On Friday 9th July we began our mammoth road trip to Vancouver. It started with an afternoon at Spruce Meadows
watching the show jumping. We were wined and dined by our hosts (Cenovus) and walked the course in between events looking at the various jumps that Spruce Meadows has collected over the years from various Olympic events. That night we stayed in a motel in Canmore. We decided to avoid the Calgary Stampede this year. Might do it next year.
Day 2 - Drove to Revelstoke, British Columbia and visited Takakkaw Falls (a waterfall in Yoho National Park) and walked the Giant Cedar Boardwalk on the way. The boardwalk tr
ail takes you through a stand of old western red cedar and hemlock trees, some more than 800 years old, in the world's only inland non-tropical rainforest. Then spent good few hours cleaning up sick as Amy threw up in the car (not good at early stage of road trip!). That night we enjoyed a lovely meal on the patio of our hotel and the girls watched as I was thrashed by Stuart at pool!
Day 3 - Spent the morning at the Enchanted Forest (little girl heaven) and the Skytrek adventure park, which is situated in one of the beautiful old forests in the Monashee Mountains. The main trail of the Grand Forest provides the magical setting 
for over 350 fairy tale figurines and has BC's tallest and grandest tree house. After we'd walked the trail Holly completed her first high ropes challenge course up in the treetops and Amy had fun on the jungle gym. We then made our way to Cache-Creek (about 90k past Kamloops) stopping only for a spontaneous dip in the Shuswap lake. That night we had a fantastic Chinese meal.
Day 4 - Took Route 99 to Whistler, a very scenic route through the mountains, but very long and windy and Amy was sick again. This time I had the bag ready, but unfortunately she missed the bag!! We booked in to a really nice two bedroom condo in Whistler which meant I didn't have to share a bed with Holly that night (yippee) and spent the remainder of the day having a look around the town.
Day 5 - Spent the day hiking around Whistler trying to find a bear (1 possible sighting) and took the Peak2Peak gondola across to Blackcomb mountain and back again. The Peak2Peak gondola is the highest (436 meters above valley floor) and has the longest unsupported span (3
.2 kms) in the world. I have to say not my cup of tea but spectacular views. We had lunch at the top of Whistler mountain in the snow! Then walked the adventure trail through the woods to the Lost Lake (lake accessible only on foot) and bumped in to some friends from Ralston. Stuart and the girls took a quick dip in the lake and poor old Amy nearly got hypothermia as it was so cold. She shivered for about half an hour.
Day 6 - We got up early and drove the Sky to Sea highway down to Vancouver. Visited Lynnwood Canyon Park where we walked a wobbly suspension bridge and later ca
ught the ferry from Horseshoe Bay across to Naniamo on Vancouver Island. We arrived at our final destination Tofino at around 8pm and Amy did not have a good journey. By this stage I was starting to think a road trip was a very bad idea! Tofino is on the west coast of the Island and considered to be one of the rares places in the world with it's own temperate rainforests and world-famous Pacific Rim National Park. It is also close to Clayoquot Sound, a world UNESCO biosphere reserve. We stayed in a lovely little cosy log cabin next to the beach.
Day 7 - The weather whilst in Tofino was pretty disappointing. Rather than spend a few relaxing days on the beac
h as planned we took to our hiking boots and walked a few trails through the rainforest to foggy and damp coves or high points of interest, one of which being Radar Point. We had lunch overlooking the ocean in a beach front restaurant on Wickaninnish beach. Luckily the fog lifted whilst we were eating and we were able to watch the surfers trying to catch some waves and spotted what we think was a porpoise out at sea.
Day 8 - Awoke early and took the girls for a early morning walk along the beach. It was rather chilly and foggy and we were all freezing by the time we returned to our cabin. So what better way to warm up than a quick dip in the hot tub! Later that afternoon we went
whale watching. Donned in water and wind proof jackets and life jackets for the girls, we and 12 others boarded our catamaran. On route we saw a bald eagle and some large sea lions. Amy suffered terribly with sea sickness so I spent most of the journey at the stern of the boat with her, which actually suited me as I also was suffering a little. Don't think Stuart felt too good either! Anyway we saw one blue barnacled whale as it surfaced for air, but that was it. Bit of an anti climax as I was hoping to have seen orcas or hump backs, but never mind. I would say better luck next time, but given the experience not sure that there will be another time!
Day 9 - Returned to Vancouver and booked in to a hotel overlooking the Lions Gate Bridge. Spent the afternoon driving around the city centre which looks rather like parts of London and walking around Stanley Park, where we saw a mummy raccoon and her baby at the lake. Having worked up an appetite we went to a lovely Greek style taverna for dinner.
Day 10 - Took a bus, sea bus and tube train to Grenville Island, which reminded 
me very much of Covent Garden, but by the sea. Had hoped to have a little retail therapy but it just didn't happen with Stuart and the girls around. We walked for what seemed like miles around the town and had lunch at a place called Bridges (very expensive lunch, but very nice). Watched some street dance
rs and the girls decided they were going to join in. It was very sweet to watch. Then finally drove through the Okanagan Valley to Hope, a lovely little town with great character and lots to see and do. The town is filled with wood carved statues of animals and famous people or characters. We stayed in Slumberlodge Motel which was a good value for money motel (No. 1 on Tripadvisor).
Day 11 - Visited the Othello Tunnels. The tunnels were built in 1914 as part of the
Kettle Valley Railway which was built over three mountain ranges and through Coquihalla Gorge where the river has cut a 300 foot deep channel of solid granite. The tunnels have been seen in many films the most famous being Rambo: First Blood. We then continued our journey to Osoyoos (great name) where we stayed two nights in a waterfront condo by Osoyoos lake. Osoyoos bills itself as Desert Wine Country. It is the only desert in Canada with the lowest rainfall, the highest temperatures and the warmest lakes.
Day 12 - Spent the day on the beach and in the lake. Unfortunately it was a bit overcast but still warm enough for the girls to play and swim all day. Stuart bought them a couple of lilos, so they were very happy. I'm thinking Holly was a fish in another life!
Day 13 - Drove our longest journey yet to Cranbrook - thankfully sick free. Just outside Cranbrook we stopped for a quick dip in Moyie lake. One of the great things about Canada is you can swim in just about any lake or river and the water is beautifully clean and clear (big thumbs up). That night we stayed in Elizabeth Lake Lodge where we had stayed before. It has a fantastic mini golf course which we just had to try.
Day 14 - Crossed the border in to Montana, U.S.A. and made our way to Whitefish, a
possible ski destination for Christmas. We recced the accommodation and took a short hike up the mountain hoping and hoping to spot a bear! It was getting late and the clouds looked a bit dark and heavy so we cut our hike short and made for a quick descent straight down the mountain (scary). Whilst in Whitefish we stayed in the Big Mountain Lodge which had an indoor swimming pool and slide. As we were in the pool the storm hit and we sat watching the rain and lightening. Whitefish has a lake and quaint little village. It offers great discounts on accommodation, lift tickets and ski lessons for military families so think we will probably go back in December.
Day 15 - By this s
tage I'd given up hope of seeing a real bear in the wild, so when we passed a bear wildlife park we just had to stop and have a look. The sign said guaranteed sightings, "your car is your cage"! The very small park was home to four very old and very fat black bears who clearly were on their last legs, but at least I could say I'd seen a bear!. When then drove the "Going-to-the-Sun" road through the Glacier National Park. The road is 50 miles long and goes through the park's wild interior, winding around mountainsides and treating visitors to some of the best sights in northwest Montana. The road was narrow in places and quite hairy at times especially when you were up in the clouds and couldn't see more than a foot in front of you. The park is also home to numerous animal species i.e. snow-white mountain goats, golden eagles and elk. It has one of the largest remaining grizzly bear populations in the U.S.A (no sightings
). Our wildlife spotting was pretty unsuccessfully, although we were visited by a lone deer searching for food whilst eating our lunch. It was so tame it came right up to our table. After lunch we continued our journey across the border in to Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park. We managed to get a room in Waterton town and took a hired a trolley bicycle to have a look around the lake. The town was full of deer and bambis. Later that evening around dusk we drove the road to Cameron Lake, a route where you are "almost guaranteed to see a bear" so our waitress told us. Guess what NO BEARS!
Day 16 - Checked out of our hotel room early and decided to walk the Bear's Hump, one of the most popular but steepest hikes over a short distance (1 km) in all of the national parks in Alberta. All the sweet and encouragement was worth it because at the end you get
a birds eye view of the entire village of Waterton, it's lakes and surrounding area. Whilst at the summit we were visited by some cheeky chipmunks. Then we made our way to Red Rock Canyon and as we were driving along we saw a BEAR, an adolescent bear by the roadside. Oh how happy was I?! We then stopped and walked another short hike through the forest to Crandell Lake before setting off for home. We arrived home at around 6.30pm. We'd had a great time, seen and done lots of things, but I was was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed.
