Canada Holiday Blog 7 - 18th to 28th September 2018
Day 51 - 18th
September 2018 Nakusp
Rest day so lazy morning before heading into town to do the
washing at the laundromat. Visited Jennifer’s Chocolates to buy some chocolates
and caramels before heading back to the accommodation for morning tea.
Les catching up on diary and Joy getting her fix of sudoku
with a huge book of them supplied by the B&B host!! After lunch we went for
a walk through the tracks on the property to the lakeshore. Don’t really need
to watch for bears as the host said they haven’t seen one since June.
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| Lake side at accommodation |
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| Accommodation above garage on left |
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| Friendly local who let me take his photo. |
Day 52 - 19th
September 2018 Nakusp to Vernon
Another cloudy and grey day (7 degrees) but on the road at
7:50. Arrived at Fauquier Ferry (430
metres elevation) at 8:38 and it leaves every ½ hour from our side and left at
8:30 so we had to wait until 9:00 to get on the ferry. Arrived at the other
side of the lake at about 9:10. While we were waiting we saw them bring in logs
via truck and dump them in the river. The truck pulls up alongside a ramp and
drops the supports from one side of the trailer. A forklift then pushes the
logs (still tied together) off the trailer and they land on the ramp and slide
down into the water. A tug boat then pushes the logs into huge (seriously huge)
floating rafts. If you go to Google maps and enter “Needles Ferry, Ferry Ramp”
you can see some of the logs.
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| Logs being placed in lake to be floated to mill |
We are guessing they are then floated to
Castlegar where the pulp mill is located (we stayed opposite it a few nights
ago). After 45 minutes of windy road we reached Monashee Summit (1,241 metres) at 9:55 and had
morning tea at 10:15 at Lost Lake Rest Area where it was sunny but only 5
degrees.
On to Historic O’Keefe Ranch near Vernon arriving at 11:50.
We arrived at the time and on the day when all the volunteers were being
treated to lunch in the restaurant. This meant that all the demonstrations
(blacksmith, leatherworker, potter, cook etc) weren’t happening, so we just
wandered around the property looking at the buildings and displays. The
buildings are all original and they have a lot of artefacts done as displays of
how things were in the “old days”.
We left the ranch at 1:40 to head to Armstrong for lunch in
the park with a pleasant 16 degrees.
Lots of orchards and the apples are grown on tall skinny
trees rather than bushy like at home.
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| Skinny apple trees |
Started doing the Barn Quilt drive but
gave it up as dull and boring. Stopped at the Chocoliro chocolate shop in
Armstrong and Joy bought some chocolate with nuts and fruit. The chocolatier
warned her that she wouldn’t be able to take them back to Australia – as if
they’d last that long!
Arrived at motel in Vernon at 3:55 and now 18 degrees and
checked in before heading to Blenz Coffee shop opposite the motel for afternoon
tea. Vernon elevation 390
metres
Day 53 - 20th
September 2018 Vernon to Princeton
Breakfast was included in the price of the motel so we had
cereal and Joy had waffles and Les had bagel with cream cheese. Left motel at 8:00 and went via “Bannister’s”
car yard for a photo
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| Would you trust them for a new car? |
and Cobs Bread for bread and treats. Cobs Bread looks
amazingly like Baker’s Delight – similar logo, similar uniforms, similar shop
set-up. Just checked it out, and the parent company of Cobs Bread is, in fact,
Baker’s Delight, which is an Australian company. Good to see Australia starting
to take over North America!
On the road at 8:15 and headed south in the rain. We were on
a road that has the traffic device that records your speed and had a car go
past us at 116 kph on a wet road in a 90 kph zone!
Arrived at Hall Creek Rest area at 10:00 for morning tea
with the weather much better and sunny patches. Have climbed to over 1,200 metres again. Stopped for
a few photos at Kettle River Recreation Area. This includes part of the Kettle
Valley Railway which goes through the Othello Tunnels we visited on day 20!
There have been some big fires through the area in 2015 with the whole towns of
Westbridge and Rock Creek being evacuated. There were over 30 building
destroyed in these towns. The scene up the ridges is very stark as the trees
have still not recovered and many never will.
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| Remains of forest fire 3 years ago. |
Dropped to about 600 meters at Rock Creek before
another mountain range and climbed to over 1,230
metres again before a big long drop into Osoyoos at under 300 metres.
Stopped at 12:15 for a visit at Nk’mip (pronounced
in-ka-meep) Desert Cultural Centre where we watched one of the videos and did a
walk through the grounds. It is one of the few areas in Canada that have
rattlesnakes! We did not see any rattlesnakes but Les did scare away another
snake which was grey and about a foot long.
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| Notice the animals cut into the neck and rump! |
Left at 1:40 and had lunch on the
lake shore before heading to Princeton via Hedley (a small old mining town,
drove in one street and out the other) and Bromley Rock Park for afternoon tea.
As we got closer to Princeton the weather changed and we had more rain. Princeton
has elevation of approx. 700
metres so as you can see it was a very much up and down day.
Drove into town to “Little Creek Grill” for tea. It was top
on our list of possibilities and the chocolatier in Armstrong recommended it
too. Great food. Probably the best meal we have had the whole time we have been
away!
Day 54 - 21st
September 2018 Princeton to
Vancouver
Woke to a wet, foggy and misty morning and looks (and
sounded) like it has been raining all night. Head off for our last long day of
travelling in the car and immediately start climbing as it is also the last day
of crossing the Rockies for the 2nd time. Starting at about 700 metres elevation we climb to
Sunday Summit at 1,282 metres
and then on to E C Manning Provincial Park. Here we head up to Cascade Lookout
at the top of a long twisty road with several hairpin switchbacks. You leave the main road at 1,190 metres and climb to 1,660 metres over a distance of
8 km.
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| View from Cascade Lookout |
From here we did the Dry Ridge Trail which is approx. 1.5 km with the
first 0.5 along the road (now gravel) and then 1 km up a trail (up being the
operative word). The top of the walk reaches 1,810 metres elevation! On day 28 we did a walk that climbed
100 metres in 1 km, this time it was 150 metres in 1 ½ km so just as steep but
longer. We decided the easiest way back down was a short detour to the gravel
road and down the gravel road. A bit longer but easier on Joy’s knees and
ankles.
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| Dry Ridge Trail |
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| Dry Ridge Trail |
Headed down the mountain to Lightning Lake for morning tea
before doing an easy walk at Rein Orchid Trail. No orchids as well past their
season.
Headed off towards Vancouver but we had one last summit to
climb with Allison Summit at 1,342
metres which is the highest between Princeton and Hope. Stopped at Hope Slide
but there was so much cloud and fog that you could not see it so just kept
going.
Had lunch in the car at Hope before tackling Vancouver
traffic in the wet. Vancouver is spread out eastward through Abbotsford and
Chilliwack (Chilliwack is 100 km from Vancouver). Joy loves the name Chilliwack
for some reason – makes her laugh. Most of the road is dual lane highway and
sometimes up to 5 lanes of traffic including a HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle, 2
or more passengers). There are also lots of under and over passes and exits so
can get confusing and stressful. Did the grocery shopping and headed to the
accommodation (elevation 12
metres!!!). Both of us needed to de-stress a bit so had afternoon tea first,
then unpacked the car of everything as in a few days we have to leave and need
to have everything packed back into 2 suitcases and 2 backpacks. This could be
fun!
Day 55 - 22nd
September 2018 Vancouver
Rest day. Weather is still rainy so a good day to have a
break. Les worked on photos and diary and Joy caught up on washing and reading.
After lunch the weather had cleared a bit, so we headed to
the local “La Casa Gelato” shop where they have 238 different flavours! You can
sample for free, but we just jumped in and bought some. Joy had peach & raspberry
sorbetto and lemon fudge sorbetto. Les had coconut, walnut & (?) and banana
and macadamia. It would be very easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices,
though. The gelatos are very nice but at $7.75 per cone not the cheapest – but
then they have to pay for all the free samples they give away. Would not be
surprised if some people just get the samples and never buy anything.
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| Small selection of the 238 flavours |
Back to the accommodation and 15 minutes later it started
raining again so we timed it well.
While watching TV after dinner we were visited by 2 of the
locals. Two racoons walked by the door and stopped and looked inside. They were
very shy and when we tried to get camera/phone they left. Very cute but bigger
than we thought they would be. Much rather they stay outside than come in but
they would have needed to go through the screen door to get in.
Day 56 - 23rd
September 2018 Vancouver
9:15 bus into Downtown Vancouver and change to another bus
to the Vancouver Harbour Cruise wharf for a luncheon harbour cruise.
Had a 10 min wait in downtown and arrived at the wharf at
10:00 so took a short walk before booking in at 10:15. Boarded at 10:30 and we
all have set tables. We were at a row of tables for couples ie a bench seat
along the side of the ferry with tables for 2 and a chair on the other side. On
one side we had a couple from the UK and he could talk the leg off an iron pot
but (not surprisingly) she was much quieter. On the other side we had a couple
(?) from the US. The reason I put ? is not sure if they were married, father
and daughter or what. He was quiet, and she was the sort that we took an
instant dislike to even before she spoke and after she did it confirmed the
dislike. When wait people were serving drinks she never thanked them and also
seemed to have a complaint about everything. But we didn’t talk to them so it
was not too bad.
We headed east along the harbour and then into Indian Arm
where the rich people have homes on the water with jetties, etc. It stayed
misty and cloudy all the way there and back with just some faint blue patches
when we were just about back at the jetty. At the far end of the cruise they
pull the boat into the shore at a waterfall and you get the spray from the
falls on you (but only light).
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| Waterfall |
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| Same waterfall |
The scenery was lovely, and quite a few
waterfalls (in addition to the big one at the end). A lot of the homes are
quite secluded – kind of scattered in amongst the forest. We think that a lot
of them would only have access by boat, too, so you would have to be quite
organised and relatively self-sufficient.
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| Would you live here? |
The meal on the cruise was a buffet of salad leaves, bread
rolls, potato salad, rice, roast chicken and salmon. Dessert was peach pie (no
ice cream) and carrot cake.
We arrived back at the wharf at 3:15 and decided to walk
back to downtown Vancouver rather than walking in Stanley Park as it is still
grey and cold.
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| Vancouver |
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| Somebody failed culinary school..... |
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| The colours are just getting to their best |
Got a 4:20 bus from downtown to near home and walked the last
few hundred metres to the accommodation arriving at about 5:00 pm. Had
afternoon tea hoping and wondering if the racoons will be back tonight.
Day 57 - 24th
September 2018 Vancouver
The forecast is for a fine day, so fingers crossed. We
headed out in the car to Lynn Canyon Park at 8:50 wondering what the traffic
will be like and if we will get a car park when we get home as our parking is
on the street and is at a bit of a premium. The traffic was OK until we tried
to get onto the highway and the traffic was banked up as 3 lanes needed to
merge into 2 which needed to merge into 1 which then joined the highway and had
to merge into the existing 2 lanes! Brought back memories of driving in Sydney!
Similar reasons to Sydney, too – too many people on the road, and them all
being funnelled across the limited bridges over the waterways. Once we got off
the highway things improved and then we followed the sat nav and it took us
through the back streets but was probably faster than the way Les had planned.
Arrived at Lynn Canyon Park at 9:22 and headed out on the
Twin Falls Loop and Thirty Foot Loop. By doing these two loops we did not have
to cross the Suspension Bridge! The walks involve going down, cross a bridge go
back up. Go past the other side of the suspension bridge. Go down and back up
again. Cross a bridge. Go down and back up to the original side of the
suspension bridge. Then Joy had a go on the suspension bridge. There is another
suspension bridge on the north shore of Vancouver which also has a tree walk
and cliff walk but they charge almost $50 per person while Lynn Canyon is free.
And it isn’t like Lynn Canyon is disappointing – it was lovely.
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| What more warning do you want? |
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| Long way down |
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| Waterfall |
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| How many can it hold? Joy in the centre in the blue top. |
Back to the car for morning tea and found out Les had forgotten
to pack the coffee so headed to the café. The café is not normally open on a
Monday but they had a group booking in the upstairs area so it was open so we
got muffins and drinks. Left at 11:41 and headed to Cypress Mountain (elevation
approx. 900 meters). This
mountain is the closest ski field to Vancouver and can be seen from the city
itself. Stopped at the viewpoint on the drive up the mountain before arriving
at 12:26 pm. Did the Yew Lake Barrier Free Interpretive Trail, which was very
interesting and enjoyable. It goes through old growth forest as well as
sub-alpine meadows, and also past boggy lakes. No bears though. Back to the car
and headed down the mountain to the picnic spot half way down. We followed a
cyclist at one stage and he was doing about 70 kph (in a 60 kph zone) and was
getting away from us especially on the hairpin bends.
After lunch headed to Lighthouse Park also on the northern
side of the harbour. Walked the Valley of the Giants, Arbutus and East Beach
walks. Some of the tracks were more like creeks and some intersections are very
lacking in signposts but Joy’s great navigation skills got us to the right
place. Felt like we were bush bashing in some parts, though.
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| No it is not a creek, it is the track but maybe it is a creek as well... |
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| Valley of the Giants |
Great views across
the harbour to the city with clear blue skies.
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| Vancouver from Lighthouse Point |
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| Closer shot of Vancouver |
Got back home after tackling the traffic again, at 4:50 and
there is no parking in the street so had to park in another street. Decided to
try Union Market, 2 streets away, for afternoon tea as we have heard good
things about it. Treats were yummy but Joy’s coffee was bitter but froth was
nice. On the way back noticed a parking spot had opened up opposite the
accommodation so Joy stood there while Les went and got the car. Thankfully it
is the last time we need to park the car as we will not need the car tomorrow
and the next day is our last day in Vancouver.
Day 58 - 25th
September 2018 Vancouver
Woke to a beautiful day with plenty of blue sky. 9:35 am Headed
towards town by foot for about 2 km to the Science Museum (10:05 am). Interesting
hands on type of museum. Tried things we had never tried before. Had fun there.
Left at 11:45 and headed to the wharf to catch a ferry to Granville Island. The
ferries are cute little things that only fit about 10 people on them. They buzz
around the harbour like bees. Arrived at about 12:10 and found a bakery and had
potato cheese scone each and Joy had a “Better than Sex Brownie” (Joy said it
was pretty good) and Les had a maple caramel tart. Had a look around Granville
Island which has lots of studios and gifts shops, etc. Very commercial but
smack in the middle is a huge concrete factory!
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| Concrete factory in the centre of Granville Island |
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| What was the architect thinking? Would you live in one of the top units? |
Then took the bus into downtown Vancouver where we walked to
Gastown to do some more 1991 comparison shots of the Steam Clock and Gassy
Jack. By now we were sick of the city even though it is not as bad as Sydney,
so we headed for the bus stop to come home. It must be living in a quiet place
like Bathurst or us getting older, or both, but we cannot handle the crowds
like we did in Sydney. Arrived home just before 3:00 pm and had a bit of a
relax before heading out at 4:30 to go to the gelato shop again. This time Joy
had Crème Brule and cookie dough and Les had pear/walnut and peach/raspberry
(well had to have some fruit today!).
Quiet night with the last bit of packing so we do not have
much to do tomorrow morning.
Day 59 - 26th
September 2018 Vancouver – Fly Out
We are all packed and have somehow managed to get everything
back into 2 suitcases and 2 backpacks, but they do feel heavier and more
tightly packed. We also left a few things at the accommodation – no way we
could fit the esky in to bring it home! Left accommodation at 8:50 on a sunny
day. Arrived at Queen Elizabeth Park at 9:10 and looked around the park and the
Bloedel Conservatory which has a variety of birds.
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| Queen Elizabeth Park |
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| Queen Elizabeth Park |
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| Bleodel Conservatory |
On to Jericho Beach for some
more 1991 replica photos and had morning tea at beachfront café at 12:00 before
heading to Museum of Anthropology which is part of the University of British
Columbia arriving at 12:25. Looked at the café for lunch but not much variety
and nothing appealed to us so had a look around the museum before leaving at
1:50 to drop the car back and get a shuttle to the airport where we arrived at
about 2:45.
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| Ingenious!!! |
Had lunch at Tim Hortons and checked in luggage at 4:30
before heading through security. Sat around waiting for flight and had tea
before boarding flight at about 7:45 for
a departure at 8:15 (but think we were about 15 minutes late leaving).
Flight was fairly uneventful with only a few small patches
of turbulence but enough for the seat belt signs to be turned on a few times.
Joy got a bit of sleep and Les got about ½ hour sleep. Seats are not
comfortable so ended up with numb bums. The couple across the aisle from us had
the Sky Couch seats – will have to check what the extra cost is for those.
Day 60 - 27th
September 2018 Lost Day (back over
International Date Line)
Day 61 - 28th
September 2018 Sydney to Bathurst
Arrived in Auckland on time (5:00 am) and did the
international transfer as did most of the people on the plane but also meant we
had to go through screening again and Les had left a drink bottle full in his
backpack so had to drink it all there and then.
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| The Kids at Auckland Airport. They had been in the backpack for over 24 hours so thought they needed some fresh air. |
Boarded plane to Sydney at 6:30 but we had to go through
check-in, get on bus, travel across the tarmac and board the plane. At one
stage thought we were driving back to Sydney! Arrived in Sydney 1 minute late!
As we were near the back of the plane took a while to get off the plane.
Through passport control no issues. Collected bags after 15-minute wait and
headed to customs. As we had a few things to declare (shoes, hiking sticks,
food, medicine, etc) had to line up in the “things to declare” but we were
through very quickly as they just asked a few questions and checked the shoes
we were wearing (and we had washed and cleaned all our shoes and hiking sticks
anyway). They must have thought we looked honest as we also did not have to
have our bags sent through the x-ray machines.
Headed to the train station and straight onto a train to
Central where we had about 30 minutes to get to the platform for the Lithgow
train, so we managed to also get a coffee for Joy and a couple of muffins. Left
Central at 10:18 and arrived at Lithgow at 1:15.
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| Kids going through Redfern. They love riding in trains.... |
Caught the Lithgow Buses bus
to Bathurst via Wallerawang, Portland and Meadow Flat to Bathurst – quite an
interesting trip if you haven’t been around the back roads there before. Once
in Bathurst we grabbed a taxi home. Made it home by 4:00pm where Jonathon our
house sitter was waiting with cheese and fruit and a warm banana cake waiting
for us.
Home delivered pizza for tea and in bed at 8:30 after a long
day. We had been awake for about 42 hours with just an hour or so sleep in that
time.
Holiday Facts and
Figures
- Distance Driven : 8,193 km
- Fuel Used : approx. 700 litres @ 8.6 litres per 100 kilometres
- Photos taken : approx. 8,800
- Best Food : Little Creek Grill, Princeton, although “Pie al a mode” at Hope came a close second.
- Best part of Canada :
Les – Rockies and Waterfalls,
Joy – Badlands and Hoodoos - Most exciting part :
Les – Rockies with blue sky, seeing black bear,
Joy – seeing it snow in Calgary, seeing black bear.
