Nooks and crannies

Some snaps in and around the Fairmont Banff Resort Springs Hotel.

Dawn

Bridge

Tonight, 48.60%, 6/9

Sunset on a holiday

Air Canada Lounge at Vancouver International Airport

Home...but not so smart

We've arrived home after the 15 hours flight from Vancouver.

Despite departing Vancouver twenty-five minutes late we landed in Sydney about twenty minutes ahead of the scheduled time. Presumably the traditional head winds had a lesser effect on our flight. The early landing was completely undone by two delays once at the gate.

First we had to wait for the plane to be sprayed internally to eradicate those nasty bugs trying to infiltrate Australia.

Then having disembarked I made the mistake of trying to use the 'Smart Gate' Immigration clearance for the holders of those high tech microchip enhanced passports.

Perth's Smart Gates

The first two 'smart' gates I approached broke down just at the sight of me. A harried Customs Officer referred me to a third gate which worked until the moment it informed me it could not match me with my passport photo. This 'smart' gate referred me to the 'Assistance Desk'. My traveling companion, Hn, on the other hand was recognised by another of these 'smart' gates and quickly was waved on to the baggage carousel.

The benignly named 'Assistance Desk' was just one lane amongst many overcrowded lanes at the Immigration Clearance line. Being Saturday morning there were huge lines of passengers queued for clearance.

Our 'Assistance Desk' lane had its own ever growing queue of very disgruntled passengers each rueing that they had tried the 'smart' gates. I was queued for over thirty minutes before 'Assistance Desk' cleared me for entry. Hn, in the meantime was waiting with both our bags.

By the way, a young girl in one of the presumably 'non smart' queues for passengers unfortunate enough not to be in possession of a high tech passport fainted in the crush of the queues of which she was a member.

Welcome to Australia!

Last year I grumbled about slow Immigration clearance at Los Angeles and London Heathrow Airports. Sadly, my home city's performance this morning was just as unwelcoming.

Inside Passage

Yesterday was a day at sea headed for Vancouver. We travelled through the Inside Passage which provided further evidence of Canada's scenic beauty. The weather was very pleasant with temperatures around 22ºc.

Approaching our berth in Vancouver

Back in Vancouver

We've docked back in Vancouver. Disembarkment was well organised and pain free. Our hotel, the same one we checked into on arrival in Canada three weeks ago, is directly across the street from the wharf and wonders of wonders our rooms were ready for us even though it was only 9.15am.

We have the rest of the day and most of tomorrow at leisure in Vancouver before our flight home scheduled for 23.40hrs tomorrow.

A couple of photos from our last port in Alaska (Ketchikan) to tide you over for the time being.

The view back to the harbour from Cape Fox Lodge with our ship to the right and the Norwegian Jewel to the left. Three other cruise ships (out of photo) were also in port.

The Lido Deck pool with its roof partially open.

Hello, Dolly

Yesterday we sailed to Glacier Bay and I will post some photos from that visit after I return home.

This morning we berthed in Ketchikan, our last port of call in Alaska and the 'salmon capital of the world'. Naturally, our first visit was to a fabled red light district where 'Dolly' ran a grand house and, of course, was a madam with a heart of gold.

Dolly's house bears the inscription it is 'where men and salmon swam up stream to spawn'.

Arriving at Ketchikan

There were two other cruise vessels berthed when we arrived and by lunchtime a total of five cruise vessels in the port.

We depart this evening and will be at sea all day tomorrow arriving in Vancouver on Wednesday morning. We fly home on Thursday night.

There's a bear out there

We berthed at Skagway early this morning and after breakfast joined a tour that had us backtracking overland into Canada again to the Yukon Territory for the day. I'll post photos of this trip later but for today I'll just post some photos of bear sightings during the day (all shot through bus windows and zoom, hence the fuzziness). In fact we saw a number of bears during the day in multiple sightings.

One sighting

A later sighting

This bear walked across the street

Red Dog Saloon

We are in Juneau, capital of the US state of Alaska, and everyone who is anyone is in the Red Dog Saloon Bar. Waitresses are wearing red corsets, there is sawdust on the floors and there are swinging doors at the entrance. The bar is full and the singer is in good form.

Butchart Gardens

My friends know that I could kill a cactus. I have no ability to foster flowers, plants or maintain a garden. I can't tell an A from a Z (fill in names of any flower or plant of your pleasure). So a visit to a  garden display is not the first outing I would select.

The Butchart Gardens was on our tour itinerary and I went along without high expectations.

Wow! They are impressive. Even with my lack of interest in this art and hampered by a degree of colour blindness I was blown away the magnificence of the display.

Here is a small sample. (Don't ask me to name anything displayed.)

The Sunken Garden

Japanese Garden

Whistler to Victoria

Smoke haze from distant forest fires which we first observed yesterday moved across Whistler and 'our' part of British Columbia overnight and today. The smell of burn in the air was noticeable in the corridors of our hotel and turned the atmosphere into a fog-like haze for most of travel from Whistler to Horseshoe Bay and our ferry journey to Vancouver Island for the drive to the Provincial capital, Victoria.

Two Saturdays ago I posted photos from Horseshoe Bay with dazzling views across the harbour to distant mountains and a clear blue sky.

The view in Horseshoe Bay today as our ferry departed for Vancouver Island was very different.

A third ferry is in the murky distance

Chemainus, Vancouver Island BC

We arrived in Victoria mid afternoon and soon started exploring the harbour front to which our hotel is adjacent.

British Columbia Parliament House

The harbour front

Beautiful flower pots all around the harbour front and surrounds

Sun Peaks to Whistler

An early departure from Sun Peaks. First stop was at another scenic spot but the first signs of haze from various wildfires appeared in the distance.

Kamloops Lake

Another scenic stop later in the day.

Duffey Lake

We arrived at Whistler mid-afternoon. Initial impressions are that this is the Los Angeles (or Las Vegas) of ski resorts. In your face commercialism at every turn.

Whistler Village

Village street entertainment

Our hotel was well located and our rooms well appointed to the extent of providing a full, stocked kitchen, with oven top and even a dishwasher. In addition this was provided in the room, scarcely needed for our stay with 32ºc heat outside.

Fireplace in each room

Jasper to Sun Peaks

An early departure from Jasper meant leaving this calm scene at our overnight accommodation.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Along the way we passed Elk grazing by the side of the road.

Returning to British Columbia from the province of Alberta we stopped to view Mount Robson (and enjoy yet another comfort stop).

Mount Robson

Then on to River Safari on the Blue River in BC. This may well prove to be the highlight of the holiday.

The safari was undertaken on twelve seater speedboats which first took us up the river, then into a lake with this gorgeous setting;

Engines were stopped at this point replaced by a quieter motor that had us virtually gliding around the lake whilst we searched for wildlife; especially bears. We were all forced into silence lest any wild life take flight from undue noise. There was no guarantee that a bear would be sighted.

But we were lucky!

A bear appeared by the banks of the lake. It never stopped moving. Passing quickly through shadows and light in the forest the bear paused from time to time only to briefly chew on something tasty. The swiftness of its movement, the shadows and light through which it passed and the glare of the sun in our eyes made photography of the bear a hit and miss affair. This photo is probably the best of my crazed silent snapping and proof of our sighting.

A black bear

Our group in three speedboats heading up the river

The guides were excellent in their handling of the boats ensuring everyone had a fair chance of observing any sightings in their subsequent briefings about the bears and their lives.

I  recommend River Safari on the Blue River to anyone visiting this part of the world. It was a wonderful experience.

Tonight we are staying in Sun Peaks.

The small township of Sun Peaks as seen from my hotel room

Lake Louise to Jasper

We departed Lake Louise after breakfast headed for Jasper as our overnight stop.

A couple of stops along the way;

Peyto Glacier

Athabasca Glacier

Driving on Athabasca Glacier

Walking on Athabasca Glacier

Athabasca Falls

Staying tonight at Jasper Park Lodge