The Canadian Rockies Road Trip - Final Stop: Osoyoos

The next leg of our trip to Osoyoos was a 552km drive from Lake Louise estimate to take 6.5 hours with no stops. That just isn't realistic, so we built in an overnight pit stop in Trail. The drive from Lake Louise to Trail in the Kootenay region along Highway #3 followed the Kootenay River, a crystal clear fast running river. The forests that surround the highway were healthy, lush, and green which was nice to see after seeing the devastation of the pine beetle infested forests in the Canadian Rockies. It was all so scenic and showcased the natural beauty of the great outdoors in our own backyard. Our drive was uneventful. We stopped for lunch in Invermere, a vibrant little community with the Kootenay River running through it. The area is known for several hot springs, however, due to the pandemic the hot springs were closed to visitors. We did stop for a quick break along the river and found it refreshingly cold. 

We arrived in Trail around supper time and quickly discovered the town is not that big or busy. We stayed at the new BW hotel located downtown by the Columbia River. The entire downtown area was eerily deserted. We weren't even sure any restaurants were open, but then we found Kootenay Kebab a block away from the hotel and decided we'd order take away. The food was great and we enjoyed our Mediterranean dinner of gheimeh stew and koobideb (beef) kebab in the comfort of our room which had a large kitchen and eating area. From Trail we carried on to Osoyoos the following day and arrived amidst a heat wave. 

Our Osoyoos leg was meant for not much more than finally visiting and hanging out with our friends who vacation there each year, relaxing on the beach, cooling off in the lake, and touring a few wineries. And with that we achieved great success! Considering we were on the go so much during the first three legs, doing a whole lot of nothing was the perfect way to end this road trip. Our winery tour consisted of a stop at Road 13 where we enjoyed a 1.5 hour private tasting, followed by a fabulous lunch at Tinhorn Creek on their outdoor patio, an afternoon tasting at Fairview Cellars, and a final stop at Burrowing Owl - my absolute favourite of the bunch, to cap of the day. On our last night in Osoyoos we had dinner at Burrowing Owl as well and while I really enjoyed my meal, it did fall flat with Z and a few of our friends which was disappointing. At least our waiter was great and very knowledgeable with his wines and didn't mind all our questions. 

After a relaxing half week in Osoyoos it was time for this road trip adventure to end and head home. It was an amazing experience being a tourist in our backyard and enjoying all the greatness we have here. Making this trip even that much more special was touring around with Z and all the little thoughtful things he does to make each of our adventures extra fun and memorable. While we couldn't get on a plane for travelling in 2020, we had a blast driving around and exploring. 

To travel is to live...until next time. Life is good! 

The Canadian Rockies Road Trip - Third Stop: Kananaskis

The drive from Jasper to Kananaskis is just over 4 hours along the very scenic highway 93. We took our time and didn't rush part of the journey. In fact, we made several stops along the way starting with the drive through Icefields Parkway. The landscape along this drive is filled with magnificent views of the Canadian Rockies with countless jagged, snow capped mountain peaks and dozens of impressive glaciers. The presence of the mountains and glaciers was awe inspiring. We stopped in at the Athabasca Glacier but due to the rainy cold weather didn't spend much time there to explore the glacier up close and personally. The drive into the glacier has markers indicating where the glacier reached over the last 125 years. It's sad to say this glacier is receding by 5 metres per year and has lost over half of its volume over that same period. Even still with the rate of recession, this glacier remains massive covering 6km; at least in my opinion that is massive and it measures up to 300 metres thick in areas. The weather wasn't the greatest during our drive as we experienced periods of fairly heavy rain and overcast skies but even still this drive is worth doing as it truly provides an opportunity to appreciate the beautiful nature that surrounds us. 

Another stop was at Athabasca Falls. The walk to this picturesque waterfall is very easy. The waterfall itself is not very tall, but rather is powerful due to the force of the water falling into the gorge below. The water level seemed rather high during our visit which made the rushing of the waterfall quite intense. While we were there, we noticed a film crew who happened to be filming a Tourism Alberta video. I don't think we made it into the video though. 

Several of the parks in Alberta require a Parks Canada pass which we realized very shortly before we left so we managed to quickly buy one, but didn't get our actual Parks Canada pass in time so instead we needed to display a printed copy on our dash. As we were driving down to Kananaskis we noticed a couple cars had stopped at the side of the road, and noticed as we were passing they had stopped to watch a black bear grazing on berries on the side of the road. I was driving at the time and couldn't exactly stop in time, so we ended up pulling over a little further down, and when safe I pulled an illegal but safe u-turn and head back so we could get a better look of the bear and try and get some pictures. With the bear safely on the opposite of the road, I opened my window so that I could start taking some photos. For some reason, Z decided to open his window too and a gush of wind entered our car taking with it our paper Parks Canada pass with it and blowing it not only to the other side of the road, but also up the road a bit to a closer distance of the bear that I was comfortable with. I of course panic slightly because we now no longer had our pass and I thought we'd get a ticket if we didn't try and retrieve it, and because Z decided it would be OK to cross the highway, head towards the bear and pick up our pass. This all happened very quickly, and thankfully by the time Z got to the other side of the road, the bear had wandered back into the surrounding forest. Crisis averted and Z didn't turn into lunch. 

We made it to Kananaskis after a quick stop in Canmore to stretch our legs, grab my free birthday coffee at Starbucks; can't let that one go to waste, and give the car a quick wash to try and rid the car from all the dead bugs we picked up along the way. Canmore's first impressions that it was a quaint looking town and possibly worth spending some time exploring another time. It's a popular ski destination and certainly has a ski resort feel to it. It also has an abundance of outdoor recreational activities in the summer. 

Our stay in Kananaskis was at the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge; a fairly newly renovated property surrounded by the mountainous beauty of the Canadian Rockies It's located fairly remote from anything of significant but is surrounded by a very small ski resort village. Unfortunately most of the very small number of stores in this village were closed due to Covid. There are trails all around that are good for walking, running, or hiking. We had a very nicely appointed room with a balcony overlooking the nordic spa. We were greeted in our room with a nice birthday note and chocolate treats which was a very nice touch. Our plan was to use this hotel as a base and explore several different hiking trails, including hiking up in Banff which was a 2 hour drive north....that plan was adjusted once we talked through what time we would have to leave this hotel to get up to Banff in time to get a coveted parking spot at the trailhead, but more to come on that later. 

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park surrounds a good portion of the area we were in and there are countless hikes with varying levels of difficulty and distance you can do. We decided to start with a scenic driving route, known as Smith Dorrien Trail. Also known as Highway 742 its total distance is 70km from Canmore to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. This trail is a gravel road filled with potholes and makes driving it challenging at time particularly with the dust that kicks up. Despite this, the drive is incredibly scenic with opportunities to spot wildlife at the side of the road. We saw deer at the side of the road and also run across the road at a distance. We saw a family of Rocky Mountain goat grazing on the grass not caring a bit that we pulled over right beside them for a closer look. We spotted a marmot who cautiously watch us while standing on his two hind legs to make sure we didn't come too close. You have to be fairly alert driving this trail because of the wildlife that can cross the road at any moment or as we discovered coming around a bend you'll find a goat standing in the middle of the road and in no hurry to move along. The surrounding forests look much healthier in the area and did not appear to be infested with the pine beetle like the forests in Jasper. A cool point of interest is that this trail also has one of the highest mountain roads in Canada, at 6,250ft above sea level. Along the Smith Dorrien Trail are many hikes. We stopped at did the West Wind Pass, which can be extended into the Windtower hike but we didn't have enough time for both. This hike is just over 5km but with an elevation gain of almost 400 metres and has part that are not for the faint of heart. The trail starts at the side of the road. It is kept in pretty good condition, sometimes not as well marked than I would have liked which caused us to veer off in one section but we managed to get back on track with a little extra "climbing" than probably was needed. It's highly recommended to carry bear spray and a bear bell which helped keep away any unwanted observers of our trek and I took a lot of comfort in hearing other hikers and their bells because at times I think that Z thought the bear bell was annoying. The West Wind Pass with its elevation gain is a bit harder than I anticipated and I'd say is not for the faint of heart as portions of the trail are narrow with a sharp cliff on the other side. With the hot weather, the trail was also very dry which made the trail feel slippery in sections. The views were gorgeous and despite my complaining about how windy it was when we got to the end and right before the Windtower (appropriately names for the conditions) portion started, it was well worth it. 

Driving south on the Smith Dorrien Trail connects you to Hwy 541 which we then took to the Turner Valley to stop for lunch at the Chuckwagon Cafe. The cafe is a quaint place set up in a red barn building. I've gotta say that this place had the best burger I've ever eaten in my life with their beef is raised in their "backyard" according to our waitress. It was certainly worth the journey here. 

Part of our plan was to hike Lake Louise. The challenge though, with staying in Kananaskis, was the 1.5 hours drive north from our hotel and getting there early enough to ensure a parking spot which fills up very quickly due to the popularity of the lake. Even without international travellers we read that the near parking lots were filling up by 8:30 which meant a super early morning if we were going to get there. After thinking this through a little, we actually thought the better plan would be shorten our stay in Kananaskis by one night and instead stay at Lake Louise. In the end, this plan worked out for the best....we stayed one night at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, got to park in the hotel parking lot giving us easy access to the lake, got a lovely room with a breathtaking view of the lake and the Victoria glacier, and were surprised with a birthday wish, this time for Z! 

We wanted to hike the Plain of Six Glaciers whose trailhead is accessed at the other end of Lake Louise, a 2km shoreline walk from the hotel. The hike starts off fairly easy, with a gradual incline that becomes progressively steeper half way through. The overall elevation gain is about 370 meters and the hike is roughly a 10km out and back. The trail is well maintained and provides  amazing views of Mount Lefroy, Mount Victoria and the Victoria Glacier. As you gain elevation and look back towards the lake and hotel, you can see tiny black specks which are all the canoes on the lake. We saw a lot of chipmunks and squirrels along the way, some a little more skittish than others. No bear or mountain goat sightings on our hike, maybe because of my trusty bear bell, but this wildlife can be spotted. At the end of the trail you come upon a small meadow and a teahouse. The teahouse was built in 1924 by Swiss guides who used it as a rest stop for mountain climbers making their way to Abbott Pass. Today it is a teahouse providing different meals and snacks made daily on site along with various beverage, and tea options. The staff  hike in and stay there for a week long shift, often bringing with them additional supplies for the teahouse operations. There is no electricity or running water and all hikers are expected to pack out their garbage too. A trail continues about 1km past the teahouse and is fairly narrow ending at the Abbott Pass viewpoint. This stretch had a further elevation gain of about 50 meters and it was extremely windy at the time which made the last section a little more tricky as we hiked across a very narrow rocky ridge to get up close up view of the glacier and surrounding moraines. We were lucky to have a clear sunny day for this hike making the views that much more stunning.

Our last adventure at Lake Louise was to go canoeing. We were lucky to have received a free canoe rental from the hotel and considering this is a very popular excursion, we were also very happy to learn that hotel guests had a priority line. This turned out to be great because early on our departure day, we got on the lake as the first canoe, bypassing an every growing line of non-hotel guests. Despite the concerns I had with paddling with my tennis elbow issue, we managed to get to the far end of the lake and back within the hour rental we had. The lake was calm, beautifully turquoise, and cold to the touch. It was so peaceful early in the morning and gave us another opportunity for a different vantage of the glacier; still stunningly magnificent. What a fantastic way to end our Canadian Rockies leg of this road trip! 

The Canadian Rockies Road Trip - Second Stop: Jasper

 

Our journey to Jasper started first with a stop in Wells Grey Provincial park at the Spahats Creek Falls. These falls are an incredible sight as they rush through a gap in the canyon walls. Accessing the falls was quite easy, it's a short walk done a gravel path from the parking lot to the view points. There are two main view points, one that provides a spectacular view of the canyon while the second, just a little bit further provides a nice wooden decked platform facing the falls itself. This impressive natural waterfall plunges about 60 metres into the Clearwater River. The canyon walls are formed from deposits of volcanic rock and appear to have distinct layers of rock on top of rock. It's too bad we didn't have more time here as exploring other parts of this park would have been fun. Another road trip another time....

Our drive took us through many small towns I'd heard of but never really knew where they were. The scenery along the way was just incredible. Most often the road followed by a river or railway track and was lined with valleys and forests. We certainly live in a very naturally beautiful place.  We arrived in Jasper early evening and were booked to stay at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge; a bit of a splurge for this trip. The FJPL is actually very well located in Jasper National Park and made for a good base for us to explore the area over the next few days. As we approached the entrance of the property, the FJPL had a Covid checkpoint which was one of the many protocols in place. This did slow down access the first time as they were also checking guests in after temperature checks and related questions, but once we had our parking pass we easily by-passed any line ups on other days. The FJPL is situated on the breathtakingly scenic emerald green Lac Beauvert with views of the surrounding mountains all around. The property is huge with a main lodge with accommodations along with many log cabins spread throughout the property that could accommodate upwards of eight individual, very spacious rooms. Our first night was spent in one of the log cabins with a lake view because the room we actually had booked was occupied by another guest due to a maintenance issue that occurred prior to our arrival. We received a call on the morning of our arrival informing us of this first night change and despite having paid for the other room, the hotel was full and they had nothing else available for this other guest. We were disappointed to learn this, but the hotel was quite good about it and offered us complimentary breakfast for our entire stay which was awesome! And after we tried to get into the restaurant for breakfast the first day but were turned away because they were too busy, we also got the hotel to give us a discount on our rate for one night. For the age of the resort, the room itself was nice, but had very dated decor and furniture. The room itself was on the top floor of the cabin building and was very large with a separated sleeping area overlooking the very spacious living room. There was also a wood burning fireplace, which I guess is handy in the wintertime, but did nothing for us during the heat wave we experienced during this leg of the trip.  

While the resort accommodations are all fairly dated and showing their age (a renovation of the property is overdue), and lack air conditioning, the location on the lake just can't be beat. Our real room was ready for us on the second day and was located in the main lodge, top floor with a very large outdoor deck overlooking the lake. This room was a one bedroom and appeared to have been updated slightly, but still lacked air conditioning. When we got into this room, a nice birthday surprise awaited....chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of wine. One of man little surprises on this trip, planned or otherwise. The room appeared as though it was two hotel rooms combined as a one bedroom which meant we had plenty of space....a large bedroom with full bathroom, an enormous living room, and eating area, and another full bathroom. It was certainly a nice place to call "home" for a few days. While unpacking the car during our room switch is when our blueberry mishap occurred. We had been enjoying the blueberries as tasty, healthy snacks and were looking forward to eating them for the rest of the trip. I had booked a much needed massage for day two at the hotel and it happened to fall at the same time we could change rooms, so Z took it upon himself to take care of transferring our stuff from room to car and from car to new room. It was during one of these trips when someone thought he could carry a little more than really turned out possible and our still fairly full box of blueberries fell, spilling most on the ground. Devastated by this, Z tried to salvage as many blueberries as possible, but many ended up bird or possibly even bear food over the course of the day and night. C'est la vie. 

The hotel has plenty of outdoor activities...horseback riding, golf, canoeing, peddle boats, kayaking, or SUPing on the lake, and renting bikes. We tried a peddle boat and ended up peddling around most of the lake. It takes some pretty good leg power particularly if there is any headwind which happened to us when we were trying to return to shore from the other end of the lake. Z took a SUP out one morning while I was feeling really crummy; this is starting to become a regular thing on longer vacays where there's one day or partial day where I feel sick and just don't get out of bed....this one may have been the result of some wine and not enough water in the heat, but who's to say for sure. Z is quite the impressive SUP'er and towards the end of his allotted time I managed to drag myself out of bed and met him along the shore to snap a few pics. Crazy Z then decided he needed to cool off and decided to jump in the frigid lake too, but that didn't last too long....too cold! I didn't try SUP'ing because I was unable to paddle having developed tennis elbow during Covid and so the only water sport that made sense for me was the peddle boat.... all leg power no arms.

On our bike ride to a nearby lake called Lake Annette, we saw an elk grazing on the side of the road; it wasn't scared off by our presence which allowed us to get a good photo of it. We had planned to stop and wade into Lake Annette because it is supposed to be slightly warmer than Lac Beauvert and makes a good swimming lake. As we cycled down the road leading to the lake we saw a bunch of emergency vehicles stopped at the side of the road and in the parking lot. we knew right away something was not right; someone had drowned. It was sobering to learn this and really made me dwell on the thought that you can never underestimate the power of the water, let alone a glacier fed lake.

Besides a bunch of nasty mosquitoes and bugs, beautifully coloured blue and red birds, we didn't see any other wild life on the property. Even during our early morning run around the lake, on my birthday no less, we didn't encounter anything despite hearing that on the far end of the lake you could possibly encounter bears. I guess we were either loud enough or not early enough, thankfully. 

Z thinking a dip in Lac Beauvert was a good idea.

  

We had planned to embark on an epic hike of Mount Edith Cavell on the day where I wasn't feeling so great. This spoiled the plan of the epic hike, but by mid afternoon I was feeling better and we decided to head there anyway and doa shorter condensed hike instead. From FJPL you can see Mount Cavell in the distance. It's a magnificent and prominent mountain, capped with the Angel glacier (named after its shape which looks like an angel spreading its wings) that spills over a 300 metre cliff. The glacier is rapidly melting and has created a distinct waterfall feeding into the glacial lake. In fact while we were at on the Cavell Meadows trail staring at the glacier we witnessed a very small piece break off and fall like a snow shower to the glacier lake below. It was quite the distinct sound hearing this piece break off and I can only imagine what it sounds like when large pieces of glaciers break off. The Cavell Meadows trail is an easy hiking trail lined with beautiful, vibrant wild flowers. The gravel trail has a couple different offshoots that leads you either more direct up to the north face glacier or along a more windy path that crosses a stream that connects with the Athabasca River and brings you to the same view point area. Hiking down to the actual glacier lake is relatively easy along the loose rocks that fill this part of the valley. The lake was cold, yet refreshing on a hot day. Glacier ice chunks float within the lake. The hike to the glacier lake was about 4km from the parking lot and continues further past the lake up the mountain providing many fantastic viewpoints of the mountain, glacier and surrounding valley. One thing that I found quite impressive on any of our hikes was how well maintained all the trails are. Parks Alberta does a great job in this regard.

 

As we continued on our hike up the mountain, we found a great viewpoint on top of large rock boulders that were likely the result of a rock avalanche at some point. It took a little easy rock climbing, with fearless Z leading the way, to get atop this rock pile but it was well worth the effort. Had I not been sick we would have spent most of the day here exploring the various trails and viewpoints, but unfortunately this hike was cut shortly as night was falling upon us and we had dinner plans. 

Another day trip was to Maligne Lake with a scenic drive through Maligne Valley. We had booked a socially distanced boat tour on Maligne Lake but had some time beforehand to explore the valley a bit. We stopped in at Maligne Canyon Trail. The 3.4km loop trail over the First, Second, Third and Fourth bridge took us through the wonder of the canyon and provided magnificent view points. The waterfalls and rushing water was such a wonderful sound. The surrounding forest is lush with many different trees. At one point between two of the canyon walls, is a suspended rock that looks like a heart; it's quite the marvel. The rest of the drive to Maligne Lake was filled with scenic viewpoints of emerald coloured glacier lakes, the Maligne River, and Medicine Lake. In the interest of time, we could not stop at these point or check out any of the other many hiking trails along the way. 

Our tour of Maligne Lake was not only a lot of fun, but also quite informative. Our guides provided a lot of entertainment along the way as well as we made our way to Spirit Island which was the focal point of the  boat tour. Maligne Lake is the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies, surrounded by snow capped mountains including the Queen Elizabeth Ranges which we learned were were named such in honour of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953. Spirit Island, situated at the far end of Maligne Lake isn't actually an island year round. When the water levels are not at their peak which is during the spring melt it's actually connected to the shore. Spirit Island is said to be a spiritual place for the Stoney Nakoda First Nation who believe the mountains are physical representations of their ancestors. Visitors are not allowed to step foot on the island. Maligne Lake is a popular for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing and is a popular spot for tourist. We also learned that about 80% of the forest in the Jasper area is infected by the pine beetle and while many trees are still green, it is only a matter of time before they also turn brown. It's extremely devastating and particularly that nothing can be done about it with our guides saying the only way to kill the pine beetle is for a forest fire to burn the forest and allow it to rebirth itself afterwards. After our tour was done, we enjoyed a great meal on the outdoor deck at the View restaurant. Our table overlooked the lake and it was a great way to end our tour of Maligne Lake. 

This wouldn't be a post about Jasper if I didn't include a quick bit about Jasper town. The town is definitely a tourist town, lined with gift shops and restaurants. It's quite a quaint town but certainly devoted by the lack of tourist business this summer. We had a great dinner experience at a family run restaurant called Syrahs of Jasper. They did a great job of ensuring proper social distancing for their guests and the staff were all well trained. The are known for their Alberta bison and so we decided to try two different bison dishes. The smoked bison ragout was probably the better of the two, with the bison sirloin missing the mark a little bit. Their house salad was amazing though and came in quite a large portion. All in all though it was a good restaurant. 

The Canadian Rockies Road Trip - First Stop: Kamloops

Our trip was well thought through....we didn't have too many stretches of extremely long driving and even with the couple stretches that were on the long side, switching off drivers was very helpful as was random stops to stretch our legs and grab a breath of fresh air. Doing such a long road trip and knowing the various stops and activities we were planning on, it did mean we packed the car with a lot of gear. This required some strategic packing as well to make sure we not only fit everything, but had access to what we needed, when we needed it without having to unpack everything. Outside of some rattling camping chairs for pretty much the entire trip that we just couldn't get quiet, it all worked out and we managed just fine. 

We started our road trip adventure, leaving on Friday early afternoon of a long weekend which only meant traffic on the highway was going to be jammed. As expected, there was an accident or something that caused traffic to back up badly, so we exited and took the scenic backroads to avoid the accident stretch. This brought us out into Abbotsford and right past our regular blueberry farm, so after a quick decision to stop and pick up 5lbs of blueberries for the trip (sadly we didn't get to eat all the blueberries in the end, but more on that later), we continued our trek up to Kamloops, where we stayed for a couple nights. We stayed right in downtown Kamloops at the Delta and were only a couple blocks walk from the South Thompson River and Riverside Park, a large, beautiful park with beach areas providing easy access to the river. The Delta hotel is fairly newly renovated and we stayed in a lovely and spacious one bedroom suite compliments of Z's loyalty status. We were also treated to a nice welcome gift with a box of chocolates and fancy bottled sparkling water; one of which came handy the second night as it was needed to spot clean some wine spillage on Z's clothes - works just like club soda. Our hotel rate included a complimentary wine tasting at Monte Creek Winery and entrance to the B.C. Wildlife Park, a wildlife rehabilitation park, which gave us two firm activities for our stay. We discovered that there was a farmer's market a short walk from the hotel on Saturdays, so we set out after breakfast to explore. It was already starting to get fairly hot early on in the day so our trip to the farmer's market was a little rushed but we did buy some really fresh, tasty, good quality apricots, black raspberries, and mini carrots for snacks. The heat really just accelerated what our real plan was for Saturday afternoon, floating down the Thompson River in our new double-seater with cooler storage flotation device. The logistics of our float took some planning because you start the float at one point of the river and end in another so unless you have two vehicles where you can ferry back and forth, this can create some challenges. But my trusty planner had figured out the best way to make this happen was leaving the car at the end point and calling a taxi to take us to the start point. This worked out well. When we got to the boat launch start point, a friendly stranger offered us use of his air pump, but we graciously declined because we had brought our own pump. In the end though we did top up using the air pump just to get a bit more air. 

All pumped up and ready to go. This was my first experience floating down a river and I've got to say it was extremely peaceful and relaxing. It took us about 2.5 hours from start to finish and besides a couple times having to paddle a bit, the river just took us. We were shocked that on what was probably the hottest day of the weekend, that we were pretty much the only ones on the river floating. We did see one group of four who had a motorized float that allowed them the option of either floating or moving faster with the motor, but outside of that there were only a few speed boats going up and down. 

Knowing it would be smoking hot and this would take a couple hours, we came prepared with drinks and some cookies for snacks that we packed in the cooler part. We decided it would be great to heat up our cookies by leaving them in the sun as we floated and when we ate them, it was like they had just been warmed up in an oven. 

At one point during our leisurely float, Z jumped into the cold river and then encouraged me to do the same. I was hesitant but in the end did and it proved to be refreshing from the hot sun. We also had a family of ducks float with us for some time, I think perhaps they thought they would get food from us, but that didn't happen and eventually they lost interest in us and swam off.

 

Floating in our luxury two-person floatie was a fantastic way to spend the hot sunny day before heading to our wine tasting at Monte Creek Ranch Winery. Z discovered this winery on a road trip he took without me last summer (I was a little busy with my head in the books). The wine tasting had to be booked in advance with a reservation, drops in were not allowed. I really had no idea that Kamloops had wineries in the area, but I learned there are three. Monte Creek is an organic winery and farm with over 75 acres of vines. Its tasting room overlooks the Thompson River and valley, providing a very scenic wine tasting experience. It's a relatively new winery, since 2009 and only open to the public since 2015. We ended up purchasing a few of Z's favourite bottles and a couple rosés for me which I knew would be great for sharing with some of our friends. 

Before heading out on our next leg of the road trip, we spent the morning at the BC Wildlife Park.  What is different about this park is that it is a sanctuary for wild animals that are in need of rehabilitation having been so injured that if they were left in the wild they would not have survived. The park tries it best to provide space that represents the animals' nature habitat, but at the same time for the protection of the staff and visitors, the animals are fenced or caged. It was neat to see eagles, elk, grizzly bears, and owls, but at the same token it was sad to know that these animals would likely never be able to roam free again. From here, it was pack up the car and hit the road for a 448km drive further northeast to Jasper for the next part of our adventure. 

What's up with 2020?

2020 started out with so much promise, but quickly changed as a pandemic called Covid-19, or the Coronavirus, took hold of the world causing massive disruption to people's lives, killing hundreds of thousands of people (at the time of this post), reeking havoc on economies  resulting in a worldwide recession, and cancelling people's ability to travel freely as they please. We had some pretty amazing travel plans ready to go - a family wedding in Mexico, a summer trip to the Greek Islands to celebrate my graduation, and we were toying with a winter jaunt to our regular sunny destination- Hawaii; this time planning on visiting the actual island of Hawaii. But none of it was meant to be in 2020...for a time there it seemed like we'd have to be happy with spending the year reliving all the amazing trips we had the opportunity to enjoy prior to 2020. After Covid arrived here, I quickly started to feel like this and probably somewhat in this same order: 

But thankfully as summer approached we were, at least where we live, given the green light to explore our own backyard and we took advantage of the opportunity and planned out a 2 week road trip. OK, by now anyone reading this blog knows that by "we", I really mean Z. So actually Z spend a bunch of time planning out an amazing road trip for us and ended up making it extra special because my birthday was during the trip and he knew that I was really bummed that we wouldn't be going to Greece. It was still fairly touch and go and whether we would head out on this road trip until probably about a week before we left. In fact, Z planned out two different road trips depending on what the Covid number would be looking like right before we left. One option  would take us two weeks driving up the Interior to the Canadian Rockies, before circling back through the Kootenays and into the Okanagan, while the second option kept us a little closer by heading up to the Interior before trekking down to the Okanagan with more stops in different parts of the Okanagan. In the end, we felt comfortable with heading out on option one, the Canadian Rockies. While this trip didn't take us to a land far, far away (by plane), we did end up driving about 3600km all told. 

Arrivederci Roma

Until we meet again....Rome a fantastic getaway. A city filled with culture, history, romance, magnificent sights, and delectable food. This trip will always been remembered as a crazy mileage run idea that turned into a memorable mini vacation that most people would think we were crazy for doing. Who travels across the world for a week vacation in Rome between Christmas and New Years? Evidently we do! I felt this trip was very special as it was a fantastic, yet crazy, trip to end 2019, a year of much craziness. It actually felt like a relaxing vacation where I didn’t have a bunch of other things overwhelming my brain and I was able to fully enjoy the experience. 

On our way home, we saw this saying on a wall in the Rome airport from Saint Augustinus "the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page”.  We have been blessed and fortunate to read many pages and I hope we read many more. 

To travel is to live, until next time....life is good. 

Buon Appetito Roma!

You certainly won't go hungry in Roma. The city is filled with restaurants and cafes. The only danger you encounter is eating too much! Needless to say, we enjoyed the food in Rome immensely. We tried several different restaurants and never had a bad meal. Starting with Lumen, the restaurant in the St. Regis. The service is top-notch with very attentive staff aiming to please guests. We had breakfast here each morning and the buffet spread was incredible; fresh fruit and fruit juices, a large variety of pastries and breads, a rotation of warm dishes each day, fresh cheeses along with a variety of charcuterie products, a variety of yogurts and fresh honey, and of course the ever popular chef's station. Overeating was certainly a problem every morning. The cappuccinos were exquisite and highly addictive; something I don't typically drink but when in Italy... We enjoyed dinner at Lumen twice. Along with superb food, they also have a fairly large selection of signature cocktails and wines. We popped down for a drink at the bar one evening and it was entertaining watching the bartender masterfully preparing each cocktail with precision and care.  

Off the beaten track by the Vatican, Z found a quaint little restaurant called Perdincibacco, where we had a great lunch. Z enjoyed a mixed seafood risotto, while I enjoyed a basil, burrata, and sun-dried tomato flatbread. Oh so tasty and just the right amount of food to replenish our energy after touring through the Vatican for three hours. 


Made famous by the late Anthony Bourdain, Roma Sparita located in the Trastevere neighbourhood turned out to be a gem. Now, I've read a couple other blogs on this restaurant that said it was so much better before being made famous by Anthony Bourdain, but as someone trying it for the first time when we did, I'd say it delivered on a great experience with great food and service (after the no nonsense waiter warms up to you). This restaurant was a bit of a walk from the hotel, and a little difficult to find even with Google maps; something about the intersecting streets of Rome that kept confusing Google. Anyway, we arrived for our reservation on time and brought to our waiting table. The waiter felt a little off-putting at first but Z charmed him with his attempts at Italian and all became well. I guess they probably experience a few more tourists since being featured on a world-wide television show and perhaps some of the locals may now stay away, though that didn't seem to be the case when we were there. We each started with an arugula, olive oil and cheese salad and enjoyed a wonderful bottle of Chianti. Besides its famous diner, this restaurant is known for the traditional Roman dish Cacio e Pepe, a basic dish made of spaghetti, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Made even better at Roma Sparita, the dish is served in a very eatable fried parmesan cheese bowl. Every bite just melted in your mouth. The portion was quite large and very filling, but of course we still had our main dishes. Here is where great food diverged a little. Z enjoyed a delicious (or so he says) dish of lamb chops which I ate a chicken and roasted pepper dish which I thought was only so-so because the chicken was really tough. I didn't eat much of this dish, thankfully the Cacio e Pepe was filling, but it also gave me room for dessert. The right way to end an Italian meal is with popular Italian desserts; tiramisu and panna cotta - both heavenly desserts and neither disappointed in that category. 

Roscioli is a multi-functional spot; restaurant, delicatessen, and wine bar all at the same time. This popular eatery requires a reservation and we witnessed numerous people being turned away for lack of one. The delicatessen is situated right when you enter the establishment, with the main restaurant area situated towards the back and downstairs, except over course for, what I'll call the over-flow tables which line the delicatessen area include the counter where people order the cheeses and meats over those eating dinner. Thankfully our table was situated on the other side beside their wall of wine. We tried and shared a variety of dishes from an expansive menu. The La Burrata Pugliese con Pomodorini featured some of the freshest and best tasting burrata cheese I have ever eaten and with the sun-dried cherry tomatoes provided a great twist to what is in my mind a fairly traditional Italian starter dish (the caprese salad). This was accompanied by traditional meatballs, Polpette Della Tradition Roma, with chestnut polenta squares. At this point both of us were starting to feel full, but our main pasta dishes were still to come. I opted for the Roman classic, Gnocco Con Patate di Avezzano "Cacio e Pepe" (after trying Cacio e Pepe a few days earlier, how could I resist a different version of such goodness?)   while Z chose another Roman classic, La Carbonara with crispy cheek pork. By the time we both finished our plates, we were so full that we couldn't even fathom trying their desserts, which was a shame because they all sounded decadent. 

All three of these incredible restaurants were somewhat off the beaten track, whereas the one restaurant I found was right in the heart of the tourist area by the Trevi fountain, called That's Amore - can you get any more Italian with the name? It seemed like all restaurants during this time of the year a reservation was a must or face being turned away of waiting a really long time during peak supper time. As you would expect, we ate pasta for supper this time around again. Z indulged in the very tasty Grandma's lasagna while I indulged on a good old fashion plate of fettuccine al pesto genovese.

Needless to say, we over indulged in food and add in a couple orders or gelato and we probably gained several pounds despite the amount of walking every day.  We also discovered towards the end of our trip that leaving the city centre and heading into the "locals" neighbourhoods, you'll find just as great tasting food and cappuccinos at two-thirds the cost.

The Vatican

I'm not entirely sure why the Vatican gets its own post, but here goes.  A first time trip to Rome, cannot go without a tour of the Vatican.  We did an early morning tour to try and beat the massive crowds, but so did hundreds of others, so even with the early morning tour we still encountered pretty significant crowds that get bottlenecked in some of the narrow corridors. We did drive by massive waiting lines outside the Vatican though who were waiting for the general admission to open. Can't imagine how long those lines took. 

Our tour guide had an archeology background and was very informative, providing us with a good understanding of its history and the world renowned artists that created their masterpiece frescos on the walls and ceilings. The Vatican is an independent city-state within Rome situated on about 44-hectares and with a population of about 1,000. While we were touring around, I wondered if Pope Francis was "home" because he would have just conducted Christmas mass a few days prior, but alas we did not see him. 

Within Vatican City are the well known religious sites of St. Peter's Basilica approached from St. Peter's Square, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican museums. Our tour took us through many of the museums which are filled with world famous paintings, artwork and sculptures. I can't even fathom the monetary value of all the collections. The brilliance Raphael and Michelangelo is prominently on display. While as silently as possible (because talking is not allowed, but that didn't really stop anyone) walking through and standing in the Sistine Chapel, I was awestruck by the magnitude of Michelangelo's work, and his depiction of the Last Judgement behind the main alter; this work took him six years to complete. His sheer talent and vision of these masterpieces is beyond my comprehension. Interestingly, Michelangelo originally tried to turn down the commission because he felt he was more of a sculpture rather than a painter, but the Pope of the day would not allow that and gave him free reign on which Biblical scenes he would paint. It took him four years to complete the paintings on the ceiling. The frescoes on the southern wall depict stories of Moses, while the northern wall depict stories of Jesus.  



St. Peter's Basilica was equally impressive. Known as the largest church in the world, it is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. Named after Saint Peter, it is believed his remains are buried where the basilica now stands. There are also numerous popes buried beneath the basilica.

The church's dome is most impressive and is the tallest dome in the world. The interior of the church is beautifully decorated with intricate architectural detail, many masterpieces of artwork, prominent statues, and Latin inscriptions. There are numerous wings leading to different chapels where parishioners can worship. The main alter is covered by Bernini's magnificent four poster, solid bronze canopy standing 96 feet tall. 

While I truly enjoyed touring the Vatican, walking through the Vatican provided me with a better appreciation of humbleness. The public display of pomp and pageantry was a little much. It made me wonder if the Catholic church was still a little out of touch with ordinary people and if it couldn't have a better chance of connecting with people if it were a little less pretentious and more ordinary. 

Exploring Rome

Rome, a city filled with archeological wonders and magnificent architecture all at the same time, is a fascinating city to explore. We got lucky with the weather and while it was fairly cold it was sunny during the day which made exploring by foot enjoyable.  The city needs to be seen both during the day and at night when a lot of the attractions are lit up. The city was still decorated for Christmas with elaborate Christmas light displays hanging over the city streets and many shops and hotels displaying wreaths around their doorways. Many piazzas had decorated or lite up Christmas trees and many shops and restaurants were playing Christmas music making it a magical Christmas feel in the city.  The hustle and bustle of tourists in the city made for large crowds wherever we went. Guess many others had the same idea of visiting over the holidays. 

The city is quite walkable but the many twists and interconnecting streets can cause Google maps to get confused at times. Not to far from the hotel is Fontana Di Trevi, a public fountain with ornate sculptures This is one to see during the day and at night. They say it’s lucky to throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder which means you are going to return to Rome in the future. We didn’t have any coins when we visited and in fact I didn’t see anyone do this. After buying some very tasty gelato (a must have when in Italy regardless of temperature), we made our way to the Pantheon.  Another magnificent building to see for its unique architecture with a large circular domed ceiling and large granite columns out front.  In ancient a Roman it was used as a temple and today is a Catholic Church. A few streets over is Piazza Novano a large rectangular piazza that was built in the same shape as Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot racing and entertainment stadium. There was supposed to be a Christmas market at the piazza however we were told it was shut down early because of some illegal activity. We were a little disappointed in hearing that because we were really looking forward to see what a Roman Christmas market would look like. A few stalls did remain open and they were selling trinkets and some had games you could play for a prize. The merry go round was still operational but not very popular the night we walked through. 

Right next to Piazza Navona is the Pantheon. Completed in 125AD, the Pantheon was originally a Roman temple and is now a church dedicated to St. Mary of the Martyrs. This magnificent structure is one of the best preserved Ancient Roman buildings in Rome today. The architecture of the Pantheon is impressive with the dome being the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. Out front 16 massive granite columns support the triangle concrete vestibule. These columns reportedly came from Egypt, weigh 60 tons each, are 39 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter. Unfortunately we did not go inside because the time we visited, it was actually closed. Another time perhaps because the interior is supposed to be spectacular. 

In the heart of the city is the Roman Forum, a sprawling plaza filled with important historical ruins that give a glimpse into Ancient Rome’s economic and judicial ways. These ruins are just mind-blowing. For centuries, the forum was the heart of day-to-day life in Rome. The ruins include many important ancient government buildings, temples, and the marketplace - the centre of economic activity. The Forum was a venue for important public speeches, judicial trials, and a general meeting place for ancient Romans. The Forum also served as the venue for celebratory military processions. Accessible from the Forum and situated 40 metres above, is Palatine Hill; myths and legends surround the origins of Palatine Hill and it is said that the cave was inhabited by Luperca, the she-wolf that took care of Romulus and Remus.  According to the legend, when the brothers grew up, they decided to create a city on the banks of the river, but when they could not agree on some points of the decision, Romulus killed Remus and founded the city of Rome. Archeologists have found ruins that would suggest the area was inhabited by the ancient Roman upper-class who build sumptuous palaces on the hill.  From atop the hill, you have great views overlooking Rome and can get a glimpse of the back side of the Colosseum. 

The Colosseum, one of the most popular ruins in Rome, was built in 6 years and completed in 80AD. This oval shaped amphitheatre held up to 80,000 spectators during its time. Built out of travertine limestone, volcanic rock, and brick concrete, it was the largest amphitheatre built in its time. The Colosseum was to showcase various entertainment events of the time for the Roman citizens.  These day-long events included gladiator contests, animal hunts, public executions, reenactment of famous battles, and dramas. Given its capacity size the architects of the Colosseum was built with 80 entrances at the ground level. The stairs leading up the various levels were sloped such as when you are leaving the Colosseum you feel like you are being "spit out" because the sensation you feel walking down the steps. Each of the 80 entrances were marked by Roman numerals above the entrance door, with today only 2 entrances still having their markings in place. As with most things in ancient Rome, spectators gained access based on their social class and were restricted to their "area". Doing a guided tour of the Colosseum when in Rome and seeing the Colosseum both during the day and at night is a must. Our guide provided us with great insight and coloured stories about its history.  As a popular tourist attraction, it is very crowded but is well worth the visit, if only to imagine what actually took place there and the magnitude of it all.  

The beauty of Rome's architecture cannot be understated.  While there are many ancient Roman ruins scattered around the city to visit, there are many other buildings, churches, and piazzas that have striking architecture. Perhaps it's just me, but it part of the reason I love Europe so much...you find such rich history, culture, and splendid ancient architecture that has survived the test of time.