We slept in today. Things were very quiet out at Cottonwood Cove on the banks of Lake Shuswap. We could feel that the weather has changed up here. When we checked in, the hostess told us that it had been in the 80s and the air smoky from forest fires to the south. This morning it was probably in the 50s and it would only be cooler where we were going. By the time we got ourselves together and ready to hit the road it was 10:00 AM. A little late by our standards.
Before we pulled out onto TC1, I decided I would top off the fuel tanks on “Bertha”, what we have lovingly named our motorhome. I was planning on not filling up until we got back into the States since fuel is about $1.50 per gallon cheaper down there. But I decided it would be better to be safe since we would be going up and over the Canadian Rockies. After we fueled up and peeled the bugs off of the windshield we were headed north-east on the TC1. We wound our way along the banks of the north arm of Shuswap Lake and we were amazed at how large it was. From our vantage point at Cottonwood Cove we couldn’t really tell how large the lake is. I was reading about Shuswap lake near the village of Squilax. The lake and village are Indian names established by the native tribes that have occupied this area for hundreds of years. From what I read, the fishing in this lake is very good. It is home to rainbow trout and steelhead and it even has a variety of trout that are unique to the lake.
About 20 miles down the road, we rolled through a small town. I saw a market off the road and Elisa wanted to stop to get some fresh vegetables, in particular she had a hankering for zucchini. I found a spot where I could pull Bertha and our tow vehicle over. I waited in the rig, in case in needed to move it, while Elisa ran in. To my surprise she popped back out in only a couple of minutes and she was empty handed. She explained that the markets “Fresh Produce” section was about the size of a large ice chest and apparently they hadn’t seen a shipment for some time. So we headed on down the road. She saw on the map that we would be rolling through the town of Salmon Arm and hopefully they would have a larger and better equipped store. As soon as we rolled into town, I knew we had hit the motherlode – they had a Super-Walmart. So, I navigated the parking lot and found a place to park and we spent an hour perusing the grocery aisles of this very large and well equipped store. Elisa found the things she was looking for. Supposedly, Walmart has a reputation for attracting strange looking clientele, but everyone looked pretty normal to me. I suppose that means we were the strange looking folks – me in shorts and a tee shirt. After shopping we decided to have lunch there in the parking lot.
By the time, we got back on the TC1 it was a little after 12:00 noon. The GPS said Banff was 250 miles away. By this time, the traffic on the TC1 was a little heavier. There were lots of big rigs hauling supplies from west to east. There were also a lot of RV’s. The TC1 would alternate from 4 lanes divided highway with 75mph speed limit to 2 lane narrow roads with 45mph speed limit. There was also a lot of construction along the way. At one point, one whole side of the TC1 was closed and being resurfaced. Traffic going both directions was shoehorned into a single lane taking up what little shoulder was on the road. At times traffic would slow to a crawl so that 2 big rigs or a big rig and our RV could pass one another without hitting or tumbling off the road way. At one point traffic came to a near stop because a family of mountain goats decided to take a stroll along the TC1. It was funny because we had seen a sign earlier warning that there were mountain goats in the area and we thought we wouldn’t be so lucky to see one and here they were just outside the car.
After what seemed like a long time, we finally rolled into Banff. By my watch it said it was a little after 5:00 PM. I didn’t realize that it was actually 6:00 PM because we crossed a time zone when we entered Alberta. I had had the foresight to reserve a campsite for our motorhome in advance. However, when I looked at the email confirmation, it did not indicate where our campsite was. There are several camping locations in Banff National Park. So I thought we would drop into the visitor center to get some information. I was a little nervous because I suspected they might close at 5:00 pm and according to my watch it was about 5:03. As we pulled off the TC1, into Banff Village the first sigh we saw directed us to an Information Center. Lucky for us there was a place to park our motorhome. We dashed over to the building, but we were discouraged when we saw that it was closed. As we were walking back to the motorhome, I noticed another direction sign pointing the way to another Information center in the heart of the village. So we hopped into the motorhome and headed into the tiny village of Banff. So you have to picture this, our motorhome is about 40’ long and with the car in tow, it’s about 60’ in length. The city blocks in this tiny village aren’t much longer than that – or so it seemed. I did see the Information Center in the heart of town, and it looked like they were open – but where to park Bertha. As we pulled down a less busy side street I saw that there was open curb near the stop sign. Although it was marked no-parking, I pulled over and parked there anyway. Elisa waited in the motorhome while I dashed over to the Information center.
When I got there, there was a long line of people at one desk waiting to buy camping permits. There was another line for booking tours with no one in it I asked the young lady if I needed to be in that other line if I already had a reservation. She said, “if you have a reservation why would you stand in that line”. I said back to her that, “that was my question”. I explained that I couldn’t tell from the email confirmation which campground my reservation was for. So she said she could take a look and try to help me out. I showed her the confirmation and she immediately says, “it says right here that you are at Tunnel Mountain”. I looked at the email and it doesn’t say “Tunnel Mountain” anywhere. So I ask her how can you tell it’s Tunnel Mountain. She gives me that eye roll that only tourists get and she explains that it says “Trailer Court on it, and everyone knows that the Trailer Courts are at Tunnel Mountain.” I reply back to her that perhaps not “everyone” knows that. She finally agrees that perhaps the email could have been a little clearer. The best news is that we are very near the road that will take us there.
So I dash back to the motorhome – no ticket – excellent. We are pointed in the right direction and we are on our way up the hill to Tunnel Mountain. As we pull into the Trailer Court Village, we roll up to a nice kiosk where the young lady confirms our reservation and points us toward our campsite. She also explains that there are bears in the area and not to leave anything outside at night – nothing scented – not even toothpaste. The campsites are interestingly arranged. And they end up being very private and they are very spacious. These sites can easily accommodate up to 45’ motorhomes. We are able to pull in with our tow car and set up. The sites are equipped with electric, water and sewer but no cable tv or wifi. Oh well – we will have to rough it. We have a quick and light dinner and for our evening entertainment we do our laundry. It is so nice having a stacked washer and dryer in the rig. We always hated having to use up prime sightseeing time by having to stop at a laundromat. So far, we are really liking our new motorhome, but it hasn’t been without some problems that will have to get taken care of under warranty when we get back home.
That’s all for now.
Rex & Elisa