Day 6 - April 26 - WOW! NOW THAT'S A WATERFALL.

Valemount was so peaceful and quiet - I did not hear a vehicle the whole time we were in the hotel, day or night. That feeling was reinforced as we left - the highway was pretty empty.

On the recommendation of a friend we took 100 kilometre detour from Clearwater, BC to Helmcken Falls. I was surprised to find such a high falls in BC. It is really quite stunning. Once again a sunny day at 12 degrees C certainly helped the feeling.

The whole approach and surroundings are majestic, almost spiritual.

The weather in parts of BC has been amazingly mild. There is evidence of this as we drove today. The trees are budding far more noticeably in areas toward the south (though certainly not that far south).

As we headed west to connect to the main highway heading north a bear ran across the highway. It was a skinny bear freshly wakened from his winter nap. He was some distance away so I had to zoom in. Phone cameras, or at least an iphone 12, are pathetically inadequate when zooming so this photo is out of focus. The bear took off into the woods.

We're staying with our high school friend near Williams Lake for a few days. Stay tuned for more adventure.

😎

Day 5 - April 25 - I WAS BORN IN A SMALL TOWN

I was up early, no surprise there, and was greeted in a wonderful way. Mountain sunrises are not always glorious because the sun gets pretty high by the time you see it. Today was different - it came up in a splendor of colour.

The Big Foot Trail in Valemount loops around part of the village including historic Main Street and 5th Avenue downtown. There are plenty of benches and interpretive signs along the way. Although it is close to a 5 kilometre trail, it's level and well surfaced. The morning temperature of 2 degrees was perfect in the sunshine.

It truly is a small town, one in which I could see myself living.

After lunch we set out on a futile adventure but I knew there would be some pretty scenery along the way. Known by some as the Hawaii BC hike, the Aloha Trail highlights world-class waterfalls, lush forests, views of glaciers, waterfall mist and great photo ops. We knew we were not going to see any of that but it was a rough drive and we were up to that. I should have read the whole report. An avalanche in early April had closed the trail but the road in had also been rendered impassable...but what a beautiful drive...until it wasn't.

It became very evident as we approached the avalanche site.

I'm sure we would not have made it in or out on this last 2 kilometres of the access road.

Apparently disaster has been courting us for the last two days. upon returning back to the hotel we learned from a friend and online that a slide had closed the road at Mount Robson just after we passed through yesterday and today the highway out of Jasper has been closed, also from a rock slide. We must be doing something right.

😎

Day 4 - April 24 - FROM HELL TO HEAVEN ON THE WEATHER SCALE

It was a 500 kilometre drive today from Edmonton, Alberta to Valemount, BC but the change in the weather was phenomenal. We left in snow, sleet, ice, horrendous winds and likely minus 15 wind-chilled C degrees. Extreme caution was a must and we didn't have a lot of choice. Onward - things can only get better.

And, indeed it most certainly got better. Sunshine and a very pleasant temperature around 8C with very little wind. What a difference a day makes...didn't even take that, only about 200 kilometres did it.

Jasper National Park never disappoints. Two years ago we passed through just two months after the devastating wildfire. That was so sad and depressing so seeing the park today gave us hope and thanks that a recovery was under way.

Seeing the wildlife was the icing on the cake. I remember seeing a lone elk foraging for food in a burnt out forest two years ago and it almost brought me to tears. You never hear about the devastation to wildlife so this made me feel much better.

The elk were out in force today. If you're driving through the park or any of their other habitats be extra careful because they won't be. They cross the road when they want and a two ton vehicle doesn't seem to slow them down at all.

Just as the sensory overload of Alberta peaks you enter British Columbia and everything escalates - the sign says it all.

There are several waterfalls around Valemount but unfortunately a lot of them are closed right now. The falls aren't closed but the trails are so classically you can't get there from here. Rearguard Falls was an exception and we managed to battle a short, steep approach to the falls. Well worth the effort to be sure.

Valemount is a small village in east central BC but, as they say, good things come in small packages. As I stood in the middle of the road taking this photo, a patient woman waited to make her turn commenting, "we love it too". Made me feel like I was down east. Canada has the nicest people!

Sorry this posting is late - I guess it's actually early the next morning. I expect that will be the norm on a lot of this trip. That 3 hour time difference makes a big difference at the end of the day. Please stay with us...we've just begun!  

😎

Day 3 - April 23 - DON'T RULE OUT NEW FRIENDS

Last night's sunset was very similar to Tuesday but much nicer. There was even a plane to give it more feeling.

Enterprise was very co-operative with swapping vehicles at no extra charge and didn't even charge us for not getting gas in the Mazda we returned. We had gone about 100 kilometres so that was nice. We were issued a Ford Escape, the vehicle we should have received in the first place. It just came back last night so we got lucky. It has a huge, long crack on the driver's side of the windshield. I was told not to worry about it; even if it got bigger it was taken care of and would not affect us in any way. That was nice to know because there's a good chance it will grow and just as big a chance we'll sustain more windshield damage. Bravo Enterprise!

Last night I mentioned old friends were the best friends and I stand by that all the way. However, don't ever rule out new friends. We met Val a few years ago through a fabulous Facebook group called Willowdale in the 70s. Lunch today was wonderful even without the pie. 

We'll be leaving Edmonton tomorrow morning for Valemount, BC. It's a small village with a population of slightly over 1,000, in east central BC between the Rocky, Monashee and Cariboo Mountains.

Day 2 - April 22 - OLD FRIENDS ARE STILL THE BEST FRIENDS

Last night's sunset was remarkably mediocre but it did provide a nice welcome to Edmonton and the Hampton Inn.

The title of today's blog reminds me of the Simon and Garfunkle song “Old Friends”. A line in that song laments, “How very strange to be 70”. Wow. Even that milestone is behind many of us now.

Simon & Garfunkel - Old Friends - YouTube

The forecast was accurate and we got a wet day...but we also got to visit with our high school friend Steve and his wife Mary.

We picked up our SUV but having driven it for a few hours we'll be back tomorrow in hopes of exchanging it. It's a Mazda CX30 and it's small. I think it's a compact SUV not a midsize as I ordered. Here's hoping they'll swap it with no hassle!   

😎

 

Day 1 – April 21 – WHEN FLYING, GETTING THERE IS NEVER HALF THE FUN

I hate flying but I almost hate the waiting more. We were picked up at 4:30AM for our 8AM flight to Edmonton. That's lots of time making the waiting almost as long as the flying. Karen even laid down in the boarding lounge. I don't believe she's ever done that before.

Given the amount of time we had, of course we arrived at the airport in 45 minutes. Normally that would take an hour to an hour and a half dependent on traffic and/or weather. We were pretty much first in line for everything we had to do; baggage check in (which we had done on line but still needed to weigh in) and security, so that didn't waste much time. Our gate was even close to security, almost unheard of when we're involved. Bottom line, sitting in the boarding lounge with 2 hours and 15 minutes to wait!

We took off right on time, exactly 8AM. This is the part that stresses me the most so a window seat is imperative – a welcome distraction indeed.  It was a good flight but 4 hours is longer than I can appreciate. A lengthy game of Scrabble (about 2 hours) certainly helped and the landscape outside was the icing on the cake...like a ski resort in northern Wisconsin.

Landing, the second most stressful part of flying, was quite lovely. It's a nice spring day in Edmonton at about 17 degrees with intermittent sunshine.

Safely on the ground, we entered the airport and made our way to baggage claim, always an exercise in futility as you stand like cattle at a trough searching for a bag amongst hundreds of identical black suitcases. Nice welcome though.

Finding the hotel shuttle was the next challenge. Fortunately Karen had called yesterday to learn where to wait and who to call for assistance. The bus showed up in orderly fashion and there was only us and one other passenger on board.

We were very early, it was still not noon, so it was no surprise our room was not ready. The Hampton Inn offered us an alternate but we said no we would wait until check in at 3PM. I guess the young lady felt sorry for us because she stepped into an office and shortly emerged with the news that she had taken a room reserved for someone else who was not yet here and gave it to us. Love it, a woman after my own heart.

I swear I've seen this room before, May 2024 to be exact. It hasn't changed at all; hopefully the sheets have been.

Hampton Inn identifies their rooms with a number, that number in Braille and a graphic that anyone could find in a hallway of identical doors. This one's for Trump; they're not a scourge on all of mankind.

The next couple of days are forecast to be wet but we pick up our vehicle tomorrow so there's a glimmer of hope.   😎

EPIC CANADIAN NORTH ADVENTURE

 

This time we’ll be flying to Edmonton, renting a vehicle, driving through central Alberta and BC, then heading north to the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Once we reach Yellowknife we’ll be flying to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut for three days – that’s likely where the snow and ice will be. I expect some cold temperatures throughout. This is not a time of year that most people travel but I’ve never considered myself particularly normal in that regard. The weather may not be great and there will be a lot of things not yet operating but we will be ahead of the cursed insect infestation that plagues the north come late May.

I don’t expect too many crowds as we head into some pretty isolated areas. I also don’t expect reliable internet services, if any, some of the time. The blog is launching now and I’ll let you know when postings are made. So join us and discover some parts of Canada not visited by everyone.