The National Parks of Western North America: Banff National Park, Canada

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Otto
Two Jack Lake

Two Jack Lake – A view from our campsite

Camp site Two Jack Lake

Two Jack Lake Campsite

We had the pleasure of camping at Banff National Park in Canada during the first week of September this year and had a great time in spite of the weather trying to rain on our parade. We stayed at Two Jake Lake, a beautiful campground only ten minutes from downtown Banff. It’s located off the Lake Minnewanka Loop Road, and we were tent camping as usual. Facilities at this site were great, plus they give campers a bonus of all the free wood you could ever want to burn. You don’t see that very often and we took full advantage of the perk keeping our toes nice and toasty each and every night. FirewoodOur campsite was on the shore of Two Jack Lake and featured breathtaking scenics right at our doorstep. We highly recommend this place for a stay over if you want to visit Banff. It’s not only conveniently located close to the town but it is one of the all-around best campgrounds we’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Reservations are available on line through Parks Canada Reservation Services.

The town is quaint and it reminds me of Mammoth Lakes in California in many ways. There’s a central shopping area for tourism surrounded by old and new buildings of various types just like most tourist destinations, but it all comes together rather nicely.

Banff Town sign

There are a lot of restaurants to choose from although most of them are a bit on the pricey side. Like Mammoth the town’s grocery store has cheaper food you can take back to your campsite as an alternative. Gasoline in Canada runs a bit higher than in the states, but it’s not completely out of line, and it’s readily available. There are lots of things to see and do in adjoining areas making this a pleasant place to visit.

We were there for four nights giving us three days to explore surrounding areas. It rained one day but we made the most of it. Day one was spent visiting the areas around Lake Louise in the morning and then driving the Icefields Parkway in the afternoon. Both featured great scenic views of the Canadian Rockies, and this was definitely time well spent.

DSC_5539sme

Lake Louise and the Chateau Fairmont

Lake Louise itself is very touristy but it’s worth stopping to take photographs of this famous and beautiful glacial lake and to walk through the old Chateau Fairmont, a famous hotel located there. We arrived early to try to beat the crowds.

 

 

elkWe were told that there was a chance to see Grizzly bears along Moraine Road above the lake, but we struck out there. We did see several elk along the Bow Valley Parkway, a road that parallels the main freeway and offers a chance to see wildlife while driving up to Lake Louise.

 

Ice FieldsOur afternoon drive along the Icefields Parkway featured one spectacular view after another all along the way. We went along the Columbia Icefields as far as the Athabasca Glacier and loved it. This beautiful drive is a must, and you’ve got to bring your camera. Our bonus on this drive was having a black bear bolt across the road directly in front of the car. We thankfully missed hitting him with the car, but we also missed getting his picture as the camera was trained on the spectacular scenery at the time.

Day two in the rain we enjoyed touring around Lake Minnewanka and its surrounding areas, and during a break in the weather we took a very enjoyable short hike around the attractions at the Cave and Basin National Historic site near Banff. The site boasts warm mineral springs, and it is considered the birthplace of Canada’s national parks. Again, it was time well spent. They have a small restaurant at the site, and the beer is ice cold. Not a bad way to spend a rainy day.

Johnson Lake, Banff

Johnson Lake reflecting the surrounding mountains near Banff

On our last full, day the sun came out and we finally got to go for a walk. In the morning we took the trail circumnavigating Johnson Lake near our campground. It turned out to be a very pretty and a quite easy hike featuring a slice of the local flora and several great views of the lake and its surrounding mountains. Wanting to be a little lazy in the afternoon we ended our day with a ride on the Banff Gondola.

Pam at Two Jack Lake campsiteFor us this was an outstanding trip that we enjoyed each and every day we were there. If you get the chance we recommend this area for a visit, and we bet you won’t be disappointed. You’ll find some of the best scenery found in the Canadian Rockies, and the trails and surrounding facilities aren’t bad either. Try it, we think you’ll like it, I know we did.

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Salmon and Halibut Fishing at the Queen Charlotte Lodge aboard the MV Driftwood, 2014

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Otto

ottopamfishPam and I are starting to think that we’re bad luck for Canadian fishing operations. Three years ago we went fishing on the MV Salmon Seeker and had a great time. The next year they closed it down. Two years ago we fished off the MV Charlotte Princess and had a great time. The next year they closed it down. This year we selected another Canadian operation, the Queen Charlotte Lodge, and fished off the MV Driftwood and had a great time. We plan to go back and fish there again next year, we think? We’ll let you know what happens in our 2015 blog. Queen Charlotte Lodge is located along the coast at the north end of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Island). This is just east of where we fished the last couple of years, and that was one reason we picked it for our destination.

Inside the lounge at the Queen Charlotte Lodge

Inside the lounge at the Queen Charlotte Lodge

The Lodge itself is located inside a protected inlet and is about a half an hour’s boat ride from the fishing grounds, but they also offer the option of staying on the MV Driftwood, which anchors outside the inlet at the fishing grounds. We selected that option.

MV Driftwood

The MV Driftwood at anchor at the fishing grounds

The MV Driftwood is tugboat sized and accommodates 12 persons. Staying there allows for virtually unlimited time on the water. It’s not as fancy as the Lodge, but the meals were very good and they offered a nice bar.

Inside the main salon onboard the MV Driftwood

Inside the main salon on the MV Driftwood

Offloading the catch at the end of the day on the MV Driftwood

The double occupancy cabins were small but comfortable, and you and your fishing partner can fish with or without a guide on very seaworthy, center-console boats that are fully equipped with a GPS, a radio, a fish finder, two downriggers, tackle and bait. You basically have everything you need, including all-weather gear, for your time on the water.

 

When your day is done, the crew off loads your fish for catch care and packaging. The only thing you need to do is get out on the water and catch something, and that was no problem on this trip.

Our trip was in late June, and everyone I talked with bagged their limit of King salmon. Pam and I also limited on halibut and landed two nice Coho salmon. We were a little early in the season for the Coho though, and I understand that they’re a lot more plentiful from the middle of July on to the end of the season if that’s what you’re after. I landed our biggest King this year, and it weighed in at 33 pounds.

Big King  So along with the halibut, we took home plenty of fish for the freezer, more than enough to keep us, the relatives, and the neighbors happy. We opted for a special fish packaging option offered at this operation, and we were very pleased with the results. For a small extra fee the crew will package your catch in one pound bags before flash freezing. It was worth every penny to me because this year I don’t have to use a meat saw to cut fillets. Nice!

The rest of the trip wasn’t all that different than others we’ve taken. Fly to Vancouver and overnight there. We stayed at the Delta Vancouver Airport hotel and found it quite nice. Get up early in the morning and catch the hotel shuttlebus to the South Terminal then jet to Masset on the island. (By the way, you’re limited to 25 pounds of luggage each on this leg of the trip.) Catch a helicopter flight from Masset to the Lodge where you’re given a meal, a boat, and immediately sent out to sea. Reverse the order coming home with the processed fish stowed overnight in the hotel’s freezer.

There was one different bump in this schedule which I liked. You arrive at the Lodge before noon and on that first day you have three quarters of a day to fish. The bottom side is that you leave early on your last day and have no time to fish that last day. Still, with all the time on the water that shouldn’t be a problem as long as the weather cooperates, and none of us can do anything about that.

In summary, we enjoyed the hell out of this trip, it was pure fun. We especially liked the freedom of staying on the Driftwood and being anchored on the fishing grounds rather than staying at the Lodge, but then we would rather give up a few frills and have more time to fish. All of the staff were exceptionally nice, bending over backwards to make our stay pleasurable. All of the equipment was good and the fishing was great. It’s a first class operation and we’ll go back again. Maybe we’ll see you there? If you’re interested in having more information on this operation you can contact the Lodge at (800) 688-8959 or on the web at www.queencharlottelodge.com.

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Mammoth Lakes Update, July 2014.

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Otto
Convict Lake

Convict Lake

We spent a week camping in Mammoth Lakes at New Shady Rest Campground during the middle of July and, as always, we had a great time. This year was unusual though because of the drought. All of the streams were low and many, like the Owens River, were very mossy. I was drifting a worm without any sinker on my 4-pound-test line and it was still harder than usual to catch larger trout. There were plenty of smaller fish in the streams; however, the stream fishing was tougher than usual.

View of Grant Lake where the water level was very low

View of Grant Lake where the water level was very low

Based on what I saw I’m going to recommend that you pay more attention to fishing in the lakes if you travel to Mammoth this year. The lakes were also very low but they were still holding lots of nice fish. During our travels we saw people with nice stringers of trout caught while shore fishing at Convict Lake, Grant Lake, and at Sotcher Lake on the Devil’s Post Pile Road, and I would expect that most of the other lakes were also producing equally well. We also saw a number of people with tube floats score fish. So they’re there for the catching if you like to lake fish.

Unfortunately, I’m a diehard stream fisherman, so I did a lot of catch and release with little buggers during my stay. Still, I scored all the local fish species and had a lot of fun. Since my wife Pam is a botanist we also did more of Plan B on this trip. Plan B is flower walks, and this year they didn’t disappoint. Three of our favorites included pretty spectacular displays during parts of the walk. If you’re interested, we recommend you try one or more of these:

Sotcher Lake

Sotcher Lake

The easiest of the three is a two mile walk around the perimeter of Sotcher Lake where the far shore features small rivulets of spring water dripping down into the lake which is lined with floral displays. We saw monkshood, columbines, monkeyflowers, tiger lilies, larkspur and many others during our two hour walk. There’s pretty good shore fishing along that side of the lake too if you want to carry along some tackle.

Bald EagleAnother highlight on this walk is the resident bald eagle who can be seen perched on a variety of tall snags surrounding the lake, just waiting for an easy catch.

Another fairly easy trek is the Starkweather Trail that starts at the top of the pass near the Minaret Summit ranger station on the road leading down to the Devil’s Post Pile. It’s almost all downhill for two and a half miles ending at Starkweather Lake. Park at the Minaret Summit station and catch the bus back up, so it’s a one way hike also taking about two hours. We saw coyote mint, mule’s ears, and woolly sunflower along most of the trail, and about two thirds of the way down there’s a spectacular meadow, which makes a great spot for a lunch break. As a bonus, you can also fish the lake before riding out, maybe you’ll get lucky?

Monkshood

Monkshood

Our final flower hike was also along the Post Pile road. Take the bus down to the first stop at Agnew Meadows and walk down the road to the trailhead leading to the upper lakes. Proceed around the meadow on the left and down into the canyon leading to the river. There are lots of floral displays on the way, and you can also fish parts of the river for small trout that are abundant there. When you’re done fishing, keep on the river trail until you come out at Soda Springs Campground and catch the bus back to the lodge. It’s another one way hike, but a little longer, almost four miles, so plan to spend the whole day.

We had some rain during the evening while we were there, but we stayed nice and dry in our new tent. This year was another great camping experience in the Mammoth Lakes area. As you can see from past posts, that place is one of our favorites.  It was different this year, but we still had an awesome experience.  Try it, and you’ll like it.  I know we did.

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