{quilt} while you're ahead

*76**

Day 16 - Moraine Lake

And then... just like that we're on our last day.

WHAT???

Mr M still not on top of his game so whilst the two younger ones looked after him (... not... they used him as an excuse to stay behind), No 1 and I went on another expedition.

Takakkaw Falls. (Best name btw)

A short drive from Moraine Lake (short in Canadian terms... make it 50 minutes... which is huge in English terms, right?), it's really worth a visit.  You can't actually see the top of the fall but it measures 387m.  Seven times the height of Niagara falls.  Bonkers.

And you can walk right near its bottom (treacherous and don't get too close... you get swept away by the fast river and next you know you're singing with the angels) and get totally sprayed by the mist.

Which, if you're sad like me, it's totally exciting.  

And your fifteen yr old son will walk away embarrassed.  We're at that stage in our relationship, obvs.

In the afternoon we mooched around Banff (nice place, although I'm totally kicking myself for not seeing the Hudson Bay Company store till we were driving home... doh!) and then ended our holiday at the hot springs.

Cool stuff.

(hot actually, but you know what I mean)

 

Bye bye Canada.

You've been amazing.

Miss you already.

 

Sigh.

*75** postcards from Canada

Day 15 -  Moraine Lake.

I think No 3 took pity of me because he decided to accompany me on a little hike (5.8Km return from Moraine Lake, piffles) to Consolation Lakes.

A gently climbing path through the forests leads to this gorgeous clear lake.

'Refreshing'.

We dipped our feet (yes No 3 has very big feet) in the glacial waters because let's face it, you don't get the chance to do that very often, right? (also... just as well... your feet feel like they're being squeezed into a vice)

Can you see the tiny boat on the lake?  A group of scientist were taking their yearly measurement... keeping an eye on lake transparency and water level and so on.  Not a bad day at the office I say!

 

*74** postcards from Canada

Day 14 - Moraine Lake

This place is incredible.

Just when you think you've seen all the lake variation in the world... you arrive here.

Moraine Lake is bluer than blue.

(it gets also incredibly crowded and by 10.00 people have parked a mile down the road and the road itself is shut until later)

Pinch-yourself blue.

Can't-stop-looking-at-it blue.

Mr M was not well (at all) and the weather was a bit meh, so we chilled and relaxed.  After the shenanigans of the previous two weeks we deserved a day off.

We stayed at the Lodge right on the lake and it was the perfect spot.

*73** postcards from Canada

Day 13 - Icefield Parkway.

What a drive.

Seriously but this road on your bucket list.  Now.

We left Jasper under a beautiful blue sky and I promised myself I'd be back.  We stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Lodge and I can totally recommend it.  The location is beautiful, the accommodation is spacious and it has an old charm that makes you feel immediately at home.  The boys loved the heated pool and the games room.

As I said before, we didn't stay long enough.

But the road.... oh the road to Banff is a sight to behold.

Mountains and glaciers and river beds, incredible views around every corner...

We bumped into an 'elk jam' just out of Jasper (blurry photo taken from the moving car).

First stop: Edith Calvell Glacier.  Stunning.  Short hike to the milky blue glacier fed lake.

Yes the water was cold.  

That's an understatement.

Can you see the little people on the lake shore?  Everything here is bigger than you think...

Next stop: Athabasca Falls

A bit crowded, but it's high season and a lot of the places are.

We then looked for a place to picnic and found Buck Lake by chance.  What an idyllic spot... sigh...

here's my tribe chilling and eating (which let's be honest are their two favourite activities... sloths...)

After lunch it was more miles of stunning scenery.

I can't get enough of this place.  The immense space.  The mountains.

(That's called Endless Ridge)

and this is the Athabasca river... at least I think it is... given that we then bumped into the Athabsca glacier... huge thing...

You can see my three 'scale props' (aka my children) in the foreground building towers with rocks.  Maybe next Christmas I'll buy them all a huge lorry full of rocks... they seem to have a compulsion to pile them up wherever they go.

Weird.

AND THEN... WE FINALLY SAW A BEAR!!

A real life Yoghi bear eating berries by the side of the road.

Incredible.

I felt almost moved by it.

 

What a day.

Seriously. 

Wonderful.

 

I feel so lucky.

 

*72** postcards from Canada

Day 12 - Jasper.

So here's the thing.  I love Jasper.  I'm totally bummed that I hadn't realised how gorgeous the place is and we only have one day here.

So many things and no time at all.

Also, I want a big dog and I want to call him Jasper.

One day.  Sigh.

In the morning we dragged (virtually) the boys for a walk (we did the Five Lakes loop)

As the name suggests we climbed and snaked around five very green lakes

Really green.

There were lots of mosquitoes too.  Really annoying.

In the afternoon we went white water rafting.  

It was cold.  We wore wetsuits and spray jackets and I think it was only the adrenaline that kept us warm(wish).  Exhilarating.  I strongly recommend it.

No 3 jumped in the 4C degree waters.  Just because he could.

Crazy, sweet, child of mine. 

 

 

 

*71** postcards from Canada

Day 11 - On the road/Jasper/

Or more accurately... on the overnight train to Jasper.  

Last night we returned the car and took a cab to the station.  (The taxi driver told me his brother lives in England... an hour from where we live.  Hashtag small world.)

'The Canadian' took us all the way to Jasper and it was great fun.  Sleeping  on the train was great - the rocking is perfect and you have your little cocoon of a space full of pockets and nooks and crannies for your things, loved it -, the food was great too

(this was breakfast) and whilst the train itself could have done perhaps with a refurb... the staff were great and it was wonderful to sit back and watch the world roll by.

Well, some of us looked out of the window ...

... not all...

We arrived in Jasper early afternoon and got settled quickly so that the husband and I could fit a refreshing walk before dinner

I'm still waiting to see a bear... in the meantime this little squirrel is kind of cute...

 

 

 

 

*70** postcards from Canada

Day 10 - Whistler/Vancouver

Last morning in Whistler and whilst No 1 hurled himself down the mountain on a bike, the rest of us went up the mountain in the Gondola.

The weather did not play ball.

At all.

This the view from the gondola.  

If you can call it 'view'.

This is No 3 doing is best to convince me the weather outside was just fine...

He failed.

And this is very atmospheric view from the Peak to Peak gondola.  By all accounts its an awesome ride.  

... just a tad spooky when you can't see anything!

After retrieving a very muddy No 1 child (but happy and smiling so that's fine) we drove back to Vancouver.

Next stop the Capitano suspension bridge.

(in the sun!)

(and with lots people)

 

(and extremely wobbly.  Just saying(

Gorgeous park full of tall walkaways high up on the trees...

And I mean tall!!

but the trees.... oh the trees...

 "Trees are sanctuaries.  Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.  They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life"  (herman hesse)

 

*69** postcards from Canada

Day 9 - Whistler.

Another new activity... canoeing.  Another notch in our adventure belt.  Another big YES!

The weather was glorious... unexpectedly (don't you love it when the forecast is wrong this way round?)

My camera was safely tucked away in a dry bag so you'll have to be happy with that wonky picture and trust me when I say it was glorious.  

In the afternoon Mr M took No 3 zip-lining whilst me and the other two non-adrenaline junkies went looking for the famous Whistler train wreck.

(disused train line... I think)

This place is not on the official trail maps but everybody knows about it.  We struggled a bit to find it... but it was totally worth it.  Suddenly you stumble in 4 or 5 derailed train carriages in the middle of the forest that have been covered in cool graffiti and it's totally bonkers.

You can read about its story here.

I totally recommend it if you're in the area.

*68** postcards from Canada

Day 8 - Whistler.

The boys sampled the delights of downhill mountain biking whilst Mr M and I mooched about the place waiting to see if they'd came back in one piece.  When they attach a label to your child with a barcode, your name and emergency number just in case they knock themselves unconscious AND the bikes have a computer that records their location in case they fall off a cliff.... you know it's serious, right?

Anyway, they all got back safely.  Splattered in mud head to toes, totally knackered but grinning ear to ear.

Good stuff.

After lunch they all took the shuttle back to the hotel (wimps) whilst I decided to walk the 4Km back.  The sun was shining and it was a lovely walk.

Along the lake and by gorgeous villas (I always enjoy walking through residential areas when I'm abroad)

 

And then... then we heard about Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds (the creative mind behind the brilliant band Oasis) playing at the Pemberton Music Festival nearby and managed to get tickets and left the kids at the hotel and had an unexpected date night and a fantabulous time!

(For all of you that are now totally horrified, we didn't lock them in the room.  No 1 is 15 and very responsible.  AND we had had offered them the chance to come too and got turned down.  We're not horrible parents, I promise you!!)

oh my what an awesome concert.

Seriously.

And the location... a huge flat valley surrounded by snowcapped peaks.  Awesome.  

The headlining act were Pearl Jam (... ahem... can't say I'd heard of them before but I was totally the only person there not to know them)

so we stayed for a while before catching the bus back to Whistler

We are so rock'n'roll.

 

 

 

*67** postcards from Canada

Day 7 -  on the road to Whistler...

my travelling troupe... 

... and the lake that welcomed us at the end of a long day...