Okanagan Valley

Thanks to it's micro climate the Okanagan Valley is one of Canada's most famous wine districts. The southern tip of the valley is sometimes even regarded as the northern end of the Mexican desert.

Crossing the mountain pass leading into the valley provided a spectacular view of a long narrow passage filled with lakes and vineyards, all surrounded by mountains.

Despite the coldest summer temperatures ever recorded in the valley we followed through with our plan and rented bikes. The Kettle Valley Trail is an old railway that has been turned into a bike trail. The trail winds its way through the wineries with a beautiful view of the Okanagan lake.  After a number of wine tasting stops we did not ride our bikes as effortlessly as we did when we set out in the morning.

The Canadian Rockies

No trip to western Canada is complete without visiting the national parks of the Canadian Rockies. Little did we know the hiking trails in the mountains   would still be covered in snow at the beginning of June.

The famous lake Louise was completely cover with ice and did not great us with it's turquoise color. We improvised and wore our winter hats and gloves and hiked on lower altitude trails. The rest of the spectacular scenery we viewed from our car window.

The drive along the ice field parkway between Jasper and Banff was even better then promised by the guidebook. After a long day in the snow we were happy to find out that our hostel had a wood burning sauna.

Canadian wildlife

When driving through the mountains and thick forests of western Canada you are bound to see fascinating wildlife. We were lucky enough to come close to several different animals, both when driving the car and riding our bikes. What got us most excited was the mamma grizzly and her two cubs.

Drumheller

During our 24 hours in Drumheller we visited the famous dinosaur museum, toured an old coal mine and walked around fascinating hoodoo stone structures.

The Red Deer River has carved a canyon through the Alberta prairie. After miles and miles of flat endless farmland it felt almost unreal to suddenly stand at the top of a canyon. At the bottom of the canyon we found the town of Drumheller, famous for all the dinosaur fossils in the area. Despite the tacky dinosaur statues found in virtually every street corner, including the worlds largest man made dinosaur at the information center, Drumheller was definitely worth a visit.

 

 

 

Interior British Columbia

Back on the mainland we rented a car and set out on a two week road trip around British Columbia and Alberta. During the first two days we drove through seemingly endless forests and mountain scenery. Windy roads took us over mountain passes with spectacular views and through valleys with roaring rivers filled with water from the melting snow.

 

 

 

Vancouver Island

Vancouver island is the largest island off the west coast of north America. It is situated only a short ferry ride from Vancouver but it takes a lot longer to explore then travelers think.

After two rainy days in Victoria we headed for the small town of Tofino on the rough western coast of the island. We found a beautifully located hostel in the middle of the nature. While riding our bikes through the pacific rim national park we spotted our first black bear on the side of the road.

On our second day in Tofino we set out on a hike that turned out to be rougher than expected. The path up a steep mountain was virtually non existing. We had to push our way through dense forrest and help each other over hundred year old fallen tree trunks. After four hours of sweat and frustration we reached the top ofthe 750 meter mountain peek. The view was absolutely stunning and the long hard work paid off in the end.