From prairies to peaks then on to the coast



Leaving Calgary and heading for the mountains

 I finally get why people live in Calgary. For some reason my past impressions of Calgary was somewhat tainted by the flat lands with which this city is surrounded by and the fact that it is nowhere near the ocean. The mountains are definitely nearby which is a bonus but they are not looming over your head. And if I ever chose to live away from the ocean I would want to live near mountains, and let them be beside me, standing like guardians and casting a shadow in the early morning.

During this particular journey I enjoyed witnessing the mountains at a distance, beyond the sky scrapers of a growing city, waiting there, anticipating our presence. I liked the combination of prairies and peaks dissolving from one into another in only a matter of a mile. And just knowing Snowy Owls live on the outskirts of this city…what else wild lingers around the perimeter I wondered.

Banff Springs Hotel in a perfect wintery scene

We drove into Banff a little under powered, our lights dimming and a few other gadgets not working to their full potential. Obviously our fanbelt and alternator were still not working properly. Losing three fanbelts from Calgary to Banff was the give-away that something was up. This was the first item on the Things to Do list to take care of the following morning.
What was supposed to be a one night and one day stay in Banff ended up being three days and it wasn’t all for pleasure. To sum up our experience and the greatest lesson learned - enforced self-reliance.

Not a single mechanic or garage could help us. They did not have the facility to work on the motorhome or they were booked up with other vehicles to fix, or they simply had no desire or need to work on a 1979 vehicle. We were forced to trouble shoot what we figured the issue was, order the parts then fix it ourselves. Which we did, it just took three days.

There's Flag trees in places other than Churchill?


While we waited we played at little. Our friend Jessica took us to one of the parks where we hiked some of the snow trodden trails and enjoyed the scenic wintery vistas of mountain peaks rising up from frozen lakes. We saw a fine specimen of an Elk just at dusk, the rack he carried on his head gave evidence of the size. One afternoon after working on the motorhome we took a break and borrowed ice skates. We skated on the frozen river which meanders through the quaint township of Banff. It was wild to be skating and skimming across a river frozen in the action of current and a running river. And finally, we treated ourselves to some fine dining at Jess’s restaurant The Maple Leaf. We sipped on local wine and dined on delicious cuisine which Dean didn’t have to cook – how luxurious.

One event that stands in mind was when I accidentally and without knowing, dropped my wallet beside the motorhome late one night. It happened to be parked near a back alley used by locals.
When I discovered my wallet missing, assuming that I had dropped it the night before, I felt sure that it was lost for good. Dean and I stepped outside the motorhome ready to take action. As I walked towards the gas station to find out if it was handed in he called out to me, “Ahh Hayls, if it was dropped near this walkway it is long gone”. A young guy, who at that very moment was walking by asked whether we were talking about a wallet. It just so happened this fellow had found it last night, picked it up and tried to search for me on facebook. At this moment, he was on his way out for the day and happened to be running an hour late which caused him to be walking by just as Dean and I were talking about my lost wallet. What a relief that he was so honest. He returned my wallet all intact with nothing missing. I believe that is more than just coincidence and serendipity.

Highway 3 heading to B.C

We departed Banff on Oct 14th and Winnie was running beautifully to our relief. We (mainly Dean) had fixed the problem, phew. It didn’t take long to reach the border into BC and as soon as we had crossed the imaginary line, a gathering of Big Horned sheep were there to welcome us home.

During the journey towards the westcoast, we delighted in our first sighting of a Bald Eagle, we caught a glimpse of a coyote in one of the fields just out of Osoyoos and we witnessed a Kestrel going in for a kill along side the highway we drove. Not to mention the unusual and rare sighting of Bigfoot.

Home sweet home




The border crossing guards were curious of our 30ft rig



The meeting of Horns

Sasquatch lives!

Taking some time out from driving, how beautiful the drive has been

The motorhome was running well and since we were getting close towards the coast, we decided to slow things down a little. We stopped at a gorgeous river and Dean tried a little fishing. Although nothing was caught the scenery and tranquil setting was worth the break.
As we drive on, the snow soon turned to rain. As we approached Vancouver the blue sky turned to the typical shade of grey, but how we delighted in the moist air. The one night in Vancouver was definitely long enough and as we sat in the cafeteria on the BC ferries, crossing over to Vancouver Island, we chose to have lunch at a table overlooking the Strait of Georgia. We felt like we were on a luxury cruise.

It was wonderful to be on the island again, stopping and visiting friends along the way until we arrived at our final destination - Port McNeil.  Tomorrow we will take the 20 minute ferry ride across to Alert Bay and when we do, the motorhome and Dean would have been away for 14 months and 15 days. How relieved and grateful that for the most part Winnie performed beautifull. And even after the numerous breakdowns, we have come to accept that she is an old girl afterall that needs time and attention but she is also a vehicle that offered shelter, a warm bed and a delicous hot meal on many occasions, not to mention that it has saved Dean from going to motor mechanic school. She was a home, a teacher and a means to get most of the way across Canada and for that, both Dean and I are thankful.

HERE'S TO WINNIE THE WINNEBAGO!!