Canada: North Bound

After Glacier Natl. Park we swung up to Canada to check out Calgary and grab some lunch and groceries before heading to Banff Natl. Park. From what little of Calgary we saw we gathered its a diverse city with a good population but a short drive five minutes outside of the city leads back to rural Alberta farmlands.

Products are expensive in Canada even more so than in NYC and the exchange rate is barely in our favor. We didn't realize this until we went to the local Safeway grocer and wanted to purchase a few items. A gallon of water costs $3.99 not including GST (tax) and a recycling / deposit fee. Gasoline is another whole story. Some places charge $1.24 per liter, and there is about 3.7 liters per gallon...so you can do the math...to fill the tank one day in our little Rav4 cost us $60 and it wasn't even on empty! These prices still apply in the more rural and impoverished areas and we don't understand how those people get by.

Banff National Park, located west of Calgary boasts a backdrop of the snowcapped Candian Rockies. We camped there for two nights and did some hiking trails along the Johnston Canyon and Lake Louise areas. Johnston Canyon is actually the campsite where we stayed so we walked across the street to take a short walk along the Canyon catwalks to see the Lower Falls and Upper Falls. At the Lower Falls visitors can walk through a small dark tunnel and come out directly at the base, standing in mud and getting soaked with mist from the cool waters.

On our second day we walked around Lake Louise and watched rock climbers scale the walls of the mountainous surroundings. We toyed with the idea of getting a canoe but decided to sit on a rickety wooden bench on the rocks surrounding the lake and let the time pass by. There's a posh resort at the entrance of the lake area where tourists like to sit and sip red wine and gather in large groups taking pictures of their kids but we made our way about a half mile from the hotel and found ourselves in a nice quiet area void of tourists. At the end of the lake trail you can opt to head back or hike up the mountain about two miles more miles to a Tea House in the woods.

After our day of hiking, we made a dinner of mushroom and herb risotto with veggie chicken alongside a good Canadian Pinot Blanc from White Bear Winery. In most cities we try to stick local in terms of produce and wine / beer and we have yet to be disappointed.

Leaving Banff we drove through Jasper National Park on the Icefields Parkway, one of the world's most scenic drives. Shortly after entering Jasper we saw several cars pulled over and people taking pictures from inside their vehicles (which normally suggests there is a carnivorous animal around). Finally we got to see what the fuss was about...and we really lucked out! We got to see an entire pack of black wolves crossing the street with their young pups. It was one of the greatest things I have ever witnessed, as wolves are a rare creature to be seen. They also happen to be one of my favorite animals!

Making our way further north and following the east access route in the Milepost we found a well kept campground, outside of Grand Prairie, AB CA and the next day made our way to Dawson Creek, home of the official start of the Alcan (Alaska Highway) constructed by the Army Corps. of Engineers during WWII. The next night we stayed at Tetsa campground renowned for their "galactic-famous" Cinnamon Buns. Since we were the only tent campers there that evening they let us set up camp underneath a gazeebo to avoid the rain, which was very nice of them and convenient for us breaking down the tent in the morning. Before heading out we did try the homemade Cinnamon Buns ($5 canadian) which were delicious and a the perfect ratio of cinnamon to dough.

On our way to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory we stopped in Watson Lake, a barren town also located in the Yukon which is world-famous for it's Signpost Forest. The forest was first started during the construction of the ALCAN highway and had one sign: a milage post back to one of the workers hometowns. The forest now boasts over 55,000 signs from all over the world which is an incredible sight to see. We stayed one night in Whitehorse before hightailing it to fairbanks...Whitehorse is an interesting little city. It has a few cute shops and a Starbucks but the rest of the town seems to be stuck in time.

We had a couple of long driving days, the first was 412 miles, the second 420 miles and the third was 620 miles. We didn't feel like staying long in these desolate places and we were understandably eager to get to Fairbanks. Making our way through Canada we came across several ghost towns along the Alaska highway. Abandoned gasoline stations and rotted away cafes with the windows missing are a common scene. Occasionally we would see a tractor trailer or RV pass us by going in the opposite direction. Other than that there wasn't much to see along the road, and the drive at times began to feel interminable.

There isn't much else to say about the Yukon or the more northern parts of BC and AB, other than expect a whole lot of nothing and if you aren't a fan of long drives through the "middle of nowhere" than looking into the Alaskan Marine Highway System might be a great alternative option.

Full set of pictures here!