow River Falls.

Back in Banff, we did a stroll around Central Park, a nice oasis among all the tourists and their vehicles.  

We couldn't decide whether or not to eat in town or make our own dinner but, finally we decided to eat at home so we paid the $2 for the bus to bring us back to our campsite.  We only had a short walk from the bus stop back to our palace where Carl made us dinner.

AUGUST 9. TUESDAY.  SALMON ARM TO BANFF

The trailer tanks were emptied and refilled so we are able to stay anywhere tonight.  

Close to noon we stopped at Rogers Pass to take some pictures an then carried on toward Banff.

Just outside Golden as we drove around a corner, there off to the side was a family of Big Horn Sheep grazing.  We were going to fast to get any pictures of them.  The mountainous views along the way today continued to be astounding.  

We arrived in Banff later in the afternoon and went straight to Banff Mountain Trailer Court to see if they had a vacancy and, they actually did.  We were both surprised at how easy it had been to get a campsite and, it even had full hookups.  We set up the trailer, had dinner and then planned our sightseeing for the next day.

AUGUST 8.  MONDAY.  KEREMEOS TO SALMON ARM

We are on the road again.  It was a pretty drive to Kelowna where we did a Costco stop for groceries.

The Planet Bee Honey Farm and Meadery sounded interesting so we went to explore. We sat through an educational presentation which was quite interesting.  We saw a bee doing a dance to pass on information about a good pollen find, so that the other bees could go to that location. A tasting of 4 different kinds of mead followed.  Apparently, Game of Thrones is having an impact in this market as more Meaderies are popping up.  In addition to mead tasting, all the honey types were available to try and I tasted them all.  Of course, I had to buy some to bring home.  

We were looking for a cheap place to spend the night and ended up in Salmon Arm at the Piccadilly Mall.  The Mall allows Rv'ers to stay overnight and provides city water and a dump station.  This worked well for overnight.

AUGUST 7. SUNDAY. PENTICTON

This morning didn't quite work out as planned.  The weather had predicted 31o, and sunny with cloudy periods.  The reality was the reverse so we bypassed our intended beach excursion and went to Summerland to see the classic cars.  Most of the cars were from the 50's and mostly they were convertibles that have been restored.  The cars are all immaculate and it was a good way to wait for the sun to come out which, it finally did.

We whiled away several hours on the beach until we got hungry and went in search of a brew pub.  The food and atmosphere were good but, Carl was unimpressed with the two beers he tried.  

The evening was spent doing some laundry and relaxing.  

AUGUST 6. SATURDAY. PENTICTON

Today in Penticton was the Peach Festival.  Since the parade started at 10, we had to be there in time to get a seat in the shade.  The parade was 1 1/2 hrs long and had the usual floats and included Mr and Mrs. Claus and the Star Wars fighters and The Dark Lord.  Candies were handed out or thrown into the crowd and of course, peaches were also given away to onlookers.  

After the parade, at the community bbq, we had a burger with chips and a pop for lunch.  The money raised was for charity.  We then walked from one end of Lakeshore drive to the other end.  We easily got our 10,000 steps today.  

After tiring of the beach scene, we drove off to nearby Kaleden and found the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory where we went for a tour.  The hills surrounding Pentictons White Lake basis offer protection from man made radio interference and make this location an ideal site for Canada's only radio astronomy observatory.  They have done and are working on doing ground breaking research here.  We even got to look at the sun through a telescope.  

It was a scenic drive back to our temporary home via an alternate route that brought us very close to the US border.  We were driving along when we spotted (no pun intended), a spotted lake.  That is its name and we had to take pictures.  The signs did not explain the strange looking phenomena.  I looked it up and it seems that the lake is richly concentrated with various minerals and in the summer as the water evaporates, it reveals colorful mineral deposits that appear at spots on the lake.  

After driving southbound for a while, we reversed direction and headed northward, driving through the Similkamen River valley. There is one winery after another in the valley and the grapes are grown here because of the protected location and the proximity to the Similkamen River for irrigation purposes.  

We made it back to our trailer and with some of the fresh produce we just bought made a BLT for dinner.  In this area, there is a fresh fruit/veg stand practically every block so, you want to buy lots of stuff but our frig is so little and we can't.  

AUGUST 5. FRIDAY. COQUIHALLA PASS TO KEREMEOS

Just after 11, a huge lake appeared to our right, Okanagan Lake.  The mountains and scenery are generally dry looking which is apparently normal for this area.  This year however they have been having more rain than usual.  

As in typical when we roll into an area, there is going to be rain (yes, it is coming) and/or a Festival (Pectiction Peach Festival).  

In Summerland, the CAA book touted great views from the Giants Head mountain so we drove up it.  The road was really narrow and twisty but the 360o views were worth it.  On the way back to the highway, we stopped at Silver Scarf Winery to do a tasting.  We left with a bottle of their wine.  

Finally arriving at the Pentiction Visitor Center we were again informed that all the campgrounds were full.  They called one in Keremeos and found us a site but it was a 30-40 minute drive.  Not having an option, we drove there.  Well, Walmart was also an option but, I nixed it.  The Eagle RV Campground turned out fine and we got the last spot.  

AUGUST 4.  THURSDAY. VANCOUVER TO  COQUIHALLA PASS

We said good bye to a now sunny Vancouver and made a stop in New Wesminster to view the &Daddy and me sculpture.  

A few pictures were taken and then we drove on toward Mission on a back road towards Stave Falls PowerHouse Visitor Center.  The Powerhouse is now a National Historic Site and was very important to B.C. in the 1900's.  There is machinery still in place, archival photos and artifacts and interactive displays.  We even got to see a demonstration of Nicholas Teslas's machine.  We spent a few hours here exploring.

Nearby in Mission was Westminster Abbey.  The Seminary of Christ the King is managed by the Benedictine Monks.  We looked around at the church, which is beautiful,  and the tower and were soon on our way.  

Continuing our eastward drive, we stopped near Chillliwack at the Great Blue Heron Nature Preserve.  They have an interpretive center and a variety of trails.  Apparently more than 90 heron build their homes here but, on the trail walk we did, there was no evidence of any of them.  We only saw the stuffed one hanging from the ceiling.

The Chilliwack area seems to be heavily into agriculture.  We drove past lots of corn fields.  You can also smell the agriculture even when you driving on the Trans Canada Hwy.  

While the herons were a bust, we moved on to Bridal Veil Falls and it proved to be worth the stop.  The hike was a steep uphill but, what a beautiful falls.  These are Canada's 6th highest, which cascade 60m over slick rock and creates the appearance of a glassy bridal veil.  

There were a few options for overnight but after chatting with a trucker at the Flying J, we decided to drive to the Coquihalla Pass Rest Stop at !,244m.  From here, we could just carry on in the morning to the Kelowna region.  

AUGUST 3.  WEDNESDAY.  VANCOUVER

The morning was again drizzly and dark.  After doing the laundry, we walked over the mall nearby and got some groceries.  The sun came out after lunch so we could get back to sightseeing.

The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge is free (unlike the craziness at the Capilano Bridge) and quite popular.  I had a moment of apprehension a third of the way over  and went back quickly.  Carl finally guilted me into going all the way over and thereafter we enjoyed a pleasant hike along both sides of the canyon.  

We also drove up to Grouse Mountain to see about the tram.  There didn't seem to be any point to going up there today because of all the clouds, especially with the outrageous cost involved.

For dinner, we had a hamburger bbq and ate outside on the picnic table.  

We finishing off our tour of Vancouver with another round of Stanley Park in slow motion, stopping to take photos along the way.  After our return I did some map reading and plotted out our course for tomorrow.

AUGUST 2. TUESDAY. VANCOUVER

A rainy day greeted us but off we went.  We caught a bus downtown and then walked to the Vancouver Trolley on/off tour bus.  Our first bus driver was awful because we couldn't hear him and this bus was open to the cold so we quickly got off and changed busses and drivers.  Number 2 was better in that the bus was heated and we could hear the commentary.  We did a loop around the city and their districts and then the second loop that was around Stanley Park.  During the first loop we saw the Olympic torch.  Apparently it costs $5,000/hr to run. 

When we did the Park loop we decided that we should come back and from here walk across the Lions Gate bridge to our RV park and, that is what we did.  It was a very interesting walk and good views of Vancouver.  

Once we were over the bridge, I went to the Royal Park mall and found a place to get a hair cut.  The hair cut worked out well and then I headed back for dinner time.  The evening was pretty quiet.  

AUGUST 1. MONDAY. VICTORIA TO VANCOUVER

You never know how things are going to work out.  Getting up early we drove the half hour to the ferry and voila, we got on the 8 o'clock run.  At 9:40 we were disembarking and on our way to the campsite.  Unfortunately, we had been told that we couldn't check in until 2 and we got there before 11 so we found a parking lot and waited.  In the meantime, Carl walked up to the RV park and it turned out our site has been vacated so we moved in early.  We were both so pooped that the rest of the day was spent just vegging.  

There was one very interesting vehicle in the RV  park; it was a hotel on wheels. The bus had seats in the front and berths in the back half.  It even has a fold out kitchen.