British Columbia Road Trip - July 2010

Sharan’s folks (Aunt & Uncle) were visiting us from Mumbai, India in the summer of 2010. We took them on short trips around Calgary during weekends much like when my folks visited during spring 2010. They had also planned an Alaskan cruise during this trip.  Since they had take the cruise from Seattle, we decided to drop them off at Vancouver. That way they could easily get to Seattle. Also, it gave us a chance of exploring British Columbia (BC) province. Our BC sightseeing was limited to visiting Vancouver till then. Hence we decided to make a road trip of this. 


Our entire road trip was for 6 days, 3000kms and mostly in Southern BC in the following route: Calgary-Kelowna-Victoria- Vancouver-Whistler-Kamploops-Revelstoke-Calgary

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Kelowna:

This scenic city is in the Okanagan Valley of BC. Okanagan Valley and on the banks of Lake Okanagan, is known as the Napa Valley of Canada. – Things to do in Kelowna would include touring vineyards, wineries and fruit orchards. Other popular places in Canada for wines include the Niagara Valley.

Kelowna, BC (Photo Credit: Dr. R.V Rao)

We stayed in downtown Kelowna, close to the water front. Lake Okanagan is quite huge. There were actually waves splashing on the beach. There is a small harbor and a yatch club for all sailing enthusiasts. There is a nice walking path skirting the lake which also goes through some gardens. Kelowna seemed to be an excellent ‘chill-out’ place in summer. We went cherry picking in an orchard (Clue: darker the better). They were absolutely sweet. We instantly got addicted to them. Even after our return to Calgary, we went to the farmers market every week till the season ended as it was the only place where we could get BC Cherries. We also went around to the popular wineries for wine tasting. Apart from the regular reds and whites, we also tasted red and white ice wine.

Trivia: Canada is one of few countries that produce ice wine. Ice wine is a dessert wine – very sweet to taste. It is made from frozen grapes. Germany and Austria are the other major producers of ice wine. Canada also produces sparkling ice wine.

Victoria:

This is the capital of BC and is in the southern part of Vancouver Islands, off the Pacific coast of Canada. The only way to reach Victoria is by flight or ferry. Ferries operate both from Vancouver, BC and Seattle, WA (USA). It was unbelievable that we were so close to Seattle but yet we couldn’t go there because of visa issues.

Butchart Garden, Victoria, BC (Photo Credit: Dr. R.V Rao)

Victoria Local attractions include:

Butchart Garden - A lime quarry was converted into this beautiful botanical gardens spread over 55 acres. It takes a couple of hours at the very least to walk around. We went berserk taking pictures of the innumerable flower species.

Butterfly Garden – Right opposite Butchart Garden is the butterfly garden which breeds a wide variety of butterflies. This place strangely has a pair of flamingoes in their pond as well. I would definitely recommend this place and make sure you guide the simple and quick guided tour while you are there.

Old town –Victorian architecture based buildings like Fairmont Empress Hotel and Parliament house can be found here at Wharf Street.

Inner Harbor – is by the old town. The board walk along the water front is recommended especially in the evenings. Street performers, people selling trinkets or souvenirs are aplenty. Royal London wax museum can also be found here. The undersea gardens, which are nothing but HUGE water tanks full of sea life, is one of the local attractions. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you have been to any of the world class aquariums before.

Craigdarroch Castle – is another local attraction. Though it is a castle, it was never owned by royalty. It was built by one of the wealthiest people who wanted experience living the royal life. Sadly, he never got to stay in it because he died before its completion.

Some of the other attractions that we didn’t go to were – Maritime museum, art gallery, bug zoo and miniature world.

Vancouver:

Downtown Vancouver as seen from Stanley Park (dated Fall'09)

The main reason to visit Vancouver was to show Sharan’s folks around and then see them off as they went on their onward journey to Seattle, WA (USA). We had been to Vancouver for the 2009 thanksgiving weekend. More details of Vancouver can be found here. We managed to show them Gastown, Granville Island and Stanley Park in the half day we spent there. We also managed to eat at Saravana Bhavan – any South Indian’s dream restaurant. Sharan’s folks headed towards Seattle and we set on our journey back to Calgary via a different route.

Whistler:

The drive from Vancouver to Whistler is though highway 99 but better known as “Sea to Sky Hwy” (wiki). This is a very scenic route from and to the venues for 2010 winter Olympics.

Whistler is a winter sports delight. Just by the ski-slopes, is the very beautiful village centre catering mainly to tourists. We were quite surprised to find it bustling with activities since it was summer. In fact we saw a few people with their snow boarding outfit and gear but we couldn’t trace where they could find ski-slopes in the middle of summer. We had food at a nice restaurant called Citta Bistro (pronounced as Cheetah). We suspect that it is owned by an Indian J

Kamloops:

We had to get back to HWY 1 to get back home. The drive from Whistler (HWY 99) to HWY 1 was via HWY 97. If people say HWY 99 (Sea to Sky Highway) is scenic, then they haven’t seen HWY 97. This is a smaller highway with just 2 lanes and no lane dividers. But this winding road went through meadows, valleys and mountain tops. There were beautiful and vibrant wild flowers blooming all the way. We passed by LOTS of sparkling lakes as well. It was nature at its pristine best.

Kamloops was really just a stopover during our drive back to Calgary. We couldn’t see or do much as we reached late evening, had dinner at The Keg.

Revelstoke:

Visiting Revelstoke marked the last leg of our road trip as we passed through this picturesque village more famous for its ski-slopes than anything else. Since it was Parks Canada day, we thought we might as well visit Meadows in the Sky view point in Mount Revelstoke National Park as part of our Revelstoke sightseeing.

Monashee View point enroute Meadows in the sky at Revelstoke, BC (Photo Credit: Dr. R.V Rao)

The drive through the parkway took us across geographical zones: From giant cedar and pine, to subalpine forest, and finally to alpine meadows and tundra. We got a splendid view of the ice-clad Monashee Mountains peaks and the Selkirk Mountains as well. We got to see different types of wildflowers all along the way – as if they were planted. One of the flowers apparently grows only few weeks in an entire year!

And eventually we reached back home in Calgary. Thus endth our long road trip. A year later as I write this blog, I can still vividly recall one the MOST beautiful road trips we’ve ever taken.

It wasn't really "resuscitated"

*Sigh*


More than half a year has gone by since I tried to resuscitate my blog in early 2011. And I haven't succeeded. A lot has happened over since Jan'11 and now. I had a LONG and eventful India trip (first time since we got to Canada), we moved from Calgary to Toronto once we got back and also managed a couple of short trips in between all this. Of course I could've posted something but procrastination got better of me. 


Hope to write about some of my older trips soon..Till then - 


Happy and safe travels everyone.

Short trips from Calgary

Here is a list of some of the interesting visits we made around Calgary:

Banff town is in a valley of the Banff National Park. It is at the right distance from any place (Calgary/Golden/Jasper) and a good stop over for some delicious food or drink. For all the foodies, this is a go-to place as the town is filled with all kinds of restaurants, bars and cafés due to the high volume of visitors all round the year. People like us would love to just drive to this place as both the drive and the meal would be worth the visit. Being a tourist place, there is something for shopoholics too. Also, in winter, Banff is close to many popular ski lodges.

Lakes of Banff National Park: If heaven is a place on earth, it probably would be in the Canadian Rockies and Banff is in the heart of it all. This bewitching place is a must visit for nature lovers. This park is home to a host of flora, fauna and lakes. Be it the massive Lake Minniwanka, serene Lake Louise, pristine Bow Lake or the blue-green Moraine Lake, each comes with its own charm and grandeur.

Columbia Icefields Experience: One doesn’t need to fly or sail to Alaska to experience Glaciers. Situated on the ice fields parkway of Jasper National Park, Athabasca Glacier presents a unique opportunity to visit a glacier on specially designed vehicles. The trip from the base to the glacier also allows one to experience the glacier on foot once you reach the summit. Though the glacier is slowly receding over the past decades, the colossal Athabasca Glacier is still quite a spectacle.

Note: A Glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. It forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years. Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth. Glaciers move constantly. So every few years, they have to make a different approach road to the Glacier. Receding glacier is different from a moving glacier. (Source: Wiki)

Edmonton: This is the capital of Alberta province. The North Saskatchewan River flows right through the city, giving a panoramic view of downtown Edmonton. Though not many people like visiting Edmonton, we’ve always found it to be a pleasant place. We visited the Royal Alberta Museum and Muttart Observatory apart from checking out the Legislature and Old Strathcona area (including the very popular Whyte Avenue known for its resturants). There is a good arty feel about downtown as well. Edmonton houses 1 of the largest shopping malls in the world (largest in N.America) – the West Edmonton Mall. This mall hosts more than 800 shops, a hotel, an amusement park, a water park and other attractions – all indoors. We also managed to go for a late night standup comedy show as well. (Refer an older post on Edmonton here). 

Drumheller: Also known as the dinosaur valley, Drumheller has the largest deposits of dinosaur fossils in the world. The Royal Tyrell Museum here is considered as an authority on the subject and is often invited to other parts of the world during excavations, symposiums, etc. Allow for at least 2 hours at the Museum (we took 3), which has an excellent collection and is very well maintained. Apart from dinosaurs, Drumheller is also known for its unique terrain – the badlands and hoodoos.

Badlands is a type of arid terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. Badlands often have a spectacular colour display that alternates from dark black/blue coal stria to bright clays to red scoria. (Source: Wiki)

A Hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, and earth pyramid) is a tall thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos are composed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. (Source: Wiki)

Saskatoon Farm, Okotoks: A 45 minute drive from downtown Calgary, this place is a 1 stop shop for organic needs. The farm is mainly known for growing Saskatoon berries and hence you get ample of jams, sauces, pies, ice creams - all made from Saskatoon berries. The farm has a huge nursery selling seasonal & perennial flowers, plants and trees. They have an interesting shop sells bits and odds including garden accessories, paintings and furniture. They also sell farm products and their Saskatoon berry food items. Apart from all the above, they have a lovely restaurant on site. We had a scrumptious brunch here before we toured the farm.

Head-smashed-in-buffalo jump: A UNESCO world heritage centre which showcases customs followed by native Indians for 1000s of years. Due to their vast knowledge of topography and of bisons in general, they killed these bison by chasing them over cliffs and subsequently carving up the carcasses in the camp below. They would use the carcasses to make food, clothing, jewelry, items for trade. Though the cliff itself isn’t a great sight, the interpretive centre is definitely worthy of a visit.

Waterton Lakes National Park: Also called as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, is to the South of Calgary and borders US. Infact the huge Waterton Lake is mostly in Canada (Alberta) and partly in the US (Montana). If you take a cruise around the lake, it is probably one the easiest borders to cross without paperwork (just kidding). This park is popular for wildlife including hosting a Bison Paddock. A variety of camping sites and hiking trails are available including Crypt Lake hike which is one of the most popular hikes in Canada!

On the way to Waterton or Head-smashed-in-Buffalo Jump (or Southern Alberta) and you have the time, it is worth dropping by the Aviation Museum in Nanton. This museum has a decent collection of war planes including Lancesters. The other place worthy of a mention is Cardston which is home to the Remington Carriage Museum. It is the largest horse drawn carriage museum in North America and gives a wonderful insight into travel before cars.

Apart from the above mentioned sights, there are a host of other national and provincial parks worth visiting. Apart from their sheer beauty, nature and outdoor lovers have plenty of activities they can choose from in these parks. Experiencing and exploring this part of Canada can easily take weekends off your calendar very easily.

Places of visit on map:

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