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scarylittlefriends · 7 years ago

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I’ve just returned from an amazing 3-week road trip to Canada! Here are the places I visited along the way:

Zion National Park, Utah

Lots of amazing trails and views accessible by shuttle bus, but the real highlight was Angel’s Landing, an 8-mile climb up a hogback with drop-offs of 2,000 ft. each side. You have to grab hold of chains to get to the top, but it’s totally worth it! Unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared to do the Narrows, as a permit is required. When I return I will definitely make that my priority.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Walking Peekaboo Trail Loop is definitely an amazing way to see the hoodoos and various sand sculptures. This place is visually fascinating, even if you aren’t really able to climb up in the formations, and the hikes are relatively safe and easy.

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

These are my favorite Hot Springs because they have trains that cruise by on the regular and several different pools up to 115 degrees(!). I missed the tourist crowds and this place was so serene and down to earth. This is definitely a magical spot that just called my name:)

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

No need to explain; the city is a tourist mecca and is definitely not my thing. However, I did find the Snake River Brewery and played guitar in the parks all day, so it wasn’t too bad. The pic of my ride was taken 20 minutes outside of town on Bridger-Tetons land and was one of my favorite sites.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Definitely the highlight of the trip, I decided to backpack to Alaska Basin via Jenny Lake trailhead and ended up coming face to face with a full-size male grizzly bear chasing a black bear up a tree! No pictures of that, but he came out of the woods and stopped about 25 feet in front of me as I proceeded to slowly back away and retreat down the mountain. Camped out and did the Solitude Lake loop the next day instead, and it was a beautiful (and grueling) 20 miles, but totally wild and worth it.

I also saw some moose (pictured) and black bear mama + cubs. The Tetons are much smaller than the Sierras, but similar terrain and waaaay wilder. I’ve got a new appreciation for nature and learned a lesson I’ll never forget: Carry a .454 if you’re going into grizzly country!

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

I landed here on Sunday before Labor Day and the place was teeming with clueless tourists fighting for parking and picnic tables which wasn’t to say it was lame; Yellowstone is huge and absolutely stunning, especially the geysers and pools all over the west side. I wasn’t able to see nearly enough of the park, though, and I left unsatisfied. Next time I go it will be during a quiet week and I’ll give myself a few days to explore.

Missoula, Montana

Missoula is a beautiful little town with tons of local color and great food/coffee, thanks to the University of Montana crowd and some really cool young people who have made the place relevant. The fires were raging all over the west by the time I got there, so the sun turned a fire red and visibility was low. It made everything surreal, which of course I loved!

Yoho National Park, British Columbia

All of Canada’s National Parks are free this year to celebrate their 150th anniversary as a nation, so I met my friends Adam and Jessica up at Emerald Lake Resort and we canoed, then hiked to Hamilton Lake (2,500 elevation gain!), then went to Banff the same day. Emerald Lake truly is a gem, as you can see in the background of these pictures.

Banff National Park, Alberta

This place is supposed to beautiful, but the smoke was getting worse as the day wore on and we just popped into Lake Louise, picked up a hitchhiker, then headed down to the town to grab some Timbits from Tim Horton’s. Then we hit up the Banff Hot Springs, which were a bit crowded, and saw the Elk above on the way out. What a day!

Kaslo, British Columbia

This is a magical little place on the north end of Kootenay Lake where people drive cars that are smaller than phone booths, eat Old Dutch Ketchup-flavored chips, and take vacations whenever the hell they want to. We were drinking at the Kaslo Pub and met a wonderful local couple named Terry and Janet who kindly welcomed us into their home and we all sang songs together. It was a magical experience! Then we made it down to Ainsworth Hot Springs which has a magical cave that you can swim in. Soooo relaxing:)

Nelson, British Columbia

My friend Adam grew up the Kootenays and called Nelson his home as a child. This region is incredibly beautiful and relaxed with a nostalgic hippy vibe. People have things figured out there for sure. We got up early and luckily got to see the Kokanee Salmon spawning. They come up from Kootenay lake and mate/give birth in the streams for a very short period each year, and the waters were chock full of them. Amazingly, a black bear mama and her two cubs were eating them out of the creek right before our eyes as the ranger quickly shooed everyone away. That was one of the most special moments of my whole trip, and I realize how fortunate we were to get a glimpse into the private world of bears (this blog won’t let me post videos, but I put one on Instagram).

Nelson is a medium-sized town that is both naturally beautiful and very modern. There are a lot of old draft-dodgers who moved here in the 70’s, as well as lots of young folks with money and good taste for beer and clothes and whatnot. We walked the streets for hours finding all kinds of funky surprises and spectacular views.

Kelowna, British Columbia

My buddy Adam met his father’s side of the family in Kelowna, a very modern city on the lake which is known as an upscale place for retirees and families. It’s definitely got a suburban vibe, but it still is full of relaxed Canadians and felt great to me. I planned on only staying one night, but after ingratiating myself to the Dragland family they insisted I stay for “one more dinner” and I wound up staying with them for 3 days. It was fascinating to be an outsider in such an intimate experience, watching wonderful folks spend time together and tell stories about their ancestors and memorable times growing up. I feel incredibly blessed to have been welcomed into their lives, and the food was to.die.for! I have to admit I was a little sad to go, but I will always remember my time with the Draglands. This is what travelling is all about.

Vancouver, British Columbia

By the time I made it to Vancouver the smoke from the fires was dying off due to a nice rain the night before. It’s an oceanic city, not unlike Seattle and SF, but I definitely didn’t come close to getting the flavor, as I was running behind schedule trying to get to Seattle. This only makes me long to return to Canada again and really take my time exploring all of the beautiful hikes and ski resorts around the city.

Seattle, Washington

My sister lives in Seattle with her boyfriend and dog (sadly, not pictured). I spent an incredible morning on Lake Washington by myself just swimming, doing yoga, and playing guitar, then headed to Capital Hill and explored the 15th Avenue area until everyone was off work. I’m so proud of my sister and her accomplishments, and I’m even prouder that soon she and her bf will be quitting their jobs and joining those of us who have decided to drop off the grid and really travel the world. I wish them the best of luck!

Portland, Oregon

My buddy Rives is originally from East Tennessee like I am, and I can’t pass through Portland without visiting him and his wife Tanya, who have a 2-year old named Hitch. Hitch is rad! Anyway, I saw the hipster mecca that is Alberta and was amazed at how much this area has changed in the past decade, much like Valencia Street in SF. It’s not my cup of tea, but I’m not surprised to see more and more people fall in love with Portland as I did many years ago.

Rives and I got to hang out a fair deal, picking guitars and waking up early to skate bowls on the East Side. It’s great to see your friends grow and become happier, healthier, and more full of love as they get older. I think it’s called maturity:) Having positive people in my life has changed the way I look at the world, and I’m so grateful to be welcomed into their homes. As I made the 10 hour drive back to the Bay Area on the last day of my trip I reveled in all of the profound experiences I had over the past 3 weeks and looked forward to more adventures. The road goes on forever and the party never ends…

For now I’m going to spend a few weeks playing music and getting ready to head to Iceland and Spain. I can’t wait to explore Europe and feel a part of something larger. Slowly, the fears and trepidation fall away to reveal the true nature of Being. It’s becoming easier every day to live in the moment and accept new realities and I find I need less and less possessions and comforts to feel familiarity and safety. There is definitely some sort of evolution taking place.

Places I didn’t get to visit but wanted to –

Utah: The Extra Terrestrial Highway, Canyonlands, Arches, Moab, Uinta State Park

Idaho: Idaho Falls, Boise

Wyoming: East Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake

Montana: Rattlesnake Creek outside of Missoula, Lolo, Northern Snake River, Flathead Lake, Whitefish, Glacier National Park

British Columbia: Fernie, Radium Hot Springs, Jasper National Park, Valhalla Provincial Park, Harrison Hot Springs, Whistler, Squamish, Victoria

Washington: Bellingham, Olympic National Park, La Push

Oregon: Crater Lake, Mt. Hood National Forest, Klamath Falls, Ashland

Road Trip to Canada I've just returned from an amazing 3-week road trip to Canada! Here are the places I visited along the way:

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