Today was mostly a driving day to get us to Manitou Beach were we will be spending a few days.
The vast open landscapes let us see the changes of the weather patterns. Localized rain from tremendously large clouds moved by the winds were fascinating to see but also made the drive a bit more exciting.
At one point we drove through some pretty severe rain and wind but it was over fairly quickly.
Nevertheless we were really happy when we arrived at our campground. We walked through the town and along Little Manitou Lake and watched a spectacular sunset.
Today was about the Royal TyrrellMuseum, a fabulous museum dedicated to fossils and the history of life on planet Earth. If you are in the area, make sure to visit!
The museum has lots to take in – more than we could absorb in one visit. It showed the development of life over many millions of years. Alberta is very rich in well preserved fossils from many of the time periods.
Scientists work tirelessly cleaning, identifying and preserving fossils that are discovered, many by construction and mining companies. An Alberta law requires that a palaeontologist examine any fossil found and larger construction and mining companies are even required to have one on staff.
Tetrapod are jawed vertebrates with two pairs of limbs with digits (fingers and toes). They include amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals – even you! The body plan is successful, adaptable and has allowed tetrapods to thrive on land and in the water for the past 385 million years. This particular creature is a Tiktaalik and is one of a species of tetrapod-like fish from the later part of the Devonian Period. These transitional fossils had both internal gills and rudimentary lungs that allow them to survive equally well in oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor waters.
The Dimetrodon were spiky and loved basking in the sun. It is possible that their sails were used for display to attract mates or to discourage competitors.
Drumheller is located in the Canadian Badlands and has an impressive display of rock formations, canyons and hoodoos. These were formed by the effects of erosion caused by water, wind and frost.
After visiting Cabela’s in the morning, buying some hiking shoes and getting some great ideas for what to explore around Calgary from our salesperson John, we headed off to Sikome Aquatic Facility in the Fish Creek Provincial Park for a swim in their lagoon.
A quick trip through Costco for the essentials and then off to next door Walmart to find a spot for the night. A beautiful rainbow was visible.
After going for a walk we went to see Oppenheimer at the Cineplex theatre next door and didn’t get out until after midnight. Although the cinema had reclining seats it was not only the movie that keep us engaged but also the tremendous soundtrack.
This morning’s first priority was to donate some money to the casino for allowing us to overnight there. After a coffee and an orange juice we proceeded to the slot machines where one of them quickly swallowed a crisp $10 bill and gave us an appropriate amount of credits. After pressing the play button four times, only $0.10 remained, not really enough to cash out. Oh well.
Martin met up with a potential new client who works with the railway companies to scan their tracks for safety. They have a really sophisticated boxcar that measures all sorts of different track qualities while the train is in motion and provides real-time data to the railway company when it finds issues. The meeting took place at the CP sorting yard.
After business, we drove to Chinatown and visited the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre museum to learn about the history of the Chinese people in Canada and the discrimination they faced. There were also super exhibits of the accomplishments of the Chinese people over their long history.
One particularly impressive piece of art we saw was a picture that was almost entirely comprised of feathers.
Another intriguing item was the bronze singing fish basin that has two ears. If you fill the basin with water and rub the ears with wet hands, it will make a distinct sound and four water columns will rise from the surface as a result of standing waves. The kids were really good at it and happy to demonstrate their skills.
Tonight’s camping spot is at Cabela’s where there is room for four RVs, complete with dump station.
Remember that bear we told you about last yesterday? Well, it may have been visiting our neighbours and us around 3AM. We didn’t have to do anything because we were safe and sound in our van, but the neighbours were in a tent. Nothing happened, but it does give you pause to think.
Today was rainy all day. Even dumping was a damp experience.
Given the rain, we chose not to stop anywhere, except for gas (147.9 in Alberta) until we reached Calgary where we picked up our niece Kim and went for dinner at Bolero. Bolero is a Brazilian BBQ restaurant that has a buffet of appetizers, salads, side dishes, and stews. The waiters then come to the tables with large skewers of various grilled meats and cut pieces off for you according to your desires.
We had a fabulous meal and one of us ate way too much. Guess who…
On our way out we stopped by the grilling area and saw the setup.
We dropped Kim back off at home and drove to the nearby Grey Eagle Resort and Casino were we spent the night (on the parking lot).
The morning was spent investigating and discussing route options to get past the wildfires and the smoke. Kamloops had fires around it but ultimately was our choice because it was faster and the traffic cameras didn’t show any significant issues with the highway. It is wonderful to have so much information at your fingertips these days.
We encountered quite a bit of smoke and spent most of the day driving to get through it.
The only stop we made was at the location where the final spike was driven in 1885 when the eastern and western portions of the Canadian Pacific Railway met. This was a historic moment as it was a condition of British Columbia joining Canada.
No, this isn’t the real last spike, but you get the idea….
Back at the parking lot, Ruth spied a tractor trailer with beautiful rusty bits and had to add a few pictures to her existing rust and rock picture collection.
The driver of the truck returned, threw up (not because of Ruth’s photos), and got back in his cab and continued his journey as did we.
The Blanket Creek Provincial Park became our home for the night. It is right along the Columbia River which was lacking water because a dam downstream had been opened a week before. The dream of going for a swim there was dashed.
Fortunately for us, the park has a swimming lagoon that was full of water. It is filled with water from a nearby waterfall. It was pretty cold but we swam for 20 minutes nonetheless.
The park staff were busy chasing a bear out of the camping area. We were told it may be a one year old cub that may have lost its mother.
We got up early and walked along the harbour enjoying the sunrise. Everything was still very quiet and we saw hardly any people.
Most of the stores in town were still closed but the Beachcomber Coffee Company had just opened. Here we enjoyed a tasty wrap and either coffee or tea.
The ferry to Horseshoe Bay was just a few kilometres down the road and although everyone had warned us that without reservation we’d have a tough time getting on, we had no problem whatsoever.
We needed some gas so we stopped in Vancouver. Gas was 206.9! Yikes! How do people afford driving in Vancouver?
We filled up just enough to get us a bit out of Vancouver and then stopped at Costco in Abbotsford where the price was a more reasonable 174.9.
With a now full tank we drove to Merritt where we did a bit of shopping at the Walmart that was our home for the night. We were walking to keep our Apple Watches happy when we came across this scene of a fellow camper enjoying the sun in the parking lot.
The evening became even more interesting as another trailer arrived and cut the turn too tight and hit a motorhome, ripping off its bumper and some corner edging. The trailer, out on what may have been its maiden trip, also suffered some dented panels. Lots of swearing by the victims and a sad and fair response by the perpetrator. The RCMP helped both sides calm down a bit and helped them with the next steps.
Many of our trips go to where the road ends (or begins) and this trip is no different. Lund, BC hosts mile 0 of highway 101 (also known as the Pacific Coastal Route) which stretches all the way down to Quellon, Porto Monte, Chile. I suppose we need to check out the other end of the highway at some point.
The town of Lund was founded in 1889 by Charlie Thulin who named it after his hometown in Sweden. The town had a lot of fishing, mining and logging activity but now is more of a resort town and gateway to nearby Desolation Sound Provincial Park, the Copeland Islands, Okeover Inlet, Savary Island, and the Sunshine Coast Trail.
Nancy’s bakery had been recommended to us by numerous people and we had the best cinnamon buns on our trip so far there.
While standing at the wharf there was a curious disturbance in the water that came closer and closer to shore. It turned out to be a pod of dolphins having fun.
The nearby pub offered husband daycare services to their wives.
Up the hill was the Rare Earth Pottery studio with exquisite and diverse pieces. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy a piece of naked raku pottery.
It was time to proceed on our route south and we took the ferry from Saltery Bay to Earl’s Cove, an approximately 50 minute ride.
By now we were hungry and stopped in Sechelt for Vietnamese food at the Pho Kien Giang restaurant where Sandy, one of the owners, put together a wonderful dinner selection for us.
As we drove towards Gibsons we saw the most amazing sunset we’ve seen for a long time.
We tried finding a site at two provincial parks, but all were full so we ended up having to settle for an ocean view spot at the marina in Gibsons.
Today was absolutely amazing, starting with a morning swim in the Pacific Ocean from a beach just steps from our campsite. There may be another one tomorrow since we were lucky enough to secure one more night in this campground.
We spent the day walking to and around the Old Town area, getting there by a trail that used to be a logging railway line. There are a number of old pieces of machinery along the way documenting the history and importance of logging and paper making in the area. Many signs taught us about the different types of trees and the equipment used to harvest them.
Huge numbers of blackberry bushes lined the trail and we each picked and ate a couple of handfuls. They were so sweet and delicious. Turns out bears like them too and Ruth saw a black bear just a few metres away. Ruth began singing and the bear left us in peace.
The paper mill is closed now, but a breakwater made up of floating concrete ships known as The Hulk next to the old mill is an interesting Powell River landmark.
The historic downtown has many old buildings worth visiting. One, a former general store, now houses a couple of coffee shops, locally made clothing shops, craft shops and an art gallery.
The current Patricia Theatre was built in 1928 and is the second building to house the oldest continuously operating cinema and vaudeville business in Canada. The movie of the night was called Joy Ride and we decided we wanted to see the inside of the theatre. We needed to wait until 7PM for the show to start.
Since we had a bit of time to kill we had dinner at the Royal Zayka Indian restaurant. Lots of good food!
After dinner we walked across the street to the theatre and spent some time talking to the employees to learn more about the theatre. It may even be the case that the ticket collector and Martin share a common acquaintance from Squamish.
The movie itself told a good story, albeit somewhat crude, but funny and we laughed a lot while enjoying our popcorn and a Coke.
After the movie we didn’t want to risk any more bear encounters or drunk drivers so we splurged on a taxi to take us back to the campground. We arrived just in time for a beautiful sunset over the ocean.
As usual, our friend Gus had coffee and tea for us in the morning, along with stimulating conversation and lots of laughs about Daisy (the dog) being a one night stand after snuggling her way into the tent and sleeping bag of a fellow camper.
Alas, it was time to move on and after long goodbyes we finally set off for the ferry terminal to take us to Powell River. Here’s our van on the ferry.
We had a special treat – free of charge whale watching from the ferry!
Once in Powell River, we headed to the Willingdon Beach Campsite where we snagged one of the two last sites. This is a lovely campground right next to the ocean and within walkable distance to the downtown area.
Hungry, we set out to find some dinner and ended up at the Monks on Marine, a pub and restaurant where Martin had the “Big Boy” burger, consisting of a beef patty, bacon, pulled pork, cheddar, roasted garlic mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle and crispy potato. It wasn’t clear how one could even get this huge stack into one’s mouth.
Since we were walking, we could also enjoy a beer to wash it all down with.
We lost a few of these calories on the way home as we made a detour up the hill to check out where we might be able to spend tomorrow night if we decide to stay in town. It is a long weekend and all campsites in the campground are already booked.
