We’re doing things a little differently this year: normally we drive all the way from Calgary to Victoria in one day, in time for checking in for the Tour de Victoria. Then the rest of the visit in Victoria follows and we head home. This time we are taking four days on our trip to Victoria, going by way of Prince George, Prince Rupert, and Port Hardy. The whole thing is centred on the ferry ride from Rupert to Vancouver Island, which will be on Sunday. Today was the first leg of the journey: driving from Calgary to Prince George.
We had a bit of a leisurely morning by vacation standards: because we only had 8-ish hours to drive and no ferry to catch, we could leave when we wanted to. We ended up leaving a bit before seven. We drove to Lake Louise and then left the Trans-Canada and headed northwest on Highway 93: the Icefields Parkway.
The Parkway is a nice, relaxing drive. It certainly has breathtaking scenery.
We took lots of photos. I will try to add more later. The most dramatic landscapes are on the southern end, towards Banff. Towards Jasper, the landscape became more forested and less rugged. We stopped for lunch in Jasper, using a picnic table along Connaught Ave. to eat some Subway.
It was warm in Jasper and in Mt. Robson Park: 28 degrees. We stopped along the way at the Visitor Centre at Mt. Robson and at Purden Lake as well.
We rolled into Prince George just around five, as expected. We checked into the Super 8 on the Hart Highway (used to be Esther’s Inn) and went for a walk up and down the strip, eventually settling on dinner at Denny’s. Then it was back to the hotel for a dip in the pool.
Tomorrow is a day in PG. I am planning to take a bike ride and we’ll probably scope out some old haunts, like our old townhouse, etc. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Updated on Day 2 – with more pictures!
The fly in the ointment: when Ian and I went for our swim, I was wearing my Apple Watch. It is certified water resistant to much more than splashing in the pool. When I got out, the touch screen behaved erratically. I expect that some water has penetrated it. I will see if it improves in time. Otherwise, I will visit the Apple Store when we get back to Calgary and get them to diagnose it.
Really great pictures, nice weather, looking forward to seeing you.
Ahhhh! Beautiful!!!