Smoke and Glaciers!

No doubt the British Columbia wildfires have reached the British press.  Be reassured that we have seen plenty of smoke, but no flames!  A very efficient website, keeps everyone up to date on where the fires are, and what roads are closed.  We have been so lucky  – unlike the thousands of people who are being evacuated from their homes to spend nail-biting days in a recreation hall, hoping and praying that their house has been saved.  The poor firemen struggle to bring a huge fire under control, only to find that lightning has started another dry area burning – I sincerely hope they are being paid OVERTIME!

Most of this week’s photos will be of a smokey nature  – apart from one exciting ‘stroke of luck’  – read on!  I posted a smokey sunset at the end of last week’s entry in Castlegar.  The wildfire website informed us that Hwy 3, which had been our planned route, was closed due to a fire.  A one hundred km detour was necessary, which resulted in a very windy, slow road following the Kootenay River to Balfour where we caught a free ferry across Kootenay Lake.  Government- funded because it is on a main road – takes 80 cars at a go – two ferries run back and forth all day.  We used the 40 minute crossing to have breakfast onboard Lulu!

Continuing east and then north, our campsite for the following two nights was near Kimberley – a lovely mountain site, with lots of trees around for privacy – but big warnings to be on the look-out for wildlife  (we managed a deer!).

The campground was bordered by St Mary’s (very fitting, we thought!) river and had some good walking trails about.

Kimberley itself was originally a mining town.  The mine closed some time ago, but was very successful in its day producing huge quantities of lead, zinc and silver.  We enjoyed a very good underground tour in the mine  – being taken down by a tiny train, such as the miners would have traveled on.  An ex-miner was on hand to show us just how tough their life was  – but insisted that they all thrived on it and were well remunerated.  It saddens us to hear this afternoon, that residents of Kimberley have been put on evacuation alert – the fires are getting very close to them.

Driving due north we headed for Golden – a town that we had already skimmed past on our way out of the Rockies in July.  Downtown Golden proved to be a thriving and busy place – it took three tries to find a table in a restaurant!  We also managed to get a third Oil Change for Lulu – yes, we’ve driven 16,000 km!  The campsite there was right next to the river AND an enormous Railway terminus!  Suffice to say, that we were up and on the road very early the next morning!

By now, the smoke from wildfires was getting very noticeable.  Mountain views up and over the Kicking Horse Pass were being blanked out by a sort of grey smog.  Our fingers were firmly crossed that the smoke would not have reached into the Rockies as far as the Icefield Parkway.  Having looked forward to driving this famous route for the previous three months, you can imagine our disappointment, as we drove along seeing precious little.

Our plan was to drive from Lake Louise to Jasper (ie the whole Icefields Parkway) on the first day, and then to return to the Icefield Centre on the second day to do a pre-booked Glacier Tour.  After a miserable day one (too much smoke, too many people and everyone looking dour), we retired to our campsite in Jasper with fingers firmly crossed.  Hallejuah! Our prayers were answered.  A very early start resulted in no traffic, and much more clarity as the sun rose over the mountains!  We arrived at the Icefield centre with time to walk to the Toe of the Glacier, before actually taking the tour – which involves a hair-raising ride on an IceBus and then a 40 minute walk on 850 ft depth of ice, on the Athabasca Glacier (7000 ft altitude)!  What a thrill!  It was AWESOME  – and there was very little smoke for those two hours.

The tour includes a visit to the Glacier Skyway – a very scary and precarious ‘balcony’ built 950 ft above the Sunwapta Canyon!  A glass-bottomed walkway allows you to look WAY DOWN THERE, if you can bear it!  People were literally lying on their tummies to take photos  – not me, though!

As we returned to Jasper, the smoke came down over the mountains again – and has not left us since.  However, we have absolutely no complaints compared to the poor people whose homes are in danger.  And what of the wildlife in the many square miles of bush that are alight?   It’s a very sad situation . . . .

We’ve exited the Rockies now  and come further east to Hinton.  The smoke seems to have infiltrated well into Alberta.  We are heading for Edmonton to spend the weekend with my brother.  Apparently, even the Edmonton skies are doused with smoke.