Alberta & British Columbia, August 2019
It had been two years since my first visit to North America, and once again the pull of natural Canadian landscapes dragged me away from the pet-stained British Isles. Jill and I repeated the mistake of flying with Air Canada Rouge, which is essentially just a rebranded Easyjet with the key difference of actually going somewhere interesting. Reaching Calgary by nightfall in a sleep-deprived state, we met up with our Parisian buddies Rosie and Jon and made our way to Alamo to pick up our car.
On entering the rental car lot, the guy asked what we were picking up. I said I wasn’t sure, maybe some sort of Hyundai. The guy looked around for the whole of 3 seconds, couldn’t find a Hyundai and instead pointed at some sort of Ford.
"Is that your car?" he asked.
“I dunno” I helpfully replied.
“Free upgrade" he said.
Job done.
Waking at 02:45 I was aware that my full quota of sleep may not have been reached, and after a while I peeked out through the curtains and observed the city of Calgary partially hidden beneath low cloud and drizzle - it almost felt like I was back in the UK. As ring-billed gulls started their early morning shift foraging around the hotel grounds, I felt like doing the same – but instead of raiding dumpsters we set off to Denny’s for the classic pancake breakfast.
On entering the rental car lot, the guy asked what we were picking up. I said I wasn’t sure, maybe some sort of Hyundai. The guy looked around for the whole of 3 seconds, couldn’t find a Hyundai and instead pointed at some sort of Ford.
"Is that your car?" he asked.
“I dunno” I helpfully replied.
“Free upgrade" he said.
Job done.
Waking at 02:45 I was aware that my full quota of sleep may not have been reached, and after a while I peeked out through the curtains and observed the city of Calgary partially hidden beneath low cloud and drizzle - it almost felt like I was back in the UK. As ring-billed gulls started their early morning shift foraging around the hotel grounds, I felt like doing the same – but instead of raiding dumpsters we set off to Denny’s for the classic pancake breakfast.
Banff and Surroundings - 3x nights
Our trip began with a drive into the Rockies, spotting numerous red-tailed hawks before arriving in the cloudy and slightly chilly town of Banff. We were almost immediately greeted by a bunch of elk by the riverside and the first of many inquisitive red squirrels.
We moved on towards Lake Louise – more so because it was along the route we needed to take rather than because we wanted to. What an horrendous tourist-magnet this place is! However, try to walk-past the selfie-fest section and you’ll reach the odd ‘quieter’ area where Columbian ground squirrels reign supreme. These guys are pretty awesome. We also spotted a golden-mantled ground squirrel in addition to close-ups of the practically tame Clark’s nutrackers, so all in all our short visit was probably worth it in the end. Continuing towards our cabin near Golden would also then bring us the first ospreys, bald eagles and white-tailed deer of the trip.
We moved on towards Lake Louise – more so because it was along the route we needed to take rather than because we wanted to. What an horrendous tourist-magnet this place is! However, try to walk-past the selfie-fest section and you’ll reach the odd ‘quieter’ area where Columbian ground squirrels reign supreme. These guys are pretty awesome. We also spotted a golden-mantled ground squirrel in addition to close-ups of the practically tame Clark’s nutrackers, so all in all our short visit was probably worth it in the end. Continuing towards our cabin near Golden would also then bring us the first ospreys, bald eagles and white-tailed deer of the trip.
We decided to drive a bit of the Icefields Parkway the next morning, where a roadside black bear cub was already surrounded by too many mobile phones – this didn’t feel right. I told the gang it didn’t count as seeing one. There’s a bit of a Classical theme regarding some of the lakes and mountains here, and it was in the vicinity of mountains named Hector and Andromache that we hiked up to Lake Helen. A fairly easy stroll in the end, plus the clouds eventually cleared for us and provided some delightful views of Dolomite Peak and a few of the resident marmots that call this place home. Birdlife here included ravens, nutcrackers, pine grosbeak and what I think was a hermit thrush.
Another day, and a temporary time-zone shift saw us briefly leave ‘Mountain Time’, although Glacier National Park is still very much on the mountainous side. I’d wanted to visit here as I figured it was our best chance of wandering into a grizzly, even picking the ‘Balu’ trail which must be walked in groups of at least 4 people due to the potential bear encounters…of which we unfortunately didn’t get to experience.
Despite the lack of bears, the trail did not really disappoint as it wound up through some impressive forest, followed a valley stream past high peaks, crossed avalanche debris and ended in some alpine meadows. We passed a varied thrush, chipmunks and hoary marmots, with the latter belting out echoing whistles and cries into the mountain air. On the way back down an agile little rocky mountain pika bounced around in an area of rockfall – cute would be an understatement.
Despite the lack of bears, the trail did not really disappoint as it wound up through some impressive forest, followed a valley stream past high peaks, crossed avalanche debris and ended in some alpine meadows. We passed a varied thrush, chipmunks and hoary marmots, with the latter belting out echoing whistles and cries into the mountain air. On the way back down an agile little rocky mountain pika bounced around in an area of rockfall – cute would be an understatement.
Okanagan Valley – 2x nights
Barely out of the driveway and we were greeted by a ruffed grouse and a bunch more deer, then it was off on the road to the Okanagan Valley via a Tim Horton’s with a mountain view. Leaving the snow-caps behind, we entered a very different landscape of semi-desert shrub-steppe, an area where I hoped I could turn up something snakey on the roads over our two-night stay. By now, a brief coffee stop in a Lake Country Starbucks was much needed, although the loose bits of paper in the washroom turned the whole thing into a ‘Crystal Maze’ experience as soon as the hand-driers were switched on.
Further south, we passed through a pretty big storm, lowering the temperature from high twenties to mid-teens and putting night one of road-cruising in jeopardy. The worst passed, but the temperature would never quite recover in time for the evening. Local residents around our house on arrival included California quails, house finches, ospreys, turkey vultures and a yellow-bellied marmot with a home 2ft from the roadside.
We all headed out into the evening to see if anything was on the roads but only a DOR common (valley) garter from a previous night was found - it just felt like the conditions were not with us. However, Rosie did go a long way to salvaging the evening with an impressive black bear sighting as we tootled along. Through binoculars in fading light we watched it raiding the bushes for fruit, happy in the knowledge that, unlike the circus near Banff, this was how to watch wildlife.
Further south, we passed through a pretty big storm, lowering the temperature from high twenties to mid-teens and putting night one of road-cruising in jeopardy. The worst passed, but the temperature would never quite recover in time for the evening. Local residents around our house on arrival included California quails, house finches, ospreys, turkey vultures and a yellow-bellied marmot with a home 2ft from the roadside.
We all headed out into the evening to see if anything was on the roads but only a DOR common (valley) garter from a previous night was found - it just felt like the conditions were not with us. However, Rosie did go a long way to salvaging the evening with an impressive black bear sighting as we tootled along. Through binoculars in fading light we watched it raiding the bushes for fruit, happy in the knowledge that, unlike the circus near Banff, this was how to watch wildlife.
Because of the night’s snake disappointment, I decided to get up at the crack of dawn, enjoying the pinks and purples of the early sky over the mountains and bluffs. I threw in some dirt roads and blacktops, flipped some mattresses (of course) and billboards, clambered around cliffs and generally wandered about to try and turn up something. Another DOR garter indicated a spot worth trying again in the evening, but again no live reptiles could be found. Species making an appearance included hooded merganser, muskrat, eastern kingbird, spotted towhee, chipmunks, ruddy ducks, American coot and a bunch of unidentified grouse that I flushed from the foot of a cliff.
Before my morning window closed (I needed to return as designated driver for the upcoming day of wine-tasting), I rearranged a couple of fallen billboards on the off-chance something might pop under there later in the day.
Before my morning window closed (I needed to return as designated driver for the upcoming day of wine-tasting), I rearranged a couple of fallen billboards on the off-chance something might pop under there later in the day.
I’m not too sure about the winery-based stuff. On one hand they can be pretty chilled-out and enjoyable days (especially when you throw in some bicycles), but obviously it comes with a large footprint of vine monoculture - and often an even bigger air of pretentiousness. Either way, it was nice to move around to different parts of the valley and check out the scenery. If you like wine, warm weather and charcuterie boards then this place has it all. Also, I can’t quite remember the exact quote, but I’m sure one of the winery folks said something about how a nice Malbec pairs perfectly with flipping billboards – well, our penultimate winery happened to be located close to where I’d rearranged those billboards (remember those billboards I mentioned, just above this paragraph, I’m talking about those very same ones), and so naturally we all decided that it was worth stopping by. On lifting the first board, I was greeted by the cream and tan coils of a quite delightful Great Basin gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola).
During the final wine stop, as the sun began to disappear behind the western hills, common nighthawks batted and flicked their way through the valley, filling the air with their recognisable ‘peents’ as they went. As evening drew closer, I set off alone to fill up the car, took a couple of snacks and a Red Bull, and made my way to the start point for the night’s cruising. I briefly pulled over to drink in the warm air and the colours of the dusk sky, feeling relaxed and hopeful for the hours ahead. I then trundled off at 20mph, windows down, arm out, smiling.
I originally headed for the area with the previous DOR garters but turned up nothing at all during what I feared may have been the most productive hour. I then headed further afield, with the mountains and hills now nothing but looming black shapes either side of me and the chirps of crickets still drifting through the open windows. A turn in the road at the furthest point, another pause to appreciate my surroundings, and then I started to retrace my steps, scanning the road and verge…snake!! A quick scramble in the car (sometimes it’s hard to remember how to actually stop and get out of a car in moments of such excitement) and then I was sharing the road and the darkness with my first ever Northern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus).
Absolutely delighted, and with the rattler safely moved away from the road, I continued on my way. No more than 20 minutes later my headlights caught another long and stocky object emerging onto the road. ‘Norpac’ number two – what an absolute treat!
I moved back on into the garter area, only for temperatures to drop from low 20s down to 15 and 14. Tiredness was setting in and so I decided to call it a night. A hard thing to do on any night, but even harder when you know that’s going to be your fill of desert evenings for the foreseeable future.
I moved back on into the garter area, only for temperatures to drop from low 20s down to 15 and 14. Tiredness was setting in and so I decided to call it a night. A hard thing to do on any night, but even harder when you know that’s going to be your fill of desert evenings for the foreseeable future.
Vancouver - 2x nights
Our drive to Vancouver took us rather close to the US border before eventually hitting the busy roads of what is basically now one big sprawling conurbation. Clearly fatigued, we attempted to enter the wrong apartment, becoming frustrated at why the pin-code didn’t work. Eventually one of us woke up (it wasn’t me for sure) and we entered the right place. Rosie then promised us some delicious tapas, so we took the Skyrail downtown and ended up outside a very dodgy-looking Korean establishment. We headed elsewhere.
Due to the shambolic organisational skills exhibited by Steveston Seabreeze Adventures, Jill and I ended up trying to squeeze in a morning visit to Stanley Park in time to get all the way back to Steveston for early afternoon. With limited time (and our progress delayed further by another pancake breakfast), we only snaffled views of golden-crowned kinglets, a brown creeper and an introduced grey (black) squirrel before needing to make a U-turn. We arranged for a (late) shuttle-bus to pick us up from downtown, then waited even longer for some gormless team of 4 led by ‘Ian’ to join us (we saw them go into the hotel 15mins before the bus was due, so I have no idea why they sauntered out again almost 45 mins later) - I believe moron is the word. Anyway, normally I’d have expected to continue ranting about how inept Steveston Seabreeze were, but then came the actual tour, and in the words of Harry Dunne - “Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this…and totally redeem yourself”. Amazingly, the tour was outstanding. The boat captain (I forget his name, possibly Haddock or Planet) found fish like Billy Tyne, whilst Meghan was quite the affable naturalist. It was well within the first hour when Moby’s humpier cousins first made their presence felt, and from then on, the humpbacks were a pleasure to work with.
However, nearly the whole point of hitting the north-western coast was to try to see some of those black and white majestic beasts of the sea – and I was more than chuffed when we got wind of a pod nearby and boated off to see if we could catch up. Even from however many hundreds of metres away those male dorsal fins are impressively unmissable, and as the group of 4 orcas moved alongside our now static boat I was in awe. This ain’t Seaworld…
Back on shore, with lifetime memories safely registered, we followed-up somebody’s suggestion of visiting the Richmond Night Market. The less said about that the better.
Vancouver Island - 2x nights
We took a BC ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo, had our first Wendy’s of the trip, then hit a fairly scenic road up towards Telegraph Cove and Port McNeill, spotting a fine collection of Steller’s jays around the latter. We commandeered the bottom floor of a quite amazing house overlooking Haddington Island, and spent the evening relaxing on the shoreline decking watching harbour porpoises, nighthawks and harlequin ducks.
As was the usual trend, I was the first out of bed the next morning – just don’t want to miss anything, do I? I carried my cereal and coffee down to the decking and enjoyed my granola in the company of a foraging mink, a couple of low-flying squadrons of Canada geese and one confused-looking red-throated diver.
We had a day tour planned with North Island Kayak, so we packed our lunches and made the short trip to Telegraph Cove where we met Dan & Jo (our guides for the day) and a couple of overly cocky, loudmouth Frenchies. Straight out of the harbour, well actually no, the other kayaks effortlessly steered straight out whilst Jill and I (despite a small amount of prior training) failed to turn yet still managed to pick up enough speed to hurtle sideways into a moored yacht - then we drifted straight out. The belted kingfishers were definitely laughing at us. Anyway, after leaving the harbour we were almost immediately met by a fast-moving pod of Dall’s porpoises whilst a few harlequin ducks bobbed around. Moving on, we passed some pirouetting red-necked phalaropes and fell under the gaze of a black oystercatcher as it paused its feeding to observe us drifting by.
As seals looked on, we lunched on one of the smaller, northerly Plumper Islands where another mink scuttled about and a pair of bald eagles tended to a recently fledged juvenile. By this time a few radio snippets had confirmed that some orcas were knocking about in the area, at this point either north of Malcom Island or already moving around to its eastern side.
We rounded a couple of smaller islands, where we were not particularly welcomed by a number of sealions, and then somewhere between Hanson and the Pearse Islands we began to encounter humpback whales, their clouds of exhaled mist rising from the water around us. I think it was about this point that Dan attempted to corral us together, and as the other kayaks stopped, Jill and I couldn’t find the brakes and gently nudged our way to the front of the class. It was also about now that word came through that the aforementioned orcas had decided to make their way towards the Johnstone Strait via our location. We formed a raft with our kayaks and watched as around 7 or 8 orcas powered their way past us and onwards, presumably off to one of their preferred locations for smashing salmon. Absolute class acts those creatures. Class acts.
We had a day tour planned with North Island Kayak, so we packed our lunches and made the short trip to Telegraph Cove where we met Dan & Jo (our guides for the day) and a couple of overly cocky, loudmouth Frenchies. Straight out of the harbour, well actually no, the other kayaks effortlessly steered straight out whilst Jill and I (despite a small amount of prior training) failed to turn yet still managed to pick up enough speed to hurtle sideways into a moored yacht - then we drifted straight out. The belted kingfishers were definitely laughing at us. Anyway, after leaving the harbour we were almost immediately met by a fast-moving pod of Dall’s porpoises whilst a few harlequin ducks bobbed around. Moving on, we passed some pirouetting red-necked phalaropes and fell under the gaze of a black oystercatcher as it paused its feeding to observe us drifting by.
As seals looked on, we lunched on one of the smaller, northerly Plumper Islands where another mink scuttled about and a pair of bald eagles tended to a recently fledged juvenile. By this time a few radio snippets had confirmed that some orcas were knocking about in the area, at this point either north of Malcom Island or already moving around to its eastern side.
We rounded a couple of smaller islands, where we were not particularly welcomed by a number of sealions, and then somewhere between Hanson and the Pearse Islands we began to encounter humpback whales, their clouds of exhaled mist rising from the water around us. I think it was about this point that Dan attempted to corral us together, and as the other kayaks stopped, Jill and I couldn’t find the brakes and gently nudged our way to the front of the class. It was also about now that word came through that the aforementioned orcas had decided to make their way towards the Johnstone Strait via our location. We formed a raft with our kayaks and watched as around 7 or 8 orcas powered their way past us and onwards, presumably off to one of their preferred locations for smashing salmon. Absolute class acts those creatures. Class acts.
Paddlers Inn - 4x nights
Breakfast on the decking the following morning provided flocks of white-winged scoters, a few pigeon guillemots, glaucous-winged gulls, a great blue heron and a few distant Dall’s porpoises. The crows here are also apparently northwestern crows, but they all look alike to me.
It was then back to Telegraph Cove where we met Bruce ready to take us to the Paddlers Inn, located midway along the long north-western edge of Gilford Island. The route to the Paddlers goes through the same section of sea which had been so productive the previous day, and as eight of us set sail, Jill and I assumed binocular duties and would act as chief spotters for the trip (not necessarily due to skill, just mainly the default of being the only ones with optics, and also mainly due to skill). I’m not too sure how much the other folks cared, but we were chuffed to pick up the likes of marbled murrelets, more red-necked phalaropes, common guillemots, gooseanders, both great northern & red-throated divers and rhinoceros auklets. Then the focus turned to bigger game, first seals, then humpbacks (around 8+ in total), then I spotted two very distant, yet very big and black dorsal fins. Eventually these mammoth fins got closer and even the non-binocular crew got decent views (although we did share the optics around, well, Jill did anyway). More emerged, and in total we think it was a team of about 6-8 orcas making their journey past us. Black and white, big and powerful, and class acts.
It was then back to Telegraph Cove where we met Bruce ready to take us to the Paddlers Inn, located midway along the long north-western edge of Gilford Island. The route to the Paddlers goes through the same section of sea which had been so productive the previous day, and as eight of us set sail, Jill and I assumed binocular duties and would act as chief spotters for the trip (not necessarily due to skill, just mainly the default of being the only ones with optics, and also mainly due to skill). I’m not too sure how much the other folks cared, but we were chuffed to pick up the likes of marbled murrelets, more red-necked phalaropes, common guillemots, gooseanders, both great northern & red-throated divers and rhinoceros auklets. Then the focus turned to bigger game, first seals, then humpbacks (around 8+ in total), then I spotted two very distant, yet very big and black dorsal fins. Eventually these mammoth fins got closer and even the non-binocular crew got decent views (although we did share the optics around, well, Jill did anyway). More emerged, and in total we think it was a team of about 6-8 orcas making their journey past us. Black and white, big and powerful, and class acts.
Bruce and Josée’s place is a delight. We were welcomed by rufous hummingbirds (I think) rasping amongst the flowers, numerous belted kingfishers shooting about and the wild screeching of red throated divers as they floated about in view of our ‘Shoreline Cabin’.
For the people who really know me (all four of you), it comes as no surprise that I like a good bowl of cereal. Give me cereal and somewhere with a view and I’ll be a happy camper, at least for the 15 minutes before I get restless and have to wander somewhere. Anyway, the breakfast view from the cabin decking provided more kingfishers, the resident divers, porpoises, spotted sandpipers, gooseanders, gulls swiping murre catch, hummingbirds, bald eagles and quite the curious seal who would return to peek up at our cabin throughout daylight (and some evening) hours.
We spent our first day here engaging in land-based activities, wandering in the forest and up to the lake hoping to spot a black bear. Grizzlies and a cougar had also been seen here in recent times, so I guess there was an outside chance of something extra-dangerous popping up as we made our way through the trees. Mid-conversation with Rosie (I believe it was a dynamic discussion regarding temperate rainforests), I almost missed a sizeable black bear plodding through the forest on the other side of the creek. We were all buzzing. The big furry lad wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
We spent our first day here engaging in land-based activities, wandering in the forest and up to the lake hoping to spot a black bear. Grizzlies and a cougar had also been seen here in recent times, so I guess there was an outside chance of something extra-dangerous popping up as we made our way through the trees. Mid-conversation with Rosie (I believe it was a dynamic discussion regarding temperate rainforests), I almost missed a sizeable black bear plodding through the forest on the other side of the creek. We were all buzzing. The big furry lad wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
Other wildlife making an appearance here included a couple of Vaux's swifts, initially mobbing a sharp-shinned hawk then resuming feeding over the forest, and a ground-foraging 'sooty' fox sparrow. I’d also previously discussed the snake situation with Bruce as I hadn’t looked into the exact location and land-bridges where Gilford Island was concerned. Bruce confirmed that he frequently sees snakes around, so I was obviously keen to try to see which garter may be knocking about. In one of the flower beds I was able to find out, spotting a small coil of snake poking out from behind a rock. After a closer look (and smellier hands), I believe this to be a northwestern garter (Thamnophis ordinoides).
Heavy wind and rain struck overnight, and a scruffy and damp American robin joined me on the decking at breakfast. We took out kayaks today, with half of us now enjoying the freedom and mobility that a single-person kayak brings. Making the short paddle into Shoal Harbour, we encountered a large bull sealion, a few seals and a proud looking mew gull refusing to budge from its floating log.
That afternoon, Bruce appeared at our cabin to let me know he’d seen a snake on the tidal-island that marks the end of the small peninsula. The tide was coming in, and plodging through a metre or so of cold salt water is not usually how I start a snake search, but I knew I had to have a peek. Under the watch of a chestnut-backed chickadee, searching along the very edge of the island where the forest ends and the sea begins, I finally spotted another, quite large, northwestern garter. With a skin-shed fast approaching, I took a couple of record shots and let it continue to enjoy the last of the sun. The plodge over from the island was even deeper and colder on the way back.
In a strengthening wind, Jill and I took our kayaks out in the evening to bob about in the waves in the hope something would make an appearance, but only the seal showed its face.
That afternoon, Bruce appeared at our cabin to let me know he’d seen a snake on the tidal-island that marks the end of the small peninsula. The tide was coming in, and plodging through a metre or so of cold salt water is not usually how I start a snake search, but I knew I had to have a peek. Under the watch of a chestnut-backed chickadee, searching along the very edge of the island where the forest ends and the sea begins, I finally spotted another, quite large, northwestern garter. With a skin-shed fast approaching, I took a couple of record shots and let it continue to enjoy the last of the sun. The plodge over from the island was even deeper and colder on the way back.
In a strengthening wind, Jill and I took our kayaks out in the evening to bob about in the waves in the hope something would make an appearance, but only the seal showed its face.
The next morning’s breakfast session was particularly eventful. Not only was the granola delicious, but barely a minute after picking up my binoculars and scanning the sea I spotted a whole load of marine critters powering along in the distance. At first I couldn’t quite make out their shapes, only that there were lots of them and they were moving like torpedoes. As they turned and neared, Jill and I agreed on dolphins, lots of them. Getting closer, they had spread out and almost filled the section of horizon we could see – surely at least 50 of them just belting towards us. I woke up the other two (it’s a good job someone gets up early isn’t it?) and we all watched as the Pacific white-sided squad motored on past our cabin.
We then took the kayaks out around Davies Island, briefly seeing (and hearing) a distant humpback but being unable to close the gap. After rounding some of the smaller westerly islands of the ‘Benjamin Group’, a Cooper’s hawk paid us a quick visit as it passed along the forested edge of the island. We had lunch amongst the barnacles and starfish on our own little island until the incoming tide threatened to steal our boats and forced us to keep moving.
That evening we repeated the forest loop in the hope of more bear sightings, but a few hairy woodpeckers were our only critters. After an amazing Mac n Cheese whipped up by Jill, we walked down to the floating jetty to check out the bioluminescent plankton before the realisation dawned that this was our last night in the wilds.
The next morning’s boat ride back to Telegraph Cove was rather choppy, but provided more sealions, Dall’s porpoises, loads of rhinoceros auklets and around 13-14 humpbacks. The boat radio was alive with whale reports, and by the sounds of it the orcas were out in force, somewhere.
That evening we repeated the forest loop in the hope of more bear sightings, but a few hairy woodpeckers were our only critters. After an amazing Mac n Cheese whipped up by Jill, we walked down to the floating jetty to check out the bioluminescent plankton before the realisation dawned that this was our last night in the wilds.
The next morning’s boat ride back to Telegraph Cove was rather choppy, but provided more sealions, Dall’s porpoises, loads of rhinoceros auklets and around 13-14 humpbacks. The boat radio was alive with whale reports, and by the sounds of it the orcas were out in force, somewhere.
We said our farewell to Bruce and hit the long road back towards Nanaimo. Some time later, as our boat chugged out of Departure Bay towards Vancouver, another ferry, backlit in the sunset, went past us in the opposite direction. I was sad to be going in the wrong direction.
A drive to drop Rosie and Jon off at the airport was followed by a coffee in Steveston and then a little wander around before our later flight. Returning to our car we found it was no longer there. We didn’t know if it had been stolen or if we’d sneakily parked too close to a fire hydrant and had subsequently been towed. After a bit of dashing about, Jill managed to spot some sort of traffic warden and he confirmed the car had been taken by Rusty’s Auto Towing (what a name!). Time against us, I briefly pointed at the numerous other cars parked in worse spots than ours and said I hoped Rusty was on the way for those too. He assured me Rusty was indeed on the way. Our taxi to the impound lot actually followed one of Rusty’s henchmen towing another car – hopefully they didn’t also have an imminent flight. Anyway, we made it to the airport in time for our long return journey (via Munich!), with Lufthansa easily beating Air Canada Rouge in the battle for cattle-class superiority.
Afterthoughts? The bits of Canada I’ve seen since 2017 have largely been amazing. There’s been some awesome habitats and creatures to experience throughout Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. I’d love to return again, but given the issues regarding the likes of logging, tar sands and the ridiculous amount of seafood on sale, I’m just not too sure if all the creatures will still be there.
For those of you who made it this far, thanks for reading.
Thanks to Andrew for confirming my thoughts (and suggesting some extras) regarding Okanagan locations!
For those of you who made it this far, thanks for reading.
Thanks to Andrew for confirming my thoughts (and suggesting some extras) regarding Okanagan locations!