Go West Young Man: Beyond Kamloops

When you come driving into Kamloops, the first thing you notice is that it's extremely hilly.  The main highway seems to be one huge ass hill that you climb up for miles & miles.  The highway then separates into Hwy 5 (Coq) and the Trans Canada (Hwy 1).   Hwy 5 is a better choice as it is 4 lanes right through to Hope.  At one time it was a toll road, but once it was paid for, the government of BC nixed the tolls (cool if you ask me).

As you head out past Kamloops, it seems like you are either going up a very large hill or down a very large hill.  It's not mountainous per se, but this rolling type of land.  I have no idea of the elevation, but I got the feeling I was on top of a very high plateau.   Many times through this area I experienced some pretty kick ass winds & some snow.  Luckily the highway is rather wide & rarely if ever busy

Some 60ish km's past Kamloops, you start going downhill into the Nicola Valley.  I took a photo of the sign and yes..it's all downhill for 19kms.  It's pretty cool to roll down the hill & the view is quite spectacular.  Like the area just east of Kamloops, this area looks to be deforested.  It's mostly grass with some trees & looks to be heavily farmed.

At the bottom of the hill is Merritt, BC, a small town built around logging.  Merritt is just a few thousand people but the last stop before you press through the next ridge of mountains.  There are two off ramps to Merritt and take the FIRST one. The second one sends you on a short country drive winding your way into downtown.  Merritt is a good place to fuel up, eat or grab a hotel as the next part of the trip is the Coquihalla.  

Merritt is apparently used as a place for filming movies & TV shows.  I can't explain why, but I always felt "on edge" when I was there.  I have no reason to feel that way & experienced nothing bad there, but I just felt on edge.  Don't let that stop you from stopping. 

Once you leave Merritt, you start climbing up a hill into the Cascade Mountains into an area known the the Coquihalla.  (coke key halla).   The highway & region are known by locals as the "Coke" or "Coq".  

Go West Young Man: Salmon Arm/Shuswap

Once you leave Revelstoke, your cell phone goes dead and you head into the Three Valley Gap.  As you enter this area, there is a hotel that looks and feels like the hotel in the movie The Shining.  I've never stayed but I've read this place is off grid & produces it's own electricity.  Hence, you don't get creature comforts like AC when it's hot.  Did I mention the interior of BC gets hot?  I read a few reviews on TripAdvisor & some folks complained about the place being a bit "rudimentary".  I really have little sympathy for those people.  Look man, it's the interior of BC & one of the most rugged areas in Canada. 

As you pass Three Valley Gap the wilds of BC continue for about another 40 kms.  Cell phone service is non existent as is FM radio.  The first sign of civilization is Sicamous, a small town which looks like it was built around logging.   Not long after that you come into the Shuswap. 

The Shuswap is much like cottage country north of Toronto, only it's nicer.  It's an area filled with a winding lake, beautiful vistas & what seems like hundreds of houseboats.  The main city in the area is Salmon Arm, a small, modern city which is actually quite nice.  It was the place where I usually bought fuel, so, if time permitted, I'd take a walk along the water or downtown.  If you're heading out this way, take a few hours to stop & enjoy. 

Once you pass Salmon Arm, you continue in the Shuswap and head toward Sorrento.  The mountains are noticeably smaller here as is the amount of snow in winter.  Summer temperatures get VERY warm & in winter temps seemed to hover around freezing.  I never experienced any bad weather in the many times I drove this route.

Sorrento, BC is a small town along the highway and it's beautiful.  I get the feeling it's both a vacation spot (summer) and retirement area (year round).  IF you're a photographer, bring your camera & bring some time to stop and take photos. 

Once you pass Sorrento, you head toward Chase, BC, which is a small town with a few stores and gas station.  Chase seems to mark the end of the Shuswap.  The terrain is that of rolling hills in a river valley, much of the hills deforested (often just dirt).  About 20kms past Chase, BC, you start to notice civilization against as you enter Kamloops. 

I won't write anything about Kamloops as I didn't spend much time there.  I did stop there on the "drive from hell" to find a liquor store.  The fog reminded me of being in Newfoundland.  Kamloops is a city of about 60,000 people, so it has a full variety of services. 

Go West Young Man: Revelstoke

Chances are, you've never been to Revelstoke, BC.  If you have, chances are you stopped at the McDonalds, A&W or Tim's along the Trans Canada and then continued your journey.  That's exactly what I did until I was stranded in Revelstoke due to avalanche problems through Rogers Pass.  It was the best vacation that was a non vacation that I've ever had.

Revelstoke holds the Canadian record for snowfall in a year.  The record happened in 1974 where a whopping 24 meters (or about 75 feet) of snow fell. Word is it's a common place to get stranded when there are avalanche problems.  I had just that happen after leaving Vancouver one Sunday against better judgement (and not just my own).  After a drive that takes the gold medal in "snow" I finally arrived in Revelstoke.  I would have continued but that was simply impossible because the road was closed from Revelstoke to the Alberta border. 

There were several hotels along the highway, but I figured WTF, I'd head into the town and see what I could find.  I am glad I did.  I found myself at the Swiss Chalet Motel.   This unassuming little hotel is near central Revelstoke & was a great deal.  The room was less than $80 bucks for the night & included breakfast (which you cook yourself).  I can't say enough great things about this place either.  A great room with a new flat panel TV, wireless internet & my room had a kick ass bathroom in it.  The free breakfast is served in a main area where the check-in desk is.  It's a full breakfast & the cool part is you get to make it yourself.  The hotel has waffle makers, toasters, etc all in the main room.  The area also had a TV in this "lounge" which the staff put on The Weather Network.  Clearly I wasn't the only guy stranded in this place.  If you want more information on this place check out Tripadvisor for the ratings. 

After eating, I set out to explore downtown Revelstoke.  What an incredibly quaint and cool little town.  The city core is filled with a huge variety of ethnic restaurants, pubs & bars.  It had what appeared to be a farmers market, along with a variety of interesting and cool little stores there.  This is a mountain town along the lines of Jasper or Canmore in terms of amenities.  Lots of choices & a place you could easily spend a few days exploring on foot.  They even have a theatre (see photo) which plays well known Hollywood fare. 

I don't know what the ski hill is like, but word is that it's quite good & has lots of powder.  Given that the town is so modern & cosmopolitan, if you board, you might want to make a trip out there.  It's about 400ish km's from Calgary and 600 km from Vancouver.  Revelstoke is a gem hidden in the mountains and I'm glad I found it.  It's a place I'll definitely return to and serendipity just happened to put me there for a few days. 

Go West Young Man: God's Country

On your way out of Golden, BC, I'd recommend you refuel your car & definitely have some type of survival pack & food to take with you.  For starters, the next gas station is about 150 kms in front you.  While that might not seem far for those of you in small cars, it's best to have fuel because this area of road is probably the most unpredictable areas of the Trans Canada Highway.   On several occasions I've been either delayed a few hours due to weather or heavy snow forces you to turn around.  When they are shelling the mountainside, you can sit in your car and wait for hours for the road to open. 

Leaving Golden, you follow what I assume is the Kicking Horse river valley.  To the left of you you'll see the menacing looking Kootenay's off in the distance.  The drive in this area is actually quite flat & does not feel that isolated.  Traffic in all months is common & there are houses, farms & shops along the highway for the first 20 or 30 minutes.   There isn't much to listen to on the car radio, but you can still hear CBC Radio 2 which I think was at 104.9 but honestly I can't remember. 

The entire world changes when you come around a bend and cross a bridge over this river.  I've no idea what river it is, only that it starts a long drive uphills into the Kootenay's.   It's not long after you cross this bridge you enter what most folks would call "God's Country".   The area in summer has a fair bit of traffic, but in winter most of what you'll see is truck drivers.  The area is serviced by Telus and Bell but if you use Rogers, you'll  have no service (ironic given it's Rogers Pass). 

I'm guessing it's about 60 km's outside of Golden, BC that you hit Glacier National Park.  This is an incredibly isolated area with little to no roadside services, no towns & no people.  It's common to see animals along the road & the scenery is stunning.  If you drive this part of the Trans Canada at night, be prepared for some serious ass darkness.  If you drive this part of the road in winter, be prepared for some serious ass snow.  And when I say serious, I don't mean 20 cms of on the ground, I mean 600-1000 cms of snow on the ground. 

Halfway through Glacier National Park (thereabouts) you'll reach the summit of Rogers Pass.  The summit is around 4500 feet about sea level & it feels like one of the most isolated areas of Canada that I've visited.  At the top there is a hotel which is complete with a restaurant if you need to stop.  There are also large areas to park your RV, truck, etc, as this is an area where folks park and wait when there is an avalanche or while they are blasting to prevent avalanches.  It's incredibly beautiful and well worth the effort to stop the car & take a walk.  There are side roads you can go up, if you want to get a view of the mountains around you.

If you don't like winter driving, I'd seriously recommend you do not drive through here in winter (Oct to April).   Rogers Pass gets upward of 10 meters of snow annually (that's 30 feet).  If you can imagine one of those 3 story walk up's you've seen, well imagine it covered with snow.  I cannot remember a single time I drove through this area during winter when it was not snowing to some degree. 

It's not far from Rogers Pass that you'll encounter your first snow shed (see picture).  Snow sheds were built to stop frequent avalanches from burying the highway (and trapping people inside).  Take care when you enter them because they the sheds in Rogers Pass area are not well lit & your eyes suddenly have to adapt to dark.  There are also cases of wild animals wandering into these things & once inside you've got no place to go to swerve to miss whatever animal is in the road.

This is one of my favourite areas to drive through BC.  Just being out there, in a car, is quite relaxing, especially in winter (I'm a winter fan).   If you need a place to de-stress this is the place.  Standing in Glacier or Revelstoke Park it's hard to imagine there are 7 billion people on this planet.   You also realize how insignificant you are in this world & how much you rely on machines.  I often shuddered to imagine what would happen if my car broke down in this area. 

If you do drive this area, take extra caution, ensure you have fuel & best to bring along food & something to keep warm with.  This is a rough, wild area of Canada & the weather is predictable. You can climb out of a valley with a temp of 10C and find yourself in a white out at the top of a mountain.  If you're not a confident driver comfortable with the woods a breakdown in this area can turn into something ugly very quickly.  Revelstoke is a long drive in front of you. 

And speaking of Revelstoke...

Go West Young Man: Welcome to BC

If you ask most people they'll tell you that the mountains begin just before Canmore, AB.  While that's technically true, once you've crossed BC a few times you realize those are really just big foothills ;-)

Once you pass Lake Louise, AB, you really start to get into the true isolation of the Rockies.  The road narrows & there is far less traffic than there is throughout most of the Bow River Valley.  Just past the border of BC is the Spiral Tunnel on the CPR line.  It's a huge tunnel they literally drilled through a mountain.  In my opinion, this is where the isolation of the Rockies truly begin & where the best scenery starts.   As you pass this you head down a very large hill into the Kicking Horse River pass.  At the bottom of the hill there is a stretch of about 10 kms of highway that follow the river.  To the left is Field BC, a small town of 250 people & one that has absolutely no cell service.  This continues on all 3 carriers for about another 40 kms.  If you like music while driving, bring an iPod because there is absolutely nothing on the radio except distance AM stations. 

As you pass press toward Golden, BC, the area continues to be isolated.  There is a short break as the road opens up to 4 lanes, but then it narrows down to 2 lanes in what's best described as that "road in the mountains James Bond drove on".   You enter it by going over a very large bridge that apparently took years to carve through the rocks.  It's also incredibly steep & it makes for one VERY interesting drive in winter (if you can't drive in snow, do NOT go here lol).  

Once you pass this area, the road snakes itself along the side of the mountain.  And I literally mean snakes.  One shoulder is a large rock face, sometimes covered with fencing so rocks will not fall on the car.  The other shoulder is the edge of a 1000 meter embankment.  The speed limit is 30kmph & rightfully so.  I have driven through this area in heavy fog and some seriously heavy snow all the while thinking that if you skidded off the road, it's a long long way down.  It's around this point that your cell phone comes alive as does your radio.  Some local AM station is available, but rarely seems to have a live body in the studio.  Oddly, you can pick up CBC Radio 2 in the area...yet there is no local transmitter.  I'm not sure where it comes from, but looking on a CBC map I could not figure out where.  I've many fond memories of coming back to Calgary listening to Strombo's Show on CBC R2 on Sunday night. 

At the end of this snaky road, you find the small mountain town of Golden, BC.  It's situated in a valley between the Kootenay and Rocky Mountains.  Driving into town, there is a long line of truck stops, restaurants & hotels (for some good prices) if you need to eat, pee or sleep.  It's quite busy in summer, but in winter there are few people around & many of the places are closed. 

One other thing Golden acts as is a place for refuge during avalanches.  The highway near Field BC is often closed as is the road from Golden to Revelstoke.  In 2010, the road into Golden was closed nearly 5 straight days & folks in Field apparently couldn't get in or out. 

On to Rogers Pass. 

Go West Young Man

Around the summer of 2010, I ventured out to Vancouver for what would soon become an almost weekly occurrence.  Having never been to Vancouver, I decided I'd drive & make my first solo trip through the Rockies. 

When you live in Western Canada, you have a whole new world of "vacation" places you can travel too.  The Yukon & NWT is a short plane trip away.  Vancouver, Seattle & Portland are less than a good day's drive.   San Fran, LA and San Deigo are a couple of hours on a plane (shorter than flying back to Toronto). 

I made the trip across the mountains for nearly 1.5 years, in all types of weather & in all 4 seasons.  If you want to experience the "Truth North Strong and Free", a trip through BC is definitely something you need to undertake.  It's a long, beautiful and very isolated drive.  In fact, the only drive more isolated is when you drive to Yellowknife NWT (take a plane unless you have LOTS of time).  

I'll skip Canmore & Banff & start as you past Lake Louise. 

Calgary Hail Storm

Unless you've been living under a rock this year you've probably seen we've had some wild, nasty weather across North America.  Debilitating drought, smothering heat & what seems to be an unusually high number of storms.

Alberta has it's fair share of bad weather.  Bad weather has repeatedly hit Edmonton & the Big Valley Jamboree was forced to end early due to bad weather.   You may remember the Big Valley Jamboree as the place where the stage collapsed in 2009.  I was living in Edmonton at the time & we had a nasty thunderstorm that day.

Yet, in all this bad weather, Calgary has mostly been spared.  There have been weather warnings and a few storms, but nothing really bad.  If you live in Calgary, you know summer often brings dangerous weather.  One thing I have to say about thunderstorms in Alberta is that they need to be taken seriously.

Last night Calgary had it's first truly bad storm.  The sky looked like a camera's flash going off every second.  The storm was centered more over Airdrie, a small town just north of the city, but some areas of Calgary got it.  Hail started falling, some as large as small softballs started falling.  You can tell it's ugly outside when you can hear the hail smashing things.  This morning the Calgary Herald had reports of "millions" of dollars in potential damage and some cool pictures (click on the link).

On the plus side, this storm looks to be bring in some cooler weather.  Summer here has been usually hot with temps at 27 or 28C daily.  While that might not seem hot for folks living in the East or the USA, the sun in Alberta is exceptionally strong.  That, coupled with low humidity & blue skies make for some very hot weather in the direct sun.

One note:  If you are moving to Calgary & own a reasonably decent car, I'd suggest underground parking.  It will save you the cost of repairing your vehicle or driving around with little dents in it (like mine).