Welcome to Canada!
It's not quite the upside down, the matrix or wonderland but there was a fella here that asked me to help him find his white rabbit. In Canada, things are sometimes subtly different, but mostly they are often the very same. I mean to say that they sell gasoline for a dollar ten, but it's a Canadian dollar and you only get a liter. Also distances and speeds are measured in kilometers and there are subtle differences in the roads and their signage. We are not a couple of math geniuses but it's fun to play "let's try to convert this." In a Vanagon, the kilometers are written very small on the speedometer, so it pays to have a gps that can display metric units. There were a few stressful moments when, as a driver, I wasn't sure where I was supposed to turn or in which direction we were supposed to go. The signs on the roadways are often small and there are almost no advertisements. In this way Canada reminded me a lot of Vermont.
Talking to locals and those who know things is one of the things that still works exactly the same. For example we pulled into Manning Park without a clue what we were going to do. I noticed a kiosk with camping information so I pulled up to it. While we were looking over a brochure a young man engages us with a couple of questions like: "Where are you from, where are you going and where do you plan to stay?" He inquires politely so of course we answered honestly and quickly and included "Haven't a clue. We just got here. What do you suggest?" And from there he informed us of places to camp and shower for free, places to visit and landmarks and other incredible sights to see throughout British Columbia and Alberta. We talked at length and added several must sees to our master list.
Over the next few days we snaked our way north and east to Jasper and I noticed how much Canada continued to be much like the US. At the same time I recognized the ways in which it is very much its own country. The people are polite and friendly and one fella even said that he lives in Arizona during the winter months. Mostly the people we met spoke English and some of them have thick Canadian accents. I guess I should have expected that eh? We found a few folks in the parks that only spoke French but even they had a small amount of English they could use. Road signs were also frequently written in the two languages.
Other subtle differences are found in supermarkets. The labels on packages are similar but instead of being written in English and Spanish, the labels are in English and French. Some products are exactly the same, but others are not. We found out at a restaurant that they carry a product known as HP steak sauce, while in the States we are accustomed to A1. HP is sweeter. A Kit-Kat exists in both countries but the packaging and the product are very different. Chocolates are also sweeter here and they have an m&m type product called Smarties.
The mountains often look steeper and the towns and cities are spread apart. The highways are often only two lanes and there has been very little in the way of traffic. Actually the only time we saw any traffic at all the highway was backed up for several miles. A tractor trailer had rolled over and thankfully, we were headed in the other direction at the time.
The parks here have been beautiful and the waterfalls have been spectacular. If you get the chance to visit Wells Gray Park, do it. The waterfalls cut through layers of volcanic lava flows and they will blow your mind. Another incredible Waterfall is in Yoho NP, so if you are in the area it is worth the drive up the switchbacked road. (Besides, you only happen once, right?) We enjoyed relaxing in the hot springs and swimming in a couple of lakes in Jasper. In Banff we stopped in at Lake Louise and also took a walk to the toe of a glacier. On the other hand, we found the information brochures and maps to be uninformative and rather skeletal at best. The signage was also not very good, but I did like how they had little wooden signs along the road that pointed out which mountain was which.
Lastly, we found that our good mojo has continued to follow us on our adventure. When Wilson was wounded in battle and he lay bleeding at the foot of Mount Edith Covell, we had a stressful day in the triage center operating room, so we decided to cap the night off with a soak in the Hot Spring pools of the park. Despite our troubles, we greeted the attendant with smiles on our faces. He responded to our joy with a bit of surprise and his face lit up. I'm speculating here but maybe he also had a rough day and in appreciation of our good nature, he invited us to be his guests and allowed us to soak in the invigorating pools for Free! We thanked him and in what we found to be a very Canadian manner of speech he replied cheerfully, "No worries!".
Over the next few days we snaked our way north and east to Jasper and I noticed how much Canada continued to be much like the US. At the same time I recognized the ways in which it is very much its own country. The people are polite and friendly and one fella even said that he lives in Arizona during the winter months. Mostly the people we met spoke English and some of them have thick Canadian accents. I guess I should have expected that eh? We found a few folks in the parks that only spoke French but even they had a small amount of English they could use. Road signs were also frequently written in the two languages.
Other subtle differences are found in supermarkets. The labels on packages are similar but instead of being written in English and Spanish, the labels are in English and French. Some products are exactly the same, but others are not. We found out at a restaurant that they carry a product known as HP steak sauce, while in the States we are accustomed to A1. HP is sweeter. A Kit-Kat exists in both countries but the packaging and the product are very different. Chocolates are also sweeter here and they have an m&m type product called Smarties.
The mountains often look steeper and the towns and cities are spread apart. The highways are often only two lanes and there has been very little in the way of traffic. Actually the only time we saw any traffic at all the highway was backed up for several miles. A tractor trailer had rolled over and thankfully, we were headed in the other direction at the time.
The parks here have been beautiful and the waterfalls have been spectacular. If you get the chance to visit Wells Gray Park, do it. The waterfalls cut through layers of volcanic lava flows and they will blow your mind. Another incredible Waterfall is in Yoho NP, so if you are in the area it is worth the drive up the switchbacked road. (Besides, you only happen once, right?) We enjoyed relaxing in the hot springs and swimming in a couple of lakes in Jasper. In Banff we stopped in at Lake Louise and also took a walk to the toe of a glacier. On the other hand, we found the information brochures and maps to be uninformative and rather skeletal at best. The signage was also not very good, but I did like how they had little wooden signs along the road that pointed out which mountain was which.
Lastly, we found that our good mojo has continued to follow us on our adventure. When Wilson was wounded in battle and he lay bleeding at the foot of Mount Edith Covell, we had a stressful day in the triage center operating room, so we decided to cap the night off with a soak in the Hot Spring pools of the park. Despite our troubles, we greeted the attendant with smiles on our faces. He responded to our joy with a bit of surprise and his face lit up. I'm speculating here but maybe he also had a rough day and in appreciation of our good nature, he invited us to be his guests and allowed us to soak in the invigorating pools for Free! We thanked him and in what we found to be a very Canadian manner of speech he replied cheerfully, "No worries!".
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