That George Vancouver from King's Lynn, he got about a bit…

[MikeO]

4th September 2025

A good night's sleep—jet lag is, apparently, no longer a factor…

I get up at around 08:20, and — after showering etc, pad around the room(s) packing stuff away. I take it all down to the car and load it aboard, then come back for breakfast — but I'm not really taken by the choice. I fill up my travel mug and water bottle, then go out to the car and decide to look for breakfast elsewhere…

Almost next door, I see a restaurant sign — it turns out to be the cafeteria of a supermarket…

Rather than a menu, they have two breakfasts on display — the bus driver's or the farmer's…

The essential choice is whether you want bacon or sausages with your breakfast. Why not both? Nope — can't do that. It's like Sophie's choice — I feel broken after saying I'll have the farmer's breakfast, with sourdough toast and eggs over easy…

It arrives promptly and is delicious…

Sated, I get back on the road and start heading back towards Jasper…

It's a cool morning with a light, random bit of cloud cover. The smoke is still here, but, as I head back into Jasper, it seems to have thinned a little. Happily, this trend will continue throughout the day…

There are signs reminding tourists that — under Napoleonic Law — it is illegal to offer fruit to an ungulate…

This is a beautiful part of the world…

…and I feel privileged to be in a position to enjoy it like this.

I decide to stay away from Stalingrad, and listen to a variety of podcasts — notably another Stuff You Should Know about the America's Militarized Police — sobering stuff and worth a listen.

I stop at an overlook. Last year this area was hit by wildfire — all the signs that used to tell you of the sights and history are now just blackened scorched metal…

Its regrowth is impressive — in three years or so, you'll not see much evidence of the fire at all…

The air clears the further south I drive…

It's now like an early morning mist — except this isn't burning off like mist would…

The sheer scale of the place is difficult to convey…

…with every way you turn being a magnificent view…

Onward!

In a couple of months time, this will be a completely different snow scape…

The Park is very busy, with spaces to stop for a few minutes at the overlooks difficult to find…

It's a beautiful drive…

How about this for a camper? All set for the zombie apocalypse by the look of it…
It has a Netherlands licence plate — and a sign saying Pura Vida Travelling — which it seems is a travel agency.

The water is impossibly blue — and I wish there were fewer people around, I imagine this could be quite a restful spot…

It's still quite cool — I don't think it got above 17 °C today, in fact…

Soon, I'm turned onto the main highway towards Lake Louise and Banff. Every few miles I come across these wildlife crossings, the government's attempt to cut down on vehicle/animal interactions…

I follow the signs to Lake Louise, but — exactly as I remember in 2004, when I was on the bike, it's chaos. Nowhere to park. Draconian signs about what will happen to you if you stop — it's just rubbish.

Just as well, my therapist told me to cut anything with the name Louise out of my life…

In no time, I'm in Banff and checking in to my room at the Canalta Lodge — probably the single most expensive night in a hotel I've ever paid for…

The car is ensconced in the basement car “parkade”, which has a lift direct to my second floor room. It's very chichi, with some bold colour choices…

…particularly in the bathroom…

I rather like the LED hurricane lamps acting as bedside lights.

And a Nespresso machine!

I make myself a Volluto whilst my pics upload, and I start my journal.

Good day…

 

[ymfb]

If there’s a next time try Canmore instead of Banff, we found it cheaper, slightly less touristy. Plenty of restaurants

 

[Greg Masters]

Lake Louise - free extensive parking in the ski area

Take the ski lift up the mountain, have a meal/drink at the top and watch Grizzly Bears from the safety of the ride.

Take the shuttle bus to Lake Louise. Tailgate a resident into the Fairmont Hotel. Have a drink there. Take shuttle bus back to car.

 

[matgriff]

Two coincidences here for me...... firstly I seldom read the trip reports that are not on bikes........ secondly, you drove past and took a picture of a long standing ex-work colleague of mine, Roger Grace (retired a long time ago) who lives in the Vancouver area and has a few "big Healys"

Here he is standing by his black one

Small World....

Great Read by the way, enjoy the trip.

 

[MikeO]

Two coincidences here for me...... firstly I seldom read the trip reports that are not on bikes........ secondly, you drove past and took a picture of a long standing ex-work colleague of mine, Roger Grace (retired a long time ago) who lives in the Vancouver area and has a few "big Healys"

Here he is standing by his black one

Small World....

Great Read by the way, enjoy the trip.

Glad you're enjoying the trip. It is indeed a small world - or perhaps the GS community is a large one?

 

[MikeO]

5th September 2025

Another good night's sleep. I get up around 08:00, ablute and pack, then take my stuff down to the underground garage…

Like all the hotels in Banff, this one caters for skiers and snowboarders during winter, and evidence of this is everywhere you look…

I go back to the ground floor to grab a spot of breakfast…

…and notice they have a selection of board games that guests can borrow — I expect the winter evenings can be long…

The breakfast area is pretty full, so I ask Karen (left) if I could join her. She told me her friend Sharon (right) would be coming down soon, but that I was very welcome…

I grab some scrambled eggs, country potatoes and suspicious looking sausages from the hot buffet — not bad (despite my mate Darren asking why I had cat turds on my plate )…

Karen and Sharon are from Seattle — Karen isn't just on the right in this pic, but also says she prefers Trump to Biden. I steer the subject away from politics…

As I am about to leave, Sharon asks if they could say a prayer for me. I tell them I don't have any faith, but she asks if they could anyway. I nod, and she says a prayer for my safe onward travel, which both she and Karen “Amen” to.

It was a kind thought — but I'm always left feeling slightly uncomfortable by a display of this sort (it's not the first time I've encountered it in North America). I say my goodbyes and head down to the garage where the X5 awaits…

I pull out into the main street in Banff. It's a cool, clear morning — it dropped to a low of 5 °C last night, but will be in the mid-20s later on. I pull into a service station and fill the car up with 94 Octane. I calculate the consumption, and I'm amazed to find it has done 40.7mpg (UK) over the last 230-odd miles (34.2mpg US). That's from a four litre all-wheel drive SUV.

I drive towards the main highway to Radium Springs, when I see a scenic drive sign — marked Vermillion Lakes — so decide to wander down and have a look…

It's a popular cycling route, and has some arresting warning signs…

It's a beautiful spot, but the smoke has not improved — in fact, it will get worse during the day…

After 20 minutes or so, I've completed the loop, and steer the car onto the route south towards Radium Springs…

I've decided to shelve The Lighthouse of Leningrad for the time being, and am re-listening to Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (who wrote The Martian). I'm looking forward to the film version, which is released early next year — great tale…

It's a lovely drive, despite the poor visibility…

There's a lot more smoke in the air to the left of the road…

…than the right — or maybe it's a trick of where the sun is at the moment…

In no time, it seems — although it has just passed noon — I'm negotiating the gorge and entering Radium Springs…

They have a great rams-horn sculpture on their roundabout. I decide to stop for a spot of lunch…

This looks like it will fit the bill…

I get a rose lemonade confused

…and a delicious roast chicken salad ciabatta roll…

It's even smokier as I set off towards Cranbrook…

A bridge — yay!

I arrive at my hotel, the Ramada at Cranbrook, at about 1400 and am quickly shown to my room…

I grab my dirty clothes and shove them into the guest laundry. On this trip, I brought a little Tupperware containing some washing pods from home, rather than trust my kit to the vagaries of coin-slot powders — it's all done within an hour or so.

I decide to go all Hobbit-like and have a second breakfast. A mile down the road is a Denny's — why not?

Medium-rare T-bone with eggs, sourdough toast and country potatoes and HP sauce!

Second breakfast of champions…

I waddle back to the car and drive back to the hotel. I'm staying here two nights, to have a day off from driving…

Good day…

 

[Greg Masters]

 

[LOLGEOFF]

 

[MikeO]

6th September 2025

Another good night's sleep. I wake at about 07:20, thinking it's my usual 04:00 bladder parade. After easing springs, I race through all the NYT puzzles in just over half an hour. I decide to reward this effort with a half hour nap — and wake at 10:05…

Hey-ho. I ablute, dress, then go out to the car — it's quite pleasant not having to pack.

Now, I'm sure the majority of Brits would agree that the BMW X5 is a pretty large vehicle. It's the size of a Range Rover. Look at how diminutive it looks next to this gargantuan American pickup. The roofline of the X5 is at about the same level as the bottom of the windows of the Ram…

I drive into town, looking for a café that Karen & Sharon recommended to me…

Here it is…

I go in and am told to 'sit anywhere'…

This place has a great feel to it…

Right, let's see…

I think the Baker89 Breakfast will do the trick, with hash browns, pancakes, and eggs over easy. I also get a complimentary…

…breakfast soup (Karen and Sharon had told me about this) — Potato and bacon — delicious…

The breakfast is huge — and absolutely delicious. They then put the crown on its head by bringing me…

…HP Sauce…

Eventually I'm finished, pay my (very reasonable) bill and stagger back out to the car. It's parked in a parking meter zone, but they are inactive at the weekend.

Can't remember the last time I saw a parking meter in the UK…

I get Waze to take me back to the hotel…

Seeing this sculpture, entitled “Junk Yard Bear” outside a High School…

…the First Nation's name for which I'm not going to attempt to pronounce…

Incidentally, I have noticed that the iPhone camera has now got a feature that gives you an artificial horizon, to aid in keeping things horizontal…

You can see it as a white line crossing the statue's torso, and a further one to the left of the pic, showing the pic is left wing low. I'm not sure if this is a feature I have inadvertently turned on, or if it came with a recent iOS update…

More later…

 

[MikeO]

6th September 2025 (Cont)

Unsurprisingly, my giga-breakfast kept me sated for most of the day. I had a 'down day' — something I have learned to incorporate into my trips, every week or so. It's just a chance to catch up on some personal admin and chill out, really.

The smoke today is awful — not so much in the town itself, but you cannot see any of the mountains which normally form such a beautiful horizon…

I eventually wander out, but only to get some lemonade. I've been struck by how few old cars I have seen on this trip — just the Austin Healey near Vancouver. As I was thinking about this…

… I spot this beauty parked in front of a sports store, Business must be good…

Although it's in spotless condition, it has a degree of patina to the paintwork…

…and I think it probably looked like this when it was delivered. It hasn't been overdone like so many classics — 'restored' to within an inch of their lives…

I pick up my lemonade and drive back to the hotel — I'll likely spend the evening catching up on various series I'm watching.

Think I'm going back to Bakery89 for breakfast tomorrow before setting off, though…

 

[MikeO]

7th September 2025

Another good night's sleep. I wake around 07:00 and do the NYT puzzles successfully and am showered and dressed by 0900. I wheel my gear out to the car and set course for Bakery 89 and breakfast…

The complimentary breakfast soup is beef & vegetable today. Not really a breakfast fruit, but hey-ho…

I decide to try the Bakery89 Omelette — pretty much the breakfast I had yesterday, but in omelette form with some onions and peppers thrown in…

…with pancakes and — without being asked — HP Sauce…

After paying my bill (about £14.80, including a 15% tip, for those interested), I roll out to the car and set off.

Any idea what this stranger is? Parked on the way back to the main road…

I have a room booked in Kelowna today — it's about six hours or so away…

I'm going to stop for fuel en route…

I see a slew of old classic and custom cars heading in the other direction. There's clearly a car show in Cranbrook today. My timing sucks…

No matter — I spot this pair of sad looking individuals for sale at the side of the road…

Need a little work…

…but I reckon you could produce a pretty good example from the pair…

If you're interested, give Les a call…

(“ran when parked” — I'm surprised he didn't add “Don't lowball me — I know what I got”)

I think this is probably Les's pickup…

I drive on — the smoke is still marring the views, but it is forecast to rain later, which will drag a lot of the particulate stuff out of the atmosphere and clean up the visibility. Of course, I've just left Jasper and Banff — my timing is just impeccable…

So, I'm using my iPhone as a GPS (Waze), a camera, and listening to an audiobook through the BMW's CarPlay interface. It sucks a lot of power — and, although there's a wireless charging pad in the centre console, I need quick access if I'm going to use it as a camera…

The speed limit here is 90kph — I set the cruise control at 111kph, which I figure is within the wiggle zone for a speeding ticket…

I remember riding down this road back in 2004 — it was gin-clear and a fantastic view. It's pleasant now, but — damn…

There's still a steady stream of hot rods and classics heading the other way…

It's quite warm (about 26 °C), and humid — the forecast may be right…

I take a breather at an overlook. There's a chap fishing on his own in a small boat out there…

I stop for petrol — somewhere — and find two old cars fuelling up…

Needless to say, there are lots of points available for identifying these cars…

I clean the insects off the windscreen — there are a lot — which is a good sign of a healthy ecology, I think…

I later work out that the car has been doing 39.3 mpg (32.8 US).

Not long after I set off again, my audiobook suddenly stops, as does my GPS guidance — my iPhone has run out of power…

No matter, I pull over to sort things out. I quickly work out how to use the BMW GPS system, which has the benefit of providing guidance in the HUD, then put the phone in the wireless charger and restart the audiobook where it left off.

This is actually a better method, navigation-wise, as Waze seems to get very nervous when it doesn't have a cellular signal, and sometimes gives up directions completely.

I carry on — still listening to Project Hail Mary, which is beginning to reach the final straight…

The weather has improved, although there are a lot of towering cumulus clouds to my left (south), which are what is going to provide the rain later…

The rain, when it comes, is heavy, and I reduce any speed accordingly. These roads are likely to be treacherous after a long dry spell…

Very soon, I'm entering Kelowna and am directed to the Hampton Inn (annoyingly interrupting the last critical minutes of the audiobook ).
I'm quickly checked in, and, after parking in the underground garage, take the lift (elevator) to the fifth floor to my huge room…

I'm here for two nights — no plan as yet…

 

[Hairnet600]

the green one - its written on the front

chevy impala

the black thing closest to you while you were moving is a charger i think - the side window reminds me of the one on overhaulin i think

the white thing - 40s ford maybe?

thanks mike

 

[Hairnet600]

had to cheat

the four door stranger is a studebaker commander - didnt know they did 4 drs

it looked like an amc rambler to me

 

[MikeO]

had to cheat

the four door stranger is a studebaker commander - didnt know they did 4 drs

it looked like an amc rambler to me

I genuinely didn't know what it was, but an AMC would be amongst my guesses - good job Hairnet

 

[MikeO]

9th September 2025

I had another 'day off' yesterday and did some replanning. I've been frustrated that the main thing I have travelled to see—the scenery — is hidden behind a veil of smoke. A change of direction is called for…

But first — breakfast…

For a complimentary breakfast, the Hampton Inn here has made a valiant effort. They are proper British bangers; the mini-omelettes are a bit meh, but eggs served in a buffet are always going to be a compromise.

Cutlery is still maximum-security prison style — hey-ho…

This has been a great hotel, and I'll leave them a good review. I tend to do all of them when I get home, no matter how often they pester me…

I'm soon out of the underground car park and negotiating my way through Kelowna's Tuesday morning traffic. I'm using the BMW's inbuilt GPS, which — other than having an irksomely accented voice — is very good. I can probably change the voice — will have to explore…

After about 20 minutes or so, I'm free of Kelowna's rush hour and on the freeway towards Merritt — where I spent my second night. Today will involve a deal of retracing of steps, but even the most cursory glance at a map will reveal why: there just aren't that many roads…

I have passed an overhead matrix sign warning of dense smoke ahead and forbidding stopping...

…but initially, at least, this is the clearest visibility I've had since I arrived. The rain the other afternoon must have pulled a lot of the particulate stuff out of the air…

The traffic is very light and, keeping up a steady 121kph, the distance soon starts to run down…

So, I come across a quirk of the car. If I'm cornering with a little gusto, the cruise control doesn't disengage, but the car will reduce in speed a little until the wheel starts to resume a straight line again. I'm driving in “Comfort” mode (which is very comfortable), I'd imagine in “Sport” mode it would just leave me to it…

I'm listening to a new audiobook (still can't face returning to Stalingrad) — recommended by a member of UKGSer, actually. A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders, by John Elledge, which is a somewhat irreverent and slightly tongue in cheek history of why we have borders and how they became where they are. It's an interesting listen — I think I'll likely listen to it again sometime after I get home, with the accompanying maps on the screen…

On the subject of borders, I was parallelling the border with Gilead on the way to Kelowna, but I am now looping north, only to return towards the border as I approach Vancouver…

Hello — here's the smoke they warned about earlier…

I turn onto the Trans Canada Highway, which they are resurfacing, and can see the smoke smudges from active fires ahead and to my left…

…but this is as smoky as it gets…

I'm soon through that and into the much clearer air further south…

This drive is so much nicer when it's clear…

Under the avalanche shelter, with the grizzly bear artwork…

Getting a bit peckish…

I stop at an A&W drive-through, following a Sailors & Dames Tattoo Parlour SUV…

I just have a burger, some onion rings and a lemonade. My experience with A&W has always been good, and today is no exception…

It starts to cloud up a little as I get closer to Vancouver — it's still a very pleasant 21 °C…

Isn't that a great looking bridge?

Quite suddenly, it seems, I'm off the highway and negotiating Vancouver's urban sprawl…

Incidentally, for those who haven't driven or ridden in North America, you are generally allowed to use a red traffic light as a Give Way (Yield) sign if you are turning right. On occasion this is not allowed to, as in this case — hence the signs.

So now you know.

One last bridge, and I'm arriving at my hotel. I park in the adjoining multi-storey car park, pinch their luggage trolley and cart everything up to my ninth floor room — which is beautiful…

It's very eco-friendly…

…with lots of use of renewable wood etc…

Even the key card…

It has a balcony…

…and I can already see lots of restaurants and bars…

It also has a Nespresso machine…

More later…

 

[MikeO]

9th September 2025 (Cont)

After I'd finished the first part of my journal, I watched the sixth episode of Alien Earth on the massive TV on the wall. I managed to do this by Google-cast — which I'd never used before — but which allows you to show whatever you want from your iPad/iPhone etc on the big screen.
I have to say, I'm quite impressed with the series so far — only two more episodes to go…

I get in the lift (elevator), which has a worryingly large picture of Dame Edna on the wall, and wander out through the lobby in search of something to eat…

The area has a quiet buzz to it, with most of the shops being devoted to the sort of people who consider shopping a leisure activity…

My hotel is quite imposing — my room is about a third of the way up…

The ubiquity of legal recreational cannabis still surprises me — although it's been that way for years now…

You must be 19+ to enter — strange number — is that also the drinking age in Canada?

Eventually, I wander into a Hello Nori Sushi bar. I order an Asahi lager…

…and the “Special”…

Which comprises…

…well — fuck knows — although there were oysters…

It was soon time to go (after another Asahi). I was left as so often in the past with Japanese dining — still hungry, having spent a fortune…

As I got to the hotel, my watch buzzed and asked if I was doing a workout, as I'd walked so far. I think it thought it'd been stolen…

Good day.

 

[theoneandonly]

Tojo's Restaurant

tojos.com

ate here many years ago , was very good .

wasn't as fancy as it is now.

 

[LOLGEOFF]

The ubiquity of legal recreational cannabis still surprises me — although it's been that way for years now…

Do the punters partake on the premises with their pets in tow? You wouldn't want to be anywhere near a Doberman or Rottweiler when they get the "munchies".

 

[Hairnet600]

9th September 2025 (Cont)


As I got to the hotel, my watch buzzed and asked if I was doing a 20k walk, as I'd walked so far. I think it thought it'd been close to Yusuke Suzuki's record…

watch has heart attack, over man going for dinner

 

[MikeO]

Do the punters partake on the premises with their pets in tow? You wouldn't want to be anywhere near a Doberman or Rottweiler when they get the "munchies".

Never seen marijuana make anyone anything but mellow...