Scenes Through a Dirty Windshield #2 – Jasper to Kamloops

NOTE: This post contains slideshows and if you are reading it on your phone, it is best viewed direct from the SITE, rather than in the READER.

All photos taken on July 19, 2021 on our trip to Victoria.

After our short lunch stop, we drove into Jasper town to use the facilities. We were immediately struck by how busy everything was and how few people seemed to be taking any Covid precautions. It was like a normal July day. We were still uncomfortable with our exposure, despite being double vaccinated, so wore face masks into the restrooms. We were in the minority and did our best to keep distant and safe. We did not care if we seemed out of place. We were still trying to find our way back to normal, after all and that might take a while.

A common scene in the Rockies. Continual long freight trains rumble through Jasper on their way West or East at all hours of day and night.

Crossing the provincial boundary into British Columbia

Gateway to Mount Robson Park, home of the most prominent (2829 m/9,281 feet) peak in the North American Rockies and highest (3,954 m/12,972 feet ASL) peak in the Canadian Rockies

After Mount Robson Park gate, we could just make out it’s snow capped peak in the distance. Our travel day benefited from the time zone change to Pacific (gaining an hour), but this did not shorten our drive. We soon found ourselves along the Fraser River and Moose Lake, before coming to a halt at the site of serious road accident (motorcycle fatality). One lane traffic was still moving, so our wait was not too long. It seems there are always accidents to navigate around, when travelling through the Rockies, either North or South route.

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Mountain after mountain rolled by. The smoke, while less than at home was still evident, as we were travelling toward the source of many of the forest fires. In places we caught a glimpse of the ongoing work occurring on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from Edmonton to Burnaby (3rd slide).

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As we approached the city of Kamloops, the size of the mountains decreased until they turned into brown desert like hills. Signs of forest fires from previous years became evident.

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After 834 km (518 miles) and some 10 hours in transit, we found ourselves at our stop for the night, Accent Inns on Columbia Street. We had stayed here before, but had obviously forgotten how close to the highway it was located. We checked in and opted to grab take out dinner from the nearby White Spot restaurant. It looked quiet enough and some were wearing masks, but by the time our food was ready, the place was mobbed with diners. Good choice to do take out. We would have to get used to this over the next 7 days.

The shots below show the scenes around the hotel. The AQHI was 4 in Kamloops, much better than the 8+ back home, but you could still smell the smoke.

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Dinner done, TV watched, we settled down to try to sleep in a room with a noisy A/C, by the noisy swimming pool next to noisy highway. Damn you, Booking.com.

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