October travels

6 October

Today I'm setting out for Banff, at present camped at Peter Hope Lake in the fine hill country between Merritt and Kamloops.  

A really nice campsite with a lovely breeze.  The campground is quite full, and yes, there’s a rather talky family camped beside me.  There are young kids, so I’m hoping they’ll settle down early.  Mom seems to use the f-word a lot, which I find kind of odd around little kids.  There are four dogs, not unfriendly.  A pit bull looking sort who seems pretty calm, a little American Husky, a black lab puppy, and a huge mutt.  

Actually, I’m really tired and don’t think any disturbances could keep me awake.

I was up at 4:30 this morning to catch the 7:45 ferry out of Nanaimo. 

The view from the ferry terminal was striking.

Somehow I didn’t sleep well last night—I think it was one of those nights when you worry about waking in time so you don’t sleep.  Feh…  I misunderstood the regulations and left my camper and sat outside, avoiding crowds.  I could have stayed in the camper and managed a bit more sleep.  Oh well, no harm done.

The Lower Mainland was terribly smoky.  I gather the fire up at Minnekhada is still burning out of control.  The visibility was maybe 100 yards, and ugly.

 By Hope it was merely hazy and the dire predictions I’d read about construction on the Coquihalla were definitely exaggerated.  The highway moved a bit more slowly than is usual, but really not bad.  There’s obvious signs of damage and a couple of  big landslides.  Yikes.

I was sufficiently weary and bothered by the sight of all the smoke, that I considered checking into a motel in Kamloops.  Darn but they’re expensive!  The Motel 8 was $85 for seniors, and a couple of other places I’ve stayed were even pricier.  Still, I was debating.  I stopped at the 7-11 in Merritt—one of my standard haunts and bought an ice cream, which seemed to revive me.  As I drove the old road to Kamloops, I decided I’d better check the campground at Peter Hope.  A much better choice than a motel, which probably actually took less time to get settled down in, AND the fee for a senior camper is—wait for it—$7.50.  There’s a well-maintained biffy, a nice picnic table, a fire pit which I don’t think I’ll bother with.  I think it was a good call.

I’ll sit here and read for a bit, and then heat up a can of chili and then have an early night.  I’ll try not to disturb the family beside me when I pack up tomorrow morning and make my way to Banff.  

It was a rather shaky beginning but it’s really mellow just now.

7 October

The Trans-Canada is the scene of major construction.  There has actually been a detour from Golden through Radium and then back to the the highway, but everything was open temporarily for the Thanksgiving long weekend.  

I used to camp at Glacier National Park (the Canadian one, not the American) for the Thanksgiving weekend, but (a) Glacier is very prone to rain, and (b) it doesn't stay open past Thanksgiving day.  That doesn't work for our Thanksgiving dinner arrangements.  Still, I had some wonderful but steep hikes during my days in Glacier.  I've had a soft spot for Mount Sir Donald ever since.

I arrived in Banff on Friday evening, stopping to take the obligatory Mt. Rundle-Vermilion Lake photo,

checked in at the campground, and set up comfortably.  My campsite is between the washroom and the cook shelter.  It should be fine.  The nights have been nippy, but comfortable with my “bomb-proof” winter sleeping bag and a little electric heater. (All the sites are electrified, so I might as well use it.)

8 October

I drove down to Canmore to do some last-minute groceries, and have lunch and a walk with my long-time friend Jim.  A fine visit.  The weather is simply stunning, even a bit on the warm side.

I stopped on my way back to Tunnel Mountain to take a look at the Hoodoos. 

There was a herd of elk down along the river, one spectacular buck.  I’m not real pleased with my photos.  The light was really difficult, but here we are: 

On return to my campsite, I grilled  a steak over the campfire, and again, an early night and sound sleep.

9 October

I can’t really say I like this campground.  It’s a lot like a parking lot, but the surroundings are incredible.

I put in time this morning, sorting things.  Emptied the grey water jug and the potty at the sanidump.  Had a good shower.  (
This is a  redeeming quality of this campground.  There are excellent free hot showers.)

Then I had a truly amazing encounter.  I walked up to the woodpile, with my little folding dolly, to get a stash of wood.  As I started to load, a young man and a little boy arrived in a very studly pick-up, and the young man said, “Can I bring a load of wood down to your campsite for you?”  AMAZING!!!  I've never heard those words in all of my years of camping.  Very nice young man.  He said his grandma would spin in her grave if he didn’t help people.  So he and the kid loaded up their pickup, and brought a nice woodpile down here and stacked it neatly.  One of the rarest encounters I’ve ever had.  It’s just left the day even brighter than the mountain air.  

Now to take the bus down to the village, to gather a few last bits and pieces.  Wine, a fresh batch of bear spray, and I just noticed I’m low on aluminum foil.  Can’t do dinner without it.  

More anon.

...There were more elk in the municipal park, and inevitable and abundant piles of elk poop.  There were also many tourists scraping elk poop off their shoes, and one said to me, indignantly, "People really should keep better track of their dogs!"  Dunno, following an elk around and picking up after him sounds like an iffy occupation.

It was incredibly warm for October in the Rockies, so much so that the canoe rental place along the river had stayed open.

I didn't figure out who had the Voyageur Canoe, but it lent a certain atmosphere.

It looked like a wonderful day for a paddle.  I've never seen the mountains bare of snow at this time of year.

6:30

Mountain weather can be harsh no matter what form it takes.  The peaks are bare, still, and it was quite warm today. In fact I think I’ve got a touch of sunburn.  The town seems to be out of bear spray. Maybe the hardware store had some but alas it’s closed on Sunday and tomorrow. Hopefully my current batch is still good.  Hopefully I don’t need it anyhow.   It was really crowded in the village.  I got my errands run. 

There’s a new footbridge across the Bow river. It’s called, of all things, the Nancy Pauw Bridge.  Apparently there’s a Wim and Nancy Pauw Foundation.  I think I should look it up at some point. (For folks not in my family, Pauw is a family name on our Netherlands side.)

I’m sitting by a good fire, or at least it was a good fire. It’s smoky now.  There’s a noisy group in the cook shelter. They have two very yappy dogs, a kid who seems to shout angrily every five minutes and the grownups are arguing. Oh well, the fire has got itself going again and I gather the group is moving out tomorrow. 

So, it’s now time to put a chunk of chicken on the fire and have a chicken salad for dinner.   I hope our gathering on Tuesday is more amiable than what I’m hearing. 

10 October

The good news was that the noisy folks in the cook shelter left early yesterday evening.  The bad news was they didn’t clean up from their dinner.  I tidied food scraps, not because I’m tidy, but because I really didn’t want to attract bears.

As usual, most people have cleared out of the campground today—heading to their various homes, so I’ve scrounged a lot of firewood and stashed it in the cook shelter.  If someone uses it, ok, but otherwise I’ve got dry wood for tomorrow's dinner.  I’ve also got a smallish stash under a tarp on the picnic table it my campsite, and a bit in the truck.  

It’s now very windy and a bit rainy.  As usual, mountain rain is COLD!  It’s great to have a camper with a nice little electric heater going.  I’ll do a bunch of dinner prep tonight—and have an early start tomorrow getting the fire going.  

The early light on Cascade Mountain was quite special, I think.

I walked along the Bow River up to the falls this morning.  Took some not very good elk photos and a couple of scenery shots.  

I made my way up from the Bow Falls to the Banff Springs Hotel. 

 By that time it was well past lunchtime, and I stopped at what is supposed to be the least pricy coffee bar in the hotel.  I ordered a smoked salmon bagel, but the young woman ringing up the purchase told me it would be $30!!  For a bagel?!!!   I don’t think so.  I thanked her and took a granola bar instead.  I’ll have a more substantial dinner tonight.

Such is Banff—pricy, although some things are really good.  The bus service has developed further, still only $1 for seniors from the campground to the village.  Busses are electric powered now.  Drivers seem very pleasant.  

Rain is off, for now.  Here’s hoping.

11 October

(No photos, somehow.  I was busy.)  I cooked the traditional turkey dinner in the cook shelter, using my grandmother's Dutch oven to prepare two turkey roasts, one white meat, one dark.  I've yet to get around to a whole turkey.  Maybe next year I'll try for a half of a smallish bird.  

My guests seemed to enjoy their meal, as did I.  And the company is always quite special.  Three of us date back to 1970, when we were students at the Victoria Conservatory.  And then we all wound up in England for a time, pursuing our studies.  We've lots to look back on.

12 October

I packed up and made my way to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway.  Still spectacular, and the weather was perfect.  

Driving the Bow Valley Parkway I met the biggest black bear I’ve ever seen, making his way slowly along the road.  Alas, I realised that my camera was stupidly still in my backpack and my cellphone insisted that I confirm that I wasn’t driving, and then was set up for a selfie.  (I don't do selfies--no idea what possessed the durned thing.) Hopeless and exasperating.  No bear photo this far.  A pity, he really was quite magnificent—glossy pelt, big, obviously had a very successful autumnal feed.  But by the time I managed to get a camera working he’d lost patience and disappeared into the bushes beside the road. 

I was running very low on propane in my camper, unavailable in Banff. It remains a mystery to me that a place as tourist oriented can not provide propane fill-ups.  Stopped in the PetroCanada station in Lake Louise to fill up on gas, I was assured that they filled propane tanks.  But alas, the person qualified to fill propane tanks had left for the afternoon.  Damn.  I’ve still got a small amount —enough to make coffee tomorrow morning, I think.  I’m assured (again!) that there are places I can fill my propane in Jasper.  Fingers crossed.  I'll be making for Clearwater tomorrow along the Yellowhead highway.  One way or another I’ll get propane, or make coffee on my little portable burner.  I always keep a couple of the little green propane bottles just in case.

The Icefields Parkway is still spectacular, even though the glaciers are shrinking.

Bow Lake

Athabasca Pass

The  Colombia Icefields have certainly shrunk, but remain remarkable.  

I camped tonight in Wapiti Campground very near Jasper.  I think I last camped here maybe 12 years ago.  Since then there has been an infestation of pine beetle and the campground looks a bit bare.  Still, an ok place to stop.  Lots of elk bugling at one another, although I’ve yet to see any here, despite the name of the campground.

13 October

A chilly morning,  -3 Celsius and hard frost on the ground.  

I packed up and made my way to Jasper where, yes indeed, the Petro-Canada station filled propane tanks.  And happily, it was just across the street from a supermarket where I could replenish provisions.  

Then on to the Yellowhead Highway, one of the most scenic anywhere, I’d think. 

Somewhat grey weather but Mount Robson was very visible. 

Robson is described as "the most prominent mountain in the Rocky Mountain range, and the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies."  Among other things, it's striking by the way that it is concealed both on the west and east bound routes of the Yellowhead Highway until --suddenly--OH WOW!  As you  round a curve in the highway in either direction, this huge mountain appears.   Moreover, it has almost 3,000 metres ( 10,000 ft) of pure vertical ascent – something that “few mountains anywhere in the world can claim to offer”

Eventually the Yellowhead follows the North Thompson River.  It’s very sparsely populated, some small towns, mountains, glaciers, and, in autumn, beautiful golden birch trees.  Unfortunately it also parallels a gas pipeline that is being installed.  Slows traffic (no big deal) and is cosmetically dreary.  Not to mention the entire issue of a gas pipeline that is due to end up in Prince Rupert.  Environmentally iffy.

I camped in Clearwater at a truly lovely resort—Dutchman Lake.  I’ve stopped there before.  It's well maintained, friendly staff, a lovely lake, a reasonably priced laundromat, much needed by this stage.  

I spent some time rummaging about the internet (oh yeah, it had good internet access) and decided that it was more economical to stop at Peter Hope Lake for a couple of nights (max. $7.50 per night) and wait to sail on Monday when seniors travel for free, and the vehicle rate was reduced.  

14 October

I  love that drive down from Clearwater to Kamloops and then to Merritt.   Some of it is still wild, some of it is cattle country.  All of it is glorious in the autumn.  I camped as planned at Peter Hope tonight.  The campground is quite full, but I’ve got a nice spot on the lake.   

I’ll have a lazy day tomorrow, walk, and look for the Interior bird species.  

Ridiculous luck--the official campground host was home, but said officially, she was off duty and wasn't collecting fees.  So two more freebies in a lovely spot.

Nice walks, but not very birdy.  There was a quite handsome dark phase red-tailed hawk.

A grey jay visited the neighbour's campstove, doing the usual grey jay scrouge.

I was the object of study by a pensive chipmunk.  I know, pensive isn't a term one would usually apply to chipmunks but this little character was very still and very serious.  He looks healthy and handsome, but -- pensive.

After two fine days I made my way back to Merritt.  Since back when I lived in the area, Guichon ranches and Ducks Unlimited have collaborated on developing a bird refuge, which is very popular with waterfowl. 

 I spent a couple of hours studying the visitors.  

There were some species I don't usually see in the Englishman River Estuary.

A shoveler, in transitional plumage.

A canvasback and a ring-necked duck, not great photos, but photos of record as they say.

Merritt is still showing the signs of last winter’s flooding.  My usual campground is closed and looks as though it may be history.  Alas, I really liked it as a place to stop.  There is a second campground, with a rather sad story.  New owners took possession the week before the floods arrived.  The manager told me that after the floods receded,  it was initially under about a foot of sand everywhere, and although it's now habitable, it's pretty lumpy and odd.  They're still sorting out their water lines.  

When I settled in to Merritt, I noticed that it was becoming smoky again.  On investigating, I learned that the smoke was likely from a big fire in the Stein river valley, which remains uncontained at the time I'm writing this.  That's disturbing news as that country is sacred to the Nlaka'pamux people of the area.

17 October

I packed up and set out for home via the Coquihalla.  It was very smoky.  Hope was smoky as well.  I stopped and treated myself to an excellent hamburger at the old Home Restaurant--the first of a chain, I think.  

I had a reservation for the 5:45 ferry, and arrived at the coast much too early to claim my reservation.    The Ferry service discourages early claims of reservations, stating that early passengers will simply lose their reservation and take a place in the existing line-up.  I decided to detour to Boundary Bay Municipal Park in Tsawwassen, and took a bit of a wander along the shore.  There were snow geese flying over and feeding in nearby fields, again, a species not much in evidence in Parksville.  Their wonderful clangor seemed to me a suitable coda to my travels.