Chilliwack - Osoyoos - Windermere
Picked up our rental car from Vancouver Airport on Thursday 29 June and had a fairly hair
raising time driving to Chilliwack in dense four lane stopping and starting traffic,
with a couple of unintended detours. Were almost at the USA border on one of
them! Many big semi-trailer trucks and RVs (recreational vehicles, but much
bigger than we are used to in NZ). Chilliwack was only 104 Km from Vancouver,
and in better conditions we should have arrived there in about one and a half
hours. However, we got there eventually in over twice the time it should have
taken.
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| Mount Baker
On the way we had views of snow covered Mount Baker in the distance, and crossed an elegant new bridge, the Port Mann bridge.
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| Elegant Port Mann bridge |
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| Jax, Dave, Bev and Shadow |
Our new friends, Bev and Dave Coulsen, whom we had met on the ship, had a welcome cold can of beer in the fridge for Paul, which he was very pleased to be able to relax and enjoy! We also enjoyed meeting their two dogs. We had dinner and a very convivial evening with them (Dave and Bev that is) in their lovely home.
The next day driving conditions were much better, apart from a stretch of several kilometres near Hope, where traffic slowed quite considerably. We couldn’t work out why until we drove past a “5th wheeler” which had somehow flipped on to its lid and was still partially blocking the highway. Not the best way for its owners to start their holiday!
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3 lanes each way highway and tree covered slopes
 Drove through beautiful tree covered hills over mountain passes to Osoyoos, which is 280metres above sea level (as USA is still imperial for everything but its currency, we are continually having to convert miles to kilometres, and feet to metres!). On the way we drove through the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, The valley is a fruit bowl, with orchards spreading in all directions. Cherries had just come in to season, and we bought some which were very similar to Central Otago’s Dawson cherries. Deeeelicious. 
Fruitful orchards
  Osoyoos is in Canada’s only desert and is surrounded by vineyards and mountains. Osoyoos Lake is known for its warm water, beaches and water sports facilities. We had stayed there about 12 yrs ago when we were last in Canada, and really liked it, so were happy to return.The temperatures were hot – in the mid 30s -for the next two days while an annual Cherry Festival was on. Combined with Canada's 150th celebrations it was quite a weekend -a parade, music, dancing, many stalls where art, clothing, food etc was being sold. In the evening we had dinner on the deck of a local restaurant overlooking the lake. in the company of Elena, from Uruquay, Wesley from Kelowna, BC, and Sandie and Michel from Greenwood, BC. Enjoyed very much these interesting people and some stimulating conversation.  
Our motel was right on the lakefront, so we had a prime spot for viewing the fireworks at dusk - about 10pm. Magnificent display over 35 minutes on a clear calm warm evening.
 Headed east on the Sunday, with our first stop being at Greenwood to have a coffee with Sandie and Michel, whom we had met at Osoyoos. Last year they had travelled about 20,000miles in their mobile home through Canada and the USA. Between trips they return to their lovely slice of Paradise in British Columbia.    Roadside sign at Nelson, BCWe had a very scenic drive via Princeton to Nelson, a lovely town with many trees on the west arm of Kootenay Lake, in the rugged Selkirk Mountains of south east British Columbia.then headed north to Balfour, beside Lake Kootenay. 
Ferry from Balfour across lake
Because the road board hadn’t put a bridge across to the other side of
the lake as there was no suitable route for a road on the other side, they
provided a free car ferry for the journey over. Took thirty minutes and was
very pleasant way to travel. We were fortunate to be the second car off the
ferry so had a good trip along the side of the lake south to Creston, where we
stayed the night.
The next day put our watches forward an hour as we moved from Pacific
Time Zone to the Mountain Zone. It was a leisurely two and a half hour drive
through farm land at first, then great views of the Rockies, Lake Columbia and Lake Windermere for the final part of our
trip.
We received a warm welcome at Windermere on Monday 3
July from Sherry and Reg Avery, who had stayed with us twice in NZ, the last
time in 2015. We stayed with them at Windermere for a week and
enjoyed their hospitality and amazing views of lake and mountains.
Paul, Krista and RJ on launch
 
On Tuesday we were taken for a launch ride on
the lake by Reg Jr and his wife Kristy. There are some very classy lakeside
homes, and apartment blocks, and we were appreciative of the commentary which
Reg gave on the way around.
Lake Windermere is 17.7Km long and it is in the
Guiness Book of Records for an interesting reason. I enjoyed swimming in it
most days as the temps were in the 30s so quite hot. But that isn’t the reason!
Lake Windermere isn’t actually a true lake as it is a very
large widening in the Columbia River. The village of Windermere is located on
the east side of the lake, and the larger town of Invermere is located on the
lake's northwestern corner. The western side
of the lake which fronts the Purcell Mountains has
a railroad running along its
shore, and from the deck we could hear and see some very long
trains winding their way along it, mainly carrying coal from opencast mines in south-eastern British
Columbia via Golden to Vancouver. The coal is used for steelmaking.
In winter the lake freezes right over. In 2014 the Lake Windermere Whiteway was awarded the world record for the longest skating trail boasting over 30 KM of ice-skating as well as groomed skate and classic cross country ski trails. The Whiteway offers winter sports enthusiasts an incredible facility, adding to the already abundant list of winter activities available in the stunning Columbia Valley.
As well as the Whiteway, which loops its way around the lake, Reg and Sherry told us that vehicles are able to drive across the lake with the ice strong enough to hold them at 30cm thick, but sometimes it can be 90cm. Local fisherman take little huts out on the ice and drill holes to lower their fishing lines through. A busy winter lake! There is also a curling rink.
On the Thursday we went to Lake Louise for the day, travelling via Golden with great views of the Rockies on our way. Forests extended out on both sides of the road for much of the way. Having the world’s longest national road bisect the Canada’s premier national park posed a serious potential for heavy roadkill. To address the problem, Banff National Park first put up extensive wildlife fencing on either side of the highway, discouraging animals from entering the busy road. Then, since 1996, they’ve opened six wildlife overpasses and 38 underpasses, which have allowed for more than 140,000 documented wildlife crossings.
We had never seen, or even heard of them before,
so were fascinated to see recognizable wildlife
crossings where vegetated overpasses covered wih trees, bushes and
grass provide safe passage over the Trans-Canada Highway for many
species. They, and the underpasses, protect the animals from being hit by cars
or trucks if they attempt to cross the highway, and prevent the accidents which
can occur if vehicles swerve to avoid animals. The animals are wise enough to
use them. Some
animals learn how to use the crossings much quicker than others. Coyotes, black
bears and cougars are fastest, followed by deer, elk, and moose. Grizzly bears
and wolves take the longest to figure out how to use them, and it is believed
(though not confirmed) that lynx and wolverines are fairly delayed in using
them. These carnivores might be slower to adapt because they are more capable
and determined at working their way through the highway fences. So far, Parks Canada
have documented 10,000 safe animal crossings on one
overpass alone. That’s 10,000 animal lives saved and a whole lot of roadkill
prevented. What a great concept.
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| Lakeside walk around Lake Louise |
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| Kayakers enjoying calm conditions on Lake Louise |
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| Lobby at Chateau Lake Louise |
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| Paul relaxing outside Chateau Lake Louise |
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| River flowing through Lake Louise village |
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| Pat and Paul at Lake Louise |
The Paint Pots are much more sedate and in a lovely setting, being a handful of brightly coloured mud puddles dyed varying shades of red and yellow by oxidizing minerals in the natural springs. The clay is dried and has been used by the Native Americans for painting and dying materials.
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| Handsome buck resting in shade under Avery's tree |
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| Doe grazing |
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| Enchanting twin fawns |
Reg and Sherry have several species of
interesting visitors to their acreage. Cute squirrels dart in and out, but
never stayed long enough for me to catch them on camera! Marmots are elusive and a nuisance. Apparently
it isn’t unusual for bears to wander on to the property, and everything outside
needed to be bear-proof, especially rubbish bins. The vege garden is completely
fenced in with wire fences, and a secure gate. While we were there deer were
frequent visitors – one doe with her twin fawns, and another with her little
bambi. One day Reg called usall outside to see a buck (? Dad to these little ones) peacefully sitting enjoying the shade under one of their large trees. Wasn’t at all phased by us, and stayed there for some time. I took photos of them all .
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| St Peter's Church |
Probably
the most romantic tale of love and crime in the days of the Columbia Valley
pioneers is that of the Stolen Church in Windermere BC.
St Peter’s Anglican Church was built in 1887 in the
railway town of Donald, not far south of Golden, BC. In 1897, when the CPR
decided to change their railway divisional point from Donald to Revelstoke, it
was agreed that several important buildings would be moved to the new location.
The company announced that it would move, free of charge, any buildings to any
location along its line.
One of Donald’s leading citizens, Rufus Kimpton, realizing that the town
would soon be a ghost town, moved his family 115 miles south to Windermere.
When his beloved wife, Celina, missed her
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| Musician playing button accordian |
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| Paul making friends with our waitress |
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| Musician sorting bells for kids to play |
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| Happy diners- Pat, Reg, Sherry and Paul
One morning Reg took Paul and I in his 4WD ute to the top
of Mount Swansea, up behind their home. From the carpark near the summit we had a stiff 20min walk to
the top. Were rewarded when we gained the summit by panoramic 360 degree views
of lake, mountains and surrounding area. You can see from the following photos
(that is if my blog site has left them where I placed them!)
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One evening we went out for dinner to the Black
Forest Restaurant at Invermere, It is rich
in German tradition including the decor, servers’ dress, menu, music and
available beer. The service was great with the waitresses dressed in
traditional Bavarian attire and the murals on the walls and ceiling made it
feel like you're in a movie scene. We all enjoyed delicious main courses and
wonderful apple strudel and Black Forest gateau. Adding
to the atmosphere was a musician in Bavarian attire meandering among the tables
playing his button accordion and engaging with the diners.
He made himself popular with the children (and their doting parents and grand-parents) by getting seven children to accompany him by ringing bells as he pointed to them to ring out tunes. One of them was Eidelweiss, and mainly sounded lovely. One little girl of about 4 didn’t quite pick up her cues, and had to be nudged by her sister standing beside her. Very cute.
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| View of Lake Windermere |
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| Invermere from Mt Swansea |
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| Looking east from Mt Swansea |
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| The hikers with snow-capped Purcell Mountains in background |
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| Invermere viewed from on high |
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| Looking south from Mt Swansea |
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| Base building at Panorama Mountain |
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| Condominiums at Panorama |
After Mass in Invermere on Sunday Paul and I
drove up to see the Panorama Skifield. Popular in summer also with hikers and
mountain bikers it was well worth seeing. Most of the bikers seemed to be
taking the lift up the mountain for what must have been adrenaline rushes of
downhill descents! A mountain village of
condominiums has its own gondola up to the base building and first ski lift.
David and his friends had skied there. I have just looked at the website and it
looks a winter wonderland when covered in snow. A cone shaped mountain of 4000
vertical feet it has many ski trails criss-crossing the mountain among dense pine
stands.
Flowing around the base of the mountain is Toby Creek, which seemed to
be a series of rapids. Apparently white water rafting and kayaking occur on a
stretch further upstream which is more navigable.
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| Toby Creek at base of Panorama Mountain |
So our week in Windermere sped by in the
company of our hospitable friends, Sherry and Reg. The lake was a godsend to
have cooling swims in on the 30C + hot days, and a nice place to relax reading
a book under the shade of a tree.
We then headed to Calgary for another
adventure, but that is the next story…………….
Cheers - until the next post!
Great post, thanks so much Mum!! Learned loads about Canada I hadn't known and loved reading about the neat people you met along the way!!
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