Vancouver to Banff (in the Rockies) was a 2-day trip via Shuswap Lake, stopping at another waterfall (Bridal Veil Falls, because they resembled a brides veil), Alexandra Bridge - on the original Camboo Wagon road and Kamloops Lake lookout - a stunning view across the lake. The Shuswap Backpackers was one of the better ones I've stayed in. It's reserved entirely for the moose trips that pass their way and the pub is excellent.

The 2nd day started with a visit to Scotch Creek. It was the end of the salmon spawning season here and one or two straggling salmon were spotted in the river. We stopped at a place called Craigellache for a spot of go-karting. I managed a 360' spin in mine, ably aided by male drivers on the course!!! We travelled through the Monashee and Selkirk Mountains visiting Rogers Pass Information Centre on the way (Rogers Pass is notoriously dangerous for avalanches and poor winter driving conditions). We also stopped at Natural Bridge (which looked remarkably like a bridge) on the Kicking Horse River and Emerald Lake before arriving in Banff.

Banff back to Vancouver via Revelstoke and Kelowna was a 3-day drive, very cold and gradually turning to torrential rain. Between Banff and Revelstoke we stopped at Johnston Canyon for a short hike and the Northern Lights Wolf Sanctuary to learn about and come almost face-to-face with native gray wolves. Also at the Sanctuary were Bear-Dogs which are being used to "scare off" nuisance bears from human habitation back into the wild, rather than shooting them. By the time we had arrived in Revelstoke, the weather was awful. We opted to go to the Leisure Pool with its hot tub, sauna, steam room, water slide and climbing wall. All for $3.

From Revelstoke it was onto Kelowna. The rain was absolutely bucketing it down so we bypassed a go-karting option (you couldn't see the circuit for rain), stopping briefly at a flea market to arrive in Kelowna early afternoon. Kelowna was dry!!! Kelowna is a town on the edge of Lake Okanagan and even has a beach! I wandered round town then in the evening we went to a Thai Restaurant and pub. I wouldn't particularly recommend Kelowna though as it is pretty rough. After unforeseen circumstances caused us to stay longer in Kelowna than anticipated, we finally set off back to Vancouver on the afternoon of the 3rd day.

Intro | Rocky Mountains | Southern Alberta | Toronto & Niagara | Vancouver to Banff | Vancouver | Vancouver Island | Whistler