Canada in 2014

Roger and Cherri Lange arrived from Adelaide on July 22nd. For Rob and Anne this was already a very special day. It was their forty seventh wedding anniversary. No, silly. They have only been married once.

            Over the next several days there was a lot of catching up accomplished. Our down-under visitors soon adjusted to a new sleep schedule, and to the up-over summer warm weather. Over after dinner games of pinochle we caught up on families and years of memories of past times together.

            Chris, Jennifer, and the boys were able to visit the week prior to Roger and Cherri’s arrival. Jennifer and the boys flew home ahead of Chris, and Chris was able to stay on an extra day due to an airline landing hold at San Francisco. Chris went to school with Elise Lange and he was anxious to visit with Roger and Cherri. The three were able to share a day together before Chris needed to fly home to Vermont.   

            Over a period of a few days, Rob and Roger mapped out a road trip which would introduce the Australians to some of the scenery in Canada’s western provinces. The trip would take a

couple of weeks and it would begin with a stopover in Newberg, OR, and it would end with a stopover in Klamath Falls, OR. These to Oregon cities were important because they are home for common friends met in Adelaide.

            Ben and Kayda Mitchell live in Newberg. Ben inherited their hazelnut orchards from his father. In Adelaide, Ben was an accountant with Price Waterhouse and Kayda was a home economics teacher at Para Hills High School. Kayda and Rob were both recruited by the South Australian Department of Education on short term contracts to aid in filling the teacher gap South Australia had during the seventies. Rob and Kayda ended up at the same school.

            The Langes became close friends with the Mitchell’s through their association with Rob and Anne. It was a must see stop at the Newberg orchards to reunite the six friends.

The motorhome pulled away from Medford on the morning of August 1^st. The drive to Newberg was a comfortable first day trip and we pulled into the Willamette Hazelnut Growers’ parking lot in midafternoon. Ben and Kayda are co-owners of the Growers Association which was established in 1975 to process and sell the nuts produced by member’s orchards.

            Ben and Kayda greeted us outside their home and directed me to park on their driveway. We soon gathered in their ranch home and relaxed over a couple of fine ales. Reunion conversation was active and it was great to find out how well the hazelnut business has been. The Mitchell’s are justly proud of their venture.

            Katie and Michael and their two daughters arrived shortly. Katie is Ben and Kayda’s daughter. Michael is joint plant manager with the son-in-law of Ben’s partner at Willamette Hazelnut Growers. The work of the two sons-in-law has allowed Ben to begin to ease into a retirement mode. We discovered, however, that full retirement is still a little ways away.

            Kayda put out a wonderful dinner for all and we enjoyed the visiting well into the evening. The next morning, after breakfast, Ben took us for a tour of the orchard holdings they are responsible for. We learned a great deal about the life cycle of the trees and about some of the work the Mitchells have done with hazelnut hybrids to overcome pest disease problems.

            This had been a fun visit and we found ourselves back on the road by late morning. Today’s journey would take us to eastern Oregon for a night’s stay in Hermiston.

           

The Columbia River must have America’s corner on power production. Bonneville Dam, of course, is the star of the many dams and power plants along this mighty trough. We took a break in our I-84 drive and visited Bonneville Dam, the original power house, and the fish ladders.

            Construction of the dam began in 1934. The first powerhouse went on line in1937. Today’s annual electrical power production is ~4.5Gigawatt hours. Electricity generation is important, but so are ship navigation and fish migration.

            Rapids in the river caused transportation problems and those were originally dealt with by the construction of the Cascade Locks, upstream from Bonneville. The locks were flooded when Bonneville Lake was filled. A lock system at the dam replaces the step for ships to be able to navigate the river.

             The dam has extensive fish ladders which aid in getting Sturgeon, Salmon, and

other species past the river blockage. Fish spillways are built into the dam to release fish downstream. The massive turbine blades are designed to minimize damage to the ocean going schools.

            We toured the original power plant and the observation windows along the fish ladders. Close and accurate counts are made of the number and species of fish that swims by. Not all of the swimmers were fish, however. We were able to capture a shot of some lamprey which were resting on the glass between steps in the ladder.

           

Interstate 84 took us to Hermiston for the night’s stay at Pioneer RV Park. There was nothing much notable about the park. Hermiston served as a highway junction for us, with access to I-82(US395), which will take us north, past Spokane, into Idaho.

            Coeur d’Alene is in northern Idaho and sits on the northern edge of the large natural lake of the same name. The Blackwell Island RV Resort parked us on the rim of the lake for the night’s stay. The city is highlighted by the lake’s sparkling water and the pine-forested foot hills of the Rocky Mountains.

            Our destination for the next day was to make it to Cranbrook, BC. We would pass into Canada on Hwy 95 at Eastpoint, ID and the Kingsgate Border Crossing. A lot of advanced research had been done regarding what was, and was not legal to possess when crossing into Canada. The 2^nd Amendment doesn’t exist for our northern friends; what is or is not a weapon is well defined. We could not be carrying the pellet pistol which is kept in the RV. We could have the longbow, but not a crossbow. The pistol had been left at home and the longbow was declared at the crossing.

            We were probably that particular agent’s random stop for the day, or maybe she just needed to see the faces that belonged to the two Australian passports  she palmed through. At any rate, we were told to pull over to the parking bay and wait inside until called upon.

            Roger and I left the ladies on the bus. Ten minutes later are name was called and I was asked to retrieve the women and unlock the bay doors on the RV. When leaving the RV, Cherri asked if she could take her purse. The female agent told her yes, but she needed to have a look inside it first. The woman and a second agent went about with latex gloved hands and checked all of the RV’s orifices. We watched from inside the station as one of the agents tried to open the tailgate of the Honda. She did not grab the slot on the door with the latch and thought the car to be locked; a cursory glance through the windows seems to bring satisfaction. The pat down of the RV took about ten minutes and we were released to continue our tour of Canada.

            Cranbrook, BC was chosen as a convenient first city to find an RV park for our

introduction to the country. We lodged at Mount Baker RV Park. Cranbrook became the first major center in the region when Colonel Baker, from Cranbrook, Kent, England, convinced the Canadian Pacific Railway to establish their Crowsnest Pass line through there instead of through the nearby Gold Rush Boom Town of Fort Steele.
 

            Fort Steele, BC is a few km north of Cranbrook on the Kootenay Hwy (95). A visit to the relocated and preserved original town of Fort Steele is our first touristy stop of the trip. Originally called Galbraith’s Ferry, after the gold rush founder, John Galbraith, who

settled at the Kootenay River site in 1864, the town was renamed in 1888. Sam Steele of the NW Mounted Police solved a dispute between a settler and a member of the First Nations. The tension had been heated and its resolution brought gratitude from the town’s people and the First Nations people. Galbraith’s Ferry was renamed after the man who solved their problem. The town was never originally a fort. The fort part of the name came after the NWMP set up a station in the town.

            Walking the dusty streets and  
planked sidewalks of the old town was fun. All of the original store fronts have been kept up

and the building contents have been preserved. We sat through a one act play of a western drama at the town’s theater. The actors played well with the audience and got the children involved with help in solving the mystery. Fort Steele Heritage Town had been a good place to visit.

            Radium, BC is properly called Radium Hot Springs. This small city is at the entrance to Kootenay National Park and incorporated in 1991. Hot springs surface many places in mountain ranges, and when they do, they are favored spots for natives to congregate. The radioactive element Radium decays to Radon. Radon was discovered to be present in the hot spring pools used for bathing. Because the air-borne exposure to the radiation is very low, compared to radon found in household water settings, the pools are left open for public use. Radium Hot Springs is at the junction of highways 95 and 93.

We had reserved an RV spot at Radium Valley Vacation Resort. This is a very large RV park and we were fortunate to have a spot which overlooked the Columbia Valley. Each site featured a cabana and decked patio. The pines were loaded with cones and this was a draw for ground squirrels. The sunsets were peaceful to watch from the deck.

 

            The first full day at the resort was spent touring the length of Kootenay National Park. We bought a multi-park pass at the entrance and enjoyed stopping at all of the view points along the highway. By the time we had arrived at the Hot Springs Pools, it was time for an ice cream cone break.

            The Hot Springs Pools are a commercial affair and they consist of two large pools. One pool has hot water for soaking, usually around 39C (104F), and the other is a 2/3 Olympic swimming pool that is usually around 29C (84F).  There is also a small hot-tub size pool called the “Plunge Pool”. This pools water can be hot- right from the source at 44C (114F) - or cold, right from a creek running beneath the pools. The ice cream did it for us. We chose not to use any of the pools.

            The highway through the park is well maintained, but it is a mountain highway. Seeing the sights with the Honda was definitely the way to go. We passed the Continental Divide, passed into Alberta and turned around prior to reaching the Banff turnoff.

            This trip offered us our first opportunity to stop and view parts of the Canadian Rockies. There was a forest fire happening somewhere northwest of the park, in British Columbia. The smoke presented a saddening haze over all of the distant peaks. We will have opportunities to come. A stop was made at the supermarket in Radium and we bought steak for dinner. Tonight was the ladies night off in the kitchen and the cabana came with a gas barbeque for the guys to use. This had been a fun day and we capped it off with a robust game or two of pinochle.

            Freight trains passed through the valley below throughout the night. Distant track clatter and far away mournful cries of the train’s horns were enough for all of us to have

registered at least once during that night’s sleep. Although awakening, the distant noise was also peaceful.

            The second day at the Radium RV Park was filled with a morning of relaxation, some puttering, and some back road investigating. The bow and arrows needed to be exercised. Roger and I found Roush Rod & Reel Club, tucked away in the hillside forest, on Horsethief Road. The club advertised an available archery range. There was no usage charge for shooting the bow and a few shots were made. Two fingers on the bow string hand limited what I could pull. We thanked the caretakers and found our way back to camp.

            There is a lot to see in the Radium Hot Springs vicinity. On the third day Anne and

Cherri packed a lunch and we drove to nearby Invermere and visited Lake Windermere. This was a fun outing. Roger and Cherri insisted on treating for dinner. Reservations were made to sup at Helena Stubs, an Austrian restaurant. We were all treated to a fine meal.   

            Many of the spaces at Radium RV Park are privately owned. For three days we had actually been renting space 96 from its absentee owner. They were visiting their site tomorrow, so we had to move to space 95, next door. Roger and I made the move the next morning.

            This was going to be our last day at the Radium park. Roger and I have discovered that if we are in an area for any extended period of time, and there is a spa in the region, it will get used. The car was gone for the morning and we had the chance to take on a crossword puzzle and watch ground squirrels drop cones from the nearby trees. The neighbor had parked their vehicle under limbs of one of the trees and we heard it getting several hits from falling cones.

          Sunday morning means pancake breakfast is served at the Radium Resort lodge. We readied the RV for travel and re-parked it near the exit gates. All of us ate too much this morning, but it sure was good.

            We re-drove through Kootenay National park towards Banff and Trans-Canada Highway 1. We found our way to Canmore, Alberta and Rundle Mountain RV Park by 1:30pm. Canmore is the ninth largest city in Alberta. The town is in the Bow Valley and about 50 miles west of Calgary. The city was named after Malcolm III of Scotland who was also nicknamed Canmore; Gaelic for “Big Head”.        Coal mining created the initial settlement in the 1880’s and the market for coal was served for over 100 years. Canmore’s economic outlook was dismal, until Calgary secured the 1988 Winter Olympics. Located above 4,500 feet in the Rockies, Canmore was selected as host to the Nordic events. Recreation replaced mining and tourism dominates the area’s economy today.

            Development happens in the Rocky Mountains either on the slopes, or in its valleys. Cities and trains seem a natural pairing for the valleys. The early coal industry developed both for Canmore, and for the Duncan/Lange RV lodging. We planned a three day stay at the Rundle Mountain RV Park. Our site was one row away from the very busy train tracks. We weren’t subjected to train whistles, but the traffic seemed almost non-stop.

            From the Rundle park we planned to sortie out each day and explore hallmarks of this region of the Rockies. The next day we

drove to Lake Louise. Anne and I had camped on the shore of the lake when we crossed Canada on our honeymoon 47 years earlier. The view across the lake, with its milky blue-green water surrounded by rugged treeless peaks, was the same. At the far end of the lake was Victoria Glacier. Nothing else was familiar.

            Lake Louise is a hamlet which is separated into two communities. The main community, the Village, is located at a lower elevation near the Trans-Canadian rail tracks. The second community is located adjacent to the mile high lake and is centered on the Chateau Lake Louise. The inhabitants of the Chateau village are all employees of the Chateau facility.  Tourism in the warmer months and skiing in the colder ones keep Lake Louise busy year around.

            A nearby ski area operates its gondola lift during the summer months. From the

Chateau we caught the shuttle bus to the ski lodge. This was a warm sunny day so we chose to ride to the top of the mountain on the open chairs. Cherri and Anne followed Roger and me on a second chair. Cherri is a bit anxious about the open air heights and she knew Roger would try to rock the chair if she rode with him.

            All areas on the ground where tourists may walk are fenced to keep people and bears away from each other. A black bear had been spotted near post #14 on the lift and we looked hard, but we didn’t spot her. Near the top of the gondola is a valley outlook and a nature center. The center housed stuffed specimens of animals found in the region and featured a two o’clock video presentation prepared by biologists who worked on the mountains. Roger agreed not to rock the boat on the way down and we all rode together on one chair.

 We spent a break period at the ski lodge. Upper levels of the lodge had balconies opening

to the lift facilities below and the extensive slopes above. We sat for a while, sharing cookies and chips, and enjoyed the peacefulness of the mountain’s scenery.

            We returned to Canmore via the Bow Valley Parkway. The Parkway parallels Hwy 1 on the opposite side of the Bow River. Parkway is a bit of a glorified title for the windy two-lane road, but the trip was a nice diversion from the freeway. Not far from Baker Creek Mountain Resort we came upon several cars parked on each side of the road. Folks were out of their cars pointing cameras and fingers at the mountain side. As we drove through the crowd we, too, saw the attraction. Resting on a nearby knoll was an enormous bull elk. Un-nerved by the spectacle below, the elk comfortably lay, displaying its massive rack. Well, that was the excitement for the day.

            Our hostess at the Rundle Mountain RV Park was Tracy. Tracy is a want-a-be actress/model. Tracy hosted a rack, a bit different than our elk’s, and she was proud of that and of her role in the park. She shared with Roger and me the nature of the diversity of the

various park residents. Topped with a large white cowboy hat and wearing a loose fitting blouse, she explained that most of the campers were there for longer stays. Many worked in Canmore and were in the park until they found permanent residences. Tracy’s discussion interrupted the crossword Roger and I had been working on, but it was an interesting diversion. The ladies, by the way, had driven off in search of sustenance to stay off the wolf for the next few days.

            Our final full day at Canmore was to sight see the greater Banff area. Our first stop was at nearby Lake Minnewanka. “Water of the Spirits” in Nakoda, Lake Minnewanka

is a glacial lake fed by the Cascade River and at over 17 miles long it is the longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies. Peoples have inhabited areas around the lake for over 10,000 years. We shared the humor of the lake’s name when translated into the vernacular of Roger and Cherri’s native Australian.

            We enjoyed lunch at nearby Two Jacks Lakeside Campground. Ground squirrels knew where food was, and one stood tall as it ate a portion of red cherry, which accidently fell off the picnic table. Following lunch we drove to Johnson Lake. On the road between the lakes we came upon a small herd of mountain sheep. The sheep were undisturbed by the passing cars, nor by the

occasional vehicle that got stopped while one of them casually inspected its path across the highway. The sheep were female; all of them displayed shorter, pointy horns. There were several non-horned youth. They stayed close to their mothers and their food source.

            From the lakes, we drove the windy, switchback Mount Norquay Road to the ski lodge at its top. This road was fun for its tasking turns, its cliff side vistas of Banff and the valley below, and for the small herd of mountain sheep which was resting and grazing at a road side pull over.

            The next stop was downtown Banff. Banff is the community with the second highest

elevation in Alberta, after Lake Louise. Banff is a resort town and one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations: hiking, biking, skiing, and hot springs provide recreation year around. We found a place to park at the head of Banff Avenue. From there we strolled past the Alpine style fronted shops along the avenue. A rest break was called for when we discovered the Banff Avenue Brewing Company. We enjoyed a fine mug of IPA from the second story balcony.

            Fernie, British Columbia is on our way back to the States. One of Fernie’s distinctions is that it is the only Canadian city that is fully encircled by the Rocky Mountains. The Crowsnest Coal Field, opened in 1897 by William Fernie, was the genesis of the small community. We had our GPS programed to Snowy Peak RV Park.

            Thirty miles north of Fernie we pulled into a large rest stop which highlighted Island

Lake. Cherri discovered a hot food vendor at the far end of the lot. It was lunch time, so we all enjoyed our first Smoky Hotdog, served directly from the chef’s trailer oven. A secluded grassed area, with a couple of picnic tables, gave us a comfortable setting to look over the small mountain lake. We pulled into Snowy Peaks at 1:30pm.

            It was about 110 miles from Fernie to our re-entry into the States at Kingsgate Border Crossing by Eastport, ID. The border agent wasn’t interested whether we carried any weapons on this crossing. His interest was centered on what kinds of fruit and vegetables we had on board. We rattled off several

species, but that wasn’t good enough. I was asked to pull over to the inspection stall for an on-board kitchen search. Agent Fox donned a pair of latex cloves and welcomed himself aboard. We all sat aside as Fox dove into the cupboards and refrigerator in his quest to search out unwelcomed Canadian harvest. Several veggie items were still in their factory packaging.

            The confiscation process set us all back for a while. There was no advance publication of what could not pass south over the border. Agent Fox shared with us a government screed which spelled out villainous foods, and the consequences of not accurately declaring you had them with you. If Border Agents weren’t so darn honest, and helpful, we could see how one’s incomplete declaration process could turn into a vast money maker for America.

            Driving from Fernie through the Moyie River valley, we had come upon our first rain for the trip. We had budgeted the day’s driving wisely. Our next stop was at, wait for it, Hi Dee Ho RV Park in downtown Ponderay, Idaho. After less than 65 miles, we pulled in at 1:45pm. Ponderay is only 50 miles north of Coeur d’Alene. We had wanted to re-stay at Blackwell Island RV Resort, but the sites were all booked.

Roger and I drove to the Walmart to re-stock with libation. Roger noted that a 4L box

of Merlot wine in Canmore was priced at $44. However, on the U.S. side, a 5L box of Franzia Merlot was just $14. From a cost benefit perspective, it was good to be south of the border.

The drive tomorrow was going to be a long one. We packed up early. The story is long, but in order to get our caravan back onto the highway, without having to make a U-turn, we needed to pass through the McDonald’s parking lot. Having yet to eat, we did not pass up a McBreakfast.

While Roger and I waited for the ladies to bring our bags of egg burgers, we witnessed the passing flash and roar of a lawn mower. This happened on the Les Schwab lot next door. Roger got out to investigate. The mower, with its modified John Deere engine, was capable of zero to 50 mph in less than 200 feet. The machine was used for riding-mower racing.

While next door, Roger learned there had been a bad wreck south of Ponderay which would hold back traffic for a couple of hours. We mapped out a bypass route via Hwy 2, passed Spokane, WA, down through Hermiston and across I-84 to Pendleton. This was going to the lady’s favorite night’s stay for the trip. Anne had booked us into the Wildhorse Resort & Casino RV Park. We arrived a few minutes before 4pm.

Roger and I got the walls extended and the services all hooked up. The ladies had called for the Casino shuttle. Within a few minutes they were gone. Our desire was to rest

and do nothing for a while and we would meet them for buffet dinner at the Casino. A little before 6pm we located them in the non-smoking slots area. Each claimed to be holding her own with the betting. The buffet was “all you can eat”, and we all did exactly that. From dinner we retired to the park for a few games of Pinochle.

The next day, and our final night in the coach, found us at Mountain View RV Park in Metolius, OR. Metolius dates back to the early 1900’s when it was founded as location to build a railroad depot. Located between Madras and Redmond, Metolius serves as a bedroom community for the larger cities. Our site at the RV Park was a nice pull-through. The most exciting feature of the park was the fact that

showers cost 25 cents. We enjoyed relaxing for the afternoon, dinner, and some rousing Pinochle.

Scheduled for today was a stop at the High Desert Museum, south of Bend. A breakfast stop was declared at the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint, where the highway crossed the Crooked River. The Crooked River Gorge was impassable prior to the completion of the railroad bridge in 1911. At 320 feet above the river, this bridge was the second highest in the U.S. at the time. It is a steel two-hinge arch span with a total length of 460 feet. It was just 4 months into the bridge’s construction that the first train made its passage. Half of the rivets holding the bridge together were installed after trains had been using it.

The High Desert Museum sits on 135 acres of pine covered forest south of Bend. Indoor and outdoor exhibits of animals of the area, and Native American and pioneer history

help make this museum unique in its methods. We were treated to live Porcupine, Owl, Badger and River Otter presentations; each very well done. It is sad, but the same with all significant museums, there is just too much to take in with just one visit. Anne and I have been here several times over the years, and each time it seems all new again. The museum is a must see stop when traveling Hwy 97.

Anne and Cherri found themselves in the garden reaping the crop of tomatoes. Roger helped me back the RV onto its parking pad and we were officially finished with our 2014 Canadian Adventure by 4 o’clock. It was time for a tinny, to celebrate and relax in our homecoming.