ROAD TRIP!!!!!!....................................YAY!!!!!!
I've just spent the most amazing 6 days scootin' all over Southern British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains with 3 other Aussie lads, Paul, Darryl and Reggie (also known to his mother as Marcus). Thankfully, we avoided any renditions of really bad and really old John Denver tunes (Rocky Mountain High anyone?) - actually, until just now, i hadn't even thought of it.......my more-cheese-please sensibilities are slipping (some would say that's a good thing!!).
We'd arranged for me to be picked up at 8-ish last Friday morn, so that we'd get a nice, fresh, early start on the road. I remember the text convo distinctly "Shall i train it downtown to you guys, or will you pick me up from east van?"...."Save the trip, we'll pick u up, c u at 8-8.30"......These boys being country lads from Ballarat an' all, of course that was never going to happen......I was ready at 8.30am.....i got picked up at 10.30am. Coulda used that extra 2 hours snooze!
Road to Revelstoke
Our first overnight stop was to be at Revelstoke, a mere 600Km away along the Trans Canada Highway #1 - roughly 6 hours if you don't stop. We took 12. We stopped a lot. First, barely 2 hours in, for some hangover-revitalising Red Bull (them, not me) at Hope, a tiny 2 horse hick town where there doesn't seem to be lot to be hoping for. Then, a random turn off the highway up a back road for a change of scenery and a view over the hills - and a kick of the footy. One of the lads brilliantly thought to bring an Aussie Rules football on the road, the only drawback being that it was emblazoned with the Essendon Bombers logo all over it! This footy featured in our extra-curricular activities more than a handful of times on the road.
Trans-Canada Highway #1 to Banff
Other stops included lunch at Kamloops, for the worst KFC ever known to man - in fact, KFC's all over North America suck the big one, then Salmon Arm for a view over the Shaswup Lake and another round of footy. We also pulled in at Craigellachie to see the "golden spike" which marked the completion of the trans-continental railway here in November, 1885. Really, it's fascinating! Oh, and also a little spot called Crazy Creek - a wanna-be tourist attraction centred around a small suspension bridge over-looking a very pretty waterfall, and a vague promise of some bear-spotting in the surrounding woods...we never saw any.
Were we ever going to make it to Revelstoke?
In the end we did, checking into the Samesun Backpackers - a bargain at $16 each per night four our own 4-bed dorm room. After a long hard days driving (or cruising in the back seat, as the case may be) we were all ready for a beer or two, and to check out the town's nightlife. A few early-starters in the room before we headed out got us in the mood, and then we were off to paint the town. With the winter snow-season finished, and the summer biking-hiking season not yet in full swing, the town was kinda (read: very) quiet....not a whole lot going on to be honest. But that didn't stop us leaving an impression on the place, particularly on the cute blonde waitress, Molly, at our restaurant. Actually, to be honest, I shudder to think what she thinks of Australian men after we exited the premises! The local nightclub was next to feel our impact, the Ballarat lads really going to town, fuelled by the flask of Jameson's whiskey that Reggie had on hand, terrorising the local female clubbing population.
Revelstoke Main Street
Staggering out of there at some ungodly hour, we stumbled back towards the hostel. Daryl found a pushbike not locked up and entertained us by scooting around on it, quite a laugh given that it was a bright pink girls bike with a floral basket on front. Too bad we couldn't get our cameras out quick enough before he was told in no uncertain terms by a drunken, local lad to 'put the f-ing bike back where you found it!!'
Next morning, hangovers in tow, breakfast beckoned us to a local cafe, where once again, the waitresses would have been left with quite an impression of loud, rowdy Aussie blokes, and then we were off - destination Canmore, a small town just the other side of Banff. Taking a direct non-stop route, this would be a 3 hour, 300Km piece of cake drive. This being a sprawling, spread-eagled Aussies-on-tour road trip, we stretched it out to 7-8 hours with a 250Km detour, going via the Radium Hot Springs. Upon arriving here mid afternoon, expecting a scenic natural setting with open wilderness surrounding pools, we were highly disappointed to find a hugely commercialised spot, teeming with screaming kids, that looked pretty much exactly like ur local council outdoor swimming pool. I thought that the inground pools at the entrance were just an added attraction for the kiddies to play in, but they were actually it!!! If you ever think about checking it out, my word of advice....Don't bother. A little stop a bit further down the road for a kick of the footy by the side of the highway, with the looming, majestic, snow capped, granite Rockies as a backdrop revived out spirits somewhat after that disappointment, and then we were on our way again. Earlier in the day, we had passed thru the Glacier National Park - a bit of a giveaway name as to what we would see, but this was our first real, decent glimpse of the beginnings of the Rocky Mountains. To say that we were slightly gobsmacked by the grandeur of them would be to make the understatement of the day. Little were we to know just how much better it would get. We knew it would, but our pre-conceived perceptions would be surpassed many, many times over.
Arriving in Canmore to check into our motel that was home for the next 4 nights, I was more than impressed with the vista just across the street - an extensive scape of the ubiquitous jagged edged granite mountains that would become the mainstay of out trip. So close, they were practically within touching distance.
our Motel in Canmore
Our second night started off with a fantastic steakhouse dinner - this area of the world is famed for its steaks, and then the lads went out on the town again, once again fuelled by a bottle of Jameson's consumed before the revelry began. I stayed in. I wasn't up for it. In a pinch, these guys can drink waaaaaayy more than I can, and I didn't want to wake up feeling the way i did that morning.
Day 3 and 4 to come...
Tony
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