Win!

     We caught the mouse! Yay! It was a cute little field mouse and it fell for the peanut butter bait. Our stuff is safe again! Luke took the car out and vacuumed it all out before we repacked it, and now we're on our way again. We're headed to White Horse and then Skagway. From there we'll take the ferry to Haines and then head up through Alaska. We probably won't have internet again until Skagway or Haines, in a few days. Until then, adventure on!

Columbia Icefields

4-18-2015

     There is a mouse in the car. It stole a cracker and cheese rinds from the small collection of garbage we had. It chewed the tiniest hole in one of the granola bags and stole a dried cherry. We also found a pistachio and a pumpkin seed, and I have no idea where those came from. It keeps finding pumpkin seeds, too. It's baffling.

     So far it has chewed a little of Luke's comforter, but thankfully just the cover and not into the feathers. It chewed major holes in my favorite fleece pullover, and it's ruined. It also chewed through the pocket of my rope bag. And for some reason it has an obsession with napkins, because it keeps finding them and steeling them to use for its nest, which it keeps making in Luke's slipper. At least it hasn't chewed the feather pillow, feather comforter, or any of our nice, down jackets.  But my fleece sweatshirt was the last straw for me, and this is war. We got a hotel room tonight just so we could empty the whole inside of the car, set traps, and catch this little bugger. It's going down.

     On a more positive note, the good part of today was seeing the Columbia Icefield. Well, we didn't actually see it, but we did step on it. It was just snowing too hard to actually see anything but an occasional peak of the surrounding mountains. That white, snow covered glacier up there? It was well hidden in the blowing snow. The cool part was how we got to it: a monster bus built for snow travel. It was a red, short nosed bus lifted up on 6 giant tires, 2 in front and 4 in the back, that were almost as tall as I am, with treads the size of my hand. It could drive in 4 wheel drive or 6 wheel drive, and it could drive straight up and down hills. I know, because we did just that. We literally drove over the moraines right onto the glacier, drove a little ways up, got out and walked around, then drove back. All with an informative tour guide, of course. It was cool! It's the only triple continental divide in the world. The Columbia Icefield and surrounding glaciers (once all one piece but now separated) are the headwaters for the Columbia River, which runs into the Pacific Ocean. They're also the headwaters for the Athabasca River, which joins other rivers and eventually runs into the Arctic Ocean. It is also the headwaters for the North Saskatchewan River, which eventually ends in the Atlantic Ocean.  Pretty cool, eh? I thought so. It's pretty wild to be at the origin of some of the major rivers of North America. 

Canmore, Banff, and Lake Louise

4-17-2015

     Just outside the city of Calgary the mountains popped into view, and I felt free. Finally! The real adventures could begin. In less than an hour we were at the mountains. Just before driving into them we took a detour and drove South on AB 40 to Spray Lakes, and then took the Smith Dorrien Trail back North to Canmore. It was a beautiful, scenic route that wound up into the mountains, around rivers and fantastic peaks, with some seriously cool campgrounds and recreation trails scattered throughout. We even discovered a community of small, beautiful mountain houses and cabins around the Spray Lakes Reservoir. We even saw a movie set for a movie that's supposed to be released next year, starring Tom Cruise. We'll be keeping our eyes out for it.

    Canmore came into view just when the road was at its best, where it was wedged in with a river between tall cliff walls. The top of a dam was just visible ahead, and then just when I thought we were going to drive over the dam the road turned and began its long descent into Canmore.

     What a cool town Canmore was! We had some good food at the first place we could find (we were hungry!), at a pub on Main Street, and headed to Banff right after that. Some locals in the pub told us about a lot of cool stuff in Banff, and between Banff and Lake Louise, which was a little further west. Also, Canmore is best for hiking and trails, which were mostly covered in snow still. A lot of trailheads were down roads that were still closed for the winter. So we moved on to Banff. 

     Banff was cool, too! The locals all seemed to have their opinions on which town was better, but I can't decide. They were both so cool. Banff had a castle, so that's pretty persuading. Not really a castle, I guess, but the Fairmont hotel there sure looks like a castle. It's all stone, and it's 9 stories tall, plus the suites and towers that could only be accessed from the 9th floor. It was built in the 19th century, and the inside reminded me of Hogwarts. It had full suits of armour, weapons displayed on the walls, and crests carved into the stonework. The crest of the thistle was all over the William Wallace dining room, and the hotel in general. The crest of the wild rose, for Alberta, was also prominent on the walls and in the stained glass in the back lobby. It was so cool. Someday I am determined to come and actually stay here.

     We had drinks in the William Wallace room. I got a pear Cosmo that was indescribably amazing, Luke got a gin and tonic with a heap of kiwi fruit and hint of pineapple juice that was also really good. I hate gin, and even I really liked his drink. 

     After our drinks we left and went to the Banff Upper Hot Springs, which was very commercialized but still pleasant. The water was treated and fed into a big pool that was situated like a deck on the mountainside, with views over the town of Banff and the Canadian Rockies. Because it was treated, it didn't smell like sulfer, which was nice. 

     We watched the sun set behind the mountains and then left before it got truly dark, since we were staying in Lake Louise that night and I didn't want to miss any views on the drive there. The Canadian Rockies are incredible. Unlike the Rockies in the US, whose peaks build on each other, the Canadian Rocky peaks are all very distinct. It's like a group of stand alone mountains all crowded together, stretching on forever. The mountains are all patterned, too, and each one is different. Some are striped horizontal, some are striped vertically, some are striped diagonally, and some are striped and twisted. Others look like smears and slabs all built up. Some look like they got sliced by a giant sword because half of the mountain is sheer cliff, and some look like slices that got thrown into the ground, because they're sheer cliff on both sides. I've been taking pictures all day every day and with each new turn, I feel like I need another picture. I may have too many now, but someone wise once told me that it's better to take too many pictures and pick the best ones than to have to go all the way back for a shot you wished you'd taken. 

     By the time we got to the hotel in Lake Louise, it was almost 10:00, and we were hungry again. The only place still open was the bar in the lower level of the hotel, which had good food, but not amazing. No complaints, though. After that we went right to bed. We had all day the next day to check out the town. There was another Fairmont Hotel on the lake that was supposed to also be amazing that I was excited to see. I'd also heard Lake Louise was prettier than Banff, so I couldn't wait to check it out in the daylight. 

     Since we had all day to see things, we decided to go skiing first. Best decision ever. Lake Louise is the coolest mountain I have ever skied at! Every run was right at my comfort level, and yet I felt like I could improve a lot if I spent a whole season skiing there. There wasn't anything too scary but there were plenty of challenging runs. And the conditions were awesome! They had just gotten dumped on the night before last (when we got snowed on in Calgary), but it was warm and sunny now. 

    It took us a few runs to get used to the rental equipment. I had boots so soft I had to crank them as tight as they'd go so I could actually edge on my skis. The first run was terrifying because I couldn't get my skis to turn. But, I tightened my boots, switched my skis, and I made it work. Luke had a snowboard that had some sort of triple edge with camber, and he really had to get used to that. By the third run, though, we had it down. And then we really started having fun!

    We skied at least one run on every open lift, and we found ourselves catching the last ride up the tow seat (I don't know what else to call it) up into the back bowl for the last run of the day. The tow seat was this awkward blue circle attached to a curved pole that you were supposed to put between your legs from the front, squeeze your thighs together, and the blue circular part caught your butt and pulled you up hill. I didn't think it'd be enough to pull me uphill without me also having to grab on for dear life and hold on all the way to the top. It wasn't that bad, though; I had an easy time with it. However, this invention was clearly made for skiers, not snowboarders. Luke had to deal with all this while standing sideways, with one foot free. He hung on for dear life the whole way up. It was tiring. By the time we made our last run, we were both glad it was the last run. My leg muscles were so sore it was painful to stop, especially from high speeds, but going slow was tiring, too. I think Luke was in the same boat. Regardless, the run down the back bowl was the best run of the day. The snow was dreamy, the run was perfect, and the views were epic. 

    Sidenote for likeminded people who worry about avalanche conditions on a nice warm day after a heavy snow: we found out that ski patrol had blasted the back bowls for avalanche control right after all the new snow. 

    Now, for the next part to make sense, it's essential to think of the back bowl as an upper bowl, rather than the backside of the moutain. It was the highest section of ridge on the wide mountain that is Lake Louise Mountain, only accessible by the tow rope, or steep uphill hiking from the next lift over. Once we were out of the backbowl, all we had to do to get back was keep going down the run. Eventually it went all the way down to the base of the mountain, and back to the lodge.  It was our longest run of the day, and the best. Even when we were down the mountain further, the snow was still buttery. It didn't turn to slush until the very bottom. It was great.

     Tired, sore, a little sunburnt, and hungry, we rallied and went right on over to the Fairmont Hotel on Lake Louise. From the outside, it was not as cool as the one in Banff. However, it overlooks some pretty epic peaks, a glacier capped ridge-line, and the lake, all in one view. It was awesome. We got a table with a window view in the restaurant there, and ordered some drinks and food. I tried another Cosmo, this one raspberry. It was not as good as the pear, but still good. Luke got a maple rum old fashioned. I liked that so much I basically stole it from him. He ended up ordering another drink, a bloody mary made with clamato juice (clam tomato juice), that he was surprised to find he loved, since he doesn't like clamato juice. 

      The food was also amazing. We got bison burger sliders that were phenomenal, and sweet potato fries that were good by themselves, but with the dipping sauces that came with them they were phenomenal as well! 

     Content with that, we decided to check out the lakeshore trail that goes back toward the glacier, with some pretty epic waterfalls along the way. We took a chance and walked across the ice as a short cut. I think a few more days and that would have been a very bad idea, but we made it just fine. No cracks or groans or anything scary. Eventually we ended up at a huge ice flow, which is 110 meters tall! That's 361 feet tall. It was impressive. Across the lake from that was a shorter, wider flow of beautiful, thick, blue ice that would have also been excellent for ice climbing. But the ice was unreliable and we were too tired, anyways. We walked a little further, but we turned around before we got into the avalanche fall zone. We stuck to the lakeshore trail for the walk back and it was beautiful. I bet it's even better in the summertime when the ice is melted and the water sparkles turquoise. I'm determined to go back to all these places again, both for more skiing and for a summer vacation. Heck, I wouldn't even mind being Canadian if I could live in the area! (I hope any Canadians reading this have a sense of humor. I'm just teasing.)

     Tomorrow we head out through the rest of Banff National Park and through Jasper National Park to Jasper and then to Grand Prairie, or thereabouts. Can't wait to see more mountains!

      

Road Trip to Alaska! Part 1, aka the Food Diaries.

Road trip to Alaska, part 1. Aka the food diaries. 

     The middle of North America is somewhat unremarkable, except for a few spots here and there. Michigan has more than its fair share of pretty, inland lakes, not to mention the Great Lakes. Wisconsin has gently rolling farm-fields dotted with picturesque farms and silos, and houses hidden in the private nooks of the hills. The great plains states have farms so large the ends are out of sight, and they're so flat you can see for miles and miles. Eventually the farm fields give way to the plateaus before the mountains, and then there's nothing to see but scrub grass, horses, and some apparently free-range cattle. Often they're both out grazing together. 

     Canada has not been any different than the US so far, except with more Tim Hortons and fewer gas stations that are open 24/7. Like, none. Manitoba looked just like North Dakota, and Saskatchewan looked just like Montana. Alberta's plains look an awful lot like the ones in Montana, too. It's easy to forget we're in Canada, except for the maple leaf flags and speed limit signs in kilometers per hour.

     There hasn't been anything to write home about except crazy high winds and the food. The food has been phenominal. In Chicago we were shown the best sushi in all the land, at Sai Cafe. The sashimi was incredible- melt in your mouth, amazing. The rolls had just the right amount of roe, wasabi, and house made sauces. Each piece of sushi was perfect in taste, texture, and presentation. It was awesome.  For dessert we had something called mochi, which looks like Baybel cheese but in fact its actually ice cream, covered in pounded sticky rice that's basically Japanese gummy. There were 3 flavors: vanilla, lavender, and green tea. I'm not a fan of green tea but even that one was good. I will be seeking out mochi at every Asian store I ever go to from now on. 

     After all that, we walked a few blocks down to a wonderful Italian restaurant that smelled amazing, and had some really neat decor, and finished off the night with some amazing glasses of wine. Delicious.

    The next day we were in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and we got to eat at Matt's Bar, home of the original Jucy Lucy, which was featured on the TV show Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives for good reason. That was one good burger. 

     After eating a wonderful breakfast at the Uptown Diner (Luke and I split a skillet), we went shopping at the Mall of America. That's right, we went shopping. We both hate shopping, yet we managed to kill four hours there. It helped that we rode on a roller coaster, which was a total blast. 

     We moved on through North Dakota and made our way to the Canadian border, where we found out empty gun magazines are still too scary for Canada (but ammo is not), in spite of having been told otherwise when Luke called ahead. We decided to mail it to Alaska, like the guns themselves, but it was a Sunday, so that meant not only getting turned around, but also having to stay overnight in North Dakota. We went back to Grand Forks and got a hotel. It was a little less than fantastic, but we did get a really good gourmet pizza that had cream cheese and shrimp with a white sauce that was pretty good. 

     The next day we made it into Canada and headed to Winnipeg, Manitoba. We ate lunch at a 1900s style Jewish restaurant, Sherbrook Street Delicatessen, which was extremely unique and absolutely delicious. I had a red beet borscht that was life changing, and we split a smoked meat sandwich that was heavenly. They had all kinds of unique sandwich options like pickled tongue, chopped liver, or corned beef. They all seemed quite popular, and they all looked good. 

     Not to be outdone by the day before, we went to the Thuy Tien Vietnamese Restaurant in Medicine Hat, Saskatchewan, for lunch, and that was really good. Luke ordered a curry that tasted just like Mom's, and she makes a good curry. I had a stir fry that really impressed me, over some really good rice noodles. 

     Since we were on a roll, we couldn't skimp out on getting a decent dinner once we got to Calgary, in Alberta. Luke looked up some places that got good reviews and we settled on a Nepalese Indian food restaurant called The Himalayan. That was some of the best indian food I've ever had! Luke got a sample platter with a little bit of everything. I got something called Chatpat, which had green and red pepper, onion, and chicken in a carrot based sweet and sour sauce. It was good. It came with a traditional Nepalese dish, which had lentils, some other sort of large green pea, and potatoes in a curry sauce served cold, and that was also good. So was the fresh, warm "flat bread," aka Naan. For dessert we had a mango rice pudding that was nothing like a traditional English rice pudding, and a Himalayan cake made of some kind of root (Cassava?) and coconut. It was the consistency and shape of a lemon bar but it was only semi sweet and very refreshing. It was very much appreciated, if not necessary, after the sinus clearing spiciness of the main meal (and we only ordered medium spice!).  

    Tomorrow we'll be heading to Lake Louise in Banff, to spend a few days there. I'm sure we'll still find good food but starting tomorrow our trip will become less about food and more about adventure. My other favorite thing! Yukon Ho!