• Canada Holiday Blog 6 - 11th to 17th September 2018

Day 44  -              11^th September 2018      Calgary Zoo

Hoping for fine weather today so we can go to the zoo and we were very lucky. Woke to partly cloudy skies but soon cleared and at 9:05 headed off on foot to the zoo. Calgary Zoo is smaller than Taronga but is on flat ground so easy to get around. They have very good enclosures most being fairly large and well landscaped, etc. The signs showing the animals also explain how much they are at risk and why, etc. They have heated buildings for the animals from tropical and warmer areas. 

Cougar

Where has my head gone???

Lazy lion

Even lazier lemur....

Panda

Morning tea at a café and later lunch at another café in the zoo. Left about 2:00 and headed to the “Galleria” to have a look at some Canadian Arts and Crafts. Bought a metal hummingbird hanging sculpture and a rusty metal bear (to remind us of our bear encounter). Back to accommodation at 3:15 with dark storm clouds overhead.

Day 45  -              12^th September 2018      Calgary - Elbow Falls and Bar U Ranch

Weather not so kind today and started off with grey overcast morning as we headed out at 8:25. Got caught in Calgary rush hour, and with more roadworks it was quite stressful. Some of the roads we were to take have moved, etc.

Arrived at Beaver Flat and did the Beaver Lodge walk where you pass many beaver dams. They are very impressive structures and the beavers are very resourceful. Some of the dams are holding back water that is 1 metre higher than below the dam. At the last dam we saw the recent evidence of the beaver felling trees for the dam. Wonder how long it takes for the beaver to fell a tree? (apparently 5 minutes for an 8-foot tree!). Had to dodge cows along the track.

Beaver dam

Autumn colours coming

Evidence a beaver was here recently

Elbow Falls for morning tea in the car and the short (0.4 km round trip) walk to the falls. 

Elbow Falls

What we call a cattle grid....

Heading out we saw 3 white tailed deer crossing the road. Also saw more deer in Turner Valley just on the edge of town.

Next stop was Bar U Ranch which is an historic ranch now run by Parks Canada. Sundance Kid of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid fame used to work at this ranch. Just after we started to walk around the drizzle started, but we toughed it out. At one of the displays (buildings etc spread across the ranch) we got talking to a lady who works/volunteers there and she gave us some history while Joy drank coffee made over an open fire. It was better than some of the other coffee she has had in Canada! The smoke kept following Les (smoke follows beauty?) so Joy sent him across the other side of the fire. 

Bar U Ranch Coffee Shop!

Threatening weather at Bar U Ranch

Bar U Ranch Polo team named in honour of Banjo Paterson's poem

The rain was setting in, so we decided enough was enough as it was also bitterly cold so headed back to the car and back to the accommodation through rain, sun, mist and more peak hour traffic. We had been planning to stop at the Okotoks Erratic, but because of the weather, and the fact that it really is just a big rock in a paddock, we went straight home. So far these holidays these are about the only things we have not done due to the weather. Not bad for 40 days in Canada! Temperature now down to 6 degrees after maximum of 9 degrees (less wind chill factor). Home smelling of smoke from the campfire at Bar U Ranch. Tomorrow into Calgary City in the afternoon but forecast is for max. 4 degrees and rain showers and/or snow flurries so we will see.

Day 46  -              13^th September 2018      Calgary

Joy has hairdresser’s appointment at 10:00 am we are having quiet morning. After the haircut we headed into town on foot at about 11:30 am. It was zero degrees but we are tough (or silly, or both). Walked along the river part of the way and then through the streets of Calgary. For a city of 1.25 million the downtown section we were in was VERY quiet. 

Downtown Calgary

What oranges do you get in Canada?

Took a 1991 recreation photo and wandered around a bit before heading home. Total walking distance about 6 km and made it home at about 1:00. Toasted rolls for lunch and quiet afternoon packing and relaxing.

While Joy cooked tea Les kept an eye on the weather and it started SNOWING!! Yes we got some snow and more than just flurries.

Snowing in Calgary

Day 47  -              14^th September 2018      Calgary to Pincher Creek

Woke this morning to sub zero temperatures and still snow on the cars and roofs.  No snow on the ground as the ground was warm enough that it melted straight away. Les was happy about this as he did not want to be driving on snow or ice. We checked and there was no ice on the roads or carpark! Before we left we went up onto the roof of the loft apartment to have a look at the snow. They have some fake grass on the roof and there was still a layer of snow on it.

Still snow on the roof the next morning

Snow on the cars.

Headed off at 8:10 and still minus 1 degree. Had to scrape the snow off the car but had to wait until the demister in the car melted the ice on the windscreen! And to think it was only a few days ago we were hot and getting sunburnt! As we had missed the Okotoks Erratic (large rocks in a paddock deposited by glaciers thousands of years ago) a few days ago we thought we would go via them today hoping for snow on them. Arrived and not much snow (not as much as Calgary) and now minus 2! 

Snow on the hay bales

Picked up treats from the Black Diamond Bakery and on to Nanton where we had morning tea in the car as it was ZERO degrees and we decided the picnic tables were not the go. The toilets at the park were heated!! Spent an hour or so at the Museum of Miniatures which covers many things but includes part of the history of Canada. As a piece of trivia, all the grass in the dioramas is human hair!! Joy also bought some cross-stich magazines – the woman who was on the front desk does cross-stitch and had some old ones she no longer wanted (50c each or 3 for $1 – plus tax of course!). The ladies at Rankin Cottage Craft will be impressed with her!

Museum of Miniatures

Museum of Miniatures. Each stalk has been individually glued into a hole individually drilled. Approx 12,000 of them. 

Next stop is “Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump” where we had lunch at the café. Temperature only 2 degrees but luckily most of the display is inside. 

Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump

Afternoon tea at Oldman River Provincial Park just outside Fort MacLeod and it is now 8 degrees and we sat at the picnic tables by the river.

Just a few wind turbines....

Arrived at Pincher Creek for the night at 4:25 and had a rest for a few hours before heading to “Boston Pizza” for tea. They are a restaurant chain and serve more than just pizza. Saw some deer along the street in the town on the way to the restaurant. When we arrived the restaurant was very busy and taking names for tables. The food was good but restaurant was noisy. We shared an apple crumble for dessert. No way could we fit a dessert each! Got home and now 5 degrees.

Apple crumble dessert

Day 48  -              15^th September 2018      Pincher Creek to Cranbrook

Had a reasonably early start today as we have a few things to do. Left at 8:30 and temperature was only 3 degrees but beautiful and sunny. Well it was until 1 km outside Pincher Creek when we drove into a fog bank. At times the visibility was down to 50 metres.

Arrived at Lundbreck Falls at 8:53. Yes, Les needed a waterfall fix and it looked eerie in the fog. The temperature had also dropped to 2 degrees. 

Lundbreck Falls in the mist

Left at 9:20 and arrived at Frank Slide and the fog has started to clear and beautiful blue sky has arrived again. This is an amazing place showing the force of nature – check it out at https://frankslide.ca/. Essentially in 1903 the side of a mountain slid for about 2 ½ km down the mountain crossing the railway and highway and part of the town of Frank killing about 90 people. As the centre does not open until 10:00 and it was 9:45 we did the walk through the boulders and got back to the car for morning tea. We then looked through the interpretive centre and watched a video on the area although not specifically on the Slide. They have 2 videos and we missed the 1^st one on the slide and would have had to wait to see it but needed to move on. Has now warmed up to 8 degrees.

Frank Slide from highway

Frank Slide. The stuff that made it across the highway.

Mist spilling in near Frank Slide

Frank Slide side on. Highway passes through just left of centre

Near Crowsnest Pass. Loved the smoking effect.

Had lunch at Mt Fernie Provincial Park and now up to 13 degrees. Next was Fort Steele and we arrived at 2:45 and they close at 4:00 so did not get to see everything but also not all the buildings were open. The Hotel and Ice Cream parlours were not open along with several others.

Fort Steele

Arrived at Cranbrook and checked in to accommodation at 4:00 and had afternoon tea. The motel is really very nice, with lots of wooden things – tables and chairs made out of interestingly shaped bits of wood – and flowers in window boxes. Headed into town for some shopping for tea and lunch, etc for tomorrow. Up to 19 degrees!

Cranbrook Motel

Got back and after unpacking groceries went for a walk along the lake behind the motel. Spotted bird of prey, small snake (only about 6 inches long and a thick as a drinking straw) and 2 deer.

Les made a friend on the walk near the motel.

Across the road from the motel was a big sign advertising sea cans for sale – huh? Looked it up and they are selling freight containers.

Day 49  -              16^th September 2018      Cranbrook to Castlegar

Have a fair bit of time today as we have to change our clocks back 1 hour just down the road. Thought we could play a game of mini golf (putt putt golf as we call it, and there was a course at the motel in Cranbrook) but the weather was against us. It was partly sunny on one side and raining on the other and the rain won out, so headed out of town at 9:15. Today is also a day of ups and downs. We start at an elevation of 928 metres at Cranbrook. Morning tea was at Creston (612 metres) in the Millennium Gardens on the only seat under shelter although it is not actually raining at this stage but very overcast.

Next stop is Stagleap Provincial Park and Kootenays Summit which is 1,774 metres and is the highest all-weather pass in British Columbia. We did a nice walk around Bridal Lake which is at the summit before heading down the other side. 

Bridal Lake, Kootenays Summit

Arriving at Trail (that is the name of the town) for lunch at 12:20. They had just finished the “Terry Fox Run” which is a non-competitive run in honour of Terry Fox, a cancer research activist who died in 1981. The run is held world wide but there are 9,000 communities in Canada that are involved. We were talking to a couple involved and they had lived in Bronte for 6 months back in 1965 but “could not handle the bugs” so moved back to Canada! Lunch was in the park by the river opposite the sulphuric acid plant! We have also dropped to an elevation of 423 metres. The couple also told us about an acid leak from a truck (have found out there were 2 leaks within 6 weeks and over 1,000 insurance claims!)

After lunch drove to the River Skywalk which is a concrete suspension foot bridge in town. If we hadn’t chatted to the couple involved in the Terry Fox Run we wouldn’t have known there even WAS a suspension bridge. Even though it is concrete it still sways slightly and has a distinct slope on it. 

River Skywalk, Trail

Photo stop at Rossland and then climbed up over the Nancy Greene Summit at 1,575 metres. (For those that do not know Les’ family was Ross (father) so we stopped at Rossland, Dorothy (mother) so we stopped at Dorothy, Patricia (sister) so we stopped at Patricia and Les, so we stopped at Leslieville!)

The weather is closing in again, so we headed to Tim Hortons (chain of coffee shops in Canada) in Castlegar to try their bagels as a friend of Joy’s has highly recommend them, and Joy thinks their coffee isn’t bad, even if they don’t provide chocolate for the cappuccinos. The bagels are very nice with creamed cheese on them.

Bagel with cream cheese at Castlegar

Castlegar (elevation of 441 metres) has a SculptureWalk and we wanted to see the sculptures, but again the weather is against us. We arrived at our B&B at about 4:00 after having driven through driving rain. Had to use the fast setting on the windscreen wipers for the first time this holiday. Headed to the Lions Head Pub just down the road as it was recommended and got a good write up on Tripadvisor. While having dinner there was a crowd of people outside in the cold (smokers) but they all suddenly started looking at something and getting their phones out. A bear had walked through the paddock next to the pub. Joy was too slow getting outside to see it. Mentioned it to our B&B host when we got back and apparently the bear is a regular!

Day 50  -              17^th September 2018      Castlegar to Nakusp

Since we are staying in a true B&B we get breakfast served to us this morning. Orange juice, fruit and yoghurt, and scrambled eggs with toast and potatoes cooked with capsicum, and coffee for Joy.

Headed off at 8:55 and into town to view the sculptures and then on to the Brilliant Suspension bridge which used to be the main bridge into town and the good thing was it does not move!!! Les made it over and back no worries. 

Sculpture at Castlegar

Sculpture at Castlegar

Brilliant Suspension Bridge, Castlegar

The sun has come out and there is nice blue sky. We could not find a bakery in Castlegar (in the part we were in) so on to Nelson and to Kootenay Bakery Café where we bought some treats and some bread roll things (more on this later). We had been trying to find somewhere for morning tea and so we stopped at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park with a great view up the lake to the snow topped mountains. 

Kokanee Provincial Park

Morning tea was from 11:40 to 12:05. Yes, a bit late today but Joy had had a coffee with breakfast, so she was OK.

We had an unscheduled stop because we saw a nice-looking waterfall on the side of the road and there was a large area where we could park. Les shouldn’t be too traumatised about the deviation from the day’s plan since it was a stop for a waterfall!

A little bit further on we had our scheduled stop at Fletcher Falls at 1:05 and headed down a short but steep track to the base of the falls and took some photos. Joy has even started using Les’ tripod to take waterfall photos! Great waterfall and being in a dark gully hopefully some good shots. 

Fletcher Falls

Joy using Les' tripod...

...and the great result!

Back to the car at 1:50 and stopped in the park at Kaslo at 2:00 for lunch. We ate the bread roll things for lunch which were bread rolls with cheese tops and garlic and pesto and an unknown ingredient which was probably either chilli or jalapeno pepper. Too hot for Les.

Lunchtime view from Kaslo

We had been going to look through the SS Moyie, but we were now a bit pushed for time to get to Nakusp at a decent hour, so gave it a miss.

Stopped at Summit Lake for afternoon tea and the cloud has rolled in on the higher peaks. 

Summit Lake

On to Nakusp where we did the groceries and headed out to accommodation. The accommodation is well off the highway and down dirt roads but is on the lake and very quiet. Great place to rest for a day. Today we had climbed from 440 metres to almost 1,100 metres and back down to 488 metres and seeing snow capped peaks almost all the way.