the wandering chick
...British Columbia, Canada
British Columbia
the journey home
British Columbia
British Columbia

The trip 'home,' back to northern Idaho, wasn't dramatic since we were leaving the Rockies behind. But it was a peaceful change meandering through B.C.'s Columbia Valley which separates the Rockies from the Purcell Mountains, a gradual entry back ino the real world.

We took the Icefields Parkway again, as that's the main route between Jasper and Banff, and thankfully it was a cloudy day. We hadn't planned on spending another day stopping at all the breath-takers, so it was good I wasn't tempted.

From there we took the 93/95 along the Columbia River and then to Cranbrook. Autumn was just setting in, a subtle good-bye to a wonderful trip.

the Columbia wetlands
The Columbia wetlands and the Columbia River
the Columbia wetlands
the Columbia wetlands
cairns at the Kicking Horse Rest Area
The Canadians love their rock piles, cairns. Originally, cairns were built to mark a path, to show directions along a route, but in this case and many other cases I've seen throughout Canada, the cairns are built for fun, a reminder of a whimsical sense of humor by the people who build them. These were found at the Kicking Horse Rest Area off Highway 93/95.
cairns at the Kicking Horse Rest stop
hoodoos along 93/95
hoodoos along 93/95
hoodoos along 93/95
beginning of the Columbia River
Along the Highway 93/95 near Fairmont, we stopped and took a five-minute walk under the towering Dutch Creek Hoo-doos. I was told there was a trail up on the other side of them.
The Columbia Lake and River
The Columbia Lake and River
Here lies the Columbia Lake where the mighty Columbia River begins its 1200-mile journey as the largest river in the Pacific Northwest. This is where it begins, and from here, it heads a little further north through British Columbia, then turns southward, entering the United States in Washington before emptying into the Pacific Ocean in Astoria, Oregon. What a trip, man!
The Columbia Lake and River
The Columbia Lake and River
The Canal Flats, south of the Columbia Lake
At the southern tip of Columbia Lake are the Canal Flats, a berm of land a little more than a mile wide that separates the Kootenay River from the Columbia Lake.
Canal Flats
Cranbrook
We stayed one night in Cranbrook before entering the U.S. the next morning. We weren't too impressed with the town until we had breakfast at the Redneck Café on the main street of town. We both agreed that it made up for the Indian dinner we had the night before.
Kootenay NF entry to Banff NP
Heading north into Banff National Park Highway 93 takes you through the Kootenay Natl Park and over this gorge. It was an impressive introduction to what lay ahead as we began our ten-day stay in the Canadian Rockies.
Entry into Kootenay NP on the way to Banff

To see more pictures of the Canadian Rockies trip, go to the Canada home page.

Or, choose a destination below.

Please visit some of my other travel locations. Feel free to email me if you have questions or comments.

BY CITY: Boston | Coeur d'Alene, ID | Fort Benton, MT | Galveston, TX | Independence, MO | Juliette, GA | Leadville, CO | New York City | Savannah | Seattle | Sedona, AZ | Tombstone | Tucson | Washington, D.C.

BY STATE: Alaska | Arizona | California | Colorado | Georgia | Idaho | Maine| Michigan | Minnesota |Montana | Nevada | New Mexico | North Carolina | South Dakota | Texas | Utah | Washington | Wyoming

BY REGIONS, LANDMARKS AND NATL PARKS, FORESTS AND MONUMENTS: Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake | Arches NP | the Badlands | Bighorn Canyon | the Biltmore Estate | the Black Hills | Blue Ridge Parkway | Bridges of Madison County | Bryce Canyon | Canyon de Chelly | Canyonlands NP | Death Valley | Devils Tower| Glacier NP | the Grand Canyon | the Grand Tetons | Gulf Shores, AL | Hoover Dam | Hovenweep NM | Kure Beach | Little Bighorn Battlefield | Mackinac Island | Martha's Vineyard | Medicine Bow NF | Monument Valley | Mount Rainier | Mount Rushmore | Mount St. Helens | Natural Bridges NM | Niagara Falls | OK City (bombing) NM | the Olympic Peninsula |Organ Pipe Cactus NM | the Outer Banks | Pictured Rocks NL | Saguaro NP | Shenandoah Valley | Sleeping Bear Dunes NL | Sunset Crater NM | Texas Hill Country | Tybee Island | White Mountains NF | Yellowstone NP | Zion NP

OUTSIDE THE U.S.: Austria | Budapest, Hungary | Canada | Costa Rica | East Africa | Europe, here and there| France | Germany | Greece | Italy | Morocco | the Netherlands | Portugal | Russia | Scotland | Spain | Switzerland | Tunisia | Turkey

OTHER: HOME | My Favorites | the Andreas family, Moab | Vilseck DoDDS teachers' reunions

 

 

 

All images within 'The Wandering Chick' Web site are copyright protected. They may not be downloaded or otherwise copied.