Uh-oh. Someone let them back in the country.

Yes, the prodigal son and daughter have returned. A year goes bloomin' fast when you think about it. I'm sure it seems like we were saying tearful goodbyes only yesterday. It feels like it to us!

Hopefully, we'll be able to catch up with as many of you as possible soon!

Back in Vancouver again!

After another epic 18 hour bus journey, we've left Fernie behind us :-( and we're back in Vancouver again, staying with Anke and Michael in their lovely flat on Commercial Drive.


The Vancouver gang’s back together again!


A lovely dinner was served up to two hungry souls – 18 hours of sandwiches and crisps is not good


Getting on the Greyhound bus was sad, but it felt good to know that we would find Michael standing at the bus station to pick us up and were very excited to see him and Anke again. It's also lovely to be able to stay in thier house and be spoiled rotten before we head back to the UK. Don't get us wrong... we're REALLY excited to be seeing you all again soon, but equally worried that we're coming back to no job, no flat, and a challenging few months ahead of us.

We are loving being back in Vancouver - it's nice to relax and be tourists - a big change from our last visit here. Anke is working at The Lookout tower so we went to visit her (for free!) and watched the sunset over the city - cool! We had a great day wandering around some old haunts and remembering all the stress we had in the summer looking for work and a place to live - it all seems like such a long time ago now. We also went to the BEST shop, called Cupcake. It sold a crazy array of the most beautiful cupcakes we've ever seen, in every colour and flavour. Very cool.


The wonderful cupcakes on offer


We got a black cherry cake – it was very yummy!


The sun going down behind Vancouver Island


Vancouver by night

We'll be doing a few more touristy things before we leave on Saturday to catch our flight, and land back in the UK on Sunday afternoon!

WARNING: Gratuitously explicit photographs of beautiful scenery and far too many words follow....

So, we're back from our trip! What follows is a day by day account of all the fun we had - I've done it day by day so if you read from the bottom up, it's in order. Alternatively, because I've babbled on for AGES you might just want to take a squiz at the pics.

That's all!

Day Fourteen. Back to Fernie

Phew – last night was a bit of an adventure. I woke up for a pee in the early hours, went outside the van and heard rustling noises in the pitch black. Had the fastest pee ever and just as I was about to get back inside I looked down to see torches zigzagging around from the only other campers on the site, followed by ‘SHOO!’ and ‘GET AWAY!’ as the people camping ran after something in the darkness. As you can imagine, this thoroughly put the wind up me… was it a cougar? Was it a bear? We’ll never know as the brave souls had left by the time we woke up. That was one evening when I was extremely glad to have four metal walls around me.

We didn’t much fancy hanging around Dry Gulch (for fear of being eaten) to make breakfast, so Jethro treated us to a fry up in Radium Hot Springs – very nice it was too.

We made our way steadily back to Fernie, trying not to think that it would be the last time we’d drive the route for a very long time… In the last two weeks, we’ve seen more beautiful scenery than we’d ever imagined, met countless friendly Canadians, eaten well (Trailmix Surprise), proved that camping can be an enjoyable experience (even in the winter) and travelled 2,599km. (Our limited mileage gave us a quota of 2,600km so we impressed the car hire company no end!)

Next stop is Vancouver and then home. It's sad that it's all coming to an end, but we're really glad we had the opportunity to see a bit more of Canada.

Day Thirteen. Banff to Dry Gulch Provincial Park

We left the Rockies behind us and the most talkative Swedish roomies the world has seen – we exchanged a ‘hello’ at midnight, all went to sleep, woke up again the next day and left them snoring… there you go – the ‘hostel’ experience at its finest.

Before we left Banff we went on a wee visit to the Fairmount Banff Springs hotel – this one was far nicer than the Lake Louise version and was gorgeous inside. We were convinced they’d throw us out any moment, but the steward on the door (hi Tony!) was fantastic and even laughed at Jethro’s quip about there being no Tim Hortons. Tony was trying to convince us that we could afford to stay the night there. The most expensive package they do is $1227 PER NIGHT. (yes, you read that right. Per night.) But they have a far more affordable option in December (including a ski pass and breakfast) which costs $479 per night. That's per room, so it would be feasible to stay there - for one night only - if we came back in the winter at some stage.


The Fairmount Banff Springs hotel






A typical view from one of the rooms

We left Banff and made our way to Golden, stopping at Spiral Tunnel on the way – interesting if you’re a train nerd. A good leg stretch if not. On the way we drove through Yoho national park, which is like the poor relation to the other parks but just as pretty.


Leaving the Rockies behind.


Bridge building, Canadian style!

Golden was a real surprise for me - it was a great little town that would be beautiful if not for the fifteen train tracks that run right through the middle! We had a quick lunch in the local bakery (hanging with the local pensioners!) before heading up to take a look at Kicking Horse resort. There were LOTS of expensive-looking houses up at the ski hill and even more being built while we had a nose around.


Jethro spent a day at Kicking Horse in the winter, so he was interested to see the changes over the summer

Driving away from Golden along Highway 95 meant that we passed through Columbia valley – a gorgeous area with a river that runs all along the route meaning that the surroundings are always lush and green. It was such a contrast to the brown-ish prairie grass of the previous week.


Wonderful scenery in Columbia Valley


The creek that runs the length of the valley

We stayed at Dry Gulch provincial park,a teeny little campground with dry toilets and fire pits, so we could use the rest of our wood that Jethro spent ages chopping (so he was happy) and it was another freebie night as there were no wardens in sight! Result.


Last night of camping!

Day Twelve. A bit more Banff

Feeling somewhat relieved that hypothermia didn't set in the night before, we took a drive out to visit Lake Minnewanke (snigger) because it sounds rude (tee hee). On the way back, we went for a wander around Bankhead – an old deserted mining town that was demolished in the 1930s but the ruins still remain. There was a very interesting interpretive trail that wound around the site for an hour to keep us occupied.


See - we don't make this stuff up


Lake Minnewanke itself. (I can't help it. I giggle every time!)


Playing around in the ruins at Bankhead


I take a slightly more serene approach to the trail

We then drove to Johnston Canyon for a bigger hike. We marvelled in the beauty of the upper and lower falls but decided to hike on to the Ink Pots – a four hour round trip. I knew something was up when Jethro wanted to turn back for a cuppa and a slice of cake, but we persevered none-the-less, even if it was a killer last three kms uphill and downdale – but worth it to see these cool little mineral pools in the middle of nowhere.


The canyon


Another crazy tree picture (we just can't help ourselves)


The lower falls


Jethro does his 'I'm a little pixie' pose


The inkpots

We decided to staying in the relative sanctuary of an HI hostel that evening, but we opted for a shared room so as not to be too luxurious. Hot showers that didn’t last five minutes or less were a real novelty, and we went for dinner at the Elk and Oarsmen again - $8 for a steak sandwich – BARGAIN!

Day Eleven. Banff

Banff is the STD capital of Canada, but we weren't going to let a little something like that put us off. I can quite see why so many British kids come here to do a winter season - it's got everything you would want, like a mini-city but it's still very attractive. I also dropped in on Rude Girls, a female-specific snowboarding shop in the town that I've wanted to see for a while. The staff were awesome so here's a big shout out to them (and I hope you got your mattress back!)

We did two hikes today - one of which was the spookiest we've done yet, through dense forest where it was deathly quiet. We took the road up to the nearest ski hill to Banff - Mount Norqay - and parked up before starting our ascent up Stoney Squaw Mountain. It was worth it once we got to the top, but boy did we freak ourselves out on the way!


The creepy path through the wood


Here I am hiding behind a tree, convinced that I'm about to be eaten by a grizzly.


We made it to the top unscathed!


A view of the town

Our second hike of the day was somewhat more enjoyable, as we took a stroll around Johnson Lake. The guide said that we would be sure to see some wildlife on this route and on the drive to the lake, we must've seen about 30 elk in three different herds. We stopped by the road to watch them for a while as it was dusk. We didn't see any wildlife around the lake, but we did see a CRAZY man paddling across the lake on a surfboard as it was beginning to get dark. Why, we don't know. I got all excited thinking he was a beaver too. Oh well.


We went down to Vermillion Lakes on the way - no beavers to be seen...


The elk herd roaming across a field


The daddy of the herd having a quick sit. He was eyeing Jethro up and he crept closer and closer to take a photograph. I stayed firmly put in the car.


Walking around Johnson Lake, this is my 'I'm not cold, honest!' picture


Johnson Lake itself - a very serene place


The obligatory 'look, I'm holding the tree up' comedy shot.

That evening, we were in the worst campsite yet. All the other sites are now closed except Tunnel Mountain's main RV park, so we got shoved in a car park, with no fire pits or any shelter whatsoever. It was also the coldest night of our trip so we decided on a game plan. We went out for a slap-up dinner at the Elk and Oarsman Pub - another recommendation from Mr Hammond. The meal was fantastic - really good value and very tasty - we devoured two huge pizzas for $8 each. Not bad.

It was really, really cold when we drove back to the campsite so we whacked the blow heaters up on high and filled the van with warm air. It worked pretty well and we had a good night's sleep in the end, even if it was minus three outside. We didn't even shiver!

Day Ten. Lake Louise

After an extremely frigid night in the van, we woke to more snow on the top of the mountains - we heard rain on the roof in the night so it must have turned to snow higher up. We were cold and hungry, so we made for the town of Lake Louise for a hearty breakfast. This was delivered to us at the HI Hostel, which has a great little restaurant open to everyone – thanks for the recommendation, Hammo! Having tucked away a huge breakfast burritto each, we made our way over to the main attraction in Lake Louise – the lake… (duh!).

I’ve seen photographs of Lake Louise itself, and the incredibly prestigious hotel that’s right on the shore. Well, seeing the Chateau Fairmont Lake Louise in the cold light of day, it was a big ol’ ugly hotel that looked like one of those posh new NCP car parks attached to a shopping centre – yeuch! I’m hoping the Chateau in Banff is far nicer. Yet again, we were surrounded by bus-loads of Japanese tourists taking photographs of the most random things imaginable. Not the lake, not the beautiful scenery, but the interpretive signs that dot the place as you walk around – crazy!


Lake Louise - it freezes over completely in the winter and you can skate on it. They also build fantastic ice-sculptures of castles etc...


It was actually pretty cold that morning, but as soon as we started hiking we soon warmed up.

We’d visited the information centre to pick up a hiking leaflet and saw that there were two tea-houses that you could walk to up in the surrounding mountains – a great concept that I am fully amenable to – having a cuppa after you’ve just sweated blood to get to the top of the peak! (all because the swiss guides that first came to Lake Louise back in the 1900’s wanted a warm brew – hats off to them I say).

We opted for the Lake Agnes hike – a round trip totalling four hours with a visit to one of said tea-houses along the way and ending with a spectacular view of the area from the top of a peak called Little Beehive. It was another strenuous hike uphill, but the views along the way were as lovely as ever – we’re a bit worried that we’re beginning to take it all for granted. ‘Oh look, another stunning view. S'pose we should get the camera out...’


A view of the lake from half-way up the trail

We made it to the teahouse after much huffing and puffing – it was just so quaint to find this wooden chalet next to another lake half-way up a mountain. They had every kind of tea imaginable – Jethro opted for a Leopard Snowdrop green tea, which was very smokey-tasting. I went for the rather dull lemon tea, which was very refreshing none-the-less. Oh, and a packet of M&Ms to keep my energy levels up. Obviously.


Lake Agnes - the teahouse is just to the right of this shot


Inside the teahouse - warm and very cosy


The teahouse from the outside

We spoke to one of the five staff up there – they live in the tea house for four and a half months (getting on with each other just fine, apparently) and it was their last week when we arrived. It must be such a cool job to be in the wilderness like that, serving tea and cake to weary hikers. You would be very cut-off from civilisation for all that time, but maybe that would be a good thing?

We hiked the rest of the way up to Little Beehive for even more spectacular views – well worth the extra effort up. We were greeted at the top by two chipmunks who looked very happy to see us and were eyeing up our trailmix (nuts, seeds and dried fruit) greedily. We didn’t feed them (it’s illegal to do so in a National Park) but tried to take photographs which they weren’t having any of. Little sods.


Another view of Lake Louise from further up


We make it to the top of Little Beehive - phew!


A great view of the ski hill from the top

The walk down was a breeze, and when we got back to the shoreline of the lake, we had a quick nose around the hotel – big, brassy, expensive. We did think about taking a kayak out onto the water, but at $40 an hour, it was a total rip-off.

I’d like to come back here in the winter – the town itself is tiny and we were lucky to get the campsite we’re staying at tonight – it closes tomorrow. But the ski hill looks great and there are some fantastic cross country trails around the lake that I would love to do.

I just want to add to this post that I made a new dish for supper this evening which I’d like to call ‘Trailmix Surprise’. The surprise is that it tastes darn good. I got a packet of Uncle Bens chinese rice, fried up some onions, mushrooms and green peppers; added some tinned sweetcorn, carrots and peas. Added a dollop of marmite, a teaspoon of sugar, some trailmix nuts, some ketchup, dried coconut, a pinch of salt and voila – a one pan camping dish that was bloody tasty!


We had a quick look around the base of the ski hill - here I am wondering why Lake Louise has such an impressive DayLodge while Fernie has to put up with a 1960's-esque cafeteria. (RCR own Lake Louise and Fernie.)


Jethro wonders where everybody is. Oh yes, there's no snow!