Oh Canada! Oh Canada! The Trans-Canada Highway is BEAUTIFUL; The Icefields Parkway is even more SPECTACULAR; and The Columbia Icefield Skywalk (a glass bottom bridge that extends out from a cliff edge at the height of over 900 feet from the valley floor below) is intimidating and exhilarating!
We left Pocatella, Idaho on Monday, June 19 and traveled north to Canada (about 900 miles) where we spent the rest of the week. I know that I keep saying that everywhere we go is more beautiful than the last place, but this really is true when it comes to our trip to Banff, Canada. Emerald green forests everywhere you look with snow capped mountains all around you. We had great Harvest Hosts stays on our way to Canada and on our way back to Idaho, but our campsite, the Tunnel Mountain Village I Campground in Banff, Canada was the best campsite that we have experienced so far! Wow! Just Wow! Each campsite is private, flat and surrounded by exceptionally tall “Christmas trees.” Each site has a fire pit and unlimited wood supplied by the campground. Yes, we had a fire every night and even BBQ’d a delicious Rib Eye steak (Thank you Jamie and Brent!) right on the grate with corn on the cob and scalloped potatoes.
Hot Tip #1: When traveling across the Canadian border, be sure you know what items are NOT allowed to be transported. There are limits to how much alcohol you can bring into the country and no dairy or fresh produce. We made sure to leave our 2 cases of wine and backup whiskey at Hanne’s house! We wouldn’t want that to get confiscated. Everything you read says that most likely they will not inspect the motor home, but it does happen. We hid our eggs, cheese and produce in the laundry drawer with clean towels on top of them! You may remember us mentioning that we also had to have Charlie’s vaccines up to date. So we were well prepared for our crossing: Passports, vaccine records (for us and Charlie), limited amounts of booze, dairy and produce nowhere to be seen. As we pulled up to the border crossing booth the very kind border agent requested to see our passports, asked where we were going, how long we were going to be in Canada and if we had any cannabis on board (the answer being no) and he waved us on through and wished a lovely stay in Canada! Easy Peasy! All of that fretting, for no reason. But better to be safe than sorry, as they say! Welcome to Canada!
The Icefields Parkway
The first full day in Banff, we got up early and left the campground and drove the Icefields Parkway in Coach Addy. OMG!! Such beauty and a very safe road to drive on! Let me just say, The Million Dollar Highway has nothing on this road. It may be one of the most beautiful roads in the United States, but this is Canada! Every turn introduces you to more beauty, more mountains filled with snow, large aquamarine lakes and full flowing waterfalls; you sense that you are on the path to something very special…and you are! Of course seeing a Black Bear cruising along the highway was an added bonus for us!
Just past Lake Louise and just before Jasper you arrive at the Columbia Icefields Discovery Center in Jasper National Park located in the Canadian Rockies. The Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield in the North America’s Rocky Mountains. There are six major glaciers in this area, the largest being the Athabasca Glacier.
But the jaw dropping, must do experience is the short shuttle ride to the Columbia Icefield Skywalk. The Skywalk is an impressive piece of architecture: a see-through glass bridge shaped in a large semi-circle that cavaliers out over the valley and offers 270° views and is suspended from a cliff 918 feet above the Sunwapta Valley.
This experience is NOT for the faint of heart or those who might be afraid of heights or bridges…Oh, did I mention that Peder is afraid of heights and he really hates bridges! I was so proud of him for taking this adventure head on! Although, I can’t really say he enjoyed the experience, as he rushed across the walkway so quickly and I’m pretty sure he didn’t even look down once! You can check out the video below of his starting out on this great adventure. As for me, I LOVED it! What an experience!
Peder praying before he steps foot on the glass bottomed skywalk...
Hot Tip #2: Just Go For It! Peder could have easily declined this adventure, but what fun would that have been!
Downtown Banff
We spent day two riding our e-bikes all around Banff. They have great trails and very safe bike lanes throughout the entire area. Again, we were gifted with an added bonus: A family of 4 gorgeous elk out for a stroll right next to the road that we were riding on!
Downtown Banff must be one of the most adorable (and accessible) downtowns I have ever seen. Peder was in “city planner” heaven just sitting on a bench, people watching and analyzing what makes this downtown work. Banff Avenue is a pedestrian and bike friendly street that is closed to vehicles (except for the local electric buses that shuttle people all around the area). The charming wood structured buildings and the car free street make this mainstreet look like something out of a Hallmark movie. We parked our bikes and walked, shopped and of course we stopped at the Banff Ave. Brewing Company for a beer before heading back to our campground.
Hot Tip #2 Always enjoy the local brew, wine or whiskey!
Harvest Hosts for the win again…
This week we stayed at four different Harvest Hosts: two on the way up to Canada from Idaho and two on the way back. Our trip north included two breweries: Missouri Brewing Company in Helena, Montana and High River Brewing Company in Alberta, Canada. Both were excellent and the hosts were extremely friendly and the beer was pretty good!
Julie Sporting Home Team Sweatshirt! Hey, when you can only bring one hoodie, make it the right one!
The drive back to Idaho also included a brewery, Hard Knox Brewery in Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada and tonight we are staying at The Sheep Mountain Creamery in Helena, MT. The Hard Knox Brewery had a great band playing and they have quite a local following. It was perfect weather to sit on their patio, enjoy a beer, some Pulled Pork Poutine French Fries and live music.
The navigational system took us a different route back to Idaho than our drive north to Canada. Lucky for us this route took us right by the entrance to Glacier National Park. So, of course we called an audible and made the right turn right into the park. So lush and so beautiful.
Black Diamond also is home to a popular Canadian Whiskey Distillery, Eau Claire Distillery. For those of you who know Peder, you know that he loves Canadian Whiskey, so of course we had to hop on the e-bikes and travel just a couple of miles to the distillery. So glad that we did! The bike ride was awesome, down gravel country roads and the whiskey was our reward. Did a whiskey tasting and of course I had to try their smoked, Canadian Maple old fashioned! All were excellent. We even bought a bottle of their Double Gold Award winning Rupert's Exceptional Canadian Whiskey. Cheers!
We never quite figured out what made an intersection important in Canada, but in this case, we think it is because it led to the distillery!
Hot Tip #3 Always remember that it is about the journey and not just the destination. This week could easily have been titled Historic Main Streets! We traveled through so many on our way to Canada. Each one unique, each one depicting their town’s history and each one a reminder that a town’s downtown is the heart of a community, the place where people gather and celebrate all that is good in their town. When we began planning this adventure, I pictured us driving through downtowns all across the country and this was the first week where that really happened. I loved it! I loved seeing the towns and loved reading about them even more.
My favorite story so far has to be about Fort Macleod in Alberta, Canada. This town was used for filming scenes from The Last of Us. The scenes that were supposed to be set in Austin, Texas were actually shot in Fort Macleod!
I am now in the process of researching Downtown Main Streets that I don’t want to miss as we travel East!
Lesson Learned: Just when you think it can’t get any more beautiful, it does. Mother Nature is a force, producing landscapes that are rich, varied and literally indescribable!
Bummer of the Week: That we only scheduled 4 days in Banff. The weather was perfect and the area is so bike friendly. We really needed a few more days here.
Highlight of the Week: The drive to the Columbian Icefields and that awesome Skywalk! But the up close sighting of the Black Bear and Elk family is a close second!
Peder will be staying in Pocatello for the next week, while I fly home on June 29 to check in on my family, visit some friends (and yes, get my hair done). I return to Idaho on July 6 and then we are off to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons with Hanne and her family. No post next week, since I won’t be with Coach Addy, but Sunday Morning Musings and Mimosas will return on July 9.
Have a great couple of weeks, I am looking forward to my time in San Diego and looking even more forward to getting back on the road with Coach Addy as we begin to head East towards Minnesota! Craig and Val, we’re comin’ for ya! See you on July 27!
Julie,
Your ability to “paint a picture or experience with words” brings me along for the ride, the experience, the breathtaking views, the taste of a small town! Thank you!