Lake Louise

Revelstoke is a border town of the Rockies mountain range. From any open area in the town, it is therefore not difficult to see snow-capped mountains at the far distance around the town.. 

As we left Revelstoke and drove toward Lake Louise, for about 230Km, we had awesome views of rocky mountains and snow-capped mountains almost non-stop all the way.

Mountains around Revelstoke.

Snow-capped mountain seen in Revelstoke.

Rogers Pass.

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Field

Approx. 27Km before reaching Lake Louise, we took a short break at Field, a small town where travelers can stop for toilet breaks and have tea or coffee at the souvenir shop. With population below 200, this is indeed a very small community. As usual, the mountains and rivers at this location are favourite attractions for keen photographers.

A bridge across the Kicking Horse River 

links the highway with the local 

small community.

Canadian Railway traverses through Field as well. 

One gets the impression that Canadian Railway 

crisscrosses almost every nook and corner of 

this Country!

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Lake Louise

By the time we arrived at Lake Louise, it was just after 2.30pm on 24 August 2017. The short stay at Lake Louise was partly dampened by an intermittent light drizzle.

The lake which is fed by glacier water is ringed by majestic mountains. The lake of light green or turquoise colour with a backdrop of a partially glacier-capped mountain is now a well known iconic sight to people all round the world. People come here to do hiking, canoeing or simply to relax and enjoy the spectacular landscape and views. In winter, skiers come to ski on the hardened surface of the lake. Winter landscape will be another sight to behold!

For awhile, I was reminded of Fran Josef Glacier which I saw in New Zealand back in February 2016 (Read here). There was a bit of resemblance except Lake Louise mountain has much less glaciers. Of course, the turquoise lake makes it so much more attractive compared to Fran Josef. This is probably the selling point of Lake Louise to the rest of the world.

We would have preferred to stay much longer had the drizzle tailed off much earlier!

From Lake Louise, we drove to Banff to prepare for another day of adventure.

Cedar Trees & Skunk Cabbage in Revelstoke

While staying at a motel in Revelstoke, I came across a promotional brochure that mentioned the Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail in Mount Revelstoke National Park. Intrigued, I looked it up and pinned its location on my GPS. It sounded like a worthwhile detour, so we decided to check it out.

I had often read about the "Cedars of Lebanon" in the Psalms of the Bible and had always wondered what a cedar tree looked like in real life. The poetic language of Scripture gives these trees an almost mythical quality:

"The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon." (Psalm 29:5) "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon." (Psalm 92:12)

To be able to walk among ancient cedar trees sounded both awe-inspiring and symbolic. It also made me reflect on why the cedar features so prominently in Lebanon’s national identity - even appearing on the country's flag. Clearly, it is a tree of deep cultural and historical significance.

The Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail is located about 30km northeast of Revelstoke along the Trans-Canada Highway. By the time we arrived in the late afternoon, the trail was peaceful and quiet - we encountered only two other couples during our visit. It felt as though we had the entire trail to ourselves.

The boardwalk, which winds gently through a lush, old-growth forest, is approximately half a kilometre long. Walking along it was an incredibly serene and refreshing experience. Some of the cedar trees here are over 500 years old, their massive trunks and towering heights evoking a sense of timeless grandeur. Being surrounded by such ancient living beings felt humbling, almost sacred - a quiet testimony to the beauty and endurance of the natural world.

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On our way back to the motel, we noticed a sign which read "Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk Trail" and, out of curiosity, we decided to make a stop to see what it was all about.

Skunk cabbage is a wildflower that typically thrives in swampy, waterlogged forest areas. It’s not a particularly eye-catching plant - its broad, waxy green leaves give it a rather plain appearance. What makes it memorable, however, is its name. The plant is called "skunk cabbage" because when its leaves are crushed or bruised, they release a strong, unpleasant odor - often compared to that of a skunk or rotting meat.

Fortunately for us, we didn’t smell anything “skunky” during our walk! The boardwalk meandered gently through a marshy landscape, giving us a unique glimpse into this lesser-known wetland ecosystem. It was a short but educational detour, and we appreciated how the trail made the swampy terrain accessible and interesting, without any of the foul odor its name might suggest.

Two typical Red Chairs for resting along the Trail!

Skunk Cabbage.

Revelstoke - The Chinese Have Finally Stood Up

These days, whether in Toronto or Revelstoke of Bristish Colombia, one could sense that the Canadians especially the whites are trying to re-write history of the non-whites and the indigenous Indians. In doing so, they hope to admit the wrongs and injustices inflicted on these minorities during the formative years of Canada.

In Revelstoke, we visited the Railway Museum and gained first hand information about the history of the construction of the Canadian Railway. A fair amount of display material is devoted to highlighting the contribution of the Chinese recruited to build the rail line back in the late 1800's. 

As a Chinese, there was a feeling of indignation when I were confronted with such clear-cut unequal treatment between the Chinese laborers and the non-Chinese laborers. The policies adopted then were clearly against the fundamental human rights that the whites are so fond of preaching these days. I was reminded of the pronouncement of Mao Zedong on 1 October 1949 at Tiananmen when he declared - "The Chinese have finally stood up!".  Clearly, this statement has far reaching implication and ramification.

Credit still must be given to the new generation of Canadians who are now prepared to face the truth and to recognize what actually happened in history. Some may doubt the genuineness of this admission in Canada and may think it's more a PR thing considering the need to appear politically correct to face the economic might of the new China. Whatever it is, the changing attitude towards the Chinese is good for all the Chinese stock.

In Malaysia, there is still a long way for the Chinese to be recognized for their rightful historical contribution in nation building. But many believe that as long as the same kind of government mentality persists, such openness and admission will never happen as in the case of Canada!

Kamloops & Three Valley Gap Chateau at Revelstoke

We spent a night at Kamloops before driving to our next destination - Revelstoke. We can't say much about Kamloops other than the Thompson River at Kamloops. By now, one can imagine that at every nice town in this part of Canada, you would very likely find a lake or a river nearby. 

At Kamloops, we took a stroll in the early evening from our hotel (Fortune Hotel) following the footpath adjacent to the main road. We crossed the Overlander's Bridge built across the Thompson River and finally stopped at a small field next to the north and south confluence of Thompson River.  We joined the crowd in the Riverside Park to enjoy a local open air music concert. Later on, we moved to the river front jetty to appreciate the sunset before the night fall.

Aerial view of Riverside Park.

Open air concert in Kamloops.

Sunset at Kamloops.
Overlander's Bridge across Thompson River.

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Just before we arrived Revelstoke, we saw a cluster of buildings by the roadside next to a lake. Out of curiosity, we stopped and soon discovered that this is the Three Valley Gap Chateau. A regular stop for tourists for lunch and souvenirs.

The backdrop probably explains why this area 
is called Three Valley Gap.

We met these two senior couples from Malaysia who were travelling on their own liked us.

Mirror effect because of the stillness of
the lake water.

Kelowna

We originally planned to drive in a northeasterly direction straight from Hope to Kamloops, a mere distance of 204Km. However, we were advised to visit Kelowna instead of going straight to Kamloops. This is because Kelowna is recognised as a favourite spot for holiday makers. This detour meant that we would have to change course. Instead, we had to drive first in a southeasterly direction, then northeast and finally northwest. This effectively almost doubled the distance to 407Km.

Kelowna is indeed a beautiful place. Developers took advantage of the picturesque Lake Okanagan and built luxurious condominiums by the lake side. Lake Okanagan is an inland huge lake formed by repeated glaciations. To be exact, the lake is 135Km long and 4Km to 5Km wide.

I was surprised to discover later that Sun Yet Sen visited this place in 1911 to raise fund for the revolution against the Qing Dynasty. In those days, 15% of the population in Kelowna was ethnic Chinese. But now, less than 1%  is ethnic Chinese.

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We saw Lake Okanagan Bridge from a distance. This bridge is unique because it is a pontoon bridge. Built over three years from 2005 -2008 at a cost of CAD 144m. This has been renamed after a Canadian Prime Minister, William Richards Bennett.

An aerial view of the floating bridge download from website.

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We met a man who is from Edmonton originally. He said he fell in love with this city and decided to stay there for good. He raised a wove as his pet and and this put him at odd with the authority occasionally.

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Kelowna is famous for wineries. We did not manage to see any of them but did see fruit farms at the fringe of the city. 

British Columbia wineries is huge. Its wineries alone contribute CAD3.75 billion to the country's economy. Okanagan Valley alone boasts 86% of BC's vineyard acreage. The valley stretches 250Km long!

Apples.

Apricots & Cherries.