Since my first email we've done a fair bit of interesting wanderings, mostly avoiding the wet weather. We returned to Vancouver and this time stayed in a really cool hotel in the Westend, near Stanley Park, which is huge and abundant with squirrels and raccoons.
After Vancouver we drove to a strange little town of Oliver (near Osooyos). This was one of those weird places and nights that seem to crop up on a trip. Oliver was, essentially, pretty darn ugly, though the countryside getting there was awesome (a bit like queenstown in Tasmania). We stayed in a strange little motel, ate largely unpleasant food and amired the bizarre decore of the place (right down to a bedspread with killer whales on it, with one of the whales having the sort of impossible fin on its back guraranteeing it was destined for a short life swimming in circles).
The upside of the drive was that not only was the scenery magnificent we were off the tourist travel and slap-dab in both the wine and fruit country.
The next day we drove to Nelson - and that really was a beautiful town. Quirky but steeped in cool built heritage (right on a lake too).
Next day we drove to Revelstoke where the locals informed us of where we could see bears. Tunred out that the locals were clearly on drugs and not a bear was to be seen (though there was an impressive bear scat (a.k.a. dump) which showed that the red berries were both a favourite of the bears and not good for their digestion).
Spent the night at Revelstoke and then headed up to Lake Louise for two nights. LL was pleasant enough but we were definitely back in mainstream tourist land. The Lake itself was beautiful though Lake Moraine, nearby, appealed more to the eyes and had less tourists. The second day in LL was the first time we hit really inclement weather. Amusingly, it was this day that my mania for doing too much seemed to rise to the occassion and we drove wet, mist-filled and rough roads in search of impressive animals. Not one did we see any, except a measly chipmunk in the car park before we left - lol.
After Vancouver we drove to a strange little town of Oliver (near Osooyos). This was one of those weird places and nights that seem to crop up on a trip. Oliver was, essentially, pretty darn ugly, though the countryside getting there was awesome (a bit like queenstown in Tasmania). We stayed in a strange little motel, ate largely unpleasant food and amired the bizarre decore of the place (right down to a bedspread with killer whales on it, with one of the whales having the sort of impossible fin on its back guraranteeing it was destined for a short life swimming in circles).
The upside of the drive was that not only was the scenery magnificent we were off the tourist travel and slap-dab in both the wine and fruit country.
The next day we drove to Nelson - and that really was a beautiful town. Quirky but steeped in cool built heritage (right on a lake too).
Next day we drove to Revelstoke where the locals informed us of where we could see bears. Tunred out that the locals were clearly on drugs and not a bear was to be seen (though there was an impressive bear scat (a.k.a. dump) which showed that the red berries were both a favourite of the bears and not good for their digestion).
Spent the night at Revelstoke and then headed up to Lake Louise for two nights. LL was pleasant enough but we were definitely back in mainstream tourist land. The Lake itself was beautiful though Lake Moraine, nearby, appealed more to the eyes and had less tourists. The second day in LL was the first time we hit really inclement weather. Amusingly, it was this day that my mania for doing too much seemed to rise to the occassion and we drove wet, mist-filled and rough roads in search of impressive animals. Not one did we see any, except a measly chipmunk in the car park before we left - lol.
Today we got to bamff and finally saw a new critter - a pine marten. Like a big stoat or weasel - ran across the road. Weather is not good today but we're doing touristy shopping stuff and sending emails from public libraries/
Animal count:
Day 1 - zero
Day 2 - Canada Geese, harbour seals
Day 3 - Harbour seals, squirrel, woodpecker, black-tailed deer, killer whales (heaps of), humpback whales (rare over here), californian seal lions, Stella sea lions (huge critters).
Day 4 - Killer Whales, squirrels (two types), great blue herons, racoons
Day 5 - Chipmunks (Oliver)
Day 6 - more chipmunks, mule deer (Revelstoke).
Day 7 - bighorn sheep (LL)
Day 8 - 1 measly chipmunk
Day 9 - pine marten (so far).
Another amusing fact:
How can a nation truly want to tackle obesity (as Canadas proclaims) and run ads for children's breakfast foods that feature breakfast strudels - with extra icing!!
Animal count:
Day 1 - zero
Day 2 - Canada Geese, harbour seals
Day 3 - Harbour seals, squirrel, woodpecker, black-tailed deer, killer whales (heaps of), humpback whales (rare over here), californian seal lions, Stella sea lions (huge critters).
Day 4 - Killer Whales, squirrels (two types), great blue herons, racoons
Day 5 - Chipmunks (Oliver)
Day 6 - more chipmunks, mule deer (Revelstoke).
Day 7 - bighorn sheep (LL)
Day 8 - 1 measly chipmunk
Day 9 - pine marten (so far).
Another amusing fact:
How can a nation truly want to tackle obesity (as Canadas proclaims) and run ads for children's breakfast foods that feature breakfast strudels - with extra icing!!
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