Havin' A Time

From Banff to Revelstoke

We set off early in the morning for Revelstoke.
Our car situation is fairly interesting. 5 adults in one Toyota Camry is not the most comfortable searing arrangement, but at least we all fit. Apparently all of Calgary (where we rented the car from) was completely out of anything bigger. I blame the stampede. 
Either way we piled in the car and started our tour West, our first stop at Johnston Canyon. I have a feeling we will see several stops like Johnston Canyon, plenty of big rocks, big trees and big water, but it was fairly impressive as the walkways werebuilt out from the rock edge.

Next up was Lake Louise! Always a tourist hot spot which was obviously as everyone crowded around the one tiny deck at the bottom of the stairs instead of walking the 20 steps to the right to the empty portion of the Lake edge. I sent my mum a text ( mum= Louise, named after such lake) and said hello to my grandpa who loved Lake Louise and we were off toasted Revelstoke through Kicking Horse, Yoho National Park and Glacier National. There were thousands of Glaciers and tall mountains throughout the drive.
We arrived in Revelstoke and stayed in a suite in the new Revelstoke ski resort. It was sort of like The Shining, with reversed seasons. It was practically empty. I don't think I saw another person except at dinner. It was very strange to see a ski resort in the middle of summer too, especially one that isn't complete. 
Revelstoke is a small town. I don't quite understand the draw to it really. I mean it's pretty and on the railroad but it's not very accessible and really far from everything. Something tells me the ski resort is going to have difficulty selling their condos....

We packed up this morning and headed off toasted Osoyoos, Canada's desert! From the chilly rocky mountains to the hot dry desert! Who knew?! On the way we stopped and saw the spot where they hammered in the last spike on the railroad....great. You can even buy spike key chains if you were so inclined! 
We arrived in OSoyoos after a quick stop at WhiteSpot for a fantastic milkshake!
Osoyoos is Vineyard country, which I don't quite understand.... We're in the desert... Yet there are rows and rows of grapes and cherries. Strange.
Also sofar the entire town has been built with  pueblo architectural design. Ikon the hunt for Taco Bell. It's quite a change from tall Banff mountains to brown hillsides.

Imnot sure what the plan is for our two days here but I'll update a little later!

Off to explore the desert!
Have a great day!

Kate