Day 57 Spokane, Washington KOA Kampground

Captain’s Blog

Wednesday

July 29, 2009

We woke to an overcast sky but reasonable warm. The other couple in the rest area was from Winnipeg, and were traveling at their own pace. Sometimes they would drive only five miles a day then stop and stay wherever they landed. It looked like they would be at the rest area for another night. They spent time cleaning the trash from the area as payment for their free parking space.

The plan was to take scenic route 20 to Kelly’s but somehow we both missed the turnoff. We were looking for the entrance to a CG when we bypassed the turn. We found ourselves heading to Spokane somewhat out of the way (r0n NOTE:a busy congested big city).

The plan was to get a full hook-up campsite so I could do laundry. We hadn’t had any services for ten days so the underwear was in short supply. Needless to say the CG I wanted to stay at Ron didn’t and those that we stopped at were full (r0n NOTE:not exactly true. I told Deb you make the decisions because all the ones I make are BAD. I suggested she look in the Campground (all this while I am dogging crazy fool nutty Spokane drivers in 92 degree temp) book find a campground she liked call to verify availability then plug it into TOMTOM, however she found a campground she liked plunged it into TOMTOM and when we arrived it was full) . Very frustrating!!! We finally found a site at the KOA in Spokane and grabbed it because it was only full service site available. When we pulled in the temp was 92 degrees and since the MH needed a good cleaning being able to put on the AC was a blessing.

 

We had cable TV for the first time in weeks and when we put the TV on there was nothing but negativity so we shut that down rather quickly. Its not so bad not watching TV and the less we watch the less we want to watch.

Later we went to Wal Mart for our grocery restocking. Kelly called and was surprised to hear we were in Washington. We will be getting into Auburn sooner then expected and with some coaxing from Kelly agreed to stay at the pricey KOA near her home. They happened to have a site available for the days that we needed. Of course they did with their outrageous charges!!!! Ron always likes to “wing it” but we all know how that worked out in Canada so I made the executive decision to book KOA – and I’m glad I did. Kelly, actually booked it while we were talking and within minutes we had the confirmation. Yeahh!!!!! A place to stay that is not a parking lot and we get the benefit of seeing our family sooner.

 

(r0n NOTE: can you say type A personality? I like to just go along and see what I want for as long as I want and let the worrying to the rest of the folks. We have never had to overnite in anyplace I would consider dangerous. We do have a 38 foot class A motorhome with 2 tvs, furnace, AC, generator cel-phone,aircard Internet connection, recliner and couch, washing machine,inverter so we can run most things on battery without starting generator (MOST THINGS DO NOT INCLUDE HAIR DRYER of coarse)

I to can not wait to see my West coast Family, and will enjoy the visit no mater where we end up parking. This will only be possible if Deb does not check my contemporaneous notes. Have a peaceful, loving calm Day All................r0n

Day 56 Kootenay National Park Yack, BC Rest Area

Captain’s Blog

Tuesday

July 28, 2009

It was slightly overcast and drizzling when we left the overflow lot. We decided that instead of getting a CG then returning to see the sights in Kootenay we would stop along the route if there was ample parking for the MH.

Our first stop was at the Continental Divide at Vermillion

Pass the dividing line between Pacific and Atlantic watersheds.

There was a hike that supposedly brought you to a great view but we did the hike and never did find that spot. Along the way we did see some unusually looking mushrooms.

We stopped at a CG in the park that was empty and decided that we didn’t want to stay there alone. Kootenay is a little out of the way and is not as heavily visited as the other National Parks in the area.

Within five minutes of Continental Divide is the Marble Canyon. Visiting the Marble canyon

required another fairly long hike up hill. It was well worth the

stop because the canyon was absolutely magnificent and the best part was the waterfalls at the end. The sky blue waters within the canyon gorges were beautiful and the intensity of the falls caused by the thundering glacial meltwater spectacular.

Our next stop was to the paint pots another fairly long hike to the cold, iron rich mineral springs that were once mined for its’ ochre. The paint pots colorings were very rich and vibrant.

Kootenay is fairly small and all that we wanted to see was in a short geographical span. We decided to head out and find a campground to spend the night outside of the National Park.

1. As we drove along every campground we stopped at had a full sign on it. Remember, we passed up the empty CG in Kootenay. We finally saw a CG that looked promising and at that point we needed gas – we were on empty!!! (r0n NOTE: NOT we had 1/4 tank enough for about 130 miles) Well, the entrance to the gas station and BG was not clearly evident so we missed the entrance and ended up on a narrow road to nowhere. We both thought oh-oh we’ll have to unhook the car so Ron can turn the rig around. Well, there was a wide spot in the road – kind of- and Ron turned the MH around with the car in tow by the skin of his teeth. I’m not sure how he did it but we were precariously close to ditching on either side of the road.

Finally, we get in line for fuel and guess what ??????? All the pumps had bags over them sating out of order. Not good. I went to talk to the owners and check out if a campsite was available and they informed me that there was and electrical outage and they could not pump gas or register anyone for the CG – they did have a site. The wait could have been anywhere from 45 minutes (r0n NOTE: there estimate I have been involved with power outages before) to who knew how long so Ron decided we should leave and get gas and a campsite elsewhere.

We did manage to get gas ten minutes down (r0n NOTE: prompted by fitsata looks and reminder if we have under 1/4 we can not run the generator for her hair dryer) the road but not without a struggle. Getting into the station was a challenge because of the location of the pumps. We waited in line and when it was our turn Ron was about to move up when a pick-up truck swerved in front of us (r0n NOTE: now they got the look)and took our place at the pump. Not a good move and rude, too. Well, after filling the tank the two guys stood around the pump chatting. Understand that we are taking up a lot of room and blocking traffic due to the size of the MH and tow car so I got out and asked these dopes to move (r0n NOTE:read between the lines) . Finally with a ½ tank of gas – (at $4.90 (r0n NOTE: hair dryer safe level) we only wanted enough gas to get us back to the States) we were on our way. I noticed a Wal Mart and thought we should spend the night but Ron felt like a CG so on we went. (r0n NOTE: I have no recollection of not wanting to stay at a Wal-Mart?)

Needless to say every CG along the way was full. And to think we passed up and empty CG. Finally we ran into a rest area about ten miles from the border and decided to spend the night there. It was a nice spot and there was another MH there so we weren’t alone. We went through another time zone so were now in Pacific time losing another hour. It got dark much earlier and the sky was overcast. Soon the rain came and the dreary night had us off to bed – me at 8 PM and Ron at 9 PM.

Day 55Whistler Regular Campground (FORCED)

Captain’s Blog

Monday

July 27, 2009

After some discussion we decided to head back in the direction of Banff. We had not stopped at Kootenai National Park on the way to Jas per and decided that there were a few things we wanted to see there. We probably won’t be returning to the area anytime in the near future so we should take it all in now while we are here.

We were getting ready to eat breakfast when I noticed a distressed looking woman walking toward our MH. She knocked on the door and told us we were in her camping site. I told her no we were here all night and would be leaving after breakfast. She showed me her ticket and it was for the site we occupied. I guess they released the site before we checked out. Needless to say we couldn’t eat our breakfast in peace (her husband was sitting on the picnic bench watching us) so we packed up and left.

The drive back on the Icefields Highway was even more spectacular then the drive out to Jasper. We had a better view of all the glaciers and the ride didn’t seem as long as it had two days prior.

We arrived back at the overflow in Lake Louise and took advantage of another free night. The skies were gray and there was a storm in the mountains that dropped some rain and the temperature. Tomorrow we will head into Kootenai National Park and see what it has to offer.

Day 54 Jasper National Park, Canada Whistlers Overflow Campground

Captain’s Blog

Sunday

July 26, 2009

It was a quiet night in the overflow campground so we both slept exceptional well. Ron thought we should leave the MH at the overflow, take off for the day and then spend a second night there. I was not sure if that was ok because everyone was packing up and leaving except us. I had visions of the gate being locked when we got back.

Ron felt comfortable leaving the MH where it was so off we went.

Our first stop was the Pocahontas Coal Mine or what’s left of it and a hike to Bowl Falls. We began the very steep hike to the falls and about half-way up we had to turn back because we were being swarmed by nasty biting mosquitoes and black flies. Back at the car we sprayed with bug spray and made the hike around the abandoned mine. There were remnants of old buildings and a blocked mine shaft but not much else. One had to imagine what it had been like. There was not even one picture available to look at but those pesky mosquito’s were still biting despite the bug spray.

LINK:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/Jasper/visit/visit20_E.asp

Upon completing the hike we headed to the parking lot. About fifty feet from the lot Jewel stopped and would not budge. She did not want to go back to the car. Ron finally had to go get her and carry her to the car.

We then drove to Maligne Lake, the largest lake in Jasper National Park. It was a beautiful lake and we walked around the area stopping at the boat launch to take in the views. Jewel wanted nothing to do with that ramp and tried to back off of it .

We then stopped and had lunch by Medicine Lake considered a rather peculiar lake because the Maligne Lake flows into it but there is no surface outlet. Instead the water flows underground for many miles emerging in places like Maligne Canyon and Beauvert Lake. The mountain ranges around the lake and the aqua colored water were spectacular.

Then it was on to Maligne Canyon a steep walled gorge of limestone bedrock. We walked the mile over footbridges and rocky surfaces to see the gorge but is was only visible in a few areas.

On the way back to the campground we ran into a herd of goats on both sides of the roadway blocking traffic.

When we arrived at the campground there was our MH and a pop-up camper – no one else. There was a note on the step under a large rock telling us to vacate before 1PM so they could lock the gates. Guess what, it was 4 PM and they hadn’t locked the gates – Thank God. They wouldn’t let us spend another night there because they had openings at Whistlers Campground – same type of site with no hook-ups for $27.30 instead of the $10.80 we paid at the overflow. What a rip-off!!!!

We saw signs when entering the CG warning us about an angry Elk. Well there he was looking a little peeved. We kept on moving and set up at our no frills site for the night.

We’ll be leaving tomorrow for a new adventure.

Day 53 Jasper National Park, Canada Whistlers Overflow Campground

Captain’s Blog

Saturday

July 25, 2009

We decided to head out to Jasper National Park along the Ice Fields Parkway but not before stopping to gas the MH. What a surprise when we arrived at the gas station. It was 9:30 AM and the cars were lined up in the streets. Of course we had the MH and tow vehicle so getting into the station was a challenge. Once at the pump we were OK but I had to go in and drop off the credit card before Ron could fill the tank. I asked the man why so many people at the pumps and he told me the other gas station in town ran out of fuel and if he didn’t get his shipment in he would too. There was only regular gas left at his station. Lucky for us we only needed ½ tank. The fuel here is outrageous at $3.99 gal.

To travel the Ice Fields Parkway you have to have a park pass and of course ours had expired. The girl at the booth was very nice and although we didn’t qualify for the senior pass (age 65 in Canada) she gave us one anyway. The Ice Fields Parkway is a 230 Kilometer scenic roadway with no gas stations so the girl asked us if we had enough gas. Since we had just filled up we were OK but she told us that the gas station at the end of the Parkway and one in Jasper had also run out. I’m not sure if this is normal but it sure doesn’t seem so.

The Icefields Parkway is considered one of the most beautiful scenic roads. It claims 230 kilometers of continuous World Heritage Site scenery completely protected in two national parks. The road runs between Lake Louise and Jasper and it is considered a scenic drive not a transportation corridor therefore a park pass is required.

Along the Parkway we stopped  to take in the many vistas and waterfalls inclu ding Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls. The Icefields Parkway passes within viewing of seven glaciers and about twenty smaller glaciers but the centerpiece is the Columbian Icefield, largest in the Rocky Mountains with an area of about 200 km

Glaciers form from layers of snow that remain after each summer’s melt. The delicate snowflakes gradually change to hard, interlocking ice crystals. Some glacial ice in the Rockies is hundreds, possibly thousands of years old.

Below the enormous crushing weight of its surface layers a glacier becomes elastic and flows slowly downhill like a river of taffy. The Athabasca Glacier moves forward 15-20 meters per year in the lower part but much faster, up to 127 meters per year in the upper part where it tumbles down from the Columbian Icefield like a waterfall of ice.

At the lower end of the glacier, the ice melts back while the glacier moves forward. During hot dry summers the rate of melting increases and the glacier melts back faster than the forward ice flow, so the toe retreats. In a period of cool cloudy summers the rate of melting decreases and the toe gains ground then the glacier advances. These days the Athabasca Glacier, like most other glaciers is retreating rapidly, an indication that the earth’s climate is warming.

Since this was a once in a lifetime opportunity we decided to take the Brewster Columbia Icefield Experience and ride the Ice Explorer onto the surface of the Athabasca Glacier. Standing at the visitor center the Ice Explorer’s looked like matchbox cars on a massive field of white. You really couldn’t tell what they were – bugs moving around????? The Ice Explorers are huge and specifically built for glacier terrain. Once we reached the ice falls and head wall of the Athabasca Glacier we were allowed to disembark and walk around on the glacial ice. We brought two empty water bottles and filled them with the ice-cold glacial water. What a treat for us, the water was great, walking on the glacier was a blast and the freezing cold air felt wonderful since the temp at the visitor center was ninety-degrees.

The Columbian Icefield is 130 square miles, is the largest body of ice in the Rocky Mountains, is 1200 feet at its greatest depth, has an average snowfall of 23 feet per year and drains into the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. WOW!!! The Athabasca Glacier is 2.5 miles by 3.75 miles, 270-1000 feet deep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After leaving the Icefield we continued on to Jasper. The temperature was soaring and the sun brutal. When we arrived in Jasper of course there were no available campsites anywhere to be found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was our welcoming committee just before getting into the overflow campground area.

 

 

We were routed to another overflow campground twelve miles away. It turned out to be a great place in the valley with 360 degrees of mountains around us.

We were both exhausted because we usually don’t sit still for very long. We took advantage of the cool breeze that had come in with the mountain storms in the area. The lighting over the mountains was a beautiful sight to see.

 

 

 

 

 

I think Ron finally figured out that during peak season we really do need reservations.

 

r0n NOTE, NA