British Columbia, Canada - 2002 (Re-run)

 Hopefully, everyone made it safely through New Years Eve and has arrived in 2021.  I know we are all hoping it will be much better than 2020.  Until conditions for travel improve, I am continuing to re-visit past travels, with this travelogue focused on the beautiful Canadian province of British Columbia which we toured in the Summer of 2002.

Our first time taking an RV into British Columbia, we had our sights set on the national and provincial parks there, including Kootenay, Yoho, Glacier, Revelstoke and Wells Grey.  The mountains in British Columbia are as impressive as those found almost anywhere else, and many are covered by spectacular glaciers..

The Vermilion River is glacier fed, giving it a beautiful shade of green.  Before flowing into the Kootenay River, it forms Numa Falls.

The "Paint Pots" attraction is a place where natives once came to collect colorful ochre (a sand and clay mixture colored by ferrous oxide) that they used to decorate various items, such as teepees and clothing, and to create rock art.

Marble Canyon is a magnificent gorge about a mile long created by Tokumm Creek, a tributary of Vermilion River.  Sadly, a forest fire devastated this area the following year.

I couldn't resist getting a photo of Stanley Glacier.

One of many in the region, Vista Lake was small but beautiful.

Bighorn Sheep are also plentiful in British Columbia.

The Kicking Horse River has cut through rock to form a feature called Natural Bridge.

Emerald Lake has the deepest shade of green I can recall seeing.

At 1250 feet, Takakkaw Falls is one of the highest in Canada.

We were close enough to make a quick trip into Alberta to visit Lake Louise and its famous chateau, as well as Moraine Lake.

Glacier National Park of Canada has many more glaciers, around 130, than the park of the same name in the U.S.

Revelstoke National Park is right by the charming town of Revelstoke, both being named for the nearby mountain.

In the town of Golden, we enjoyed a ride up the gondola to the ski resort on Kicking Horse Mountain where we enjoyed a sumptuous lunch at the Eagle's Eye Restaurant with new friends from the RV park.

Staying in the town of Clearwater allowed us to visit Wells Grey Provincial Park, where three scenic waterfalls caught our attention.

Although I love the mountain scenery in Alberta, I had to admit that British Columbia is very competitive