Down the West side of the Rockies and Home--July 10-11

When last wrote I left my readers (if there still are any) in the lurch.  Jeff and I had just checked in to a hotel in Golden, British Columbia after a day in the mountains and visiting Lake Louise.  For three nights we had paid a little (a lot) more than we budgeted for accomodations, so we figured the Howard Johnson's would be a lower price compromise.  Hmmm.  We found the room was spartan, the towels were thin, the internet was nonexistent and the proprietor was nowhere to be found.  We found a decent chinese restaraunt around the corner and settled in for an evening of TV and reading when shouting could be heard on the other side of the door.  Seems that the Dad of the family upstairs had been kicked out of the room and he and the missus were conducting a cell phone conversation that didn't need cell phones.  Obviously drugs and/or alcohol were involved and since (as I mentioned) the proprietor was nowhere to be found, we stayed behind our door and tried to ignore the ruckus.  Earplugs are a blessing.

The next morning we found breakfast, and drove west across the mountains.  Amazing sights greeted us on either side of the road.  We went up one mountain range and down another.

Taking pictures on the road

Dwarfed by the mountains

We had another pleasant ride, listening to music and watching the mountains go by.  Then we dipped into a valley and saw a long broad lake to our right.  It seemed like the lake went on forever!  I looked on the map but never could figure out what lake it was.  We finally stopped and found our way to a little park on the shore and ate our sandwiches.

The mystery lake

We found the shore

Miles of docks, boats and cabins

Love the red hollyhocks

The little path to the beach

We decided to make reservations at the Comfort Inn in Chilliwack, just on the Canadian side of the border.  As we continued past the lake and down out of the mountains I was driving and enjoying the scenery.  Jeff took over in Kamloops and soon noticed we were low on gas.  We took an exit as soon as we could, but about 4 miles down the road we still didn't see a gas station.  So we turned around and went back to the freeway.  As soon as we got back on the freeway a sign appeared that read "No services next service 150 km (about 90 miles).  The gas gauge read 1/4.  Well, a little under 1/4.  Our marvelous car can tell you how many miles you have left on a tank of gas before empty.  The car said 75 miles.  Well, we would be about 15 miles short.  We both started to get worried.  Jeff drove the minimum speed.  We drove and drove.  The miles went by.  I checked how far it was to the next town (Hope--no really, the town was Hope, B.C.)  Then we started down a long downhill section.  We had about 40 miles to go and 23 miles worth of gas.  Jeff started putting it in neutral and coasting.  Down, down, down we went.  Uh-oh--an uphill section.  Jeff coasted as far as he could uphill, and then pushed on the gas pedal.  Up we went and then, mercifully, down some more.  Finally we had 15 miles to go and the gas left in the tank gauge ticked down to 0 miles left.  But still the car kept going.  Jeff was looking for a place to coast to a stop when the inevitable end came, but it never happened.  We kept going.  Unbelievably, we saw the exit for Hope.  Thank goodness it was downhill to the the first gas station and for a change, Jeff didn't even question the price! Whew!  Bullet dodged and another reason to love this car.

When we got into Chilliwack, we found a nice restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner and a celebratory dessert.  We had made it across Canada.  What a wonderful trip. 

Victory dessert at Ville Bella. We completed our cross-Canada drive

The next morning, we made an uneventful crossing into the good ole USA and continued down I-5.  We got home and took a picture of the speedometer.

Back in in the USA

6615 miles and 130 hours in the car together.....WOW

The green line is this trip.....6615 miles

And now, the best and worst list:


Worst Hotel:
Jeff - Parma Inn, Parma, Idaho
Kathy - Agreed!  The worst not just of this trip, but ever in my life.

Best hotel:  Jeff- Moose Jaw--the mineral spa (and casino)
Kathy- The Lakeside Suite in Kenora

Best Restaurant:
 Jeff - Tie between The Tick Tock Restaurant in western Cleveland and Jack's Deli in east Cleveland - some tastes just never die.
Kathy-The Pazzo in Stratford--that delicious pizza

Worst Restaurant:  Jeff--Lunch in Niagara, Ontrario.
Kathy-- Red Dog Inn--the worst fish and chips.

Best Beer:
Jeff - N/A
Kathy - The brewpub in Kenora, Ontario on my birthday.

Best Experience:
Jeff - Spending 130.5 hours in the car with Kathy and it enjoying it all.
Kathy-  Watching the kids enjoy the fireworks that Jeff so carefully bought and smuggled to Canada.

Worst tourist trap:
Jeff - Banff, Alberta, so little for so much
Kathy - Banff.  It was a not so pleasant surprise.

Nicest Surprise:
Jeff - Kenora, Ontario - a tiny spot on the map but very nice place to roost for the night
Kathy - The B and B at Niagara.  Loved the balcony.

Best Scenery:
Kathy:  Lake Louise and the Rockies.
Jeff:  I agree....the Rockies are spectacular.

Warmest Moment:
Kathy:  The amazing injection in the back of the head that cured Jeff's headache.  Wow!
Jeff:  Hanging out with my family in Michigan and Ohio.

Biggest scare:
Jeff: Coming down the west side of the Rockies on fumes
Kathy: Forgetting the passports and hoping they would get to Cleveland safely

Best Ice Cream
Kathy:  The Gelato from Niagara on the Lake.
Jeff:  Chagrin Falls.

Thanks everyone who reads the blog.  And now on to our next adventure.......

The Rockies --July 9-10

We left Moose Jaw and the comforts of the Temple Gardens determined to be in Banff by nightfall.  We had brought camping gear all the way across the US and back across Canada, but by the time we got close to Calgary, we realized we were too tired and burnt out to camp.  We got sticker shock when we started calling hotels in Banff, but settled on a not too expensive place with a swimming pool and were so relieved to check in and get settled.

The Rockies looked more like the Smokies due to forest fires in British Columbia

Mountains looming over Banff

After a nice rest, we walked down the main drag in search of dinner.  It was soon very obvious that the simple, small town that Jeff remembered from his hitch-hiking trip in 1971 was gone.  Banff is now a big noisy tourist trap and seemed to be full of two types of people.  Either drunken college students or busloads of Asians.  Both types were taking up more than their share of sidewalk space.  We were glad when we found a pizza place for dinner and went back to the hotel for a swim and dip in the hot tub before bed.

The next day we took the winding road into the mountains with the ultimate goal of getting to Lake Louise. It was a lovely day with mild temps and everywhere we looked, huge mountains filled the skyline above us. 

The Rocky Mountains

We stopped often for photos

Groves of birches

The river's blue color was because of minerals leached from the glaciers

Finally we got to Lake Louise.  It was so beautiful......everything I had heard about it was true!  Unfortunately, the busloads got there before us, but we still enjoyed the scenery, and the people watching (selfie-sticks anyone???)

Panorama of Lake Louise

Lake Louise is a stunning color of blue

Close up of the glacier

Local Jay

Fun eating lunch and people watching

After we had our sandwiches on a bench while watching various combinations of families take pictures, we explored the area a little bit.  Jeff remembered the exact spot where he had his picture taken with his brother Dennis and friend David.  He recreated the moment.

Jeff at the scene of the previous photo--only a few years later.

It started clouding up and we went inside the lodge.  We decided to try and get a space at the formal afternoon tea.  After waiting a pleasant half hour, we were seated and served delicious tea, sandwiches and desserts. Meanwhile it started to pour down rain and our enjoyment was enhanced by the sight of some very wet tourons trying to stay dry.

The lobby of the lodge at Lake Louise

View from the window

Luxurious surroundings

Finger sandwiches

Dessert Tray

Pouring Earl Grey

We decided that the rain ended our camping hopes (and lots of bugs too) and headed across the Rockies as the sun set.  We stopped in Golden at a Howard Johnson's.  A distinct step down from our previous lodgings. 

Across the Canadian Plains--July 8 and 9

Our stop in Kenora was the "pause that refreshes".  We had a great night in the luxury suite and got up early and ate on the 9th floor restaurant with our 10% off coupons.  Soon we passed into Manitoba and the outskirts of Winnipeg.  We stopped at a Safeway for a sandwich and ate it at a rest stop.  The plains in Canada are just like the plains of the midwest USA except they grow different crops.  Lots of long rolling hills covered with wheat, canola, alfalfa, corn and unidentifiable grains.

It was bright and hazy and flat

And the road was loooooong

The next biggest city in southern Saskatchewan is Regina.  We were ready to stop, but Jeff looked on the map and the next town was Moose Jaw.  We really couldn't pass up a chance to stay the night in a town called Moose Jaw.  We consulted our AAA travel guide and found a hotel/spa/casino, called  and booked a room.  By the time we got to Moose Jaw, we were really tired and ready for a break.  Boy did we book the right place.

A reward after the long road

And a delicious dinner too

The Moose Jaw city hall

The Earl of Wessex visited

Sunset in Moose Jaw

We stayed at the Temple Gardens mineral spa, hotel and casino

The mineral spa. Warm peaceful and relaxing

The outside pool was hotter

Jeff got parboiled

After a nice long soak, Jeff and I made our way back to the hotel room.  I was ready to sleep, but Jeff went to the attached casino for an hour.  The next day we headed for the Rockies.  But first, long miles of the prairie

The prairie had  surprising amounts of lakes and ponds

The colors were so lovely

Quite the wind sock.

The largest Teepee in Canada (or so it was claimed)