So this is Spring?????

Unlike Australia where each season begins on an arbitrary date that neatly and evenly divides the year  into four parts, North American seasons begin and end on dates that are determined by the position of the sun.  (You can read about it here if you are interested in the details!!) This year the spring equinox occurred on March 21st and thus so did Spring.  I think though that someone forgot to tell mother nature!!!  My  image of spring is this - flowers blooming, green grass, warm weather, sunny days, birds tweeting and winter gear packed away.  The reality though has been quite a bit different.  Not that I'm complaining - it just meant that we got to enjoy winter conditions for a bit longer - especially at Big White where the mountain received 60 cm of fresh powder in its final week of operations.

We attempted to visit the Myra Canyon Trestles for the 2nd time.
However although the weather was warm, there was still too much snow on
the ground to bike along the trestles with any success.

Yep - we pushed our bikes for a couple of km's along snow covered roads.
It was not easy and we gave up after learning that the trestles
were still covered in snow.

Biking on snow is rather slippery - but it is fun!!

A light sprinkling of snow in early April.  It was rather pretty and didn't last long.

Brrrr - Look how wet we are!!! This was taken last Saturday on a hike up Kelowna Mountain.
It was cold and wet and we even got hailed on!! Definately NOT spring like.   The view however was awesome.
We plan to hike it again on a clear day.

What the???? This was also taken last Saturday in an area about 1/2 an hour from our house.

Road Trippin - Part 7 - Home to Kelowna

 As mentioned in part 6 of road trippin’ (if you haven’t read it please do) we drove back to Kaslo for breakfast at BlueBelle’s Café and Beanery after which we took a short tour through the town.  Not much was open here unfortunately so needless to say the tour was very short!!  Kaslo and the surrounding area is quite pretty and I am sure that it would be a great place to visit in the summer to go camping and fishing and maybe even try the “world’s best fish and chips” (we shall see JB’s at Woodbury, we shall see).

From Kaslo we drove to Ainsworth Hot Springs for a soak.  The hot springs here are similar to most commercially run hot springs in the region in that the water is housed in pools similar to what you would find at a public swimming pool.  However here there are caves that have hot spring water flowing through them.  The temperature of the water inside the caves is about 10c warmer than in the pools and it is dark and steamy so it was difficult to stay inside them for more than a few minutes at a time.  After soaking long enough to get wrinkled fingers and toes we headed to Nelson for a quick look. 

                                        

                                       

Nelson is the cultural hub of the Kootenays with a number of galleries featuring local artisan's work.  It is also very much like Byron Bay in that it is a melting pot of different types of people, from hippies, to the outdoorsy to the rediculously wealthy.  We took a little bit of time to explore one of the local galleries and the surrounding shops on Baker St.  The shop fronts have retained their old world charm, while the interiors are thoroughly modern.

After leaving Nelson we headed along highway 3 through Castlegar then onto Grand Forks.  The landscape flattened out and very little snow lay on the ground.  Grand Forks is situated in the Boundary Region of BC. The mountains to its south form a natural border between Canada and the US. 

Grand Forks itself was uninspiring for the most part save for a fantastic little gem of a cafe called the Happy Days Diner.

The interior is styled in a 50's theme with loads of memorabilia and menus inspired by movie and music stars of this era.  The food was fantastic, the service even better.  The boys won over the staff with their natural charm - even taking away a free donut each.

The drive from Grand Forks to Kelowna was fairly uneventful.  We stopped briefly in the desert like city of Osoyoos then headed north.  Just outside Penticton; a city at the southern end of Okanagan Lake; we spotted a loon and her chicks swimming mightily against the flow of the river that feeds Okanagan falls.  We then followed Okanagan lake through Penticton and Summerland before stopping at the quaint lake side town of Peachland.  The 'beach' in Peachland is made up of small pebbles and has a grand view of the lake.  Whilst in Peachland we once again saw snow and small hail falling lightly. 

The nanny and bumps effect had an impact just about everywhere we went on our trip.  Incredibly even as Mum and Dad left Kelowna their plane flew through lightly falling snow!  And not only that as they arrived back in Australia southeast Queensland experienced huge summer storms!!!   

Mum and Dad’s wish for when they came to Canada this time around was (apart from visiting us!!!) a winter experience.  That they certainly got – as well as some unforgettable experiences.  We had a great time with them and can’t wait for their return in the summer

                                      

Road Trippin - Part 6 - Kimberley, Kootenay Bay and Kaslo

The landscape as we left Radium whilst still mountainous was less snow covered and subsequently we saw more of the brown one associates with early spring in this part of the world.  We did however welcome the blue skies and slightly warmer weather also associated with this time of the year.

Our first stop today was at a little town called Kimberley.  Winter time does not do Kimberley justice I am sure.  Shop fronts looked tired with dirty streets and unkempt gardens.  In the centre of town is the Platzl, a pedestrian only strip mall that is home to the worlds largest cuckoo clock.  For a looney ($1) you can watch as a little Austrian man (a dummy) comes out of the clock and yodels for about a minute before sliding back behind two barn doors.  It’s not exactly riveting but it did provide us with a laugh or two. 

Our coffee fix this time was at a great little café (the Bean Tree) at one end of the Platzl.  The coffee was mellow and hot and they sold the most fantastic chocolate chip cookies I have tasted for a long time.  The interior of the café was very eclectic with I think about 4 different styles of light fittings, chairs and tables that didn’t match and local artist’s work displayed on its brightly coloured walls. 

We left the sleepy town and headed south.  We drove through the bustling city of Castlegar and then onto Creston where we found out about the free (yep free!!)  BC Ferry crossing at Kootenay Bay.

The ferry crossing is located at the end of a long winding road that hugs the coast line.  The drive itself is quite beautiful but unfortunately for us we didn’t have time to take it in at a leisurely pace as we were on a tight timeline to get to the ferry.

We were surprised at how many people wanted to cross the lake – especially at this time of year.  I can imagine that it would get extremely busy during the summer.

Crossing the lake was a welcome diversion from driving and gave us all a chance to take in the beautiful mountains that surrounded us.  A 35 minute journey is all it took to get us to a tiny dot of a town named Balfour.  With limited accommodation on offer here we headed north towards Kaslo.  At the half way point in Woodbury we found some quaint cottages to stay in.  Apparently the restaurant nearby serves “the best fish and chips in the world”.  We didn’t get to test their boastful claim but they have a lot to live up to especially coming from Australia where we have AWESOME fish and chips!!!

                           

Sorry Canadian friends but every fish and chips we have tried here has been very ordinary. 

For dinner we drove to Kaslo  a small town 20 minutes north of Woodbury. Here we had food that was WAY better than ordinary.  It was fresh, organic and tasty. So much so we decided to come back for breakfast the next day.

Road Trippin - Part 5 - The Nanny and Bumps Effect

The Nanny and Bumps Effect: 

the effect of two people who bring weather events with them wherever they go!!

Once again we woke to snow and it continued as we made our way into Banff.  Banff is a much larger version of Jasper.  It is very tourist driven yet retains its small town feel – at least in winter anyway.  It has a number of souveneir stores, plenty of good cafes and eateries and is small enough to be able to walk around easily within an hour or so.  After strolling around town for a while we headed over to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.  Georgeous, georgeous, georgeous!! It’s façade is magnificent with stone walls and castle like turrets.  The interior is also very elegant and whilst we did not get to see the inside of one of the hotel rooms (which you can stay at  from as little as $399CAD a night!!!!!) we did get to stroll through the shopping area.  It was great to see that, unlike a number of other souvenir stores we have been to, most of the items for sale were goods made in Canada by local artisans and not manufactured en mass in China or India. 

These tunnels are designed to allow wildlife to cross the highway safely overhead.

Banff has some awesome views of the Rocky Mountains

How about this as a way to walk 3 year olds around town?
Two day care walkers at each end of a rope, while the 3 year olds hold onto it.
As they cross the road the children have been taught to hold one hand up to let
motorists know they are crossing the street. They looked like little colourful penguins as they strolled around town.

Dad and a little marble friend hanging out in an art gallery in the Banff Springs Hotel

As has become routine whenever we visit a town, we stopped for coffee before heading on the road again. We headed back towards Lake Louise before heading out of Banff National Park into Kootenay National Park, otherwise known as the Kootenays.  This mountain range is as lovely and magnificent as the Rockies and encompasses the Selkirk, Monashee and Purcell Mountain ranges. 

Our drive took us past towering mountain sides, numerous frozen waterfalls and into the town of Radium, home of the Radium Hot Springs.  Just as we pulled up at the Hot Springs the Nanny and Bumps effect once again kicked in and a good amount of hail greeted us.  The hail was the size of small marbles but thankfully did not have the same punch.  Canadian hail is basically compacted snow that’s been tossed and turned in the clouds to form balls.  It causes no where near the damage that Australian hail does. 

Bren, the boys and I took a dip in the Radium Hot Spring pools.  The pools look just like a public swimming pool however the temperature is much much higher and the water a whole lot more therapeutic.  The volume of water in the pool is replenished every 8 hours from water drawn from the natural hot springs so although chlorine is used in the pools to kill certain bacteria it doesn’t smell of it. 

Our bed for the night was in Radium itself which is a short drive from the pools.  The drive from the pools to Radium took us through a narrow section of road with high walled canyons on either side.  At one point where the road turns the view of the mountains ahead is totally obscured by the canyon. 

Whilst eating dinner at a local restaurant we noticed that the sky had cleared and stars were twinkling!.  With that in mind Bren and I braved the cold later in the evening with our tripod and wide angle lens hoping once again to catch and capture a glimpse (or more) of the northern lights.  We stayed outside for an hour or so until the cold once again forced us inside – the northern lights again making a no show.  At least we don’t think so.  After looking back at the photos I think that we captured  a very faint glimpse of the green haze typical of northern lights.

After speaking with some local residents here we found out that Radium is home to mobs of big horned sheep that take up residence on rocky hillsides and the lush green grass of the local golf course.  On our way out of town we went on a mission to find them. This we did in just the places we were told they would be.  They are apparently quite used to human contact and don’t mind a pat (we did not try this!!!).  It seems that other creatures wander Radium streets as well judging by the many fenced and rock covered gardens and yards that dominate landscape designs here.  One would assume this is to keep deer and sheep at bay – its not a bad way to omit mowing from the list of weekly chores as well.

Another of Radium's local critters

Road Trippin' - Part 4 - Ooooh Aaaah Ohhhhhh Wowwwwww!!!

Aaaaaahhhhh! There is nothing like a warm, comfortable bed to help revitalise a tired body.  That and a few cups of strong coffee.  After breakfast and with snow still lightly falling we left the unplowed streets of Edmonton for Jasper. 

Along the way eagle eyed Mum spotted an Elk sitting nonchalantly in deep snow about 20 metres off the side of the highway.  The wildlife photographer in me just ‘had’ to get the shot.  With a bit of trepidation I inched closer to the Elk making certain that I was within ‘dashing  quickly back to the car’ distance just in case said Elk decided I looked a bit menacing and wanted to charge.   I must say that I am now in love with my 70-200mm telephoto lens more than ever. 

A few km down the road Mum’s keen eyes spotted another group of Elk .  This time there were no alpha males but the more gentile female of the species.  Again my 70-200mm lens came to the fore and I was able to capture these pretty creatures from a comfortable distance.  They didn’t seem to mind my presence but I wasn’t pushing it so hopped back in the car satisfied that I got the shots I wanted without freaking out the wildlife (or me!!!)

Jasper was as quaint and beautiful as I remembered it.  It is a small town nestled between magnificent mountains, clear blue lakes and an abundance of wildlife.  There are a vast number of trails to hike  which take you through some incredibly pristine landscapes.   We wanted to hike the Maligne Canyon where the water that normally flows through its valley freezes in winter.  This would allow us to walk along its base.  However without the safety of cleats for our boots or hiking poles we decided against doing the entire hike.  We did though walk a small portion of the canyon to get a taste  of what it would look like.  WOW. How special it was to be able to walk over what would be a rushing, bubbling creek in Summer, to walk through high walled canyons and to see frozen waterfalls (albeit small) either side of us.   I just wish we had those cleats and poles so that we could have walked the entire canyon.

                         

We could not leave Jasper without visiting the Bear's Paw Bakery.  It has some of the most delicious bakery treats you are ever likely to try.  This bakery has become so popular they have had to open a second store in town which has been named “The Other Paw”.  In a town of "not that many people"  that certainly says something about the quality of food and coffee it serves up.

With our bellies full we started travelling southwest along the Icefields Parkway.  This drive takes you through a valley that meanders its way through the Rocky Mountains.  At this time of year the mountains are covered in snow and it is difficult to describe in words how truly beautiful and awe inspiring they are.  Every time we turned a corner you could hear ‘ooohs and aaaahs’ and ‘oh look at that’ as new perspectives came into view. 

At the half way point we came to Athabasca Glacier.  Unfortunately for us the tours that enable you to get out onto the glacier were closed for the season.  We did however get to see this monstrous wonder from a short distance away.  The wind that whipped off of it was extremely chilly so we didn’t stay and view it for too long.  Needless to say it too was a sight to behold.

Surprisingly we did not see any animals on the drive.  We even had the boys looking with the promise of a few dollars if they were able to spot some! 

Our stop for the night was Lake Louise once again.  We went out for dinner at a wonderful restaurant called the Station House.  If you ever need a place to eat (lunch or dinner) in Lake Louise go there.  The food is wonderful, the ambience terrific and service excellent.  It is housed in an original Canadian Pacific Railway station house that has been lovingly restored and trains still run past it at regular intervals.  Not only that but a roaring, crackling fire was lit that smelled delicious and was toasty warm. 

Did I mention that the food was wonderful???