Trip Update June 2010 Part 1 Washington

Above Alta Lake in WA
Wildflower
Bob White Quail
California Mountain Goats (can you find all 6?)


Washington
When we left our friends in Renton, WA and crossed the Cascades, we hoped we would be leaving the rain behind. We didn’t, but at least it was only raining every other day in this desert country. We toured north central WA as we made our way to the Canadian border. We planned to get several deliveries at the P.O. before we left the US. Everything arrived on schedule except our RV shade, which we had sent out for repairs. Instead of trying to kill a day or two in the small town of Oroville WA, we decided to cross the border and explore the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia (BC). Every lake in this area claims to have the warmest water in BC. While on a hike near Vaseux Lake, we saw eight California mountain goats (apparently they also like to come to BC for the summer.) After a couple nights in Canada we returned to Oroville to see if the RV shade had come in. It had not, so we made arrangements to have it forwarded. We headed back into Canada.

Trip Update June 2010 Part 2 British Columbia

Demolition Derby
Linda and Rick
Clydesdales at Fort Steel
Brown Eyed Susan



British Columbia
Our first stop was the historic town of Nelson. In addition to beautiful architecture, it is also the city where the movie Roxanne, with Steve Martin, was filmed. So we combined the historic walking tour with the movie location tour. In Fernie, we checked into our chalet, where we are part owners. Pat’s sister, Linda and her husband Rick joined us there. Fernie was founded as a coal mining town. No mining is done here now, but up the road 30 miles is Sparwood - surface mining is still very active, as the frequent coal train traffic proves. We drove up there for their Coal Miner Days. We attended a Demolition Derby and watched the local boys spin out, spray the fans (i.e. us) with mud, and wreak cars. When all the macho energy was dissipated, a Powder-Puff Event (woman drivers) was schedule. This was enough for half the crowd to leave. We stayed and we were glad we did. Apparently there were some personal grudges to be settled by these women because they hit harder than the men. One woman’s helmet flew off after she was broadsided. By the time the women were finished, there were no more derby cars that could move under their own power.
Our tour of Fort Steel was a bit tamer. This was a recreation of the first Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) fort in BC. Nearby was the site of a major gold rush and gold is still being commercially removed from the river. We were given instruction on how to properly pan for gold. Considering the price of gold, and the volatility of other investments, it’s not a bad skill to have!

Trip Update June 2010 Part 3 Canadian Rockies

Pine Marten
At Lookout above Banff
Big Horn Sheep
Fairyslipper

Canadian Rockies
After a week in Fernie, Linda and Rick flew home and we headed for Banff NP. First stop was Radium Hot Springs. Here we could soak in the 40 degree C (or 104 degree F) water while watching the Big Horn Sheep navigate the cliffs across the road. On the road to Banff, we stopped for a hike. When we returned from our hike we found ourselves sitting for 3 hours while an accident scene was being handled and investigated.
At Banff we had a wonderful view from our campsite where we spent 5 nights. Pat sprained her knee, so our activity level was dampened. This gave us an opportunity to do some of the activities we had not done on our previous visits. This included a gondola ride to the ridge above the Banff Springs Hotel. We also toured several museums in town. If you have been in bear territory I’m sure you have seen the bear proof trash cans; but how good are they? We saw a 10 minute video where a very large grizzly tried to push and shove a trash can over, but all he succeeded in was rocking it a bit. From Banff we moved up to Lake Louise.

Trip Update June 2010 Part 4 Grizzly Encounter

Lake Moraine
Columbia Ground Squirrel
Pat at Peyto Lake
Grizzly on our trail


Close Encounter with a Grizzly
When we entered the RV campground at Lake Louise, Banff National Park, we were warned that there was a sow grizzly with two cubs around the campground. The tent campground, on the other side of the river, was protected with a 10,000 volt electrical fence, designed to give grizzlies and anyone else who ran into it, a shock they won’t forget. The RV campground offered no such protection. My only comfort was the words of the ranger at Grand Canyon NP, who told me that while a bear might tear a tent to get to a Twinkie, for some reason bears do not try to break into RVs. I guess they prefer soft shell tacos to hard shell tacos.
There was no sign of any bears around the campground. Since the bears were not coming to me, I went out at 10 PM for a walk through the woods near the campground. I returned to the RV as darkness blanketed the woods without seeing any bears. In retrospect- what was I thinking?
Since Pat had sprained her knee, we were looking for things to do that didn’t involve much hiking. Pat suggested a gondola ride up the mountain over prime grizzly territory. This sounded like a safe way to see grizzlies, although I figured this was just advertising hype. The gondola ride took us up and over the high voltage fence above the grizzly area. There was a good nature center at the end of the gondola ride. The ranger told us that in order to keep bears “wild” they need to avoid contact with people. Therefore, if you are driving along and see a bear, they ask that you not stop the car and create a “bear jam”. Take a picture while driving slowly past the bear (drive by shooting), or only stop at a pullover and don’t get out of the car. If you think texting while driving is bad, try photography while driving. We also learned that a grizzly bear eats the calorie equivalent of 40 Big Macs and 40 chocolate shakes a day. Since his diet is 90% vegetarian, that is a lot of dandelions to eat while waiting for the berries to ripen. They can eat 250,000 berries per day. We returned down the mountain on the chair lift. Of course we didn’t see anything bigger than a Columbian ground squirrel.
After a few days at the campground, and no sign of grizzlies, we were feeling pretty safe. We took a walk along the Bow River. We crossed the river and found that the trail ran between the river and the electric fence that protected those soft shell campers. We followed the trail about a mile, and then got to a small foot bridge crossing the river. As we crossed, a family on bikes was crossing the bridge from the other direction. They stopped and stared at something near the shore. They asked us if we had seen the bear. We looked back only to see a grizzly crossing the bridge right behind us. Had he been stalking us? Was he looking for a high caloric meal to supplement his dandelion diet? This was no time to stand your ground. He was heading straight for us. We tried not to run, but we walked briskly off the bridge and away from the grizzly. We warned those approaching the area on foot of the danger. We walked back to our campground and the safety of our hard shell RV.

Trip Update June 2010 Part 5 Columbia Ice Field

Snow Coach
Pat on Athabasca Glacier
Tangle Creek Falls
Alpine Paintbrush


Columbia Ice Field
The Columbia Ice Field is massive. If you gave 285 million people a square yard of space, they would all fit on the ice field. There were six major glaciers and numerous smaller ones that descend from the ice field. The big thing to do there is to take the snow coach up on the Athabasca Glacier. This is something I passed on my last two trips through here due to its touristy nature (all the tour buses stop here) and the cost ($49 per person). Well, we did it this time and I’m glad I did. You go out on the glacier on a large snow coach. The fat, low pressure tires cost $7,000 each, which is cheap for a rig that costs $1.2 M. Up on the ice field we could see the triple divide - the Athabasca River flows to the Arctic Ocean, the Saskatchewan River flows to the Atlantic Ocean and the Columbia River flows to the Pacific Ocean. Our driver showed us what the machine could do. We ascended a hill with a 32 degree slope. Going downhill he floored it and we got up to 12 mph! It was a fun trip.