After the long days of driving we needed a rest. We got into the Snowforest campground in Revelstoke and took that much needed rest. It was a nice campground the newest in the Canadian National Parks System. Our spot on the B loop was great and I’d recommend the B loop as the spots looked more private than the A loop. Overall not a big campground and I took what I could get making reservations. We wanted to stay three nights but could only find a spot for two nights even trying right when the reservations opened. Only one full day and being exhausted from driving we didn’t get to explore as much as we were hoping.
After our two nights we headed back over the passes. I was dreading it but it turned out to be not a bad drive at all. Being at the tail end of a nine hour drive and it raining were more the issue than the road it seems when we came across the first time. We just had one day at Yoho and I had something’s I was hoping to hit but we stopped in Golden to do some much needed laundry and that ate some time that afternoon. Not that it mattered much, the site we got wasn’t very good at the kicking horse campground. Well it was a good campsite for camping but hard to get into and they had the exit loop closed and blocked off so once in couldn’t get the car out without moving the camper. But it was ok more just camp fires and camping was fine with me. Just glad we weren’t planning more than one night.
Now for some pictures.
Our Campsite at Snowforest Campground Revelstoke
Marcus chopping wood. At the national parks here they charge you a fire fee with the campsite. But then local firewood is provided and free. Pretty good idea.
Different angle of our campsite. Had some good camping this stop. Revelstoke also had our first real run in with mosquitoes. Not too bad at the campground and fire kept them at bay mostly.
We went to town to find the visitor center and grab lunch. We stopped at La Baguette. It was a cool local place. Great food and that vanilla latte was the best cup of coffee I ever had.
We just had the one day and got going late so our main activity was driving up Mt. Revelstoke. Shot of the town from a view point in the way up. Was a very winding long drive to the top.
At the top there was some hiking trails we went to the trail to the summit only a couple of kilometers.
It was rainy. Guess it’s usually rainy. Revelstoke is a landlocked rainforest. So is more like the Washington coast or Juneau than the rest of the mountians.
This hike was where the misquotes really shined. They were swarming.
Great views
Someone helped us out to get a good shot of the family
The fire tower at the top. I was expecting an actual tower.
Marc and Luke they were horsing around the entire hike.
They had some culture and art along the walk
On the way down we stopped off at Nel’s Nelson ski jump area. An old ski jump to check it out and get in the metal pants.
Marcus in the metal pants. So you leaned into them and hung over the edge. I guess to feel what it’s like to jump? It was odd but fun.
Becky getting in, she was a little short.
Luke trying, he had tennis shoes on and the slipped when he leaned in so Marcus was helping a brother out, literally.
Shot of the river from the park in town. Was real swirly water there. Marcus needed to use there track in the park for a workout. I tried to do laundry but it didn’t work out. First place I went to was a commercial laundry that services motels. The guy there noticed I wasn’t from around there and we talked for quite a bit. He wanted to know how much grief I got about the 51st state business. I said “None, you’re the first one”. He got a kick out of it seemed like a good guy he gave me some info about the area and warned me the one laundry mat in town wasn’t that great “it’s pretty small” and sure enough I went there and just drove by. Was in the busy part of town so no place to park and was a tiny sliver of a building with a lot of people inside already so it was a bust. I went and walked around the park until Marc was done. We ended up having to stop in Golden on the way to Yoho the next day.
Our crazy camping spot in Yoho. Only way in was to drive though as it was designed for but they had the out blocked off so the car was trapped. Just a night here and getting late in the day already so more camping.
Was a nice spot otherwise. I got Samus to chop some firewood for me.
We put some beans in the fire and grilled hotdogs for supper.
Looking up
Out a ways from our campsite coming back from the woodpile a good shot of the mountains. We were really close to them but with the trees didn’t have a great view. But they were there in all their splendor.
We finished driving for another three days straight. The first two days weren’t bad but the last day was brutal from beginning to end. But we made it to Revelstoke finally.
Here are some pictures from Skagway to Revelstroke..
Ok well it’s really been five days since the last post in Juneau. First we had the 6.5 hour ferry ride. We went back on the ferry to Skagway getting up at 4am to be to the ferry by 5am. Ferry was on time today and the ride was smooth. Busier than the ride over, we sat in the cafeteria for most of the trip as all the other tables were full.
Scenery was sill great. And not as windy outside but still cold.
For the last couple hours we moved to the back deck. It cleared out a lot when we stopped in Haines.
May have been a bad choice, they turned off the heat lamps when we stopped so it was pretty cold out there.
Back in Skagway. We had a down day before our drives. We walked around town a bit.
Marcus showed us a bridge he had ran to. It’s not a very big town he had to cover most of it to get his miles in.
Still in Skagway we took a drive to see what we could see. I wanted to check out the old mining ghost town of Dyea. And get on the famous gold miners hiking trail. We stopped off at the Slide cemetery on the way.
Trail to the cemetery
At the cemetery, was a interesting but weird stop off
We also checked out the tidal flats. Pretty cool area.
In Dyea, nothing left really except the town streets still grided out.
I expected more really. We didn’t stay long
Old ship, they used the tide to bring supplies. Sometime ships old it stuck. Town lost out to Skagway when the rail line came in.
Checking out the 33 mile Chilkoot trail. We only did a mile. Would be awesome to come back and do the whole thing someday.
Proof we were in the right place
It was an awesome trail to hike on even though we just got a taste. 1/2 mile in and back. It was really steep right out of the gate.
Mossy
Some downhill as well that we’d have to hit on the way out. Another reason we didn’t venture far we didn’t have the gear for a serous hike.
Turned around and found Samus in a tree.
Everyone had fun on this little hike
Stopped to get a look at the river
A lot of tours from the cruise ships, we passed a couple in our hike. They’d hike in a ways not sure how far but farther than us and then float on back. We ran into a group that we passed a few times. The guide was talking to us, he was from Seattle but but had been to Sioux Falls a few years ago and loved our micro-brew scene. Had great things to say about Covert Brewery.
Now we’re in the car, between the boarder crossings is a tundra area. We said we wanted to stop on the way back and so we did. Pretty crazy landscape.
Lots of little ponds but this is a big one
After this stop was the boarder crossing, no search this time just some questions and we were on our way.
Still going the first drive day. Stopped off at Liard Hot Springs again. Much nicer day this time.
I’m glad we stopped we were treated to a moose having a snack.
When it looked at me gave me a little flash back to Marc and my moose encounter at Bearpaw lake in the Tetons. Much more distance between us here but probably closer than recommended.
Since it was nice out this time we walked more of the boardwalk to check out the hanging garden.
The hanging garden
Good shot of the whole pool area.It was too hot today was much better when it was cold and rainy. Too hot so we didn’t stay too long.
We made it to our destination for the night less than a hour down the road. Muncho Lake. Being hot we were looking forward to a cold mountain lake. We got more than we bargained for. The hot springs were too hot, this was too cold. We all agreed (well the three of us that went in) that it was the coldest lake we’ve ever been in. It was so cold.
But a beautiful crystal clear lake.
Marc got in
I floated around
We both jumped off the dock. Marc a few times.
Enough of that. It was dangerous cold. Never got used to it took your breath away every time dunking in. Hands, feet, everything numb.
Our camping spot just staying overnight at the Northern Rockies Lodge. They have a few lakeside campsites and they have a motel and different cabins. A pretty nice lodge.
Been a while since we had a camp fire. Needed this one to warm us up.
Shot of our campsite from one of the docks
They do float plane adventures here. So have a couple float planes docked for the night.
We finally made it… to the sign… we’re leaving the Alaskan highway but I made sure we weren’t taking the bypass this time.
White knight in the parking area next to the sign. Got the elevator shot.
Our stop for night two was by Grand Prairie. We’re at Bear Lake campground. A little campground I had found around where we needed to be for the night. But turns out I didn’t look at it real well. It only has non-potable water so we had to dry camp for the night. It was a bit of a chore we don’t normally travel with water but I could have kept some if I would have realized it. We had to fill a lemonade carton we keep water in to use when traveling to use the bathroom (need to fill the toilet bowl with some water to have things work properly) a couple of times with its non-potable water. As we were also running out of bottled water to drink. And definitely non-potable, the water was chunky we expect just pumped from the lake.
Was nice mostly empty campground otherwise.
A bear for bear lake.
And the next day on the Bighorn Highway we got a good look at a bear… but I didn’t get a good picture. You can barely see it. A grizzly bear walked across the road and I was able to pull over. We watched it walk through the ditch and then in a pissed off fashion swat at the bushes as it made its way back into the forest. Was pretty funny.
River we stopped by the river to have lunch
Making sandwiches again. Kids aren’t real happy at the jar of peanut butter I brought along. I’m rather enjoying it we don’t ever eat peanut butter sandwiches at home. Got off them when Becky had her allergy issues so really since the first trip we had been peanut butter free. We also have some meat and cheese, I think that’s what Marc is making here.
Mark enjoying his sandwich.
I never miss an opportunity to get an odd angle on the old family truckster. Was quite the climb up from the river bank. The rest of the drive was long and a bit treacherous. The Icefields parkway was beautiful but it was so busy. We couldn’t even get gas in Jasper both stations had queues of a dozen or more cars and not big stations anyway for the camper with that much activity clogging up the station. So we gulped and kept going hopefully we have enough to the next station, we did have enough but we already had a scare when I left Grand Prairie missing the last gas station. So worrying about gas for another stretch I wasn’t looking much forward to. Then we turned on Hwy 1 to go over the passes to Revelstoke. Bigger road but tons of trucks and steep grades. My nerves we already shot and now this. A few really sketchy moments. But we lived, not looking forward to heading back over and into banff, with all the people in Jasper (which is pretty much burned up) I bet Banff will be a zoo.
