The ExploreNorth Blog

Driving the Alaska Highway, from Muncho Lake to Whitehorse

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

As usual at the end of a trip, I was anxious to get home, and was out of my room at the Northern Rockies Lodge just before 04:30 on Friday.

I didn’t get any photos of the lodge’s dining room last night, so shot a couple this morning at very long exposures.
Northern Rockies Lodge, Alaska Highway

The lodge really is lovely, inside and out, and staying there was a good experience, if too short.
Northern Rockies Lodge, Alaska Highway

Sweet ride, Sheriff!

This is the main Muncho Lake viewpoint at Km 712, at 04:44.
Muncho Lake viewpoint, Alaska Highway

Beautiful morning light over the Liard River stopped me for a minute at 05:12. Sometimes when you see photos like this, I’ve shot them through the windshield, but whenever possible, I stop and walk out onto the road to simulate a driver’s view.
Alaska Highway

Anxious to get home or not, I had at least 3 stops to make. The first stop was at the Liard River Lodge which closed in the mid-1990s.
Liard River Lodge, Alaska Highway

It’s rather hard to believe now that my son, Steve, and I stayed at this lodge in about 1992. It was pretty rough then. No, it was very rough!

Remember when restaurants used to post signs that they might be using a microwave, to warn people who were leery of radiation?
Microwave warning sign at Liard River Lodge, Alaska Highway

Microwave warning sign at Liard River Lodge, Alaska Highway

Next, I wanted to see the changes at Liard Hot Springs. The new facilities are very nice.
Liard Hot Springs, Alaska Highway

The trail to Beta Pool, my favourite pool, has been permanently closed. The official reason is that they’re protecting a snail known as Hotwater physa (Physella wrighti), I hear, but I don’t believe it – I think that it’s just too tough to police what goes on way out there.
Boardwalk at Liard Hot Springs, Alaska Highway

Boardwalk at Liard Hot Springs, Alaska Highway

The Hanging Gardens, where a hot spring has created tufa terraces that various types of vegetation love. If your timing is right, the flowers here are wonderful, but that’s weeks away yet.
Hanging Gardens at Liard Hot Springs, Alaska Highway

Hanging Gardens at Liard Hot Springs, Alaska Highway

I enjoyed about 20 minutes in the hot pool before hitting the road again.
Liard Hot Springs, Alaska Highway

Ten minutes north of Liard, the famous wood bison started appearing, in herds and individually. I probably saw about 100 in total, including a dozen or so calves, which seems to me to be a low number.
Wood bison along the Alaska Highway

Wood bison calf along the Alaska Highway

Another lodge, Iron Creek, permanently closed and for sale, with an overseas phone number on the “For Sale” sign. Lesson #1 – don’t build a lodge close to an existing one that’s open year round and has a great reputation (in this case, Contact Creek Lodge).
Iron Creek Lodge, Alaska Highway

Welcome to your new home, Ruby. I’ve christened her Ruby not only because of the colour, but because she’s “fast ‘n’ fancy”

The deck on the Upper Liard River Bridge is being replaced at a cost of almost $5.5 million.
Upper Liard River Bridge, Alaska Highway

There are some wonderful vistas between Watson Lake and Teslin.
Mountain vista Alaska Highway

I saw a fair number of caribou – these 2 really didn’t want to get off the highway.
Caribou on the Alaska Highway in the Yukon

A trucker at Contact Creek Lodge warned me that this stretch of construction just south of Teslin was rough and muddy, but it wasn’t actually too bad.
Road construction just south of Teslin, Yukon

Road construction just south of Teslin, Yukon

And that’s the end of that adventure – I met Cathy for lunch as planned, and was home by 2:00 pm. Back to reality, buried in projects. Cathy has us booked on the White Pass & Yukon Route railway on Sunday, though, so I’m not finished travelling quite yet

Posted in Alaska Highway, Highway Lodges & Roadhouses, History, Nature, Photos, Travel, Wildlife, Yukon-Alaska Stuff | 2 Comments

Driving the Alaska Highway, from Fort St. John to Muncho Lake

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

On Thursday, my schedule called for a 621-km drive up the Alaska Highway to Muncho Lake where I had a room booked at the beautiful Northern Rockies Lodge.

As usual, I was up early, though I didn’t plan to get away until the light was good, as my first photo stop was close by. This was the view from my room at the Northern Grand at 05:45, before I went down for breakfast.
Fort St. John, BC

Charlie Lake was my first stop, at 08:00.
Charlie Lake, BC

The attraction for me wasn’t the lake itself, but a new memorial to the 12 men from 341st Engineer Regiment who drowned when their pontoon boat swamped on May 14, 1942. Five men were saved by Gustaf Hedin, a homesteader and trapper who had been watching the boat’s progress and took his small boat out to rescue those he could.
Charlie Lake memorial

There are 12 posts like this surrounding the main memorial, one for each man. Major John M. Turvey was in command of the boat, which was delivering equipment and supplies to Company E’s bivouac site across the lake.
Major John M. Turvey memorial at Charlie Lake

Major John M. Turvey memorial at Charlie Lake

The Alaska Highway north of Fort St. John runs through gently rolling country that’s now dotted with oil and natural gas wells, and criss-crossed by associated roads and pipelines. It’s a very different world than it was even a dozen years ago.

The broad view to the north from the summit of Pink Mountain, at Km 226 (Historic Mile 143) just before 10:00.
Pink Mountain, Alaska Highway

It doesn’t seem that long ago that this field at the Beatton River, now overgrown with willows, was part of a ranch and had horses in it.
Field at Beatton River, Alaska Highway

I was disappointed to discover that the access road to infamous Suicide Hill from highway construction days, at Historic Mile 156, is now a restricted gas-field road.
Restricted gas-field road along the Alaska Highway

Restricted gas-field road along the Alaska Highway

Road construction on the Sikanni Hill at Km 255.
Sikanni Hill on the Alaska Highway

Highway lodges are disappearing at an ever-increasing rate, and there are few old-timers left. Lum ‘n’ Abner’s at Historic Mile 233 (now Km 364) dates back to about 1952 – it closed a few years after a new operation opened across the road and cut fuel prices over and over.
Lum 'n' Abner's lodge at Alaska Highway Historic Mile 233

Lum 'n' Abner's lodge at Alaska Highway Historic Mile 233

In recent years, I dreaded bringing my charter motorcoach into the Peace River district due to the crazy drivers – oil and gas workers in a hurry. I had 3 close calls on a single memorable mid-winter trip. The number of crosses along that part of the highway now is appalling.
Cross on the Alaska Highway, marking a traffic fatality

Cross on the Alaska Highway, marking a traffic fatality

A great deal of money has been spent warning people about the possibility of encountering bison on the highway. This huge electronic sign is at the north side of Fort Nelson – it has a mate just south of Watson Lake for southbound traffic.
Bison warning sign on the Alaska Highway

Bison warning sign on the Alaska Highway

I started thinking more and more about highway lodges, and when I reached another abandoned one, Steamboat Mountain Lodge at Km 531, decided to start recording in much more detail what’s left.
Steamboat Mountain Lodge, Alaska Highway

Steamboat Mountain Lodge, Alaska Highway

Indian Head Mountain at Km 545.

All along the BC section of the highway, signs in French are being added to existing signs or dual-language signs are replacing the old ones. Another project to add to the list of government stupidity.
French-language sign added along the Alaska Highway

French-language sign added along the Alaska Highway

My next highway lodge stop was at Summit Lake, Historic Mile 392, now Km 597. This lodge has been closed for many years – I barely remember ever seeing it open, so probably since 1990 or 1991.
Summit Lake Lodge, Alaska Highway

Summit Lake Lodge turned out to have a surprise for me. Living in a tiny back room (the open door at the far right of the photo above) in truly awful conditions was a Polish guy about my age. “Wardy” claims that he’s lived there for 3 years, but I don’t know how anyone could survive there for even a few months – everything in his tiny room except the journal he was writing in was covered by a very thick layer of soot from a stove that appeared to be burning a combination of wood and diesel oil. One minute was too long for me. I didn’t take any photos of him or his accommodations, though I talked with him for a while (listened, mostly). The photo below shows the lobby.
Summit Lake Lodge

Rounding Summit Lake, still firmly frozen.
Summit Lake, Alaska Highway

Rocky Mountain Lodge on the left at Km 606 (Historic Mile 397) has an erratic history of opening and closing over the past 15 years or so. The sign on the right indicates that the Alaska Highway is part of a circle route that also includes Highway 37, the Stewart-Cassiar.
Rocky Mountain Lodge at Alaska Highway Km 606 (Historic Mile 397)

Rocky Mountain Lodge at Alaska Highway Km 606 (Historic Mile 397)

There were lots of caribou on and beside the road – these ones were right at Km 620.
Caribou on the Alaska Highway

This vehicle from Maine was well stocked. The only thing missing appeared to be Granny Clampett on the rocking chair!

As I got near Toad River (Km 647), a large forest fire could be seen – not until past the lodge was it clear that it was in an area that would pose no danger to the community.
Forest fire along the Alaska Highway at Toad River

Forest fire along the Alaska Highway at Toad River

The first view of Muncho Lake at Km 608.
Muncho Lake, Alaska Highway

I’d been wanting to many years to have a look at the original road that climbs above the cliffs along Muncho Lake, but had never been able to make the time available. This was the day, finally.
The old and current Alaska Highways above Muncho Lake, BC

The old and current Alaska Highways above Muncho Lake, BC

The old road is accessed at the Strawberry Flats Campground. It’s not marked but is easy to figure out. It provides an excellent walk of about 5 km round trip, with lots of variety between shady forest and superb views, some level and some steep hills.
Hiking the old Alaska Highway above Muncho Lake

Hiking the old Alaska Highway above Muncho Lake

The current highway, with the old road visible above it. An enormous amount of blasting was required to construct the level shelf along the lake shore that the current highway is on.
The old and current Alaska Highways above Muncho Lake, BC

I spend just over an hour hiking, then went down to the lake to enjoy the icy, pure water of Muncho.
Spring breakup on Muncho Lake

A closer look at what we call “candle ice”. As the pans of ice break up, the candles make a wonderful sound that’s not unlike a wind chime.
Candle ice on Muncho Lake

I reached the Northern Rockies Lodge a few minutes before 6:00 pm. Checking in, I was very pleased with my room, which cost $157 with taxes.
Northern Rockies Lodge, Muncho Lake

My balcony with a distant view of the lake.
Northern Rockies Lodge, Muncho Lake

I had planned to do some more walking, but after a very large dinner (an excellent Swiss schnitzel) and a beer, went to bed early so I could get off to an early start, with the idea that I could surprise Cathy by joining her for lunch.

Posted in Alaska Highway, British Columbia, Highway Lodges & Roadhouses, Hiking, History, Photos, Travel, Wildlife | 2 Comments

Driving from Hinton, Alberta, to Fort St. John, British Columbia

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

My plan for Wednesday was to drive from Hinton, Alberta, to Fort St. John, British Columbia, via Highways 40, 43 and the Alaska Highway.

I was away from Hinton a few minutes after 05:00, and stopped briefly to get a photo of the pulp mill. Pulp mill towns used to joke that the awful smell coming from the mills was “the smell of money”, but now there’s almost no odour due to new technology.
Pulp mill at Hinton, Alberta

I spotted these elk along Highway 40 at 06:30.
Elk along Alberta Highway 40

Highway 40 offers a nice variety of scenery with relatively little traffic, but there are some steep grades along the southern section that keep some people with RVs away.
Alberta Highway 40

There are lots of signs warning about the possibility of caribou on the highway, but I didn’t see any.
Caribou warning signs on Alberta Highway 40

Just south of the community of Grande Cache, a took a little detour to see this impressive bridge on the old Northern Alberta Railway (NAR) line, and the Grande Cache airport.
Bridge on the Northern Alberta Railway (NAR)

Bridge on the Northern Alberta Railway (NAR)

A had a look around Grande Cache, and stopped for a few photos, including some of this miners’ memorial, which has the names of 28 miners killed between 1969 and 1999 in local coal mines.
Coal miner's memorial in Grande Cache, Alberta

Coal miner's memorial in Grande Cache, Alberta

Just north of Grande Cache, I stopped for this broad view of the Smoky River valley.
Smoky River valley, Alberta

One of the old coal faces.
Coal seams along Alberta Highway 40

This is Alberta Power’s 150 MW coal-fired H. R. Milner Generating Station.
Alberta Power's 150 MW coal-fired H. R. Milner Generating Station

I stopped in Grande Prairie for an early fast-food lunch, then headed northwest on Highway 43. This photo was shot at 11:50.
Alberta Highway 43

I stopped in Dawson Creek for quite a while. My first stop was Alaska Highway House. It’s sad to see bare gravel where the lovely old Alaska Hotel once stood – it was destroyed by fire last September.
Site of the Alaska Hotel in Dawson Creek

Site of the Alaska Hotel in Dawson Creek

Alaska Highway House is one of the must-sees for anyone heading up the highway. The interpretive displays are excellent.
Alaska Highway House in Dawson Creek

The famous “Mile 0″ monument in front of Alaska Highway House.
Mile 0 monument in Dawson Creek

My next stop was the main visitor center, where the films and displays are also well worth seeing. One of the reasons for my visit was to meet the manager, Joyce Lee, who I’ve been talking to on the centre’s Facebook page for years.
Visitor centre in in Dawson Creek, BC

Another of the Alaska Highway monuments in Dawson Creek. See this article for an explanation of the various monuments.
Alaska Highway monument in Dawson Creek, BC

Alaska Highway monument in Dawson Creek, BC

I had seen an intriguing airplane as I drove past the Dawson Creek airport, and went back for a look. It’s a 1966 Schweizer G-164A crop-duster.

1966 Schweizer G-164A crop-duster C-FUOG

One airplane just wasn’t enough, so I took a few photos around the airport, then went into the cafe for a coffee and snack while a couple of commuter planes departed and arrived.
Dawson Creek Airport

Sunwest’s Beech 1900 C-GSWB was loading for Fort Nelson.
Sunwest's Beech 1900 C-GSWB

A grain field across the highway from the airport also stopped me for a minute or two

The eastern commercial section of Dawson Creek, looking south. The traffic circle with an Alaska Highway surveyor sculpture can be seen in the lower part of the photo.
Dawson Creek, BC

One final stop in Dawson Creek, at the Pioneer Village. Although it wasn’t officially open, a friendly staff member let me in for a look.
Dawson Creek, BC - Pioneer Village

Another detour, to the historic curved Kiskatinaw Bridge, by far the most unique bridge remaining on the Alaska Highway.
The historic Kiskatinaw Bridge

It was almost 6:30 by the time I checked into my hotel in Fort St. John. I’ve stayed at the Northern Grand (now a Quality Inn) many times, and it’s still the best hotel in Fort St. John. Prices are high here due to all the oil and gas workers needing rooms, though, and this stay cost me $185, which is a bit of an “ouch” even when a good breakfast is included.
Quality Inn Northern Grand in Fort St. John

Quality Inn Northern Grand in Fort St. John

With a very early start and very busy day, I was exhausted. I had a somewhat-less-than-nutritious “dinner” while editing the day’s photos, and was in bed early.
Beer and chips for dinner

The next day was one I was particularly looking forward to, to Muncho Lake, a beautiful location I’ve only spent one night at, and that was 20+ years ago while driving a Greyhound overload bus at Christmas.

Posted in Alaska Highway, Alberta, Aviation, Communities, History, Museums, Railroads, Travel | 2 Comments

Exploring Miette Hotsprings and Hinton, Alberta

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

Both my son and his wife were off work for my free day in Hinton, and they suggested Miette Hot Springs down in Jasper National Park as the main destination. Any hot springs sound good to me, particularly one high in the Rockies on a back road.

I’m extremely pleased to see the kids in Hinton now. Although I’d love to see them come back to the Yukon, it does suit them perfectly.
Hinton, Alberta

There’s a fee for using any Jasper Park facilities, but Steve has an annual pass so we got waved through the Yellowhead Highway gates.
Jasper Park gate - Hinton, Alberta

Ashlar Ridge dominates the view for a few miles on the climb up to the springs.
Miette Hot Springs Road, Alberta

Looking up the Fiddle Valley. I love roads like this.
Miette Hot Springs Road, Alberta

Especially in a car like this!

The setting of the hot springs pool is spectacular. The natural hot springs water flows from the mountain at 54°C (129°F) at a rate of approximately 800 litres per minute, then is cooled to 40°C (104°F) as it enters the hot springs pools. This is the hottest spring in the Canadian Rockies. As well as the 2 large pools seen in this photo, there are 2 small cool pools.
Miette Hot Springs, Alberta

A closer look at the highest mountain towering over the pools.
Miette Hot Springs, Alberta

Aftre spending an hour in the pool, we decided to make the short hike up Sulphur Creek to the historic “aquacourt” and the source of the hot water.
Miette Hot Springs, Alberta

Construction of a road and an aquacourt, with facilities similar to those found at the Banff Upper Hot Springs, began in 1934 as a depression unemployment relief project. Several hundred men worked on the construction, which took 4 years to complete.
Miette Hot Springs, Alberta

It’s great to be able to visit the ruins to see what was accomplished in this remote location almost 80 years ago. The original plans called for a much more elaborate complex, but this is still impressive. The trees at centre left of the first photo are growing in what was the pool.
Miette Hot Springs, Alberta

It’s a short walk to the actual springs – as well as the primary spring, there are 2 smaller ones that you come to first.
Miette Hot Springs, Alberta

The primary spring can be seen coming out of the rock in the centre of this photo.
Miette Hot Springs, Alberta

As we headed back to the car, we were caught in a heavy rain shower that was cold enough to have a bit of snow in it! Rachel had brought her towel, but Steve and I were just wearing t-shirts – brrr!

The area highways are very heavily policed, by 4 services – local RCMP, regional RCMP highway patrol, provincial sheriffs and a private contractor – as this guy in front of the unmarked highway patrol car found out.
Police stop on the Yellowhead Highway

The weather changed often during the day – this very heavy rain storm passed to the north of us.
Rain storm on the Yellowhead Highway

I asked where the best restaurant in Hinton was, and Rachel replied that although it’s quite a drive south of Hinton (and expensive), she dreams of the Overlander Mountain Lodge. Dinner (in my case, New Zealand lamb) was as good as the view

After dinner, it was suggested that we work off a bit of that food with a walk at the Beaver Boardwalk back in Hinton near their house. It is excellent!
Beaver Boardwalk - Hinton, Alberta

There’s a total of 3 kilometers of boardwalk and trail winding around this large beaver pond, which has been created by many beavers with many dams.
Beaver Boardwalk - Hinton, Alberta

The main beaver dam, the largest of the beaver lodges, and one of 2 observation towers. Although beavers are often seen here close up, and I thought we came at the perfect time, we didn’t see any.
Beaver Boardwalk - Hinton, Alberta

This large cougar warning sign illustrated the very real danger – only a few days before, a dog was badly injured by a cougar not far from this spot (read about that attack here).
Cougar warning signs - Hinton, Alberta

I like all dogs (well, most dogs), but have a particularly soft spot for Leah, Steve’s sweet old lady. We had a good cuddle or two just like in the old days.
I love this old dog

The visit was far too short, but tomorrow I had to head up Highway 40 to the Alaska Highway – it would take 3 more easy days to reach Whitehorse.

Posted in Alberta, Back Roads, Communities, Family, History, Pets, Photos, Policing, Travel, Wildlife | 2 Comments

Driving the Icefields Parkway

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

I got home at noon yesterday (Friday), but the blog is still back on Monday, when I drove the Icefields Parkway (see map).

One Icefields Parkway Web site summarizes the experience perfectly: “To travel the Icefields Parkway is to experience one of Canada’s national treasures and most rewarding destinations. Stretching 232km (144mi.) through the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, this world-class journey offers access to a vast wilderness of pristine mountain lakes, ancient glaciers and broad sweeping valleys.”

I reached the start of the Parkway at 11:00, and within a few minutes was into heavy rain.
Driving the Icefields Parkway in heavy rain

The rain didn’t last long, and then it was back to Winter. The couple in the motorhome looked cozy having lunch

Many visitors expect it to be at least Spring in May, but even the glaciers are still hidden by a thick blanket of snow.
Glacier along the Icefields Parkway

The hike to the Peyto Lake viewpoint at Bow Summit (elevation 2,088 meters, 6,849 feet) was quite a slog. The road for buses is also the walking path for everone else, and it hasn’t been plowed yet. Although there was a narrow path of packed snow, everyone punched through often.
Peyto Lake, on the Icefields Parkway

I added this summer photo to show you why Peyto Lake is such an attraction.
Peyto Lake, on the Icefields Parkway

It was 12:30 when I left the Peyto Lake parking lot and continued north. Even with sporadic rain and ragged clouds, the scenery is magnificent.
Icefields Parkway

For a photographer, this is a slow drive when you just have the view through the windshield and side windows to distract you – when you can see out the roof it’s even slower! Having a sunroof is no big deal to many of you, but I haven’t had one in nearly 40 years, so am thrilled to have one now

“Weeping Wall” on Cirrus Mountain is particularly impressive this time of year when water flow is at it’s greatest. This point is 106 km (66 miles) from the south end of the highway.
Weeping Wall, Icefields Parkway

A strong north wind had quite an effect on some of the waterfalls on Weeping Wall.
Weeping Wall, Icefields Parkway

Climbing up to Sunwapta Pass, which is at 2,035 meters (6,676 feet).
Sunwapta Pass, Icefields Parkway

Looking south from Sunwapta Pass, at 1:45 pm.

Looking south from Sunwapta Pass, Icefields Parkway

In the summer, Columbia Icefield and the Icefield Centre seen here, are a major attraction. With a layer of snow and low visibility, not so much. The large red vehicle takes visitors across the glacier.

Columbia Icefield and the Icefield Centre, Icefields Parkway

Tangle Creek, seen from the edge of the highway.
Tangle Creek waterfall, Icefields Parkway

Some of the more visible hanging glaciers along the route.
Hanging glaciers along the Icefields Parkway

An awesome demonstration of the power of the earth’s shifting plates!
Icefields Parkway

The parking lot for a view of Mount Kerkeslin also offers a short trail to this view over the Athabasca River.
Icefields Parkway

Athabasca Falls can be a long stop – there are many trails and viewing decks over the falls, the very impressive canyon and other features.
Athabasca Falls, Icefields Parkway

There are warning signs everywhere about the danger of going over the railings for a better look, but there have been 5 deaths at the falls in the past 20 years.
Danger signs at Athabasca Falls

I reached the north end of the Icefields Parkway and turned north onto the Yellowhead Highway (despite the fact that my car’s nav system said to turn onto the “Trans Canada Hwy”

). A few minutes later, I could see more rain ahead.
Yellowhead Highway

The rain never hit me, though, and the skies cleared as I got close to Hinton, where I’d spend a couple of nights with my son and his wife.
Yellowhead Highway near Hinton

Posted in Alberta, Glaciers, Photos, Travel, Waterfalls | 4 Comments

Driving from Calgary to the Icefields Parkway

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

I’m a couple of days behind in my posts now, as I knew would happen once I got into the Rockies where my days are long and there’s a lot I want to show you.

I got away from Airdrie, just north of Calgary, just before 05:30 Monday morning. Commuter traffic was already starting to get heavy.
Commuting to Calgary on back roads

I took a new route to the west, further south than my usual, and that decision got me a few photo locations I’m pleased with, including this one.
Cattle and the lights of Calgary, Alberta

Cattle and the lights of Calgary, Alberta

Sunrise was beautiful for about 15 minutes – this was shot at 05:42.

This is Shell’s Jumping Pound Gas Complex, just west of Cochrane. It employs about 100 people and produces 7.7 million cubic metres of raw gas daily.

As usual, I kept to the back roads, in this case Highway 1A, which took me past the Ghost Lake Dam. It was built in 1929 by Calgary Power (now TransAlta) for power generation.
Ghost Lake Dam, Alberta

It started raining as I reached the Rocky Mountains, but with ragged clouds, the occasional bit of sunshine produced 3 rainbows.
Rainbow in the Canadian Rockies

The mountains above Canmore, where I finally stopped for breakfast – I had tried unsuccessfully to find an open restaurant in Cochrane.

My aids to exploring – the excellent SPOT Messenger, the car’s disappointing nav system, and my faithful lead dog, Nanook

I took the short side trip to Lake Minnewanka (“Water of the Spirits” in the local Nakoda language). Located just north of Banff, the peaks along it are very impressive. This photo was shot at 08:30.
Mountains near Banff

Low water at Lake Minnewanka. The loader was moving ramps into place for the tourists who will arrive in large numbers very soon to this very popular spot.

Two Jack Lake, on the Lake Minnewanka road.

There’s a fairly short section around Banff where no back roads are available, and the freeway is the only option.
Highway 1 at Banff

As soon as possible, I turned onto the Bow Valley Parkway, a drive that I particularly enjoy.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy it

Many of the trails and rest areas were closed, and I stopped to ask a ranger about it. He said it’s to protect the wolves, whose population is in serious decline due to humans. The next day, I saw a wolf pup dead on the Icefields Parkway.
Recreation area closed to protect wolves

Recreation area closed to protect wolves

You can see why trains are a problem for wildlife – it’s a very busy corridor.
Rail lines through the Canadian Rockies

Me at Castle Mountain at 10:00. The upper and lower cliffs are made of limestone and dolomite, while the prominent ledge across the middle is shale. The highest peak, on the right, is Eisenhower Peak or Eisenhower Tower – it’s 2,752 meters high (9,029 feet). When I was a kid, the entire mountain was called Eisenhower, but it reverted to its original name in 1979.
Castle Mountain

I only had to wait about 10 minutes for a train at Morant’s Curve. While waiting, I chatted with a British couple who had some relatives come to Canada in the 1880s to build this railway.
A train at Morant's Curve in the Canadian Rockies

A train at Morant's Curve in the Canadian Rockies

At 11:00 I turned onto the Icefields Parkway. What an awful greeting to one of the finest mountain roads in North America

Signs at the start of the Icefields Parkway

Because I took so many photos that I want to show you, I’ve broken this day up into two parts.

Posted in Alberta, Back Roads, Nanook Explores the World, Photos, Trains, Travel, Wildlife | 4 Comments

Sleepless in Calgary

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

I hardly slept at all last night. I’ve been awake since 02:00, and at about 03:30, I decided to drive into Calgary to do some night photography.

I took the quiet way into the city rather than the freeway – didn’t see a single car for about 20 minutes, until I was well into Calgary. To answer the question you’re thinking about asking, I was at a dead stop when I took this hand-held time exposure

Night driving on a back road north of Calgary, Alberta

I really like Olympic Plaza, so that was the first place I went, and it offered lots of photo subjects.
Olympic Plaza at Calgary, Alberta

Each of those tall pipes has either a date range (ie “1950-1959″) or a city park name on it. At the top is part of “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger”), the Olympic motto.
Calgary Tower, Alberta

Originally named the Husky Tower when it opened in 1968, the Calgary Tower is 191 meters tall (626 feet) tall. At 1228 metres above sea level, it’s home to “the highest 360-degree observation deck in the world”. It’s funny what you can do with statistics – in this case by adding the elevation of the land the tower sits on to the height of the structure itself!
Calgary Tower, Alberta

I invited myself for morning tea with Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards at the Women are Persons! Monument (a.k.a the Famous Five Monument).

Women are Persons! Monument (a.k.a the Famous Five Monument) at Calgary, Alberta

The Dominion Bank building dates to 1911, and is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places (CRHP). Dominion joined with the Bank of Toronto to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank in 1955.
Dominion Bank building - Calgary, Alberta, at night

Dominion Bank building - Calgary, Alberta, at night

Trains run regularly all night through downtown.
Calgary, Alberta

The lights of downtown reflected in the waters of the Bow River, source of much of the city’s piped water. This was shot at 05:16.
Calgary, Alberta, at night

St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church is an impressive structure.
St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Calgary, Alberta

Downtown from the lovely park called Prince’s Island.
Prince's Island - Calgary, Alberta

The first rays of sunrise start to light up the towers at 05:50.
Calgary, Alberta

Still killing time, I drove to the car dealership that I bought my car from, and put it back in the lineup where I first saw it. Yes, I am easy to amuse, but we don’t have car lots like that in the Yukon!
Used cars at Jack Carter Cadillac - Calgary, Alberta

Used cars at Jack Carter Cadillac - Calgary, Alberta

I then went for a good breakfast, and now am ready to get the family day underway

Posted in Alberta, Photos, Travel | Leave a comment

Honouring Bomber Command and Ancient Buffalo in Alberta

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

My objective for yesterday was to re-visit the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, 209 km south near Fort MacLeod, but I got sidetracked a bit as well

Trying to work with my car’s navigation system was extremely frustrating – the directions even to get through Calgary just made no sense. I finally pulled over and did some digging into the basics of the system and discovered that the previous owner had set “Avoid Freeways” as a basic instruction. That explained much of the craziness!

With that sorted out, my first distraction was seeing a sign pointing to the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, 3 km to the west. I never did find it, and I discovered that 2 parts of that directional sign were missing – the “4″ that should be after the “3″ (it’s actually 34 km west of the freeway), and the “Closed” sign.

But, Highway 540 did take me into some pretty country, so I didn’t mind at all. I got a few shots of the grain elevator at Azure. It was built by Alberta Pacific in 1927, and closed in 1962 when rancher Sam Brown bought it.
Alberta Pacifc grain elevator at Azure, Alberta

Alberta Pacifc grain elevator at Azure, Alberta

There are a few alkaline lakes in this area. They have extremely high levels of various types of salt, which is what causes the white shores.
Alkaline lake in Alberta

I really like tractors, especially when they’re working.
Tractor working in Alberta

The view to the west on Highway 540.
West on Highway 540 in Alberta

Those are cows in the bottom of this impressive little valley along 540. My guess is that it was caused by a river draining a glacier tens of thousands of years ago.
Post-glacial valley in Alberta

Another look at the Azure grain elevator.
Azure grain elevator, Alberta

That’s unique! Not what I expect to see in Alberta ranching country at all.
A house with multiple geodesic domes

Nearing the community of Nanton, I was reminded of an aviation museum that I’ve wanted to see for many years – the Bomber Command Museum of Canada, also known by its pre-2010 name, the Nanton Lancaster Society Air Museum. Whenever I’ve driven past, I’ve been unable to stop because I was driving commercially and on a tight schedule.

Admission is free but I was happy to put the suggested donation of $10 into the box, as it was clear as soon as I walked in the door that this was going to be an excellent stop. This painting is one of the first exhibits visitors see. Based on a real crash, it illustrates the appalling fact that of the 100,000 men who volunteered for Bomber Command during World War II, almost 60,000 were killed in action.
Bomber Command Museum of Canada

There are 16 aircraft in the museum’s collection, in varying states of repair from rough to near-perfect.
Bomber Command Museum of Canada

Being able to climb into the Lancaster and sit for a few minutes makes it very clear what a mission might be like – if you can imagine the deafening noise and the fear-driven knot in your stomach.

As always, I didn’t have enough time, but now I have it on my list for another visit, perhaps when I come down in 6-8 weeks on my motorcycle.

It was 2:40 pm when I finally reached Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, and I was getting a bit nervous about making my family wait for me for a dinner out. The plaza seen here was dedicated on July 25, 2012, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

The design of the large facility, which opened in 1987, is very simple, and it blends beautifully into the sandstone slopes.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

A tour is best started by viewing a 15-minute film, and it’s recommended that visitors allow 2½ hours to tour the site – an hour on the trails outside, and the rest inside.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

The various levels of the building and site can be accessed by either elevator or stairs.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

The view to the Rocky Mountains to the west, from the concrete trail along the top of the cliffs.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

A large wind farm can also be seen, on the opposite side of the Oldman River valley.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

The primary location of interest outside is the top of the cliffs that the buffalo were driven over starting about 5,700 years ago. It’s estimated that about 100,000 buffalo were killed here. There were some lengthy periods, up to 1,000 years, when this site wasn’t used. It’s surmised that environmental conditions may have changed to make it ineffective – abundant water, berries and buffalo are all needed to be present for an efficient hunt.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

There’s no question that some parts of the site may be upsetting to some people – the realities of life in the early days were often harsh.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

The displays inside are excellent – a brief look is possible, but a more in-depth one also is. Napi was the supernatural trickster of the Blackfoot peoples, and this section briefly describes the geography, climate and vegetation of the region.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

Some of the text is projected onto rocks – it’s apparently very effective, as that’s one of the things that I remembered most clearly from my visit 25 years ago.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

It’s very commonly said when discussing various Native peoples that they wasted nothing, but this board says otherwise: “In prosperous times, only the most desirable parts were taken, but when needs demanded, the butchering continued until nothing but the skull and a few other bones remained.”
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

The slaughter of millions of buffalo by Euro-American market hunters is touched on surprisingly briefly, as that slaughter changed the lives of the Indians of the Great Plains forever.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

Looking up at a full-size replica of three buffalo at the edge of the precipice is very impressive.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta

Nearing Calgary again, at 5:30.
Alberta Highway 2 south of Calgary

Last night, we went for dinner at Boogie’s Burgers, made famous by appearing on the TV series You Gotta Eat Here. The burgers are indeed as good as the TV show said

Today is a day of watching my grand-daughters play in a badminton tournament, and perform in a dance recital. Tomorrow, Mothers Day, maybe some exploring as a family…

Posted in Alberta, Aviation, History, Military, Museums, Photos, Travel, Wildlife | 2 Comments

A Look at Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Alberta

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

While my daughter and her partner, and my grand-daughters were all at work or school, I went exploring to the north, to see a historic site that’s been on the must-see list for many years. Now it’s still on my must-see list, at a time when it’s open!

The fast way from Airdrie to Rocky Mountain House is mostly freeway, but I was in no hurry, so I headed west on Highway 567, Big Hill Springs Road. This is really pretty country. Going this way, it’s just over 200 km (124 miles) each way.
West on Alberta Highway 567, Big Hill Springs Road

West on Alberta Highway 567, Big Hill Springs Road

I’ve already discovered that the navigation system in the Cadillac is very poor – I’ve gotten some extremely poor routing – but haven’t totally given up on it. It got me to the community of Rocky Mountain House, and eventually led me down a gravel road, past this photo-op barn.
Barn near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

A couple of minutes after the nav system said that I was at the park, I was about to turn around when I saw the gate.
Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Alberta

Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Alberta

The park’s Web site said that the park was closed until April 30, then gave the hours from May 13th on, but gave no information about what to expect today. It was closed, but I walked around the site – the structure is the site of a fur trading fort built in 1799.
Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Alberta

Among the displays is one of the large voyageur canoes used in the 1967 Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant, the longest canoe race in history, at 5,283 kilometers (3,283 miles).
Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Alberta

The interpretation is simple but I found it to be very effective in taking me back 300 years.
Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Alberta

A viewing platform gives a good look at the area.
Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Alberta

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that this was the back part of the large park, so the navigation system had indeed led me astray again. But I saw enough to know that I want to return in the summer when everything is in operation.

Only 24 hours off the lot, the new XPLORer was already very dusty! The nav system said that the nearest car wash was 66 km away (that also turned out to not be true, but I got cleaned up there anyway).

Cadillac CTS beside the North Saskatchewan River

A bison farm near the park, with a couple of calves in the herd.
Bison near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

Various types of oil and gas rigs are seen often – these ones are right beside the bison farm.
Oil rigs near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

I saw some bright colours on the North Saskatchewan River as I crossed on the bridge at Rocky Mountain House, and went down to investigate. Environment Canada was doing a river rescue course for some of its workers.
river rescue course on the North Saskatchewan River

river rescue course on the North Saskatchewan River

After a day of exploring, the evening was Grandpa time – I picked up one of the girls at home, picked up my daughter and her partner at work, then drove another half-hour east to watch the other grand-daughter playing softball. It was a lovely evening for some small-town family fun.

As soon as I post this, I’m off to another southern Alberta historic site – more sunshine, more history, and more photo ops

Posted in Alberta, History, Photos, Travel | 2 Comments

Flying from Whitehorse to Calgary

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Murray Lundberg

On Wednesday, I made the 2 hour, 20 minute flight from Whitehorse to Calgary with Air North. The spur for the trip was to pick up a new car, but it was also a great chance to spend time with my kids and their families.

After some of the awful flight times I’ve chosen for various reasons, 09:00 is so … civilized

This is the model airplane club’s airport, and the long-abandoned stock car race track a few blocks from my house, at 09:07.
model airplane club's airport, and long-abandoned stock car race track at Whitehorse, Yukon

model airplane club's airport, and long-abandoned stock car race track at Whitehorse, Yukon

Five minutes later, I was looking down on the Alaska Highway, with Jake’s Corner at the junction with the Tagish and Atlin Roads. That’s White Mountain to the right.
Jake's Corner and White Mountain

Landforms like this fascinate me – what could have caused the mountain to be that steep and then that flat? This in northern British Columbia, at 09:23.
Flat topped mountain

I took a few more photos of interesting landforms, but the next really cool thing we passed over was the W. A. C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River, at 10:10. It’s 183 meters high, one of the world’s highest earth-fill dams. Construction began in 1961 and it took 7 years to complete. Pretty impressive even from 35,000 feet.

I haven’t figured out yet where this is, but it’s place I’d like to see from the ground. When I have some time, my SPOT may help me figure it out – it’s 16 minutes south-southeast of the dam.

By noon local time (11:00 Yukon time), we were over the open Prairies. Spring is just getting started, and I saw a few tractors tearing up the earth for planting.
The central Alberta prairies

Some of the ranches are gorgeous – that appeared to be a large log home overlooking the lake.
Alberta ranch

Calgary continues to grow at an astonishing rate. I may not be a fan of cities in general, but there are a lot of things about Calgary that I do like. No, I’m not moving

Welcome to Calgary.
Calgary, Alberta

My sales guy from Jack Carter Chev, Jeff Stewart, met me at the airport, and very quickly we had all the paperwork done, he’d given me a good run-down of some of the car’s many, many special features, and I was on my way.
2010 Cadillac CTS 3.6