November 4, 2010 by Rae

I Love Flying!

I am in Calgary and approaching the end of my last layover.

Airport security procedures continue to suck. I was subjected to an incredibly invasive pat-down in Penticton, but once that was done, it was smooth going. I’d never done a cross-country flight with layovers, so I didn’t realise I only need to do the security thing once. When I’ve flown to the US with layovers, I had to clear customs while still on Canadian soil, so there were two security checks.

But once the security hassle is over, I remember why I don’t mind going through it. There is something about flying that gets me every time. I just love that little hitch in your throat at the moment of takeoff; it is so exhilarating. I was seated right next to the landing gear on the flight to Vancouver, so I had a chance to see how it works. It was cool to actually see the plane bounce at touch down!

Everyone needs to both drive and fly across the continent once. By tonight, I will have seen the Pacific Ocean, the Rockies, the prairies, and the Canadian Shield before descending into the familiar St Lawrence Lowlands that were home for thirty years.

The layover in Calgary turned out to be a most pleasant respite. I had a nice lunch at the Chili’s restaurant, then caught up on some work. I need to pack up now and go off in search of snacks since I’ll be landing in Montreal at 11PM local time, which is dinner time for me!

October 27, 2010 by Rae

Leaving on a Small Plane

I can’t believe that I’m flying east a week from tomorrow! I got an awesome deal on my tickets to Montreal from Penticton, but it’s going to be a bit of a circuitous route. To get there, I’ll be doing Penticton–>Vancouver–>Calgary–>Montreal. To get back, I’m doing Montreal–>Toronto–>Vancouver–>Penticton.

Flying directly from Vancouver to Montreal was several hundred dollars more and would have required very early morning flights. Funny how the longer route is cheaper and more convenient! I’m happy that I fly out of Penticton at 10AM (meaning I leave Osoyoos at a reasonable 8:30) and out of Montreal at 4:30PM. I’ll arrive at 11:30PM local time both ways. Long days, and jet lag’s a bitch, but this is the best flight itinerary I’ve ever put together.

Thankfully, I’ve been through all those airports except Penticton (which is tiny), so the trip should be easy. My layovers are all only just long enough to ensure that I’ll make my connection barring a huge delay, so I won’t have too much time to kill. I’ll have the iPod on me for entertainment.

I’m getting pretty excited about this trip and it will be very nice to see my family again after more than two years away!

September 22, 2010 by Rae

The Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway is considered to be one of, if not the most, beautiful drives in the world. National Geographic considers it one of the drives of a lifetime. I did my homework on this road! I researched grades, RV-worthiness, facilities, etc. and knew exactly what I was getting into as I headed south from Jasper towards Banff.

Except for one section after the Columbia Icefield, there are no major grades on the parkway, just a lot of small steep sections that could fool you into complacency and wear down your brakes. One of the things I quickly established was that I would not be able to stop as much as I would have liked for two reasons:

1) many rest stops and attractions were close-ended and too small to turn around with a toad;
2) they were at the bottom of hills and would require too much brake jamming to stop at.

I stopped whenever I felt I could safely do so and took long breaks to give both the brakes and the engine a chance for a rest, too.

The parkway starts off lined with trees and rimmed with jagged snowy peaks and then gradually climbs up to the Columbia Icefield where you can see the Athabasca glacier. I stopped at the centre there to see the exhibits, but was not tempted by a pricey trip up the glacier.

The Icefield is located about halfway and the day had been going so, so well. I could have driven up the glacier to a view point, but decided the grade was too steep and that if I made it up, I probably wouldn’t make it down. I was playing it safe.

So, I finally let myself relax and that was that. I’m not sure if I did something wrong going down that big grade, but I got my fill of mountain passes for a lifetime.

My picture gallery ends just after the Icefield. My mind was not on photography after that. 🙁

This plaque about David Thompson is significant to me. It says that he died at Longueuil, which is practically my hometown. I did not know this. It just goes to show how French Canada goes out of its way to squash down the English side of Canadian history.

look at where those clouds are!

perfect place to stop for lunch!

I love how these folks were sitting on their chairs, enjoying their picnic!

approaching Columbia Ice Fields

Athabasca Glacier

I don’t think I’ve seen one of these in two years!

Do you want to know… where are the toilets. Seriously. Personally, that wasn’t my first question upon arriving at the Ice Fields Centre!

staircase up to the Ice Fields Centre

with a camera zoom like that, who needs binoculars?

the glacier recedes annually a distance that is roughly equal to the width of a post card!

this memo states that the exhibits haven’t been updated since 1996, but they are working on updates

this double-sided sign used to stand a the border between Banff & Jasper national parks

I made a note of this plaque because of the ‘water-melon snow algae’, which I saw a lot of on the Chilkoot

old Bombardier snow machine that took tourists up the glacier

a perfect example of why people have silly stereotypes about Canada

I almost missed this nice little addition to the display, seen from the floor above the information centre

this plaque reads that the edge of the glacier was right there in 1843. I’m guesstimating, but it looked to me like the glacier receded at least 1km since then

hardy glacial plants

one last attempt to capture the majesty I now had to flee…

September 22, 2010 by Rae

Bitter Disappointment

The first part of today was wonderful and merits a gushing post of its own, so that will follow. But it was such a tiny part of this much too long day that I can’t even start with that.

Today was a case of déjà vu. Remember the first time I crossed the Rockies? The day started off great then went to pots around Revelstoke when I discovered I’d lost my 12V power. Followed a mad dash to the Okanagan. Well, that was today. Except the troubles started after the Columbia Ice Fields. And they were engine related.

I was coming down a very, very long 8% grade in low gear when my check engine light came on. It bugged me, but I know that a non-flashing check engine sign signifies a minor problem. Miranda was running great and not making any odd noises. I continued on and stopped a good while later after a stretch of flat so that I could sort of coast into the rest spot instead of having to jam the brakes to make it. My brakes weren’t mushy or showing any signs of problems, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

Soon as Miranda was stopped, she stalled. I took a deep breath, had a bathroom and snack break, then tried to start her. She’d start, then stall. I waited until the coast was clear behind me, started her, shifted into drive, and hit the gas. It took two tries, but she got going. Once she was moving, all was well and she performed well without a hint of trouble. Engine heat and RPMs were normal, there were no odd noises or smells.

I was out in the middle of nowhere and figured that if she was moving okay, I’d better keep going. I had about a hundred kilometres to the junction to the Transcanada highway in which to figure out my next move.

My options were:

1) Go east to Banff. But what then? I’d be a hundred kilometres out of my way in $50-night-for-boondocking territory.

2) Go south to Cranbrook via Kootenay park, as planned. I didn’t want to see the Kootenays that way and I had no idea what sort of conditions I would be heading into.

3) Go west via the Transcanada highway to 97A and the Okanagan, like I did back in ’08. This would get me out of the federal parks and into civilization along a well traveled road. I knew that Kelowna was a long, but doable, distance away, that I could get there with the gas I had on board, and that there I would be well situated to get help or even a tow to Osoyoos if needed.

I picked option 3, of course, and made yet another dash through Yoho, Glacier, and Revelstoke national parks. *sighs* I worked my ass off all summer to make this fall trip especially memorable and instead I’m living a nightmare all over again. Every time I had to stop for construction or a red light took ten years off my life. Some times she’d start up in one try, sometimes it took several. Once, in Vernon, she didn’t even conk out. Crossing that town almost made me regret not picking the Walmart there, but there are a ton of turns and stops and red lights to get into that store while the one in Kelowna is right off the highway.

The mechanical issue is surely minor. I probably have a clog in my fuel intake line or the air filter. It might even be something I’ll recognize the minute I pop the hood tomorrow morning. But put yourself in my shoes: you’re five hundred kilometres from civilization and your stalling vehicle runs normally when you get it going. Would you stop to try to solve the problem right there or make a run for it?

So, I’m now a couple of hours away from Osoyoos and my fun is thoroughly spoiled. Even if I get the problem solved first thing in the morning I’m too close to my destination for it to make sense running around for another week. I think I’ll just call the RV park and see if they can take me in early, then get a head start on the contract/job hunt.

I’m too tired and angry right now to make any sort of wild affirmations about what I may choose to do or not do the next time I take Miranda on the road, but I’m pretty sure this is going to be the last time I take her on a scenic detour.

September 21, 2010 by Rae

Jasper and Environs

I decided to go into Jasper today with the toad, much like I did when I visited Banff. There was a museum exhibit I did not want to miss, not believing my good fortune at being here in time for it, and I also wanted to check out some of the surrounding area. It made better sense to do that with the smaller vehicle with good gas mileage! This is going to be rather a long post, but I don’t feel that the individual items deserve their own posts. I’ve interspersed some photos into the text, but do check out the gallery in its entirety for more details.

Jasper townsite is about 75km from Hinton, nearly an hour away. It was almost noon when I pulled up to the park gates. I was asked if I was stopping in the park (no pass is required if you drive straight through) and, if so, for how many days. I replied that I would be going in and out today and would be going through tomorrow. I don’t know if it was the lateness of the hour or what, but I was given a pass that’s good till 4PM tomorrow for the daily rate!

en route to Jasper townsite

Like Banff, Jasper is located within a national park. Unlike Banff, Jasper has an industry outside of tourism so it has a stable economic base that does not fluctuate with the seasons. My impression of Jasper is that it is a more humble version of the ritzy tourist town (think Banff, Aspen, Whistler…). It’s a bit grittier than I would have expected, store and gas prices are reasonable, and homes tend to be modest… even though a tiny bungalow costs a half million dollars!

downtown Jasper

The town is small and doable on foot, so I just parked at the entrance and did a sort of figure eight through the streets, taking in the major landmarks. I noted that there is well-marked RV parking in town.

Jasper Library

I was eager to get to the museum to see the exhibit about the explorer David Thompson.

Jasper museum

Thompson is an explorer who charted most of the continent in the early 19th century. His maps are legendary. He was a man who understood that he was witnessing sweeping changes to the British North American regime and the birth of a nation. He was the one who charted a usable route through the Rockies, securing what is now British Columbia, a land the Americans were eying. Thompson’s explorations united eastern and western Canada and helped shaped the nation that was born on July 1, 1867. Like many great men, he died penniless and insignificant. A sad end to a remarkable story.

excerpt from Thompson’s diary

The Jasper museum is excellent! It charts the history of the park and the townsite from prehistory to today. Like many towns, Jasper’s heyday ended with the demise of the railroad era. Today, the Jasper Lodge attractions the wealthy and famous sort of folk that were the original visitors to Jasper until reliable roads made the area and townsite more accessible. It was around the 1950’s that the idea came to charge people an entrance fee into the park.

gate into Jasper, circa 1950

After getting my fill of the museum, I grabbed some lunch and then headed out of town to travel the Maligne Lake Road.

Jasper train yard

This road leads to the swanky Jasper Lodge, as well as several geographic landmarks of interest: Maligne Ravine, Medicine Lake, and Maligne Lake. Maligne comes from old French that means ‘wicked’, thus named by a man of the cloth who had a difficult time making a portage.

Maligne Valley

Maligne Ravine was my favourite outdoor part of the day. The sinuous, claustrophobic channel with its thunderous waterfalls and turquoise pools filled me with wonder. I practically hung off the side of the bridges to try to get a sense of the sheer drop with my camera, but I don’t think I really captured it. The view was such that I didn’t even think about the height factor. I just wanted to take it all in!

Maligne Ravine

Next stop was Medicine Lake, so called by the local natives because they felt the lake contained medicine, or magic. This lake looks like a lake in the summer, but drains in the fall, leaving only shallow pools! The mystery has been explained, but it’s still quite a sight to behold!

Medicine Lake

Shortly after Medicine Lake, I encountered a pair of moose:

The final stop of the day was Maligne Lake, considered one of the most beautiful in Canada. It was worth the nearly one hour drive from Jasper townsite!

Maligne Lake

I did pop over to the Jasper Lodge on the way back, but I was most certainly not dressed to be walking around a posh property inconspicuously, so I was a bit shy and only got a shot of it from a distance:

Jasper Lodge

Coming home, I finally had a wildlife sighting I’ve been eager for. I’ve seen deer, caribou, moose, bison, foxes, wolves, bears, and more, but I’ve never seen a wild sheep before! Thank you construction for slowing down traffic!

sheep

I ended the day by popping into Hinton to scope out the best gas station at which to fuel up Miranda tomorrow (the Shell on the north side) and to get some groceries (VERY nice IGA!).

When I got home, I hooked up the water and sewer hoses after filling the fresh water tank. I dumped the holding tanks and will put away everything once I’ve had a long shower tonight. The car is already hooked up, so there won’t be too much to do to get ready tomorrow. I’ll have a lot of ground to cover and many things to see, so I don’t want to waste too much time puttering around here.

Finally, here is a shot of the campground: