Kamloops was a great overnight stop: it was a bonus to happen upon the evidence of settlement by local indigenous people dating back 4,000 years - this was in the form of kitchen pits remaining from housing. House structures were beautifully reconstructed in a reserve devoted to indigenous built form of the last 4,000 years, till European invasion.
Road east to Banff
We followed the recommendation to take the road to Banff via Golden and Mt Revelstoke and it got very interesting from this point on. I enjoyed the photographic opportunities provided by the sun roof - the peaks being far to high to capture from the passenger windows. And, of course, I insisted we have lunch at Kicking Horse Pass - so I could see what prompted our honorary Aussie to name his band after this top spot.
Banff is the largest ski 'village' I've ever seen: providing for every imaginable need of skiers and summertime tourists. Development is obviously strictly administered so that the natural values of the surrounding area are not compromised by the bustling town. The caribou are not put off by the traffic and graze freely by the roadside.
We stayed in the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel which is so big and grand that it conducts tours of its buildings and grounds for anyone interested. We didn't have time to do one, however, we browsed its dozen or so shops and on the last day I enjoyed a swim in its 30 metre lap pool and hot plunge pool. We declined the provision of parking (at $25 per day or $50 per day valet parking) as the room tariff was already rather pricey.
Banff and Sunshine Meadows walk
I got a lift to the starting point for the walk up to the Sunshine Meadows - a plateau which supports a complex network of ski lifts for every imaginable snow sport. In summer, a bus replaces the gondola ride to Sunshine Meadows. It's a relatively easy climb from there to the meadows. The trail is clearly marked and, fortunately for this solo walker, there were many people walking the trail so I wasn't concerned about surprising any bears going about their business. Wildflowers had almost finished flowering but the views hadn't!
I took a rest break at the top of the chairlift for lunch and as soon as I opened the plastic wrapper containing food, weazels darted out expecting to share it. They are much faster than the chipmunks or squirrels, and a real challenge to photograph. Feeling a bit put-upon, I finished the rest of my packed lunch at a bench a small distance down from the peak - a couple of local girls hiked past, one of whom authoritatively explained to her mate that the diggings next to the bench were those of a Grizzly. Maybe that wasn't such a good spot to eat either.
My walk took in all 3 lakes as well as the summit. Although I got back to Sunshine Village in time for the 4.30pm bus, it was full, and whilst waiting for the 5.30pm (last) bus, I chatted with a woman from Virginia, who had settled in the U.S (from China) 16 years ago. She was most interested in the Australian system of government, in particular, the social welfare / medicare system. And I was interested in catching a lift with her and her family back to Banff so we continued our conversation during the 20 minute ride back to Banff.
Johnston Canyon and Sulphur Mountain
The next day we chose the short drive to Johnston Canyon rather than go to Lake Louise. The pics can't do justice to this amazing gorge and series of waterfalls. We were advised to get there early to avoid the crowds as it's a popular tourist destination. The Red squirrels posed obligingly for photos. These are not to be confused with Ground squirrels which are plain grey brown or with chipmunks which are tiny by comparison.
Sometimes, the top travel experiences occur in an unplanned and serendipitous manner. This happened in the afternoon of that day when we drove up the mountain to view the resort where my nephew worked when he first arrived in Canada. I spotted the gondola up Sulphur Mountain and immediately decided to ride it to the top. With a car to myself, I got a little panicky on the 8 minute ride - altogether too tense to take out and use the camera. Nevertheless there were plenty of opportunities at the top to do so, and the day was perfect.
With local map in hand, I strolled back to the hotel via a track through the woods. It was suddenly very quiet and isolated, zigzagging about 2kms downward and dotted with horse poo - I imagined that it was far too dangerous to traverse any other way than on horseback. The bus driver had advised making a lot of noise (which is easy when you're walking with a companion) so I sang bursts of 'There's a bear in there' and chatted loudly to all the inhabitants so that I wouldn't meet any bears on the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment