Tuesday 28 August 2012

Lake Louise/ Banff / Jasper

Leaving Okanagan Valley we head to Banff via Glacier National Park. Amazing drive through/over Rogers Pass. This area has the most avalanches in Canada so road had lots of tunnels and sides of mountains where you could see damage. Pretty cool. Stayed the night in the Glacier NP at campground by a roaring glacier fed creek.

Then it was off to Lake Louise. This is my third time here but this vista never gets tired. We hiked up to the Lake Agnes tea house which I have never done before. After the very steep 3.5km climb a hot choccie and scone is a very nice little treat. Quite an amazing tea house - all staff live above the kitchen, but one of them needs to pop into town every few days to lug up more supplies. There is one helicopter drop during the year which provided them with most of their dry ingredients. Everything is made from scratch up there though so was very yummy! Oh and the view is not bad either...

Lac Louise
Agnes Lake
Hot chops, scones and choc cake - lucky we did the hike up
 

After our night at Lake Louise we head to Banff, but not before having a peek at Lake Morraine. Very cold morning but what a view.

 

Very weird coming back to Banff after doing the ski season back in 2004. Love this little town in the middle on Banff Natonal Park. Huge mountains surround it making you feel very insignificant. Managed to get a little snap off my old place on Otter Street. Ah the memories - although I have to say they are a little hazy so was nice to reaquaint myself.

Ah the memories
 

Meet up with Alex (an old friend from Grants MS days) on our second day in Banff. She is over here doing Avalanche engineering. Pretty important job as we found out - 15 Canadians die a year from them. Spent day sipping proper coffee, walking around Bow River and general gas bagging.

 

Alex and her co were off on a 4 day hike starting at Sunshine Village (Banffs main ski resort) so we joined them for a couple of Km's and then went off on our own through these amazing alpine meadows.

Leaving from Sunshine Village
Off they venture on their 4 day hike
Very curious
Looking over the three lakes in the Sunshine meadow
 

Decided we would head on up to Jasper along the Icefields Highway and so glad we did. What an amazing drive. It was getting pretty late when we started it so spent the night here in Bow Glaciers presence. Amazing.

 

Woke up to a minus 3 degree morning (hello - its summer!!) and continued along the amazing highway - an absolute must!

Coming up to Columbia Icefields
Athabasca Glacier
Black bear on side of road
 

Spent day walking around an amazingly clear lake and checking out these canyons. Another night with a massive fire - loving the no fire band!

 

Headed back along the highway taking a right before Banff which took us though Kootenay NP. On our way to Panaroma Mountain Village as Grant is playing at the Grey Wolf Golf Course which is the second best course in Canada. Thinking we might also splash out and spend a night out of Sheila. Feel like I am cheating on her...

Grant will be doing the next post on his day of golf. in his words, the best designed course he's ever played.

 

Thursday 23 August 2012

Okanagan Valley - I.e. WINE!!

Had a big drive ahead us to get from Whistler to Okanagan Valley but was glad for the early morning wake up call because a black bear decided to walk right past our van just as we were about to drive off. With adrenalin pumping we headed up to Lilloet which was quite the drive. Joffree Lakes have been our favourite lakes so far (and that is even after visiting Lake Louise) - unfortunately no pics but google it for yourself - amazing! Then it was along Lake Duffey Lake Road which took us past many vistas... Here are just a couple

Then we took poor Shelila and the very quiet Grant along the Lytton - Lilloet Highway which had very scary drop offs and those bloody big logging trucks!

After a few more passes we ended up in the Okanagan Valley - very different to where we have come from - hot, arid and centralised by a massive lake. This is the perfect recipe for growing Grapes and whilst relatively unknown as a wine region outside of Canada the Candians claim this is Canadas answer to Provence - and you know what - they could be onto something!

We arrived again to no campsites being available so we pulled up here, had a swin, a few beers and a lemon, garlic grilled chicken with lentil salad - we have gotten over the spag bols you see...

Very refreshing with the outside temp at 35c
So big it had its own waves - and yes - welcome to Grants belly!
We awoke with the need for a vino tasting so we took ourselves to Mission Hill. The most well know winery around this region. Seriously impressed. Amazing cellar door and really smart wines. Beginners frenzy took a hold and we walked away with four bottles.

View over to the restaurant
Wanted these plates but with the golf clubs, bikes, surfing and snow boards - we are all out of room!
The purchases!
Amazing displays - took far too many pics have limited it just to this one
Happy camper
Continuing along our jolly day of tasting we moved onto Quails Gate which is another popular one arou d here. Great views and a few more purchases - naturally.

Vines go right down to the lake
Did you say Pinot - ah yes - a case of that?
Then it was over the other side of the lake to Summerhill Winery which is owned by a NYC banker who moved his family out here in the 80's and now creates the most awarded sparkling in Canada. It was delicious but we had a few bottles in the cellar at this stage so enjoyed some of their water instead.

The last stop was Cedar Creek which I have to say was my favourite. It was much smaller, but the staff were lovely and the wine was really good. We walked away with a cheeky Syrah which has already been consumed unfortunately.



As you can see from Grants face above he was done with wine (is that possible?) and wanted a pallete cleanser so off we headed back to Kelowna (Okanagans main town) to Tree Brewing where we had a lovely country Victorian guy serving us (who later played a round of golf with the very eager Grant - Note - Oakanagan is Golfers Paradise also). Unity the Aussie banter and the healthy tasting glasses we picked up some really good blond, ales and cider.

So with our livers hurting a little I can say confidently - that the Okanagan is a must see if you are ever in BC. Shame there wine is so unknow internationally because it was really smart. Off we head to Banff via Glacier National Park.

Sunday 19 August 2012

Wet the Whistler

3 hour drive from Vancouver to Whistler quite special as you wind along the ocean side of Vancouver and north into towering granite mountains, one of them aptly named The Chief - a 600m shear granite face setting the tone of outdoor adventure.

Whistler had it all: outdoor extreme sports at Crankworx an annual mountain biking event covering downhill racing, dirt jumping, rock hopping and general face grazing; wildlife a large black bear came right in for a sniff of my other girl, Sheila, as well as many other foreign and local wildlife misbehaving on their weekend jaunts from Vancouver and other southern hemisphere countries; cheese rolling competition down one of the ski runs for some minimum wage facing Aussie to win a free season ski pass.

These guys are crazy - we saw some great stacks of here
These were just a bunch on young guys messing around - but impressive
No seats for these guys - which you can imagine is necessary when one rock jumps
Cheese rolling - worth it for the over 1k annual ski pass
There was also one for best dressed...
Golf at Nicklaus North. Here is me looking pleased with my round of 86 on a fairly narrow course sight unseen. Might have been the free "swing lube" (to quote my Yankee playing partners) provided to me by my American pals Chuck, Chuck and Mate.

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The gastronomical highlight was undoubtedly our afternoon tea at the peak of Blackcomb after taking the worlds longest continuous gondola from the whistler peak. Here we are downing a selection of cheeses and cold cuts and what looks to be our 2nd bottle of Riesling. A really fun afternoon of summer chairlift hopping around the largest and most expansive ski resorts we've ever seen.

Lift up to the highest point
View back to the village
Peak to Peak
Jaz feeding birds at the top of Blackcomb
Whistler, the whistle is wet and we will see you one winter!