Icefields Parkway...Canada

We got a nights accommodation at a place called David Thompson Resort....I think the word "resort" is used liberally as far as accommodation goes, but it did the trick....was only 40kms from the Icefields Parkway and was surrounded by magnificent mountains and lakes.

and while we were driving we came across a coyote that we were too slow to photograph and a deer and her fawn.

Stu and I drove the Icefields Parkway in 2008 and it was amazing how it all came back to us as we started the drive. We approached the Parkway from the east, at the Banff NP checkpoint and turned right. We'd decided not to go all the way up to Jasper, and would take in the magnificent, spectacular views up to the Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier, turn around and drive to Lake Louise before heading to our night's accommodation in Golden.
Oh my, this is one of the most stunning drives you could possibly do.  Every turn in the road is a picture, so I will do my best to ration our photos.

There are pullovers all the way along and people are very obliging of this and the slow speed you tend to travel at, as you want to take everything in!

One place we pulled over, we could hear water falling so went for a walk about 2 mins from the parking lot and came across this...

There are waterfalls, creeks and lakes everywhere......and we discovered a good view from the sunroof of the car.

 The Columbia Icefields are another visual treat.  The landscape surrounding the Athabasca Glacier is barren, rocky and dusty and then half a kilometre either side it changes back into the green, snowcapped mountains. We had visited Athabasca Glacier 5 years ago and had taken a bus ride up there and walked on the glacier.  This time we walked to the base of it with Joshuah and it was interesting to see how much it had receded in just 5 years.

Goats on the ridge...Athabasca Glacier

The Visitors Centre was "heaving"with tourists.....so much busier than we were here last time, even though it was the same time of the year,

but we did manage to get a photo taken with a bear AND a moose..

As we headed south we were keeping watch for bears....a lot of people don't get to see them, fortunately we did the last time we were there, from a distance.  Suddenly Joshuah yelled "bear!", Stu slammed the brakes on, threw the car into reverse and there it was..a big black bear, munching away on berries,  It was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have had and we were fortunate enough to have it to ourselves for 10 minutes, before Josh popped his head out of the sunroof and then the cars all stopped to see it.

 It was nonplussed by us and kept moving along the bushes, continuously eating berries.

 It knocked a rock over and ate some insects underneath it.

We were within 5 metres of it and at one stage Stuart's camera battery died, so he had to get out of the car, go to the boot and grab a new one......a little confronting when you are so close!

We were on a high after seeing the bear as we made our way to Peyto Lake, did a steep walk up to a viewing platform and were met by busloads of tourists.....sometimes travellers en masse can be quite confronting and this was no exception.  There is a small platform to see the Lake from and people were pushing and shoving to get a photo from the vantage point.  I finally got to the front to get a photo and it really is simply breathtaking.

 Josh was smarter than everyone and found a track, away from the crowds.

We kept driving down the Parkway. stopping every minute to take photos....

before making our way to Lake Louise...again, we had seen it 5 years ago.  There was much more snow back then and we were a little disappointed this time.  Huge crowds and hot sun probably didn't help.....it is still beautiful though.

Flat country to mountains....East to West.....beautiful Canada

We reluctantly left Monique and Dwight (not before delighting the girls with a bit of Vegemite on toast - not!)  We had been told there wasn't much to see in Saskatchewan Province and as our plan was to cross back into the US to Glacier NP in Montana, we thought it best to just get there.
While we were in Manitoba, we didn't have internet access and when we got to a service station I got a message from Liz (in the UK), saying the family (mum and siblings...not my own children!) were a bit worried about me as they didn't know where we were and couldn't get hold of me for a few days. I couldn't get back to them (my phone doesn't work in Canada, only the US), but eventually when I did, there was a string of emails....suggesting we had been taken by bears and the Mounties couldn't help or that we were lost and Lizzie and Steph would come over and find us in Canada..and have a holiday as well...(was the holiday before or after finding us, girls?).  Now I know who loves me the most.....based on level of concern...and the winner is......????
We drove along the Trans Canada Hwy, which is a pretty good double carriage-way road... and I really loved the country.  The canola fields were in full flower, so there were acres of yellow paddocks on either side of us...

long straight roads, magnificent clouds and a big storm......thunder, lightning and heavy, heavy rain...

We have a friend, Peter, who loves spotting trains and I think I may join him.....but only for the Canadian freight trains...Canadian Pacific.  They are usually two tiered and really long, and meander through farm country, mountain country, flat country, river country.  They are like big snakes...not quite as big as the Pilbara trains, but just fascinating and run 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. They are a vital link in transport across Canada, and although there are still plenty of trucks on the road, the rail service is heavily utilised.

We made it to the Saskatchewan border in good time....

I was having a drive, enjoying the view, when we heard the dreaded sound of a flat tyre.  We were 54kms to the nearest town, on a flat stretch of road and it was about 6pm, so still plenty of light. No problem though....before we left Denver, we got the car serviced and had all the tyres checked (including the spare) to make sure everything was running well and reliable.
So when we pulled the spare tyre out of the boot, we were gobsmacked....it was flat! What were we to do.  I had mentioned in a previous post that Joshuah had been playing basketball with a footy, while we were travelling and we got the guilt's enough to buy him a basketball while we were in Chicago. We went to a sports shop and bought him one, and I insisted we also buy him a ball pump...so he could use it whenever he needed while on the road. Good decision Jen!
Fortunately Stuart remembered this, so we had Joshuah, sitting on the side of the road, with his $5 ball pump...(yes, $5), pumping up the spare tyre.....it was the best $5 we have spent this year!!

$5 well spent!

So while Joshuah was doing that, Stuart started to take the flat tyre off....well it was nothing like any of our cars in Australia and the situation was so dire, we ended up getting the car manual out and reading that. I repeat...Stu followed directions from a manual! This really is a significant event as I think that's the first time in 30 years I have seen Stu make use of a manual!! (a huge moment in our lives, readers!) We found that there was a special "device" to get the nuts off, and then another implement to get the anti theft nut off!! It was so frustrating...and for a while, Stuart was a broken man, having had to resort to the use of a manual! (Also I hope you appreciate my excellent use of tyre changing language..."device, implement and nuts"...I was a great help!)

Meanwhile, I'm taking photos to record the event when I saw a train heading our way......

Not one to miss an opportunity, I filmed it while it went past and even got a toot from the driver....

Eventually, it was all sorted and we made our way to the next town to spend the night there and arrange to get a new tyre....the town was called Swift Current...and the people in the neighbouring hotel room had a dog that wheezed and yapped all night, while the owner sounded like she spent the night with her head in the toilet...vomitting.....a pleasant evening!
The next morning, Stu found a shop that fixes tyres, only to be told that the tyres on this car were "special ones" and they didn't have that type here. So we had to drive from Swift Current to Medicine Hat, to a Walmart store there....they had the tyre and could fit us in...but we had to be there in 2 1/2 hrs, and it was a 2.15 hr trip.....without a spare!  Fortunately we made it, found Walmart, unloaded the car and waited 1 hr while the 15 yo kid sorted it out!  He obviously was in no hurry, while we sat outside in the sun.....waiting, waiting, waiting.......

We looked like we were homeless, so Stu put his cap out and we got enough cash for 2 cups of coffee!!  Always thinking!
We left Medicine Hat (I love that name and wish we got to visit Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump, in Alberta, Canada!!) and made our way towards Alberta....

Last year, we were originally offered an exchange to a place in Alberta, called Hanna....quite an isolated area, where Stu would be teaching PE to Primary and High school kids. After doing some research we decided it wasn't the best place for us...particularly for Joshuah..and then later on for Morgan and Jakeb, so we knocked it back.  While I was reading up on the area last year, I found a placed called The Badlands and in particular a town called Drumheller, which was within an hour of Hanna....and the "Dinosaur Capital of the World"!!! We didn't want to go to Drumheller...a bit out of our way...so found another Badlands area to visit.
The Badlands cover a lot of South Alberta, so we found a tiny town called Patricia to stay the night,  ready for a guided hike the following day to see dinosaur bones and fossils.

Entrance to the town of Patricia

The mozzies were unbearable so Stu went to a supermarket to buy some insect repellant, and asked one of the attendants where the fly spray was...this guy looked at him blankly and Stu repeated it a few times'''where is the fly spray".  So this guy leads him to the dental area and points out the dental floss.  Stu said, "I don't want dental floss, I want fly spray". The attendant says "you asked for dental floss". Stu says "No I didn't I asked for FLY SPRAY!" And the attendant says...."yes, dental floss..here it is". They then  proceed to have a standup argument about what he said, before he finally understood him!  It is amazing how there can be such a language barrier between North America and Australia!
We checked in to the hotel then drove out to the Dinosaur Provincial Park, a World Heritage Area, which was fascinating....and a different landscape from what we had previously seen.

What did Stu do to make me laugh?

That night a huge electrical storm hit, (resulting in no power in our small, hot hotel room in Patricia) and heavy rain fell, so when we went out to the park the next morning, the hike had been cancelled as it was too muddy. You can see why...

After leaving the DPP, we made the decision to go up to Hanna...I think it was only 150kms out of our way.....to see what we had knocked back.  While we were driving there, I was feeling good about our decision...and after driving through the town I was at peace that we had knocked it back.....it would have been a different experience, but I think we have had more opportunities living in Colorado.
Before we got there I told Stuart about the band Nickleback, who come from Hanna. I gave him the whole spiel of the band...who are quite famous......

 when we saw this Canadian goose statue that makes an appearance at each end of Hanna. Stuart asked if it was a Nickleback, as he thought I was telling him the geese from Hanna are nicklebacks.....sometimes it's good to have Josh in the car with me to witness these moments!

After leaving Hanna we decided that we would take Joshuah to the Icefields Parkway in BC, Canada and head down to Montana later.  We had done the drive 5 years ago, but really wanted to give Josh the opportunity of seeing it.
The country seemed to change after leaving Hanna, and this was about 20 mins past the town...

I loved the countryside...gentle rolling hills, green as green, lakes, cows, canola fields, blue, blue skies, sporadic clouds...it was so picturesque...

 We drove to Red Deer which is between Calgary and Edmonton, to book a nights accommodation close to the Icefields Parkway.....where our next adventure begins.