Embedded Files
Week 5, Day 29
Revelstoke
3 kms
Today was a good day for indoor pursuits (very wet outside), and what could be better in a railway town but a railway museum? Revelstoke's Railway Museum is not only a museum of all things railway, but also has a great deal of history about how the crossing of the Rockies was carried out in the 19th Century.
Revelstoke Railway Museum - the next day!
The impressive Mikado (2-8-2) P2-k Class engine 5468 - one of only 3 surviving
One of the last of its type constructed, it was built in Montreal in 1948. It is oil-fired (not coal or wood) and held 4000 gallons (18,200 lts) of oil and 10,000 gallons (45,500 lts) of water. The engine and tender, when loaded, weighed 316 tons. This class of engine was built specifically for the Rocky Mountain region where the normal Pacific (4-6-2) and Hudson (4-6-4) locos couldn't produce enough traction on the steep grades.
In addition to the huge, they also had...
... the small - these motorised linesmen's trucks replaced... ... the handcart - far better in a Canadian winter!
The museum has a number of beautiful bridge models showing various crossing techniques for valleys and streams in the Rockies
Rolling stock collection
The museum also has a good collection of rolling stock outside. We declined to examine it in detail due to the weather.
Week 5, Day 30
Revelstoke - Golden <map>
205 kms
This morning was certainly better than yesterday! We only have a shortish distance today, but the scenery should be worth while. As it's such a short distance, we have a few sites planned to visit on the way. The first was the Revelstoke Dam Visitors' Centre.
Revelstoke Dam on the Columbia River
Just one slight problem - it was shut. Quite a few attractions shut after Labor Day as it's considered the end of 'the season'. This was one of them but they hadn't seen fit to update their web page. We weren't the only ones caught out as 2 other cars of Canadians also turned up expecting to see it. They went away muttering about BC Hydro as if it was not unexpected. :-) The positive side about the closure was that we happened upon the BC Interior Forestry Museum; a place that hadn't popped up on our radar until then.
Chain saws... and quirky home-built log loaders
We spent a pleasant and informative hour or so there. Across the road was the end product.
Lotsa Logs
Next stop - Rogers Pass. As we headed east and started climbing, the weather started to close in.
At least the deciduous trees were showing more colour
Rogers Pass Memorial Arch
This arch commemorates the opening of the road through Rogers Pass in 1962.
Major Rogers, working for the Canadian Pacific Railway, discovered this pass through the previously impenetrable Selkirk Mountain Barrier in 1881. Construction of the railway line on the steep mountainsides and over the deep gorges of the Selkirk Mountains required engineering solutions that represented innovative breakthroughs during Victorian times. Operation of a railway line through the incredible avalanche danger and 12 metre (40') annual snowfall of Rogers Pass demanded new technologies and new skills from the railway.
Rogers Pass from the Nat Pk Visitors' Centre
We went into the Nat Pk Visitors' Centre at the top of the pass. It was very informative, and had models and movies showing the hardships encountered by people living and working in such a harsh environment.
Model of the 1910 avalanche rescue
In 1910, an avalanche killed 62 men clearing the railway line. As up to 200 people had been killed by avalanches in the preceding 26 years since the line opened, CPR decided to abandon the top of the Pass and built a 5 mile long tunnel under it. That tunnel was opened in 1916.
The area's top predator - mountain lion / cougar / puma (all the same thing - Puma Concolor)
There were also stuffed examples of its prey - Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goats and deer.
East of the pass, the weather started clearing - about to enter another avalanche tunnel
The next stop was the Northern Lights Wolf Centre. Wolves tend to get a bad press, and this centre aims to address that problem. All the wolves in the centre are either habituated to humans (taken as cubs and hand reared) or have been injured and are unable to return to the wild. We got there just after they'd been fed - this only happens 3 times a week. Like humans after a good feed, they just wanted to have a snooze.
We think this is 'Moab' - They really are beautiful animals
Outside the Wolf Centre - autumn's coming
Finally we reached our slightly quirky B&B outside Golden. The first thing that struck us was the Maple by the car park.
Early morning view from our room - clear skies and fog in the valley
Today's plan is to drive across Kicking Horse Pass and down to see Lake Louise and Moraine Lake - two well-known scenic places in the Canadian Rockies. Along the route is also the Spiral Tunnel lookout for any railway enthusiasts who might be around. First stop was the rest area on the Kicking Horse River.
Kicking Horse River Rest Area with the railway on the other side of the river - no, that hut isn't the rest area
Just as we got back to the car, we heard a train, turned around and saw...
...The Rocky Mountaineer - slightly better view than last time
Just upstream of the rest area is the Park Bridge. This opened in 2007 and replaced a narrow section of 2-lane road. It's difficult to get a good photo, but is is a very impressive structure. It's 405m long, 90m high with a span of 80m.
Park Bridge on Trans-Canada Highway 1 seen from the rest area
Having crossed the pass and entered Alberta from British Columbia, we were now on the Lake Louise / Banff side of the ranges following the Bow River. It's fascinating to think that water flowing down the Kicking Horse River ends up in the Pacific Ocean, while water in the Bow River a couple of kilometres away ends up in Hudson Bay and then the Atlantic Ocean!
Bow River
Lake Louise ski slopes (pre-snow)
Despite what looks like grey clouds in the photos, it was actually a beautiful day. It was so beautiful (and a Sunday) that seemingly half of Calgary had driven out here to partake of the scenic delights on offer. Consequently, all the car parks at Lake Louise were full; the drive to Moraine Lake was closed; the overflow carpark was full and the place was generally packed! We decided to postpone our visit and head down to Banff. Of course, it was full too, but fortunately we found a parking spot by the river, grabbed it and proceeded to have lunch there.
Vermilion Lakes just outside Banff (no, no idea about the name)
Lunch by the Bow River
Having had lunch, we thought about our problem in getting to see one of the high points we'd planned - Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. As it turned out, we'd be coming back this way in a few day's time, so hopefully the crowds would be smaller on a weekday. Let's hope so!
So, back to our B&B at Golden with a stop or two on the way.
Aspens by the roadside
Bow River
One the way towards Banff this morning, we had passed the Spiral Tunnel lookout, but it had been totally bereft of trains. However, on the way home, we overtook a train descending the mountain and beat it to the lookout.
Spiral Tunnel with long train
Note the 2 red engines just below and right of centre exiting the tunnel. They are pulling the train that's entering the tunnel at top left. Not seen, is the remainder of the train that's just below us out of shot. This train is about a mile (1.6km) long, consists totally of 40' freight containers stacked 2 high, and is powered by four diesel-electric engines - two at the front, one in the middle and another at the end. A very impressive effort.
There are two spiral tunnels; the other being mainly out of sight on the other side of the highway. The original route was very steep (4.5%). Due to frequent accidents and expensive helper engines associated with getting trains through the pass, the CPR opened the pair of spiral tunnels in 1909 that replaced the direct route. Although these tunnels add several kilometres to the route, the gradient was halved.
Week 5, Day 32
Golden - Tie Lake <map>
275 kms
Back to see our friends Ron and Margaret today and report on our doings over the last 3 weeks. No photography worth speaking of, but we arrived in time for a little liquid refreshment on one of their decks.
Life can't be all bad with a view like this, can it?
Week 5, Day 33
Tie Lake <map>
??? kms
A rest from driving today as Ron drove us around the local area. First stop was Kootenay Trout Hatchery.
Where's the frying pan?
This hatchery breed not only trout, but also salmon and sturgeon for release into local streams and lakes in the Kootenay region.
Next stop was Fort Steele. This is a restored 1890s heritage town on the banks of the Kootenay River.
Ft Steele
We saw a couple of surprising things here.
Two girls playing on the swings in the school playground...
... and a wild deer that had moved in to the duck pen (free food?)
Evening drinks on the deck were enlivened by a whistling sound coming from behind the house. Turns out this is a female mountain lion who has recently moved into the neighbourhood calling her cubs. Makes one think that going out in the dark to get something from the car wasn't as important as one initially thought.
Week 5, Day 34
Tie Lake <map>
??? kms
Another lovely day lounging around and being spoilt by our hosts.
Headlines: "Hollywood Starlet seen at Tie Lake in racy sports car" - Sue gets a ride in Ron's Little Red Roadster
(Someone else actually got to DRIVE it!!)
Headlines: "Overweight Elf seen in Tie Lake tree house"
Today's drive was to Lake Koocanusa, a man-made reservoir made by the building of the Libby dam south of the Canadian border in the USA.
Lake Koocanusa
One of the popular summer pastimes is house-boating on the lake, however the season was at an end and all the house-boats were moored awaiting maintenance. We had a look around and were amazed at what the average vessel is equipped with.
Rental house-boats
All seemed to sleep about 12+, had fireplaces, BBQs and hot tubs (Jacuzzis) on the top deck and came with 3kva generators to provide power when not underway.
Week 5, Day 35
Tie Lake - Canmore <map>
475 kms
Nearly at the end of the Canadian section of our adventure, we left Tie Lake and headed back to see if Moraine Lake and Lake Louise were a bit less crowded that they were a few days ago. We were to meet up with Ron & Margaret for a last night together at a hotel in Canmore.
We got to Lake Louise and found the road to Moraine Lake was open!! No crowds, and such a beautiful clear day.
Moraine Lake -What a majestic and peaceful scene!
It was a short drive back to Lake Louise for a more familiar view.
Lake Louise and the Victoria Glacier
(As a certified grumpy old person, I should mention here the amount of time it took to take both these photos and end up without a horde of (primarily Asian) tourists with 2m long selfie sticks in the photo. Harrumph!)
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse