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Finally, here's my big summer trip for 2006. Sarah, Sonya and I had been talking about a road trip to the Yukon since New Year's; we didn't actually make it to the Yukon but we did get as far as southern Alaska. The girls flew into Calgary on July 4, and the next day we loaded up my van and off we went.

Road Trip - Calgary to Smithers, BC

Tim_van_dijk
2006-10-07 14:43:52

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Finally, here's my big summer trip for 2006. Sarah, Sonya and I had been talking about a road trip to the Yukon since New Year's; we didn't actually make it to the Yukon but we did get as far as southern Alaska. The girls flew into Calgary on July 4, and the next day we loaded up my van and off we went.

Here's the day-to-day summary of the trip if you want the details. If not, just check out the pictures:

Day 1 - Calgary to Columbia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier. Stopped at Banff town and Lake Louise. Camped at the Icefield campsite. A chilly night.

Day 2 - Athabasca Glacier to Jasper town along the Icefields Parkway. Some spectacular views. Along the way, we hiked to the Athabasca Glacier, checked out Tangle Falls, Athabasca Falls, stopped at Honeymoon Lake for lunch and a swim. Went up the Jasper Tramway to the top of The Whistler's mountain. Stayed at the Whistler's campsite.

Day 3 - Jasper to LaSalle Lake (40 km west of McBride, BC). Checked out the town of Jasper, hiked around Lake Edith north of Jasper, went for a swim. Camped at LaSalle Lake campsite.

It was pouring rain all evening but we couldn't build a fire due to a fire ban. It would have been tough anyway because everything was soaked.

Day 4 - LaSalle Lake to Telkwa, BC (just east of Smithers), the home of Elaine (Sarah's sister) and Travis Nanninga and kids Gavin and Erin. Stopped for lunch in Vanderhoof, looked for some Groots in Huston, couldn't find any so kept driving. Large patches of red trees are dead pines that have been killed by the pine beetle. The Nanninga's were amazing hosts. We had fun with the kids and enjoyed a few drinks around the fire every night.

Day 5 - We went rafting about 20 km down the Telkwa River with Travis and Elaine and Erin. Some Class 2 rapids. Getting out of the river, we saw Tom Stolte (former high school classmate of Sonya and I) but didn't recognize him at the time. Small world.

Day 6 and 7 - Met up with Arlene and two ladies and their dogs. We droe up into a park and hiked 8 km to the Silverking Basin, a beautiful spot. Stayed in a nice log cabin overnight. Next day, we hiked up another 500 m to the pass.

Day 8 - Sonya and I rented kayaks. Elaine and Travis live on the Telkwa river at the bottom end of some rapids, so we did some runs through town and got out at their backyard. Pretty fun.

Day 9 and 10 - Made the 4 hour drive to Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska (neighbouring border towns). Highway 37A to Stewart is spectular. Stopped at Bear Glacier. Stewart's a nice little town. Crossing the border into Hyder is like stepping back in time...dirt roads, old store fronts, etc. No bank in Hyder so their prices are in Canadian $. Drove to a bear lookout point, but salmon weren't running yet so no bears. Got "Hyderized", which is drinking a shot of 150-proof gasoline and lighting the glass on fire after. If you can't keep it down, you buy a round for the house.

Day 11 - Said our farewells to the Nanninga's and made the 1100-km drive back to Calgary. Stopped at the Rose & Crown in Banff for supper. A Hamilton band (Canary Mine) was playing so we felt right at home.

Day 12 - Made it to the Calgary Stampede for the second last day. Checked out the midway, watched the chuckwagon races and grandstand show. Lots of fun. A long but fun day. A VERY early morning the next day to bring the girls to the airport.

And that was the end of my summer vacation. Two weeks well spent.