We have been immersed in the beauty of the Canadien Rockies for three days and are now heading for the beauty of British Columbia. Two days to go covering 592 miles over 11.5 hours barring any traffic delays. The trip has been quite uneventful as far as traffic problems to date. We are sad to leave the beauty of Banff and Lake Louise but are looking forward to Vancouver and then the train ride back to Toronto.
A lot of snow on the sides of the road but no snow on the road.It looks like a big ski mountain but we can’t figure out which one.
Here is a short video for you to ride along with us.The clouds in the valley below us were ethereal.British Columbia is so beautiful, it looks like a painting.We stopped at this rest area for a little walk around.And we are finally out of the snow.
We thought wrong, more snow.More low lying clouds.Revelstoke ski mountain in the distance. The Revelstoke Ski Club is the oldest ski club in British Columbia. Revelstoke has long been a destination for mountaineers, hikers and explorers, and was historically referred to as “the capital of the Canadian Alps”.We had not planned on driving after dark but we had over an hour delay where everyone was out of their cars and walking around. Jim inquired as to what was going on and was informed that it was for avalanche clearance. Apparently they detonate explosives to cause an avalanche and the traffic has to wait while they clear the road. This can cause 6-8 hour delays at times.We arrived in Kamloops well after dark and spent the night there.On the road again out of Kamloops, our last day of driving. Lots of cows in the field. That is not snow on the mountains, just clouds.Beautiful BC.Our second traffic delay of the whole trip occurred in Chilliwack when all traffic was diverted off of Trans-Canada route 1 into this small town due to a traffic accident. Creeping along we saw this very non-traditional church, Rosedale United Church.But right down the street was a very traditional church.Hope Strict Baptist Chapel.Still on the detour.Autumn colors are coming back in the warmer climate of BC.A vineyard with Autumn colors.
Finally back on Trans-Canada Rt. 1. The Port Mann Bridge over the Fraser River. This bridge opened in 2012 and carries 10 lanes of auto traffic and has room for a light rail. It connects Coquitlam to Surrey British Columbia in the Vancouver metro area. Hop in the back seat and we will drive you over the bridge with us.😀Our last gas fill up and the first one over $100 Canadian dollars. The first fill was $98 but prices dropped since then until Vancouver.First view of Vancouver City which is a bustling west coast seaport in BC and is among Canada’s most ethnically diverse cities. A popular filming location, it is surrounded by mountains, numerous islands and The Strait of George and Salish Sea off of the Pacific Ocean. It also has thriving art, theater and music scenes.Welcome to Vancouver.Roger’s Arena is a spacious venue that hosts the Vancouver Canuck’s Hockey Team and concerts by big-name touring acts.Taylor Swift is now in Toronto Performing at Toronto Roger’s Arena. She comes to Vancouver Dec 6-8.We checked into the Shangri-La Hotel and upgraded to a deluxe suite on the 14th floor. This sleek and stylish 5 star hotel is nestled between the mountains and sea. It occupies 15 floors and is the tallest building in the city. Above the 15th floor are many more floors occupied by permanent residents.Cozy living room with great views.Dining room which we used once with Dana and Jared our friends from Bellingham Washington who came to spend the day with us, see the next blog post.Comfy bedroom.Great bathroom with floor to ceiling window for city views from the soaking bathtub.Really nice outdoor balcony for enjoying a coffee in the morning and cocktail at night.Views from our balcony.We had a view of the mountains and sea between other buildings.Our nephew was in a near fatal car accident and is in the Intensive Care unit on life support. We purchased this wish ornament for him.He had a miraculous recovery and was discharged home much to the relief of his two children and all his family, us included.Vancouver had many really cool pieces of art around the city. This must have something to do with it being a city of high fashion. Our hotel was surrounded with high end couture fashion stores.Unusually warm weather provided a longer foliage season which we really enjoyed.Vancouver is renowned for its exceptional condo buildings that offer residents an outstanding urban living experience which we hope to have in the summer of 2026.Vancouver has the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront path. The 28km Seaside Greenway includes Stanley Park Seawall that extends from the Vancouver Convention Center to Spanish Banks Park. It is popular and perfect for a walk, cycle or jog.There are also nice single home neighborhoods in the city.One of many bridges that span Vancouver Harbor.We took a ferry To Granville Island Market.
This video shows how cute these ferries are and they run continuously.Built in 1979 this market is a jewel in the city and a popular tourist destination. It is open seven days a week from 9am until 6pm (except in Jan it closes on Mondays). The venue is all indoors which is why we chose to do it on this raw rainy day. We marveled at the array of ethnic foods, fresh produce, exotic spices etc, etc and wanted to buy everything. Well Sandy did😊 Jim not so much😠.
Hardy people live in the Pacific Northwest as they do water sports no matter what the weather as you can see in this video of scullers and kayakers.
We are always excited to find an Ethiopian Restaurant and this one even had a robot deliver the food from the kitchen as you can see in this short video. it was quite entertaining to watch it deliver food to the tables for the waitress to serve.We ordered way too much food😲
And so ends the driving part of our Canadian Road Trip. Jim planned the trip with a spread sheet detailing every days drive in miles and hours. Spreadsheet predicted 4,528 miles. Actual miles driven on the car’s odometer were 4,570. 42 extra miles. Hours driven would have been much higher as we stopped every hour and had the two documented traffic delays.
We have one more blog from Vancouver as we spent a day with our friends Dana and Jared.
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