Kootenay Rockies

The latest part of our journey has been defined by unexpected trip highlights of the biking, hot springs and bear variety.

We spent one last relaxing evening with Kynan and Barb after our canoe trip then set off the next morning.  This part of Canada is known as the Kootenay Rockies and is made up of craggy mountains, massive rivers and long, narrow lakes.  We spent a day exploring Nelson which had a similar feel to the New Zealand version.  Kate and I both had a great ride and happily could have spent days exploring here....on a child free trip perhaps!

That evening we made an unplanned stop at the Ainsworth hot springs. We had a delightful evening exploring the real cave connected to the pools and soaking beneath the towering mountains.  Although not nearly as developed as NZ hot pools it was a real treat.

We spent my birthday in the quaint, lake side village of Kaslo.  After coffee in bed and reading to the girls, we discovered a brilliant kid's mountain bike area and spent hours racing around with Frida.

  The rest of the day was spent driving over a high pass, taking an alpine lake plunge followed by another hot springs soak in Nakusp, with hummingbirds whizzing around overhead.

Our next stop was the alpine resort town of Revelstoke.  It lies on the massive Colombia River and is surrounded by towering peaks ....and some dreamy alpine riding that was still closed due to snow- a must do for next time! We did get in some fun flowy singletrack at lower altitudes though and both got good rides in. We found another great kid's bike park and Frida rode her first see-saw!

We stayed at a great campground at Williamson Lake and did lots of swimming and pontoon jumping.  The girls were in heaven!

The 'Enchanted Forest' was an unexpected highlight. People had recommended Kate and I take the girls there - a wooded area dotted with figurines from fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Our initial reaction was "I'd rather be biking", but parental guilt set in when we realised they've spent a bit of time "hanging out" at trailheads in the RV while we tag-team ride, so we decided to go. We expected a slightly tacky/cheesy experience, but turned out we all loved it!

The EF is set amongst towering cedars with lush green undergrowth and the home to hundreds of sculptures, miniature houses and tree houses created by the late artist Doris Needham (opened in 1960).  The place was actually wonderful and captivating.  Juliet walked around awe-struck uttering 'wow' over and over.  Frida was enthralled especially by the tree houses and Dorothy & Toto.

From there we headed to Golden, a dry, dusty, rocky town with an abundance of outdoor recreation on its doorstep.  We camped on the river for 2 nights and explored the area.

The third unexpected, exciting event I will hand over to Kate to recount.....
It was a hot 29 deg day and I had just ridden 7km up a forestry road and was about 500m from where the singletrack descent started. I was lost in thoughts of mortgage calculations when I looked up and 5-6m away was a large black bear. She stared at me as I backed away then did a big poo in the middle of the track. (The bear, not me!) I then noticed her 2 tiny cubs beside her. I rolled down and got a couple of photos from further away then split! I managed to bush bash onto the singletrack so as not to waste my climb. It made for an exhilarating adrenaline-filled downhill!

The fourth and final travel highlight was a visit to the Kicking Horse mountain and Grizzly Bear sanctuary.  Kate and I had low expectations - maybe gain a bit of altitude on a gondola ride and perhaps catch a glimpse of the resident grizzly.  We were pleasantly surprised by a long gondola ride (3km) to the summit  of the mountain with 360 deg views of three national parks.

This was followed by an hour spent observing the magnificent grizzly Boo.  He was found as an orphan cub and has lived in the 20 acre sanctuary for 16 years. We were just metres away from him and watched him play, swim, itch his massive back against a tree and do his thing for over an hour.  It was an incredible experience.  The day was topped off with great rides for Kate and I, a black bear spotting from the RV, and a lovely dinner out.

Tomorrow we head into the Rockies (Banff-Jasper) for a few days and then head back west to Whistler and Squamish.  We are excited about meeting up with our Kiwi friends for the last days of our Canada trip.

Giant cedars, Glacier National Park

Rossland and Slocan lake

The first part of our 800km journey began with three ferry crossings. There were several delays and we were all very glad to JUST make it to our last boarding. Kate's casual attitude to check in times meant that after some hesitation and uncertainty we were the very last vehicle to be squeezed on. This final crossing took us to Horseshoe bay in West Vancouver.  We had expected a smooth ride across Vancouver. We were mistaken. We crawled painfully slowly along huge intertwining highways covering just 50km in two and half hours....it made Auckland traffic seem mild!  We were all very glad to finally escape the outskirts of the city, passing through agricultural valleys before climbing in to wooded mountains with angry rivers, raging with the spring melt.

The next day saw us descending from a high pass in to land and temperatures reminiscent of Central Otago summer. The girls have traveled really well...Frida has been listening to audiobooks courtesy of the Christchurch library.   After a Tim Horton's revival stop we pushed on through over several other passes to Rossland.

Rossland is a small alpine town of 3000 people situated at 1300m. It rests on a steep hillside 500m above the industrial town of Trail. It is a town of 'life stylers'- ride by summer, ski by winter.  It is the home of some Kiwi friends. Kynan (an old Med school buddy) and Barb (originally from Canada) have lived here for 8 years with their two kids Tarn 11 and Anise 8. Having recently moved in to their newly built home they generously hosted us for five days.

We spent our time exploring the extensive trail network and celebrating Frida's 5th birthday.

Frida did some awesome riding - inspired by her older friends.

Frida's birthday ride 

Juliet is becoming much better at holding on when sitting on the 'Do Little'.

The mountain biking is amazing here and we got out for a ride most days...and for a real treat we even got to go for a ride TOGETHER when Kynan and Barb looked after the kids!

There was still a bit of snow up high and so we got out for a walk up to a hut near Strawberry pass.

Kynan and Barb then set us up for a true Canadian canoe trip. They very kindly lent us their 4wd, canoe and camping gear and we set off on a 3 day trip to Slocan Lake.

Frida relished it and spent some time paddling. Juliet was not such a fan of the confines of a boat and most progress was made when she slept (looking very cute).

We all loved the camping on small beach campsites surrounded by mountains, raging creeks, glassy water and swooping eagles.  The wind never rarely blows in BC, which makes canoe trips much simpler.  It felt like a proper wilderness trip.

Frida writing her journal

We did some really fun riding at Castlegar on the way back to Rossland. Oh....and I had my first bear siting. Spotted running off the track and climbed up a tree. Not sure who got more of a fright! Kate rode the same track shortly afterwards and didn't see it...although she was on high alert!

From here we are heading to Nelson, then Revelstoke, Golden and the Rockies...


For the grandparents #2....Juliet continues to charm every Canadian she meets with her sunny nature, smiles and meaning-filled babble. She has taken a real liking to 'chups, cake and bic' (biscuits), despite her very limited exposure. Last evening after Juliet had gone to bed we shared a hot drink with Frida around the campfire.  All had been quiet from the tent for about twenty five minutes, so we thought Ettie B was well asleep. I asked 'Does anyone want a biscuit?' Up pipes a small voice from the tent 'Bic, Mum Mums, Bic, Bic!' Next thing the whole tent began to shake and we found wee Juliet busy unzipping the tent and clambering out!

Some kids from a campground we stayed at started calling Juliet "the barefoot baby". She loves taking her shoes off and running everywhere. She has stubbed her toes multiple times but seems unfazed by it. She loves all the bush walks, climbing over obstacles and throwing stones in creeks and lakes.