Animated movies, 3D Studio Max stuff, VRML About me, email address Travel Home, travels sorted by activity Annapurna Base Camp trek, Chitwan, rafting, Kathmandu & around Road trip through Sweden in march A weekend with friends on the Dutch Wadden Island of Ameland Sydney, Fraser Island, diving Great Barrier Reef, Outback, Kakadu, Litchfield Granada, Barcelona, and Portuguese Algarve Cycling from the Netherlands to Spain Total solar eclipse in Turkey, 2006


Eric and I toured the west of Canada in august/september of 2001. We spent about two weeks camping and hiking in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay. We did not visit Mount Revelstoke & Glacier.

Apart from the Rockies, we also spent time on Vancouver Island, and in Calgary, Vancouver, and the Kootenays and Okanagan regions.

Kootenays & Okanagan

Kaslo
Sandon
Okanagan

Riverboat in Kaslo .

On our way from the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver Island, we spent two days in the Kootenays region. The Kootenays is a region of long and narrow lakes that all run roughly north-south in between mountain ranges; these lakes are formed by dammed rivers running through the valleys.

We drove along the shore of Kootenay Lake and enjoyed the beautiful views. Apparently, this region is a popular vacationing spot for "locals": many Canadians come to the Kootenays for fishing. We adapted a little, and rented a small boat for a few hours, but we didn't fish - for us, the purpose was only to view the scenery from the water! It was fun for us to be in a region with virtually no European tourists for a bit.

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Kaslo (on Kootenay Lake) and Nelson are supposed to be two of the most attractive towns in the Kootenays, and we decided to spend a few nights in Kaslo. Due to the Labor Day weekend, however, the cheaper guesthouses in Kaslo were all booked, and we ended up in a guesthouse called Woodbury on the Lake, a little to the south. The owners, Phil and Monique, were very friendly and provided us with wonderful breakfasts. However, you may prefer to stay in the cabin in their yard, rather than in their basement suite, as the latter is separated from the rest of the owners' house by a curtained-off staircase only. I felt a little like I was intruding in their private lives, as I could follow their conversations.

Kaslo has a walking route which takes you along a series of "old" and very pretty buildings. The town has existed since 1850, so calling the buildings "old" seems a little ridiculous for Europeans. They do look very nice, though, and the restored riverboat, which houses the Information Center, fits in very nicely.

Brothel in Sandon .

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Near Kaslo lies the ghost town of Sandon. This town, like Kaslo, was first built around 1850, and apparently it was a booming town, attracting rowdy gold diggers with its saloons and brothels. Then, when the gold dried up, the diggers left, and the town was left behind in the woods. Some of the buildings are now being restored, including the Generating Station and Molly Brown's Brothel.

Okanagan, view of town of Osoyoos .

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On the road from the Kootenays to Vancouver, we passed through the Okanagan, just a few miles from the US border. The road is small and winding and jammed with RVs, so the driving is not too fast, but the views are beautiful. The photograph above shows the town of Osoyoos, from the pass to the east.





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Description & Photos of Calgary
Description & Photos of Banff (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Jasper National Park
Description & Photos of Yoho (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Description & Photos of Kootenay (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Description & Photos of the Okanagan and Kootenays region
Description & Photos of Vancouver Island including 
			Pacific Rim Nat'l Park
Description & Photos of Vancouver