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Re: [OM] [OT] Western Canada

Subject: Re: [OM] [OT] Western Canada
From: Garth Wood <garth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 22:20:03 -0600
At 10:40 PM 9/11/01 -0500, you wrote:
When going east, do not take the trans-Canada highway - its too developed,
too fast, too straight.

As a man who's had to take the Trans-Canada many times, I'd agree with this advice, unless you're in a BIG hurry.

Instead, take highway 3 from Hope,  through  Manning Park, Princeton,
Keremos,
Osoyoos, Grand Forks, Trail, Creston, Cranbrook. Go through Kootenay
National Park. Decide if you want to do the detour along Icefields Highway
to Jasper (well worth it if you have the time.)

The weather (and climate!) changes frequently along this route, so be prepared to slow down and drive with care. *Especially* at this time of year. Mind you, if it's sunny and blue skies, you'll be burning film so fast you'll go broke. You'll burn film almost as fast if it's a light rain with lots of that wonderful, atmospheric fog you can get in the interior. Here's a few of the many pictures I've taken along portions of this route:

   http://www.taiga.ca/~gallery/subpages/wood/karen01.html
   http://www.taiga.ca/~gallery/subpages/wood/athabasca01.html
   http://www.taiga.ca/~gallery/subpages/wood/pinnacle.html
   http://www.taiga.ca/~gallery/subpages/wood/elk.html

 Take a smaller detour south
along
Highway 742 starting at Canmore, and back north along highways 40 and 68
to Calgary.

Canmore (the old town centre) is wonderful if you've got the time to stop (stay away from the stuff straddling the highway -- yuck!), and it's got a great brew pub. ;-) Somedays the view of the Three Sisters is breathtaking, especially in the early morning or late evening.

 Visit every hot springs along this route, this will make for
some
short detours, and some big surprises. Take highway 22 south
to Montana from Calgary, not Highway 2.

Just drove 22 north from Pincher Creek after leaving Waterton National Park (on the border with Montana), and it's awe-inspiringly beautiful, if a bit lonely sometimes. It's all nicely paved, but make sure your gas tank's filled in Calgary or Okotoks or Longview -- there's no further service until you're almost at Pincher Creek. Highway 2, on the other hand, is very fast and very boring, for the most part -- you're too far away from the Front Range for really nice views.

Garth


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