Aloha Everyone,
We are in Merritt, British Columbia. The town is peaceful, surrounded by hills, valleys with meandering rivers emptying into lakes. We will have 1 more day in Canada then return to the USA via Washington & Oregon following the California coastline.
We had hamburger and fries plus ice cream cones at DQ for lunch.
For dinner, we were looking for something more special but ended up going to a family restaurant that is attached to another motel.
Visiting the Canadian Rockies has been a beautiful and terrific experience. However, trying to follow maps of Canada and reading road signs in English, French and languages of First Nations have also been stressful.
Aloha -- Cathi
Aloha Everyone,
Instead of real fireworks, J.J. and I watched CNN World News showing fireworks from Washington DC to NYC, Boston, Atlanta GA, Florida and the West Coast of the United States.
Stopped to take photos of a large roadside store where local fruits and vegetables are sold. Unfortunately, we cannot take any fresh produce back to the USA. I was tempted to get some nuts, but they too are permissible.
For our 4th of July celebration dinner, the two of us went for BBQ ribs in Sicamous.
It was a good photo opps. Our chocolate bars kept in ice chest is melting. Once we are back in California, I am looking forward to buying some See’s lollipops.
Our stay at Best Western in Sicamous worked out well. The original buildings are typical motel style, 2 stories and no elevator. When I mentioned that we would like to have a room on the ground floor, the receptionist gave us a room in the new building with 2 King Size beds on the ground floor.
Aloha -- Cathi
Aloha Everyone,
Our driving time from Calgary to Golden Kicking Horse was supposed to be 3 hours on Trans-Canada Route 1. Due to ongoing highway construction work, we were 1 hour delayed.
Canadian highways have numerous animal crossings. On one such occasion there were cars parked on the side of the highway. It was a large brown bear. It is exciting to see wild animals, especially a large Canadian brown bear. J.J. rolled down my side of the window. By the time we drove away, there must’ve been 20 cars including trucks and buses on the highway. This was a no parking zones, but tourists tended to disregard safety rules.
Our target to drive around Lake Louise took us right inside Banff National Park. We had no choice but to drive to the toll booth. J.J. asked for senior fares for people over 55. The attendant asked how many days? We wanted a 1-day pass for our car and the 2 of us. It was free. For the summer, there’s no charge.
Drove to Lake Louise, we found the place too crowded and over developed. Reminded us of Aspen, Colorado.
Golden Kicking Horse resort town is still charming. Our hotel is US$250.00. Ouch! Looks and feels like an old motel. Summer & winter are high season. It is windy and chilly. I went out wearing two jackets.
Aloha -- Cathi
