Taking a Trip down Memory Lane - Western Canada 2002, 2003 & 2004

People often asked us: Why did you want to go live in Canada? Well, there is no short answer. Over all it had been a combination of scenery and wildlife, people, opportunity, familiar language and a desire for change. But take a look, and ask yourself: Why wouldn't you want to live in Canada?

June 2002: Roland wanted to show Sonja the best of the west on a 2,500km RV road-trip through Western Canada. We started in Calgary, and picked up our home for the next three weeks. This specific kind of camping experience was new to Sonja. It certainly had its advantages to move everything once into a mobile home, over pitching a tent and packing up every morning.

The route would take us from Calgary to Dinosaur Provincial Park, before we entered the Rocky Mountains, and drove up the Icefield Parkway from Banff to Jasper.

Downtown Banff

Then we turned southwest down Yellowhead Highway and visited Wells Gray Provincial Park. After this it was pretty straight forward towards the Pacific West Coast.

We took the ferry to Vancouver Island, and overnighted in Victoria. Our last vacation days were spent in Vancouver where we returned the vehicle.

Apologies for the pictures. They were taken pre-digital so they were few and not of best quality.

September 2003: The same but different. Again we started from Calgary. This year our tour again included the Icefield Parkway, but then we took the southern route through the Kootenays and the Okanagan Valley, before heading into Vancouver and ferrying over to Victoria.

Icefield Parkway

 Banff and Peyto Lake

 Maligne Lake and Lake Louise

 Peyto Lake and Angel Glacier

Mile Zero, Victoria and Totem Poles in Stanley Park, Vancouver

July 2004 Yukon and Alaska: We couldn't get enough of North America, and decided that a Yukon and Alaska trip was in order. Our trip began in Whitehorse where we met this handsome gentleman in red. 

The arctic part of North America was hot, and it was on fire, literally. The Alaska wild fire was the worst on record at that time, and forced us to abandon some of the travel plans we had. But a journey through Yukon and Alaska is not so much about destination as it is about the scenery. And never had we seen before such beauty.

Our trip would take us down to Skagway, and back up via Whitehorse to Valdez. We took the ferry to Seward, spend a couple of days in Anchorage, traveled up to Fairbanks, and driven by the wildfires we turned southeast again, for some relaxing days in Atlin, BC. It must have been about 4,500km and we spent a lot of time behind the wheel, but it didn't feel like much. The midnight sun kept us awake anyway, so we stopped when we were tired and we drove when we were rested ignoring the actual time of the day.

Some of the scenic highlights of the trip: Columbia Glacier and Denali

Roadtrip scenery...

 A dangerous route… driving McCarthy Road to Kennecott Mine.

 As inviting as it looks, the water temperatures were not suitable for swimming.

 But then the view was gone thanks to the wildfires.

So we drove as far south as we possibly could for some fresh air. This is how we ended up in Atlin, BC. A town we didn't plan for but proved to be worth every mile.


Emerald Lake

 Midnight Sun in Atlin, BC

September 2004 A Bonus Trip to Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland: Why again? One might ask. Well, because we could. We had vacation days and moneys left for another quick trip to the country of our dreams. Sonja's best girlfriend tagged along for the journey and helped keeping the cost in check by sharing the expenses for rental car and accommodation. So all was good.

We wanted to show Sonja's friend a bit of the country which we intended to live in. First stop was in Victoria, followed by a trip to Tofino, then up the east cost of Vancouver Island to visit Telegraph Cove for some whale watching. After this we left the island for Whistler, followed the Lillooet loop down to Hope, and finally hit the highway to Vancouver. She sure had a blast, and so did we.

Victoria

 Headed towards Tofino

Fall Impressions west coast style

On the beach in Tofino. We stayed at the Wickanninish Inn (which pretty much broke our budget but was worth every penny!)

The rest of the journey cheap budget motels would have to do, but even those had such view to offer.

In Telegraph Cove we got what we came for: Watching whales. There were Orcas galore, and for the first time in a long time humpback whales had returned.

They were some eagles and bears, too. But the whales had impressed us the most!

We overnighted in Whistler, then followed Route 99 towards Lillooet, and south along Fraser River (below the confluence of Fraser and Thompson in Lytton) down to Hope.

 Autumn leaves, Stanley Park, Vancouver

 A final view on Downtown.

2004 should become the last year that we actually vacationed in Canada. We moved to Calgary in April 2005. But that is different story to be told once in the mood for another trip down memory lane.