Medicine Hat and Canadian Rockies

After leaving Glacier National Park we headed north east towards the unusually named military town of Medicine Hat to spend the Canadian bank holiday weekend with an absolutely fantastic couple – (aunty) Claire and Gouldie.  Claire is practically family and we spent a great deal of time together in Wales and Herefordshire during our childhood (more so than I remember according to the box of embarrassing photos that appeared!).  Despite having had very little contact for more than ten years, it turns out that we still had plenty to talk about, and it all got a bit emotional.  Luckily there were plenty of beers, vodka and steak to get us through it all! Adam got a serious bout of BBQ (and house) envy and you can see why.  Their gorgeous and well-trained furry friends Saffie and Jude also made quite an impression and we negotiated hard to take them as companions on our journey.  Too precious to be parted with, we came away empty handed, which is probably for the best given the limited space in the RV!

We had many good intentions for excursions out and about around Medicine Hat, but with the company and hospitality at the Goulding residence being so good, we never did quite get around to exploring.  So I have very little to tell you about Medicine Hat other than the fact that it has the world’s tallest teepee structure on a little hill near the visitor centre which is the highest point in town (which isn't very high as the surrounding landscape is “bare-arse prairie” as Claire so eloquently puts it). 

The teepee was moved from Calgary where it was originally constructed for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.  It was damaged several years ago in a storm and now stands approximately 15 feet shorter after the repairs.  On the Monday we said our teary goodbyes having had a wonderful weekend which felt like “going home”. 

We headed north west out of town in the direction of the Canadian Rockies – towards Banff and the famous Lake Louise which we had heard so much about.  The Trans-Canadian Highway runs from Medicine Hat right through the Rockies and eventually joins up with the Alaska Highway which is where we are ultimately heading next.  

The journey from Medicine Hat started out looking a lot like the featureless, open highways of South Dakota until we got past Calgary.  In June this year Calgary suffered devastating flooding due to excessive rainfall - up to 20cm in some places on already sodden ground which had not yet thoroughly thawed from the winter.  Thousands of people had to be evacuated from their homes and many are still waiting to return now.  We tuned into the local radio station as we passed by and listened to the housing problems they are now facing with the influx of students shortly returning.  This on top of already struggling to cope with accommodating a populous which increased by 30,000 last year.  They spoke of the need to build more houses and quickly, but from what we saw from the highway it already resembles a concentration camp.  The new build housing estates visible from the bypass were quite a noticeable contrast to the usual landscapes we have passed by which are generally so spread out and sparsely populated you barely realise you have passed through what passes here for a village or town. We did not make any stop at all in Calgary, we hit it at rush hour and already behind schedule we just carried on through.

After travelling on such long, boring straight roads for days, the first glimpse of mountains never fails to get me feeling excited and eager.  We stayed overnight at a casino which happened to have some great WiFi we could leech. We awoke to a clear day and thought we should make the most of the good weather as it had become cooler and cloudier since we arrived in Canada.  After some research I found Barrier Lake about 8 miles away just off the main highway on the Kananaskis trail road, so we took to our bikes and headed out into the mountains. As soon as we hit the first uphill, we soon wished we hadn't!  The lake was much like all lakes here in the mountains, turquoise and beautiful. After a quick picnic the weather looked as though it was starting to turn again so, not wanting to get caught in torrential rains, we cycled back full pelt and arrived back with jellied legs again just in time. When it rains it bounces! 

The next day we set off once again towards Canmore  - the gateway to the Rockies. The clouds hung low in the sky providing a dramatic and eerie feel as we snaked our way through the foothills and with fabulous views on all sides.  We arrived at the gates of Banff National Park and headed on towards towards Lake Louise, arriving late in the afternoon at the already full campground at Lake Louise village.  The sign leading to the lake said not recommended for RVs, so out came the bikes ready for a trek to the lake.  Someone at the campsite informed us the road went "straight up" for about 5km.  Undeterred, despite still being a little saddle sore from the previous day, we set off feeling fit.  OMG, it was the mother of ALL hills.  We had to stop at least four times on the way up.  I was close to being sick a few times and Adam looked, well, less than impressed!  As we reached the summit and car park we saw at least two other RVs who obviously had inside knowledge; we could see absolutely no reason why we could not have driven up and parked on the roadside!     

Lake Louise was fantastic and just as perfect and impressive as we had been told. Many people were queuing at the boathouse to rent out a kayak. After our mammoth hill cycle, we thought we had had quite enough exercise for one day and with the campsite being full, we knew we had to get back and find somewhere else to stay before dusk came.  The ride back down the hill was terrifying, I think I actually hate the downhill more than the uphill!  Adam disappeared out of sight as usual and reckoned to have been waiting minutes for me at the bottom!  I swear it only took minutes to get back down, unlike the what felt like an eternity of pain getting up there.

The next day we carried on through Jasper National Park, stopping off in Jasper to do some laundry and get the RV checked.  Jasper is a ski resort in winter with a quaint high street and outdoor farmers market.  The scenery was spectacular throughout and makes driving much more entertaining for the driver. I took hundreds more photos of mountains, lakes and glaciers, and I never tire of looking back through them. You may not feel the same so I apologise if these are a bit samey... to me they are a helpful reminder of our wonderful day and help to ensure that I can keep the memories safe and fresh forever.  Here are a just few: