It’s here, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, (trumpets blow) the second part of the trip! No? You weren’t waiting for it? Well, it’s still here, and I have lots of beautiful places to share with you so read on…

To start off from where I left off last time, click here to read the first part of the trip. Before we headed out to the West Edmonton Mall (WEM), which is the largest mall in North America. We drove for hours and hours to see the Red Rock Coulees in the badlands. If you’re wondering what the”badlands”, are, they are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay rich soils have been extensively erroded by wind and water. The GPS and Waze took us sooo many different ways. We had to stop and ask somebody from the area to tell us where to go. I thought that the red rocks were really cool and I spent some time of the drive thinking about how they came to be so round, and how the rocks ended where they were because they are in the middle of nowhere!

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After visiting the Red Rock Coulees, we went to the West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in the Northern Hemisphere. Click here for my post about it. Then we went to Jasper. From there, we took the Jasper SkyTram. It is an aerial tramway that took us to the base camp of the Whistler Mountain. Our guide on the SkyTram told us a little bit of the history, but I didn’t pay to much attention. I was wondering when my toes would unfreeze because it was COLD. We were not properly dressed, because we underestimated the temperature!

I said to my mom, “Is this what the people climbing Mt. Everest feel like, but with it one hundred times colder?”

Anyway, the guide said that the Skytram was built by a William Mcgregor it was completed in 1964. He hiked the summit in 1960, and then he saw the beautiful panoramic view. Since the view was so amazing, he wanted others to experience it for themselves. But, he realized that not everyone could hike up the mountain, so he built the SkyTram. And he could afford it too because he was the commissioner for the Canadian Pacific Railway. It cost him forty-five million in today’s dollars.

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So that’s a little history, once we got up on the mountain we saw the view. I can’t really describe it in words, so you can look at the pictures. It was breathtaking! You can also hike the summit for another 1.4 km, and the elevation of the top is 2,473 meters.We didn’t hike the summit because we were very, very cold.

As you probably saw, the view was awesome! You guys reading this should be happy that you are behind a screen, and not on the top of a mountain in the freezing cold. After we spending forty-five minutes in minus 20 degrees Celsius (-4F), my dad bought me and my mom snow pants and warm wool socks because we’ll definitely do more outdoor activities this winter. This is also the first snow pants I’ve ever owned! Why is it such a big deal? It’s because this is the first time since birth that I’m spending the winter in Canada.

Jasper is a nice town, and we also saw three bighorn sheep and a herd of elk roaming around. I don’t see that everyday in the east coast of Canada. We spent one night in Jasper then we hit the road again to Banff. On the way there, we stopped at Athabasca Falls, and the Sunwapta Falls. They look soooo pretty in the winter time because the water was just starting to freeze.

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The drive through the Rockies was amazing because the view was breathtaking. Last time we were here, we took the Columbia Icefield Glacier Tour and Skywalk which is a glass walkway that goes over the edge of the cliff overlooking the Sunwapta Valley, and you can see the huge mountains towering above you.

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In Banff, we stayed at Hidden Ridge because the resort has an outdoor pool and a large hot tub. All hotel pools and hot tubs in Ontario were closed due to COVID-19. So we were so happy that the pool and hot tub was open at Hidden Ridge. We stayed in a two bedroom chalet for two nights. The chalet was really nice, and it had a fire place, each bedroom had a TV, and there was a jacuzzi. It was also very warm and cozy. It was a very relaxing stay.

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In Banff, we planned to explore the surrounding area. In 2014 we were here, and we took the Banff Gondola to the Sulphur Mountain, elevation 2,281m. It was in the spring so the weather was mild. It was beautiful sight on the top because I saw the 360 degrees view of the surrounding mountains. This time we originally planned to visit Johnston Canyon, but due to the weather the road was closed to get there.

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So, we also went to the ski hill at Lake Louise which was only forty minutes away. The ski hill is not yet open, but there’s a lot of activities because they are opening in a week. This was where I took my very first ski lesson back in 2014. My dad likes to joke that he went and skied the expert runs, while me and my mom skied on the ”bunny hill”. First off, I don’t even know what that means, and second, I don’t think it’s too funny. I think that the bunny hill is supposed to be for little kids and beginners like us. 🤔

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Then we went to see Lake Louise, there is a lookout so we decided to hike up. It’s only 1.8km, but it is a VERY steep climb. The view was spectacular though, and it was worth the hike!

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After the tiring and cold hike, my dad booked an afternoon tea where we went to have High Tea. I like having High Tea at the Fairmont Hotels. They serve yummy treats like vanilla macaroons, chocolate chip cookies dipped in chocolate, little sandwiches, scones, and other little treats! They were really delicious! I like the tea that tastes like fruit. The description says that it has cucumber and watermelon in it, and I love cucumber and watermelon!

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We had a great time in Jasper, Banff, and Lake Louise, but our goal was to get to the southern part of British Columbia before the road closed due the weather or an avalanche.

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Have you ever heard the term “Continental Divide” or the “Great Divide”? The Continental Divide extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan, and separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain into the Atlantic Ocean. This particular one that we passed through is in the province of Alberta and British Columbia. From here, the water flows to either Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean. We didn’t stay long because there was a snow storm. We reeeeeeally had to get going before it got bad!

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On our drive, we saw another herd of bighorn sheep on the way which was pretty cool, and all we need to see now is a bear and a mountain goat! It was a relief to my dad when we FINALLY reached Cranbrook. We are now in the southern part of British Columbia. No more icy roads and no more snow storms. It will be a much easier drive for us.

Another little bit of history – Canada’s existence was depended on the creation of the transcontinental railway. Canadian Pacific Railway completed the railway in 1885 that connected Eastern Canada to British Columbia. That’s why there are so many train museums across Canada. Cranbrook has one of those, so we stopped and took a picture.

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We continued driving all the way to Castlegar, where we spent three nights. We explored Zuckerberg Island, and Syringa Park. To get to the island you have to cross a small suspension bridge through Columbia River. Zuckerberg Island is pretty cool, it was the island of a Russian man named Alexander. He immigrated to Canada with his family in 1923, and he built his house on the island that looked like a Russian chapel. He and his wife are also buried there.

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The next day we went to Syringa Park, where we took a small hike to Tulip Falls. It was a weird road to get there though. I got this feeling like we were seriously going to fall over the edge of the road and topple into the lake below. Tulip Falls was nice, and the hike was short to get there which was good.

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There is one more thing that I don’t see in the east coast that we saw in the west coast. It’s the floating houses in the lake. They have boats in the garage instead of cars! I guess the lakes doesn’t freeze here.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post because I enjoyed writing it! We did a lot of things! The next part of the trip that I will tell you about is…..

wait for it…

wait for it…

Okanagan Valley! And it is soooo nice here! They claim that the winter is more mild here compared to other parts of Canada. So stay tuned for more updates!

Do you get snow where you live? Do you like to build snowmen? Are you ready for winter?

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