And then I am back again. First posting countdowns, and before you know it you are sleeping in your own bed again and work awaits next monday. But how beautiful it was! I was a bit sceptical at first. I am not really a nature person (I thought), so I was a bit anxious how Canada would fit me. But it fits me perfectly. The unbelieveble beauty of Alberta and Britisch Columbia really got to me. The blueness of the lakes with their glacier water, the mountains, the hikes, just astonishing. Keep reading for a little travel log and just some of the many beautiful pictures we could make.
Vancouver
We started of in Vancouver. After we landed we immediatley got our rental car (a Dodge! I was bearly a bit larger than it), and drove to our hotel. To me the skyline of Vancouver kind off reminded me to the skyline of Miami. We had 1 whole day in this city and decided to mainly explore it by bike. We started in Stanley Park and also rode to Granville Island.
Kelowna and Revelstoke
After Vancouver we got into the car and started our road trip. And I am not a fan of car rides and traffic jams, but driving through this scenery is just marvelous. We spent the night in Kelowna as kind of a lay-over and then continued our drive to Revelstoke. There we climbed Mount Revelstoke and on the way back to our hotel we even saw a bear!
Lake Louise and Banff
After Revelstoke we continued our journey to and through the Rockies and first stop was Lake Louise. On the way there we got introduced to the very blue-greenish (or turquoise) lakes. You just cannot believe your eyes looking at those. They get the colour from the glacier ice and the sediments in the rocks. I keep repeating myself how beautiful the scenery is with the mountains, the sky, the lakes, the waterfalls and so on. We did some hikes and got even better views on top!
Icefields parkway and Jasper
Our next stop was Jasper. To get there we were to drive the icefields parkway. A (again) beautiful and scenic route. Along the way we made a stop near Abraham lake to go on a heli hike! Absolutely awesome. My very first time in the helicopter. We were so lucky with the weather. Nice and sunny so we could see very much. Even the pilot said it was a beautiful day to fly, and especially a very great choice for a first flight! We landed somewhere in the mountains where no car can come. So extremely peaceful. We also made a stop at the Athabasca glacier where Ice explorers took us up to the glacier, to actually stand on the ice. A bit touristic I must admit, but surely a great experience. Because, come on, how often do you get the chance to stand on a glacier? After arriving in Jasper we climbed Mount Whistler and also visited Maligne lake.
Helmcken Falls, Sun Peaks and Whistler
We continued our journey to Helmcken Falls. Just in Wells Gray National Park. Some very nice and tall waterfalls there. On our way to Whistler we had a 'lay-over' in Sun Peaks. A ski area in the winter. You can tell by all the chairlifts and the construction of the buildings. Then we went on to Whistler, also a ski area. Even a bigger place then Sun Peaks. Whistler was home to the Olympic Wintergames in 2010. From Whistler we made a day trip to Squamish via the Sea to Sky Highway to climb the Sea to Sky mountain.
Vancouver - Back Home
And from Whistler we went back to Vancouver to catch our flight back home. A wonderful roadtrip and this kind of nature really grew on me. The colors of the lakes is just unbelievable. It is shocking to see how much those glaciers retract and how the waterfalls cave in the stone. Definately an experience I will never forget. Also learned something valuable to help keep this earth as beautiful as it is "Take only photographs and leave only footprints".
Ciao!
Ixis
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten