Revelstoke, BC and Back to the USA

September 6-10, 2013

 

Well, on Sep. 7, the storm broke a little bit and on our drive up the road to Radium Hot Springs we stopped to see the Giant Western Red Cedar Grove. It was wet, drippy, and downright cool. These sure are beautiful trees.

Katherine in the Western Red Cedar Grove

 

Sep. 9 was our day to sightsee. The storm left us but lots of moisture that meant early am fog for our trip up through Kootenay National Park. So we missed seeing lots of mountains. As we neared the summit the clouds broke as we entered Banff National Park for the second time this trip. We drove down to Banff (the town) and found it a whole lot less congested than in early July. We got chance to see some sights we missed the first time around.

Ridge in Kootenay NP.

The "Castle" in Banff NP

 

Back in Yolo National Park (west side of Continental Divide) we stopped to watch a freight train go through the Spiral Tunnels. As the locomotives appeared just above the entry, the end of the train was still to enter the lower portal. Further uphill is the second Spiral Tunnel. We went through these on our Rocky Mountaineer Trip in 2001. We also took the side trip up to the Takakkaw Falls. This road is a “joy” to drive as it has 3 major switch backs that busses drive up one, then back up the next. The 1260 ' falls make the trip eminently worthwhile. The picture does not really show the scale of these Falls. "Takakkaw", loosely translated from Cree, means something like "it is magnificent". The falls are fed by the Daly Glacier, which is part of the Waputik Icefield.

Takakkaw Falls (1260 feet vertical drop)

Mountains and Yolo River

 

September 10 was our day to arrive back in the USA. No real problems with Customs except the piece of carved Woolly Mammoth Tusk Ivory I bought in Dawson City. I refused to say it had a certificate because I wasn’t positive. I still do not know if it does. I guess it’s a good thing I did not have to declare the Whale Baleen Basket with a carved Walrus Tusk handle on the lid (purchased in Anchorage at the Native Heritage Center). He'd probably had a hissy fit over THAT. Walrus Tusk Ivory is legal only if purchased from a member of the arctic native Americans tribes.