Oh Jeez, Lake Louise

Having just visited Banff in May, we bypassed the iconic village and headed to Lake Louise. Holy cheddar-smokies, knowing that it's one of the most photographed sites in Canada should have given us some inkling as to what we were getting ourselves into. Usually we are completely deterred from going to super popular touristy places because fighting the crowds just kills our mojo (hence why we visited the Trevi Fountain in Rome at 11pm in February). So naturally, Lake Louise would be a place we gravitate towards in peak summer -_-

As mentioned we had been in Canmore & Banff in May and whole-heartedly expected the same quintessential mountain tourist town out of Lake Louise. As so many of our blunders, a simple Google search could have clarified that we were rolling into a glorified truck-stop, and not a metropolis where you could buy such essentials as say, baby diapers (minor snaffoo). So we arrived in the town square (I'm being generous here), and quickly realized there was no way we were getting close to the lake that day. The parking lots were full, shuttle buses were sold out and given that the campgrounds were also chockers we ended up at the overflow parking lot/camp just outside of town. First impressions of Lake Louise were not spectacular.

Weirdly, it all turned around in the overflow parking lot. There were so many people there, it was a bit festivally---lots of different rigs--RVs, converted camper vans/delivery trucks, even a firetruck with a swing set. Everyone checking out each other's set-up, making dinner, and a collective knowing that we were in the company of others who also did not have the foresight to plan ahead and reserve a legit campsite. As scrappy as it sounds, I did not hate the overflow camp. 

Anyway, we set our alarm to wake-up early (like before-baby-wakes-up early) because we were told the parking lot at the lake would be full by 8am. Again, the franticness of it all definitely had us thinking we were not so interested, but we pressed on. Got to the parking lot at 7:30am and it was nearly full--insanity. Trudged down to the lake as the sun was just coming over the looming mountains...And holy shitting hell, heavens to Betsy. Wow! 

Now here's the thing about Canada and the natural sights---they are usually really big. Despite the rigmarole and crowds in actually getting to the lake, there is generally so much space to enjoy the beauty. I went for a gorgeous sunrise paddle, and being a pretty cold morning and early enough that the tour buses hadn't arrived, had the entire lake to myself. Truly one of the most spectacularly peaceful experiences I have ever had. A super-charged start to the day, and views that are among the best I've ever seen. How's that for a flip-flop in perspective?!

Afterwards we all struck out for a little hike up to the Lake Agnes Teahouse. Although we had previously looked up the next adjoining hike and decided it was too far/too difficult for us, we were just flying high on natural beauty and decided to go for it...Despite not having any food, and limited water, we were heading up The Big Beehive (we generally make our best decisions when flying high). Albeit a little thirsty and hungry, the views from top to bottom were stunning. 

Baby on Board: Big shoutout to Tyler for being our sure-footed sherpa, mountain-goating the relentless switchbacks with ease and care.

We spent a second night at the overflow parking lot---Which again, I full-heartedly enjoyed in my post-epic-paddle/hike-exhaustion bliss. So yes, crowds suck, but sometimes it's absolutely worth it (Also, definitely fight the crowds to see the Sistine Chapel-It's also worth it).

#YOLO in YOHO National Park

I've insisted that if #YOLOinYOHO isn't their tourism slogan, someone isn't doing their job.

Yoho National Park is a gem we knew little about, but as the old Trans Canada runs right through the park we couldn't help ourselves--jumping off the highway for a detour is what our days are made of. With no way exhausting the adventures Yoho has in store, we got a taste of the good stuff and learned what the word confluence means. What a time to be alive!

Emerald Lake

I'd say our first true 'Jewel of the Rockies' lake. You know, the oxymoronic lakes that are creamy electric blue/green but weirdly also super clear. Very inviting for a swim but cold AF. Canadian icons. Being a bit busy in and around the parking lot, the crowds thinned out a bit as we walked the 5km around the lake. To better paint the picture, the trail was busy enough that you wouldn't need bear spray but sparse enough that one could duck off for a sneaky tinkle. I really don't think I could be anymore clear. 

Nature's playground!

Being a glacial lake, the water was only 5° C, but ya know #YOLOinYOHO

Loved seeing the lake from different angles (hope you did too), and way less congested and frantic than getting close to the likes of Lake Louise (more on that later). If you're ever driving through Yoho, Emerald Lake is a must stop.

The Natural Bridge

Carved from the Kicking Horse River, there's a giant hole in the rocks forming a 15-metre natural bridge. Pretty neat quick stop to-or-fro Emerald Lake. Also the Yoho River flows to its confluence with the Kicking Horse River, in case you were wondering

Didn't actually take a pic of the natural bridge 

Takakkaw Falls 

Largest cascading waterfall in Canada, falling an uninterrupted 381 metres, she's a powerful beauty with her own climate (but aren't we all?). When approaching the falls, the sunny day disappears and you're engulfed in a misty wind storm. Super cool, in more ways than one. 

What's more fun than one vintage travel book, but two.
Turns out my Dad had an original copy of the
same book. You can't beat the classics!

I'm sure at this point you're thinking to yourself "Wow, these guys know a lot of fun facts about stuff." Apt. It's true, we do. But the funnest (most fun 😒) fact is that we found all this info offline from a trusty CAA Canadian Book of the Road circa 1979, purchased at a thrift store on Vancouver Island for $1. This book was perused every night, dog-eared, captioned, brought us to some little visited corners of Canada, and will someday be passed onto Baby J as a family heirloom. Thanks CAA.

Mount Revelstoked National Park

Aug. 6-9th

 I love revisiting place in a different season. Having previously enjoyed Revelstoke in a snowstorm, summer was a whole new vibe. Well actually pretty similar, just replace the skis with mountain bikes and snowflakes for mosquitos and sama sama.

The highlight of our revisit was Mount Revelstoke National Park. Remember I mentioned my newfound love for alpine meadows? Well omg. The very well-loved Eva and Miller Lake trail was so so good. The meadows of wildflowers, the snowcapped mountains, the crystal clear lakes. Basically just a 15km wander through a Canadian postcard. The MVP of the day was obviously Mother Nature, but big shoutout to Baby J---His longest hike to date, taking the initiative to take a sneaky dip in the glacial lake, being changed amongst clouds of mosquitos, snoozing through some epic panoramas and otherwise chatting away for kilometres (we have no need a bear bell...Jamie long announces our arrival). Just a regular day of baby business, he takes it all in stride.

Peachland-y Keen

Aug. 3-6th

Alright, after a month of camping and general lollygagging with some beautiful island people in beautiful island places, we decided to make a solid effort to head east. Our first stop was the Okanogan. As the Okanogan is a region made up of a bunch of different towns, we honed in on a couple of friends living in the area, leading us to Peachland; Which is just as charming as it sounds. 

Spending two nights parked on the beachside curb, there couldn't be a nicer place to wakeup. Unfortunately the wind was out of control, and after trying to keep hold of our stuff and a couple hard knocks to the head we decided to take shelter. Being in the Okanogan and never more than a couple clicks away from a vineyard, it was wine o'clock. 

We like wine, we drink wine, we wine tour, we know people who understand wine (and by proxy occasionally drink good wine). So when we roll up in our campervan with yesterday's clothes on and a fragile baby needing a nap, we know we're not throwing off sommelier vibes. What's worse was our frantic exit, as Tyler suddenly realized that he had forgotten his bike (the only thing of value we didn't sell before leaving Vancouver) at the park. Nothing confirms everyone's notion that we're Cousin Eddy like double fisting your tastings before throwing cash on the bar and running out the door. Sorry Brenda, we don't care that the chardonnay was aged in an oak barrel.

As mentioned, we have a couple friends who live in Peachland--As an added bonus to their stellar personalities (and aforementioned knowledge of wine) they had blooming fruit trees. We felt like we hit the lotto as they sent us packing with fresh apricots, cherries, jam and even a homemade pie. Honestly, the way to my heart will forever be genuine kindness, positivity...and home cooking. With beachside park-ups, wine tasting and gorgeous fresh fruit, Peachland had us thinking this would be an amazing place to settle down! (You'll find this a common theme as we visit towns and cities across Canada). But seriously, Peachland is, well, a peach.

Feeling peachy!

Strathcona Park, Vancouver Island

July 15th-23rd

Key Takeaways: 

• Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places.  
• The best campsites are free.
• A Rainbow Community gathering is in our future (want to come with?)
• Quiet birthdays are cool too.

We left Campbell River with our bellies full of fish and chips and wandered around some old logging roads in search of a recreational site to camp. Using a borrowed 10-year old backroads map, we knew there were once rec sites in the area, but kept coming up on abandonned/closed down roads&sites. Still a bit sheepish of logging roads with no cell service after our flat tire, we settled on a new-ish rec site that was conviently completely free. Having a legit waterfront campsite for the cost of nothing can't be beat!

Not bad, eh?

We love our early morning coffee walks!

Finally sun was shining and we decided to make a move towards Strathcona Provinical Park. We had a few hikes we wanted to do, and we wanted to strike while there was a temporary break in the rain. Although a huge park, we based ourselves around Buttle Lake, and explored the area. It's where my new found obsession with alpine meadows bloomed. And although I'm not sure they are considered alpine meadows-- there's mountains, lakes and wildflowers all in the same vista and it makes me heart sing and glow and jump for joy! You'll also notice the transition from tuques and sweaters to bathing suits in this post. This is the stretch where summer weather finally made an appearance. 👏

After Strathcona Park we decided to keep heading west to the Gold River area. Gold River is a town with laundry and some groceries and two liquor stores. I really feel like they've got their finger on the pulse. While hanging around Gold River waiting for our laundry, we bumped into a free-spirit named Tree who invited us to checkout the Rainbow Community gathering just outside of town. Never hearing of it, he told us more about the community- Just some nature-loving, freethinking folks who share a couple good meals and conversation each day. You had us at "good meals" Tree. Buuttt if you know us, you know we get stuck in places once the old van gets put in park, so we didn't make it out. See you next year, Tree. And blessings.

We ended up staying at Muchalat Lake for almost a week. Since the weather started to feel a lot more like summer, we lounged at the beach, read books and swam a lot. I also celebrated my birthday lakeside-- being far from crowds and cell service, one of the quietest birthdays to date-- A sunny day with Tyler and Jamie, long afternoon paddle followed by evening champers and campfire nachos. Following a year of significant change, substantial solotime, which lead to some serious reflection, and noteworthy shifts in perspectives and priorities, this birthday celebration was so fitting. Simple and wonderful 💕

Birthday bliss!