Invermere, British Columbia,
Canada
June 13, 2019
Slowly, ever so slowly we are creeping towards the Rockies. I thought we would have been moving along quicker than we have been when I check the map but it doesn’t matter really. It’s been nice to disappear off grid for days on end when we find a nice wild spot to stay at and there have certainly been a lot of those lately. Since our last entry we have continued slowly East through small towns and villages such as Revelstoke, Golden, Spillimacheen, Luxor, Radium Hot Springs and Invermere. Each time staying at remote wild spots off the beaten track. Near Revelstoke we stayed somewhere in the middle of a forest next to a beautiful little lake somewhere in the hills up yet another dusty rocky trail. Yet again we were blessed to find that we had the place to ourselves every night we were there so when you find little gems like this it’s hard not to stay for a few days at a time especially when we have the van stocked up with supplies to support that. Leisurely treks around the lake, sitting watching the various wildlife, Bald Eagles, Osprey, humming birds etc, reading books, it really is a pleasant way to spend a few days at a time. We also managed to pick up a mountain bike for Dani while in Revelstoke as well for about £60 which is a great result. It’s an older jump style Specialized bike but will still do a job and will be great fun for Dani to throw about. We now just need to find one for me and then we can finally get some trails hit. Hopefully it comes sooner rather later as the longer I go without a bike the less point there will be in getting one as time goes by.
The people we are meeting along the way and the hospitality and warmth they show also add texture to our road trip and make it hard to move on quickly. When we arrived in Golden it was getting late. I spotted a sign for a smoking paraphernalia shop selling papers and bongs etc. As I pulled up the couple who owned the shop had just shut and were leaving in their car. They spotted me trying the door and called me over to explain there isn’t a Cannabis dispensary in town and they don’t have a license to sell any pot through the shop. Ah, ok I thought, no worries. They then proceeded to give me some free smoke and said “Welcome to Golden!” with big cheery smiles on their faces before driving off. Talk about a great first impression and amazing hospitality, unbelievable warmth. Amazing people always make for a great trip and Canada seems to have nice folk in abundance.
As we near the Rockies the scenery is slowly evolving around us yet again. More and more mountain peaks are rearing up dramatically in front of us, still snow capped at the higher peaks. The creeks that we sometimes camp at are now fed by glaciers and they have a beautiful clear turquoise hue about them as a result. The snaking mountain roads bring mile after mile of spectacular views and as we amble along with our music playing it’s hard at times to write about the experience we are having here on the road, living out of the van, mostly in the wilderness. Canada is huge and you don’t have to venture far to get off the beaten path and away from civilization.
Our van routine is now down to a fine art. We can wake up, and be packed up and on the move within a few minutes now depending on what we are doing and likewise on a night when we pull up some where. It’s just routine for us now and we can change Buddy between being a bed, a seating area or packed up for driving in the blink of an eye. That said we do at times miss staying in hostels or Homestay’s. Not much I’ll admit but occasionally when you wake up in the van, stifling hot with a bit of a head from the local beers and bourbon from the night before you do start to crave a few home comforts now and then. Usually a quick coffee and a few mountain views later you forget about it. I also dread to think what we will be like if one of us falls ill. Imagine being stuck in a van if you need the toilet every 10 minutes? Hmm thankfully it hasn’t happened yet and hopefully it doesn’t happen for the rest of this road trip.
At the moment we are currently hanging around a place called Invermere, apparently it seems to be some hybrid of Inverness and Windermere. There is a beautiful lake here called Windermere and a lovely small 50 yard beach which is popular with locals and travelers alike. The view is fantastic with the Rockies dominating the East side of the lake as far as the eye can see and dense forest to the West. The weather has been unbelievable these past few days as well. In the high 20’s/low 30’s every day so we have spent a few days lounging around on the beach and taking dips in the lake to cool off. The facilities there are fantastic as well given how small the beach is. Free showers, which is great for us. A small cafe knocking out some tasty cheap poutine, paddle board and canoe rentals, it even has free WiFi that covers the whole beach! Yet again it’s hard to move on when you find great places like this so we are just taking each day as it comes and enjoying life. We will be heading into Banff National park soon but I think first we may head straight to Calgary to try and get another mountain bike sorted for me as being a big city it has a much better choice of second hand bikes to choose from.
Checking our budget we might only manage another 6 or so weeks in Canada before we need to move on to Asia to get the cost down. We have now started to factor our Crypto currency holdings into the budget we have available for this trip. It’s great at the moment while everything is performing well, with our investment returning about 80% profit at the moment but the market is young and fickle and can dramatically change in a short space of time. Not ideal when you are off grid for days at a time but we will keep as close an eye on what is happening as we can and cash out if we need to free more funds up.
