Western Tetons and Mesa Falls

Grand Tetons National Park is a real gem but having spent so much time on the lovely trails there on our previous trip we thought it might be nice to check out the other (western) side of them.

French trappers supposedly came up with the original name - Les Trois Tetons - or 'the three breasts'. It reminded me of something a dear friend once pointed out... that stereotypes exist for a reason. So here goes... "Typical Frenchies!"

We drove in from the Idaho side, taking a five-mile dirt road into a campsite east of the town of Alta.

Nath got up in the morning and took the Table Mountain Trail (22.4 kilometres return) which offered some closer views of the Tetons.

But we both drove away in Bessie feeling like there's a reason this is the sideshow and the National Park is the main event. The elevation change isn't as dramatic from this side and there's not the same ensemble of meadows, lakes and wildlife.

We checked out the Grand Targhee ski resort before heading north to start the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway, the highlights of which are the Upper and Lower Mesa Falls (no surprises there).

The drive is beautiful, passing through small towns and often following a river warmed by the underground thermal activity and aptly named "Warm River".

We came across a moose grazing in the shallows, only metres from the road and completely unfazed by the passing traffic.

We nighted at an RV park opposite Henry's Lake and prepared to enter one of our all-time favourite National Parks (and the world's first).

Atomic Energy 101

Now here's something you don't see every day....

The world's first nuclear power plant - EBR 1 - is just outside of Arco which was incidentally the first town in the world to be nuclear-powered.

The 'Atomic Museum' is the very spot where in 1951 four lightbulbs were brought to radiant life by the wonders of science.... blah blah blah. 

I'd like to tell you that the kids really took it all in and were filled with awe but it's kind of hard to explain to them the significance when you're standing on the very top of the nuclear reactor at the world's first atomic power plant.

The only things that interested the kids were the robotic manipulation arms where you can practice your skills at moving objects remotely (you know, to avoid the massive doses of radiation you'd otherwise receive).

Indy:  We need to generate 1.21 gigawatts
Dash:  When did Dad install a flux capacitor?

After seeing the inventory of spent fuel rods and the 39-inch thick windows used in the real remote manipulating area, I was hoping they had done their numbers right. 

I put the kids in a dark cupboard afterwards just to check they weren't glowing.

Indy:  It's the three fewer neutrons
that make Uranium 235 so unstable.

Craters of the Moon

Talk about freaky!!

This National Monument and Preserve, shaped out of intense volcanic activity, truly looks like a lunar landscape.

The preserve plays on its appearance and the visits to it by American astronauts to build a fun other-worldly atmosphere in which kids can learn about the many stages of volcanic eruptions.

After completing their activity books and swearing an oath to a Parks Ranger, our boys are now Lunar Rangers, complete with cool astronaut patches that mummy painstakingly sewed on to their backpacks for them.

We took walks around Devils Orchard, up the Inferno Cone, out to the Snow Cone and Spatter Cone and completed the seven-mile auto tour.

The lava flows and spatter cones here are amongst the best examples in the world and really help in understanding how a molten river of rock moves and solidifies and how an eruption sequence moves through its phases to its ploppy, splattery end.

Our campsite, amidst the volcanic rocks, extended our experience of Craters of the Moon through until morning. 

The boys have never been as dirty as when they played with their monster trucks here!!

Fishing in the Sawtooth

After overnighting in Boise, we let the kids loose at Meridian's community park Treasure Valley which boasts both a wet and dry playground, along with a collection of massive percussion instruments the kids can bang.

We cruised up the 55 north to meet the Payette River and took the road east along its South Fork towards the Sawtooth range and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

At a national forest campsite that we found on the banks of the South Fork Payette the boys took their monster trucks down into a rock pool someone had made and played in the icy cold water barely warmed by a strong setting sun.

Continuing on in the morning, we found a fantastic snack spot at an empty campground beside a meandering stream and meadow. The boys rode their bike/scooter around the campground while the adults admired the setting. Is there any better stream than a meandering one?

The Sawtooth range jutted its craggy peaks out for us despite the weather closing in and we came across the small township of Stanley at the junction of the 75 and marveled at how they'd managed to construct every building in town to maintain the log-cabin esthetique.

A fishing store in town sold Nath a licence and gave us some advice and so we followed the Salmon River up the 75 to the 'town' of Sunbeam (a restaurant), then left it to take a backroad that continues on north to Bonanza and Custer Ghost Towns.

That's where we found the fantastic little ponds we'd been told about and sure enough the fish were literally jumping out of the water. Surely this would be the perfect spot for the boys to try out their rods for real.

Pretty soon the boys had a fish on almost every cast and though a lot got away, they each landed several - some of which we threw back and some of which we kept.

Indy stuck at it a long time whereas Dash (who is usually the one to stay outdoors beyond rhyme or reason) had had enough after about half an hour.

Thanks to my little fishermen, we had crumbed rainbow trout for dinner - yummo!!

We drove back to a national forest campground not far from that spot and shook our heads in disbelief at the price - $2.50!!! (With our American National Parks pass we get a 50 per cent discount on National Forest campgrounds). But even at $5 that would still win the prize for our cheapest paid-for site yet!

And with a rushing stream beside us!

Both of the boys were keen for more fishing come morning and so we returned to the same spot given the guarantee we had of success and after an even bigger haul than the day before (at which again Indy proved to be the stayer) we returned to the 75 and ventured down to some thermal rock pools that have been formed at the edges of the Salmon River.

The boys ignored our pleas to leave a small group of early 20s tourists alone (Dash wanted to 'plop' the rocks in their pool and run through it swirling up the dirt and mud from the river bed while they just wanted to soak their nubile bodies and imbibe their bottles of grog. Indy just wanted to talk and talk and talk and....)

Sensing the generational divide, and with more tourists arriving that the boys were sure to 'connect' with, we made a hasty retreat knowing that the next week or so will bring us close to thermal action again.

Continuing along the 75 and still following the Salmon River we took a dirt road off the side and were rewarded with a little campsite at the confluence of two different streams - nice!!

The next morning we continued on, checking out the exclusive residences and golf courses of Ketchum and its famous Sun Valley Ski Resort, and as we ventured further south (to Hailey and eventually highway 20) we left the glorious mountain scenery behind for agricultural lowlands.

Hells Canyon

After staying the night at Hells Gate State Park just south of Lewiston, Idaho, we were able to learn more about Lewis and Clark's famous expedition at the visitor centre bearing their names before crossing the river to Clarkston, Washington.

Travelling down the 129, we soon crossed over into Oregon.

Winding barren mountain roads gave way to green farming pastures shadowed by snow-capped peaks (with Sacajawea Peak amongst them).

We turned off a dirt road close to the top of a pass and found a mountain lake with some fire pits scattered around it.

We made ourselves feel at home, setting up for the night and watched some fly fishermen arrive, take their haul of fish and leave.

The next morning we set off south, stopping in at the Hells Canyon overlook.

I wasn't expecting to see the canyon bottom from there (it's North America's deepest canyon - even trumping the Grand Canyon for that title) but we did leave the overlook wondering if we'd be able to get a better look at the canyon itself (rather than just its upper escarpments).

The road onwards to Oxbow was fairly nondescript but on arriving at the Snake River it was clear our hopes to see the inner guts of the Canyon would be met.

We drove along the Idaho side all the way down to the Hells Canyon dam (one of three that control the Snake River in this region).

After the dam, where the road quickly ends, we found a trail stretching further down along the base of the canyon.

Every hiker we saw coming towards us was carrying fish they'd caught along with stories of a black bear who'd been patrolling up and down the banks, also fishing for its dinner.

With some of the grass on the trail stretching to Dash's head height and given the multitude of insects, we didn't go too far and after sitting and taking in the rapids of the river and the steep crumbling canyon walls, we ventured back to Bessie.

On our drive back south from the dam along the quiet access road we found a spot close to the water's edge and decided to call it home for the night.

That night and the next morning Nath keenly eyed the massive fish teasing him close to the water's surface and vowed to get a fishing licence at our very next opportunity.

Moose Me Up

Saying goodbye to Canada (for now) we cruised down into Idaho's panhandle and took advice from the Bonners Ferry Visitor Centre to check out the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge.

After a short drive we arrived there and took a quick stroll up to a pretty waterfall.

We were attacked by insects for the effort so we retreated to the comfort of Bessie and set off on the five-mile auto tour of the wetlands and meadows.

Everybody had their binoculars poised and we saw a few ducks (or perhaps they were loons) and deer.

We were enjoying the soundscape formed by the bird life (between intermittent squeals of 'I can't see the deer!' and 'Indy's got my nockies!') and we were quite certain we were frightening away all but the bravest beasts when we came upon two moose.

Standing knee high in a marsh, the mother and calf didn't take too much notice of us and only moved on slowly at their own leisure about 20 minutes later.

Yes, you'll have to squint -
they looked much bigger through the binoculars!!

Corridor of Glory

I was going to write "Yoho, Jasper and Kootenay National Parks" as the title for this one, but it doesn't quite sum it up.

Basically, we don't have adequate words to describe this corner of the world. There is so much snow-capped beauty here that you either laugh or cry or sometimes both as you emerge from one valley into the next exquisitely beautiful valley.

Between our previous trip here and this one we've now driven the Icefields Parkway three times! It's really that good. We were actually discussing getting our bus licences and getting jobs driving the tour buses up and down it for a living.

We're more limited this time in terms of hiking (we travelled so much further with Indy in his little pack than we ever could with the two boys now) and so we found ourselves reminiscing about the trails we did in Yoho and off the Icefields last time.

But the great thing about driving through this area is that the mountains are so very close to the road that you don't have to hit long arduous trails to feel like you're right in amongst them. You can drink it all in regardless of fitness or circumstances.

We would actually go so far as to say it's probably the world's most beautiful drive. Really. It's that good.

Coming through Yoho, we had fun recreating an image we captured at the Natural Bridge when Indy was a baby (but Nath can hardly lift him now, netalone over his head). See the original HERE.

I delighted in showing the kids the spiral tunnels, designed to reduce the grade that trains have to take on. You can see the end of these long freight trains entering the tunnel as the front of the train crosses over the top.

On the icefields parkway, the colours lended to the lakes and rivers by the glacial melt are often-times fluorescent. It doesn't look real.

We walked up to the toe of the Athabasca Glacier again, which was completely different as you'd expect when you're talking about a river of ice.

We camped the night across the road, looking up at just a hint of the Columbia Icefield beyond, enjoying the near-bluebird sky, and contemplating the unfathomable nature of those high glaciers which hang atop the mountainsides like thick marzipan on sliced wedding cake.

Oh, I almost forgot - we saw a mother black bear and two cubs during the day (black bears and grizzly bears can be all shades so the name is a bit confusing), along with a mountain goat, more bighorn sheep and several deer.

The next morning, we made our way down through Kootenay National Park. It is, in its own right, exceptionally beautiful and we enjoyed peering down into Marble Canyon and checking out Numa Falls.

We weren't able to stop at Olive Lake which was cordoned off thanks to rampant bear activity. We had actually seen another bear cub on the side of the road as we'd driven into Kootenay off the transcontinental.

But Kootenay sort of felt like it should have been the entree to the main event of the Icefields Parkway. Without seeing it in isolation we don't think we gave it its due. We've been entirely spoilt by the last few days in this 'corridor of glory' and I still don't think I've managed to sum it up. Perhaps our photos will do a better job than I can - CLICK HERE.

Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks, Canada

We were so keen to see this area in great weather that we stayed put in Revelstoke for three nights waiting out some rain that was passing through.

Two of those nights were down at the Lake Williamson Campground, where the kids and I watched the fisheries department stocking the lake. I'd often wondered how they did that and seeing all the fish tumbling out of the pipe sitting off the side of the truck answered that question.

While at the campground, Nath took a short run around the trail to the other side of the lake where there was a nice little waterfall.

A highlight was the entire afternoon we spent down at the aquatic centre which had a great waterslide (Indy wore out the surface he went down it so many times), a floaty river, a climbing wall over the pool, a springboard, a lap pool -- all super warm! We soaked for hours. It was the bath the kids never get!

We also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a lunch at The Village Idiot in Revelstoke, where Indy practised his photography taking shots of us.

With the rain gone, we were on the road again. The Revelstoke National Park's Meadows in the Sky Parkway was mostly closed due to snow so it didn't offer us much juice as Nath likes to say (and which Indy now copies with an occasional "there's not much juice in that Dad").

On our way eastwards we strolled through the Skunk Cabbage and Giant Cedars boardwalk trails and on  entering Glacier National Park (the Canadian version of Glacier; not the American) we checked out the Hemlock Grove and Rock Garden trails.

These little interpretive-style trails are great for the kids. Cumulatively they walk a fair way, but the shortness of each walk and the info boards to check out ensure they rarely realise they've walked at all.

And then for the main event... We drove along the transcontinental right up through Rogers Pass which was the route first discovered for a train line to connect the east and west and which now also bears the road (the Highway 1 - 'transcontinental').

Truckies must have the best and worst of it over here. The '1' which most of them would need to drive along passes through some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable (from here it passes through even MORE national parks) but the number of high mountain passes and steep downgrades following each must make it pretty hair-raising. There are brake check pull-ins everywhere and lots of runaway lines, many of which look like they've been used (and more than once).

Glacier National Park is the home of the world's largest mobile avalanche defence program. The avalanche chutes running down the sides of every mountain make them look like some ski resort entrepreneur went mad and ordered runs be put everywhere. Spring ground cover is the only thing gracing these entire vertical swathes of mountain from top to bottom.

The road and the train line are both at risk and so there are multiple tunnels and snow covers (which are like sheds on the hillside).

In winter, the road regularly gets closed as the authorities work together to reduce the avalanche risk. We watched a video in the Rogers Pass Discovery Center and the kids' jaws dropped when they saw army personnel were shooting massive artillery at the mountainsides, sending the avalanches down while people were out of harm's way.

While the kids and I played with fake scat (at least I hope it wasn't real) and made animal tracks in the sandpit at the Discovery Centre, Nath took the trail up Balu Pass as far as the snow line (about eight kilometres return) to get a better sense of the mountains behind.

The video in the Discovery Centre reminded me about the different ways to act in a defensive Vs predatory grizzly attack. Defensive: Yes, yes, grip the back of the neck, lie on the stomach, wait until it stops attacking to get up (Get UP? - how exactly are you going to get up when you're torn to shreds?). Predatory: Yes, yes, I understand that if it's stalking me it DOES plan to eat me, okay and I should fight back straight away. Right.

At every shop, when I see the displays holding pepper spray and bells, I'm reminded of the joke about the grizzly (who goes ting-a-ling when he moves). Oh, sorry to ruin the punchline. Yes, it's hilarious.

Nath arrived back safely again and we continued along Highway 1 through to Golden where we camped at the Municipal Campground on the Kicking Horse River.

While dinner's on the stove, some bighorn sheep came grazing along the steep hillside on the other side of the river and we had the pleasure of watching the freight train trying to clear them off the tracks.

Golden has a beautiful pedestrian bridge and is surrounded in snow-capped mountains. A lovely place to stop.

Sea to Sky to Revelstoke

We spent the morning strolling along some of the trails at Lighthouse Park on the North side of the Burrard Inlet.

The boys picked a bag full of salmon berries worthy of a bear's breakfast and then gorged themselves silly back in Bessie.

I think people living at Horseshoe Bay (on the 99) would have to invent things to complain about. Beautiful homes, moorings for their yachts, golf courses, nearby skiing, views of the bay AND snow-capped mountains, plus easy access to the interstate. Lovely!

The 99 north, known as the Sea to Sky Parkway, was clearly upgraded prior to the winter olympics, but why, when they were spending so much money on the road, didn't they put in viewpoints that actually look at the view? It's crazy how many of the 'scenic' stops look at a set of power lines or a wall of trees. It's a bit of a shame, because the mountain scenery is divine.

We checked out the runs on Whistler Blackcomb from the road as we drove through and camped at Nairn Falls Provincial Park, on a cliffside overlooking a rushing river.

The next morning, we bought a birthday brownie at Pemberton and the boys sang me Happy Birthday further along the road.

The mountains, forests and melt-fed lakes and rivers gave way to distinctively different scenery after Lillooet, with at first, steep barren gorges and then later, golden agricultural fields.

We pulled in to camp at Juniper Beach Provincial Park as a thunderstorm rolled through and fell asleep to the sound of crickets and the river behind us.

Kamloops afforded us a spot to fill up and get groceries in the morning and after a play at Sicamous, we found a campsite in Revelstoke, gateway to Mount Revelstoke National Park.