From dinosaurs to Emerald Lake Oct 10 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-09: Canada”.

24 September

My wife Annika and I are in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. The weather is nice. There is a Pachyrhinosaurus with two youngsters standing in front of us. They do not notice us at all. Perhaps that’s because they are made of plastic. They stand in front of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, and so do we.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

The Royal Tyrrell Museum holds Canada’s largest fossil collection and is famous for its dinosaur fossils. I am the first to get in when it opens. I just run through the museum to take some photographs before other people get in the there. After that, Annika and I go through the museum, taking our time. This museum is awesome! If I lived here, I would definitely have an annual pass to visit it from time to time.

After the museum, we take the car to Horseshoe Canyon. We go for a longer walk here on the countless small paths that lead through this badlands canyon. Be sure to have water with you and make sure you can find your way back, because the many hills make the place a maze.

In the late afternoon, we have another destination, the Last Chance Saloon, Alberta’s oldest operating saloon. They are about to close, but we get in and can sit in this extraordinarily cosy saloon and enjoy the delicious food. I order a “Badlands Brisket Taco Bowl” and am surprised to discover that the bowl does not contain any taco, it is made out of taco. And the smoked brisket – wow!

If you are in Drumheller, your day may start with a dinosaur and it may end with one, too. This is Tyra, the World’s Largest Dinosaur, a roadside attraction that we have passed several times over the last few days.

25 September

Today we head to Radium Hot Springs, which lies on the other side of the Rockies. It is a longer drive of about 400 km. First, we follow the grid-like roads through the prairies, then follow the Bow River until Castle Junction.

There we leave Alberta Highway 1 first and then Alberta altogether. We are back in British Columbia, where our journey began almost three weeks ago. Something interesting is happening. It starts to rain. We have had dry weather for weeks; now there is rain with everything from “I’ll drench you with a drizzle, even if it takes half the day.” to “Buy yourself an ark.” In Radium Hot Springs, we check in at the motel and take a nap. When I wake up, I see animals looking like goats on the property. I take a photo of a mother with two lambs. These are, of course, a bit cautious but not shy at all. It is only now, while blogging, that I learn that these are bighorn sheep, which are quite famous in Canada.

After dinner (goulash soup at the Old Salzburg restaurant) we take a walk before heading home.

26 September

Today we head northeast to Golden, where we’ll have an apartment for three days. It is the only place we booked well ahead, because we want to visit the Rockies and accommodation there is ridiculously expensive. It is still cloudy, but the rain has mostly stopped. To be honest, I am glad about yesterday’s rain. With the drop in temperature, it might have snowed in the mountains. Hopefully it did.

The road follows the Columbia River, which is not a single river so much as a system of river branches, islets, oxbow lakes, and swamps. Sometimes we take the main road; sometimes we take the small gravel roads on the other side of the river.

When the clouds lift, we get a glimpse of the mountains. There is fresh snow on the mountaintops.

We pass Golden to visit Emerald Lake, which lies between Golden and the Rocky Mountains. We take a hike around the lake, slightly distracted by a chipmunk running back and forth on the trail not far from the car park.

Then we start our trail. Although the first half of the trail is very easy to walk, it takes a long time. I’m to blame because I wait for the sun to shine on a certain part of the mountains on the other side of the lake. Halfway along the trail, it becomes a normal forest path with small bridges, slippery tree roots and some mud puddles. I have bear spray within reach; Annika carries a bear bell. So far, we haven’t seen a single bear, and I’m happy about that. Of course, it would be cool to see one from a safe spot, but I don’t want to meet one in its forest.

Tomorrow we will visit one of Western Canada’s most scenic routes, the Icefields Parkway, which crosses the Canadian Rocky Mountains in a north-south direction. Hopefully the weather will be as fine as predicted, and hopefully it won’t be too crowded.

Drumheller I – badlands and hoodoos Oct 8 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-09: Canada”.

September 23

After a night in the ~~village~~ ~~town~~ city of Red Deer my wife Annika and I continued our journey southeastwards. We are in the prairies now, which are dominated by farmland and large grain fields. While the terrain is slightly hilly, most streets are dead-straight. They go either north—south or west—east, making the map look like squared paper.

The fields can be huge from a Central European perspective. Sometimes there is an old barn, sometimes a grain silo and sometimes there is a pumpjack, because in Alberta oil is still being extracted. But mostly it is grain fields, some already harvested, some not yet.

Harvesters collect the grain, and lorries transport it, leaving a long track of dust behind. At one place we see a GrainsConnect plant with large silos for interim storage and a train to dispatch the grain further, most probably to the Pacific Ocean to be shipped overseas.

Of course I love the spectacular mountain views, the incredible rain forests with their old and mighty trees and the turquoise alpine lakes. But I also love the monotonous rhythms of these prairies. They are part of the Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains, which stretch from Alberta and Saskatchewan through the USA into Mexico. (We didn’t drive that far that day ….)

You get into this rhythm of the squared patchwork, then you start to wonder what these fractal-like disruptions on the navigation map are, and all of a sudden you are in a completely different type of landscape – the badlands.

The plains are gone and now you are amidst these eroded mountains. Let’s hear, how Copilot AI describes the next image:

“Overall, I’d describe this as a well-exposed stratified badlands butte showing millions of years of sedimentary deposition and subsequent erosion.”

The area has sparse, desert-like vegetation on the sandy ground, including cacti like these plains pricklypears.

Then you drive further, a bit uphill and Bam! – you are in the plains again as if the badlands had just been a dream.

Now we are not far away from Drumheller, our destination for today, but first we have to check out the Bleriot Ferry, a cable ferry crossing the Red Deer River. The ferry operator tells us that we can (and should) use the ferry, that the road to Drumheller on the other side is closed, that we should drive there anyhow to the viewpoint, and that we could come back here thereafter. Sounds like a plan. We take the ferry – it is free, ignore the “road closed” sign and park on the small car park by the Orkney Viewpoint. And that’s an incredible viewpoint over the dusty Badlands – 72 million years old, the Red Deer River with its green, mellow banks and, in the distance the prairies. A perfect place to have a light lunch with bread, dips, and cookies.

We head back the very same way and take the ferry again. From there it is only twenty minutes to Drumheller where we’ll stay in a motel for two days. The town looks a bit like a dinosaur theme park – dinos everywhere! – because numerous dinosaur fossils have been discovered in the area, making it one of the most important paleontological regions in the world. The town is also home to the famous Royal Tyrrell Museum that we plan to visit the next day.

In the late afternoon, we take the car to Willow Creek, which is well-known for its hoodoos – geological rock formations created by erosion. Annika and I take a walk and gaze at nature’s art exhibition.

Before we drive back to the motel I want to take some better photos of the hoodoos, now that most other tourists have left. I take a first photo …

… and then slowly but surely the evening sun that hid behind a layer of clouds comes out and all of a sudden the hoodoos start to glow in the warmest sunset colours imaginable, as if they were glowing from within. I’m truly happy that I can experience that moment and that I have my Nikon at hand. This moment teaches me that if you want a good photo, look for a good subject; but if you want a better photo, wait for the light.

Nordegg, Alberta Oct 6 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-09: Canada”.

20 September

Nordegg, Alberta, Canada – another settlement I never heard of before (which doesn’t mean too much). This will be Annika’s and my next stop; we will stay in a hostel for two nights. After a brief breakfast, we leave Hinton, fill up the car, buy food for the next few days and take the direct road east. This road is mostly unpaved and leads through autumnal forests and across rivers on old bridges. It is a perfect road to take it nice and slow, especially on such a sunny day when the destination is less than 200 km away.

Using these roads in a dry period means a lot of dust when another car approaches or passes.

However, we are mostly alone and enjoy the views of the yellow aspen trees and the turquoise rivers.

Just as our car has been filled up with petrol, we are filling ourselves up with colours, just like in the children’s book about the mouse Frederick.

We arrive at the Nordegg Shunda Creek Wilderness Hostel already at a quarter to three; way too early to check in. Anyhow, we may use the facilities and besides, it is so warm and sunny outside that we just sit on the terrace until we get our room.

Shunda Creek Wilderness Hostel – inside I

Shunda Creek Wilderness Hostel – inside III

Shunda Creek Wilderness Hostel – inside II

Later we realise that this hostel is not only extraordinarily cosy but also extremely well-conceived. The kitchen is perfectly equipped and apart from the cups, everything is within easy reach. There is a lot of space and even when the hostel is fully booked it never feels crowded. There are even free goodies in a drawer that I open more than once over the next two days.

Before lunch, we take a short drive to Goldeye Lake to take a swim. The lakebed is muddy and rocky at the same time, but the water is wonderfully refreshing.

21 September

While Nordegg may not be the most popular place in Alberta, it is located near a prominent river: the North Saskatchewan River, which originates in the Rocky Mountains, flows eastwards, widens into Abraham Lake before continuing for another 1000 km, eventually joining the South Saskatchewan River.

What luck we have! The morning is pretty chilly, but the sky is blue and promises to deliver another beautiful, sunny day. After a leisurely breakfast we take the car to Abraham Lake. When we see it for the first time from the car, its bright, intense turquoise colour looks almost ridiculous, like someone had played around with Photoshop, setting the hue to its maximum. The lake is so calm that I wish I had a kayak to paddle on this beauty of a lake.

While we are driving to the next stop, strong gusts appear out of nowhere and start shaking our car. Standing outside in these strong gusts makes my dream of kayaking on the lake vanish instantly.

Another stop and most of the wind is gone – where did it come from? The water level of Abraham Lake is quite high. Many trees at the shore stand in the water.

More stops, more photos. Of course, I do not know what screen you use, but let me assure you: the colours were as bright as the photos show. Another thing that fascinates me: while driving more and more mountains appear around us until we are surrounded by them. It is as if these mountains were living beings that actively move around.

We have passed the whole lake and now follow the river again. If we continued another 30 km west, we would end up at the locality of Saskatchewan River Crossing, which lies on the famous Icefields Parkway. We can already spot glacier-covered mountains ahead, such as Mount Wilson (3260 m), as shown in the next photo. But the Icefields Parkway is not our route today; we will drive it the following week – hopefully with equally brilliant weather.

So we turn the car and drive the same way back. We pass Abraham Lake again and, while driving along, the mountains seem to scurry back to their secret places and we are in the hilly lands of Nordegg again, where we first take a nap and then eat a delicious dinner that Annika cooked with small potatoes, eggs, carrots, Parmesan cheese and two dips. And I still have a bottle of my favourite Canadian drink: Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

22 September

This morning I finally take a picture of the wetlands by the hostel. Then we will head off to Red Deer, where a surprise await us.

Williams Lake—Valemount – From desert to mountains Oct 4 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-09: Canada”.

16 September

After two overnight stays in Williams Lake it is time for Annika and me to move on. Flexibility is more important to us than ticking off a list of must-see attractions. Since affordable hotels, motels, hostels and B&Bs are quite limited this flexibility sometimes leads us to places off the tourist trails. Did you, for example, ever hear of Little Fort? We didn’t either, but this is our next stay.

But first we go south to explore Farwell Canyon. On the way there we drive through hilly landscapes and grassy meadows. The cattle stand on the meadows, by the lakes, in the mud beside the road and on the road itself, too.

When you drive through Lapland you may see the sorting corrals for the reindeer. Here I see a fenced area that looks very similar, however this corral is for cattle.

While we are approaching Farwell Canyon the landscape changes. It becomes drier and you can see the eroded hills.

The road to the canyon provides impressive views of the canyon and the Chilcotin River.

We want to cross that river but first we turn back to a parking place to explore the “Farwell Canyon Sand Dune Trail” which leads to sand dunes with desert-like conditions. However, we only walk part of it because it is warm and we have forgotten to take water with us.

Time to turn again, drive down the hairpin bends to the bridge over the river and up the other side. Here the road becomes smaller and smaller and also rougher. We could follow this road to meet the highway 97 in the southeast.

The problem is that we had to cross Fraser River on the Gang Ranch Suspension Bridge and we cannot find any information whether we can cross it by car or not. Since the dirt road is narrow and rough and the drive would be long and bumpy I suggest turning again.

So we see it all again, the hairpin bends downwards, the canyon, the river, the bridge, the hairpin bends upwards, the car park for the trail and even the Toosey Band Gas Station that we passed hours ago. It had been opening by the Tl’esqox First Nation three months ago. We fill up the car and buy bannock for lunch. Normally I do not like hot dogs, but the smoked sausage in that type of bread is delicious.

Soon we are back on British Columbia Highway 20 where we cross Fraser River on a more boring but somehow also more reliable bridge.

After passing Williams Lake again we take the 97 southeast. The names of the villages: 150 Mile House, 151 Mile House, 108 Mile Ranch, 105 Mile House … . The names originate from the distances to the town of Lillooet on the Cariboo Wagon Road during the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860s.

In the Rusty Iron Coffee Co. we get a coffee and a bun just before closing. Lucky us! My espresso is outstanding and the café is very cosy. Anyhow we sit outside enjoying the warm and sunny weather. Then we explore the 108 Heritage Site nearby with its old buildings such as a school and a church before we continue on to Little Fort, where we arrive at half past six.

17 September

Where is the North Thompson River? It was there the day before. Now it is hidden by fog that covers the whole valley. Only a slightly brighter spot reveals the position of the sun.

But it is only a matter of time until the sun wins and evaporates the fog.

Today we will head to Valemount, where our next overnight stop is located. We have only to follow Highway 5 for 200 km, then we are there. It will be a short day. Hahaha! Hihi! We already have learnt that every day of travelling in Canada is a full day because there is so much to discover, with or without detours.

Today we take a detour. We leave Highway 5 in Clearwater to visit the Wells Gray Provincial Park which is famous for its many waterfalls. The first motif however is not water falling down but a North American red squirrel. It is very busy, not very shy and I can take some photos.

Then the waterfalls: we do not visit them all, some need a hike to get there and some do not sound so interesting. So I’ll show two of them. First, Dawson falls, not very deep but broad. You can access the shore of the Murtle River and watch it from there while listening to its constant droning.

Then Helmcken Falls, where the same river falls 141 metres into a canyon. Equally impressive, but from the viewing platform you are pretty far away.

We take the dirt road to the Green Mountain Trail. We were not alone at the waterfalls – here we are. It’s only we two and a lot of butterflies – probably from the genus Polygonia – fluttering around the viewing tower.

On our way back we spot an ice cream sign by the road. That’s always a reason to stop. The ice lady is kind and funny, the ice cream is delicious and the scoops enormous. And I like the sign which says: “It’s never too cold for ice cream.” So true.

Just another stop to the picture of the ranch entrance …

… and we are back on the highway. Or we could be, if the weather weren’t so nice and Clearwater didn’t have this bathing lake, Dutch lake. Time for a stop, time for a dip. We bathe and swim in the fresh, clear, but not really cold water. Many recreational sites are community-driven. Bampton is one of them and does not only have a wonderful swimming jetty but also provides life jackets for kids.

Bampton Recreational Area – bathing jetty

Now it is 6 o’clock in the afternoon and we still have 174 km to go. The sun is setting while we drive and the higher mountains that we are seeing for the first time on our trip lie in the shade.

When we arrive at the Summit River Lodge, our accommodation for this night, it is already dark. A pity, since this lodge is so beautiful, both outside and inside! And the drinking water is great, it is taken from a well and doesn’t taste of chlorine as the ordinary Canadian tap water.

Before going to sleep, I go out and take a photo of the mountain as seen from the house. It has a glacier on it and its name is Mount Albreda (3029 m). That’s higher than any mountain in any country I have lived in: Germany, Sweden, Norway.

The next day we will see more mountains, because we head to Jasper which lies in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

That’s Likely Sep 30 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-09: Canada”.

15 September

Today, my wife Annika and I plan a day trip to Likely. We start in Williams Lake. We do not take the main road, but instead take a side road via Horsefly. According to the British Columbia paper map, there is a way to get there, according to Google Maps, there is no connection between Horsefly and Likely. So we are not sure whether this will work, but we have a full tank and we can turn around anytime.

The road to Horsefly is paved. We make a short stop to buy some provisions in the little shop and to use the toilet, then we continue to Likely.

After a few hundred metres the road turns into an unpaved one. Soon it gets a bit rough and pretty small. Still, it is good to drive on if you take it slowly. The issue is more the navigation. One thing is that Google Maps does not know the way but the main issue is that mobile internet access in British Columbia’s rural areas is more or less non-existent. So, offline maps are your friends, even with some missing routes. We miss a turnoff and land in an active mining area, but we find back and get onto the right road.

Finally, we arrive in Likely and it is a great place. The village is located on the Quesnel River and has an extremely cosy pub. We decide to eat there and sit outside to enjoy the warm late summer weather. We are not the only ones. Three Canadians join our table. We immediately start chatting about this and that and in the end, we get a lot of tips about which places we “must” visit. The man even offers to show us around in Edmonton, where he currently lives, although in his opinion it’s not worth a detour :-D. At the same time I eat a delicious burger with poutine, a very Canadian dish consisting of French fries topped with gravy. Unfortunately, the wasps enjoy the warmth, too and especially anything with sugar in it.

The Canadians tell us about salmon jumping up the Quesnel River and while we cannot see them jumping up the small rapid, we see them idling in the water from the bridge. On the other side of the bridge – there is a pair of common loons.

Near Likely at the confluence of the Cariboo River and the Quesnel River is Quesnel Forks, a preserved ghost town from the Cariboo Gold Rush founded in 1860. In the 1870s most of the residents had left, but the town was still inhabited until the 1950s. Here we spend some time looking at the old buildings as well as the place where the rivers meet. A place with an interesting history and a beautiful landscape. We even met an old lady looking for gold. She tells us that you can still find a bit of gold, but you won’t get rich.

On our way back we took the main road to Williams Lake. It is easy to drive on, easy to navigate, but also a bit more boring than the way via Horsefly.

From the island into the desert Sep 24 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-09: Canada”.

13 September

My wife Annika and I stand on board of the ferry Queen of Cowichan. After several days on Vancouver Island we are heading back to the Canadian mainland, this time to Tsawwassen, which is south of Vancouver. To get there we have to cross international borders twice, first into the USA and then back into Canada. These borders are invisible because they are on sea. Back on the mainland, we see signs to the USA border at several places as well.

We make a stop in the village of tucckʷiowhum which is part of the Nlaka’pamux Nation. British Columbia is home to many distinct First Nations, each with its own culture, history, territory, and language. Often the languages are visible on the bilingual signs. The following stop signs show two different languages. According to the AI I used for research, “ƛ̓éyi” is Nłeʔkepmxcín which is spoken in the Fraser Canyon and Nicola regions. “T̄ÁLLEC” is St̓át̓imcets which is spoken in and around Lillooet, the town we are heading for today.

But we are not in Lillooet yet, we are in tucckʷiowhum. This is the first place where we can see the devastation caused by this year’s forest fires. Some hills are covered with black trunks. Even some of the buildings have burnt down. We know that forest fires are part of nature (or can be) but it makes me sad to see the black trees, some standing, some fallen.

We continue our trip north. The landscape changes slowly. The forests are less dense, the soil looks drier and is often vegetated with brown grass.

At half past seven we cross the Fraser river and arrive in Lillooet, a small town with a population of about 2300. The sun starts to set, but the mountains in the east still have sunlight.

View at the Fraser river and the Fountain Ridge

We check in at our first motel ever. We get a giant room with two double beds, a fridge, a coffee machine and a microwave. Since there is no proper kitchen available we walk into the centre where we eat salad and pizza at Manny’s Corner. The delicious Tandoori Chicken Pizza is massive and although I ordered only “medium size” I only manage to eat half of it. The leftovers will serve as tomorrow’s breakfast. On the other side of the street: The Roman Catholic church and a fast food chain.

In the streets: some pedestrians, especially younger ones and cars – mostly pickup trucks. The latter are very common in the area, the bigger the better. No wonder that our rented VW Tiguan, not a small car either, was rated as an “undersized vehicle” by the ferry company :-D .

14 September

Yesterday it had cleared up and when I wake up, the sky is blue. I go outside, just to the road where I see a flock of mule deer grazing on the dry meadows.

Our first action this morning is to visit Seton Lake. Sam, the manager of the motel said, it was a good place to take a swim and it is. There are some other people around but it is only us actually swimming in the lake.

Back in town we are looking around. I already knew that the landscape around Lillooet is desert-like, but I never expected cacti to grow here. This species seems to be the Brittle pricklypear.

You meet the Brittle pricklypear in person when you are stupid enough to wear sandals. But it is the yellow-blooming Rubber rabbitbrush that shapes this landscape. You can see them everywhere.

Nearby lies the Lillooet Suspension Bridge, built in 1913 and in active use to cross the Fraser river until the modern “Bridge of the Twenty-Three Camels” was built in 1981.

Our way leads north along the Fraser River canyon. We stop several times, mostly to enjoy the views and once at the Fountain Flats Trading Post, a convenience store where we buy snacks and something to drink.

Another stop we make is at the second-hand shop in Clinton where Annika buys a Thermos flask with an interesting feature: it does not insulate for a minute. In a corner of one of the rooms: Two pairs of large snowshoes.

Near Chasm we leave Highway 97 and drive north on unpaved roads. Beside the road are several alkaline lakes, most of them dried out. On the surface there is a thin layer of soda crust, underneath it is black mud. I never saw anything like this before. My rubber boots get muddy and it takes ages to wash the soft-soap-like mud away.

Alkali lakes between Chasm and Williams Lake I

Alkali lakes between Chasm and Williams Lake II

Alkali lakes between Chasm and Williams Lake III

At half past eight we arrive at our motel, the Stampeder Inn in Williams Lake where we’ll stay for two nights.

Again I remember my wondering before our journey: Will Canada be different from Scandinavia apart from its size. And again I get the answer: Some parts are very, very different!

Vancouver Island Sep 21 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-09: Canada”.

Oh my, it is already 20 September. My wife Annika and I are still travelling around in western Canada, have seen many things and today I finally find the time to write another blog article, this time about Vancouver Island, that we visited from 9 to 13 September. It feels like ages ago.

9 September

The alarm clock rings at 5:45. We want to catch the early ferry from Horseshoe Bay on the mainland to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. The ferry crossing takes about two hours.

With 2200 km², Hinnøya is the largest Norwegian island near the mainland. Vancouver Island is more than 14 times as large and is ranked 11 on the list of Canadian islands. Sometimes Canada may resemble Scandinavia but everything seems to be much bigger.

We take the road north and make a stop at the public beach in Parksville on the east side of the island.

Then we make a stop at Cathedral Grove. It was a recommendation of a local from Vancouver that we met a couple of days ago. And this place is amazing. This is not just some forest, it is an ancient rain forest with gigantic trees, both tall and thick so that you may need a whole group of people to embrace it. I never ever saw a forest and trees like that and my concerns that Canada could be too similar to Scandinavia are immediately washed away.

From there it is not far away to our accommodation near Port Alberni, a beautiful blockhouse that we have booked for a night but immediately extend to three nights. It has a large living room including a piano and everything you need. Later Ryan, the friendly and helpful owner will tell us about the house’s story, but now we just fall into the king-size bed and are soon fast asleep.

10 September

Today we have planned a day trip to Tofino including visits in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Our first stop is an unplanned one – many more will follow, a pull-off by Kennedy River¹, that has created a gorge in the rough rocks. A good way to start the day.

We buy a pass for the Canadian national parks and start with a short hike on the Shorepine Bog Trail. Well, I have visited countless bogs in Sweden, where the landscape is mostly sparse. Here a boardwalk leads over the bog, which is wet as well but overgrown with large pines with intense green needles.

And then there it is – a Pacific beach, the open ocean. Both the waves and the many warning signs prevent us from taking a bath, but the impression of standing at the shore of the largest ocean of the world is thrilling. Next land to the west? More than 6000 km away!

Before we arrive in Tofino, we walk both parts of the Rainforest Trail, which is as amazing as Cathedral Grove. Especially “Loop B” is outstanding, because it not only features giant trees but also leads into a deep-cut valley so overgrown that you cannot see any ground or soil. Even if you head to Tofino for the beaches – as I did – do make this hike. It does not take long but it’s absolutely worth it!

We spend the time in Tofino mostly replenishing our supplies, refuelling the car and having a meal by the harbour, where as many seaplanes than boats were arriving or leaving. I also found an animal on a rock under a layer of sand. It is the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima (thank you, Ulrich, for the specification).

The view from our oudoor dinner place in Tofino

On the way back we stop at the northern tip of Long Beach, the largest beach, where we watch the surfers, take a stroll by the beach and collect some shells.

And here I finally manage to take a photo of a Steller’s jay. I’ve seen many, but they flew away as soon as I appeared with my telephoto lens.

11 September

Our first day off. Taking it easy, feeding the sheep, playing the piano, taking a bath in Sproat Lake, taking a nap and another bath in Sproat Lake. It’s important to let the many impressions sink in.

We will stay another day on Vancouver Island, then we will head back to British Columbia’s mainland.

_____
¹Kennedy River may be the wrong name.

Vancouver Sep 14 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-09: Canada”.

6 September

I am standing on the SkyTrain Expo Line that brings me to Waterfront station in central Vancouver. SkyTrain is fully automated and so I can stand at the front looking at the mountains to the right and the skyscrapers in the front.

At Waterfront I change to the Canada Line in the direction of the airport. It crosses the Fraser River on which tree trunks are floating, waiting to be transported.

Then I am at Vancouver Airport again. Yesterday I arrived here myself, today I am fetching my wife Annika. It takes some time before she is through the passport control and collects her luggage, then she is finally here, nineteen hours late. Our four-week Canadian holiday can begin.

As I was the day before, Annika is pretty tired from the flight but we don’t have any jet lag, although we travelled across nine time zones. We take the same trains back to Burnaby, enter bus 119 and arrive at our private host’s home.

After having a chat and leaving Annika’s luggage behind we go for a walk to Deer Lake, which is nearby. It is a beautiful lake in a park in the south of Burnaby which you can walk around. There are many signs that we are no longer in Scandinavia anymore: the many skyscrapers in the background, the bear and coyote warning signs but most of all: the huge trees.

After an afternoon nap we are looking for a restaurant. We were told that the local asian ones are all excellent. We choose the “Singapore Hawker” because it is crowded. We have to wait a while until we are seated. The interior is simple but the food is excellent. I ordered “G6. Nyonya Eggplant – Tender wok-fried eggplant and minced pork, enhanced with dried shrimp.” Have I ever eaten eggplant so tasty as it was here? I cannot remember.

7 September

Today Annika and I want to explore central Vancouver with Stanley Park. Again we take the SkyTrain into town, walk a bit and find a bicycle rental shop, where we hire two excellent bicycles for exploring.

There is a cycle path by the seaside that we follow to Stanley Park which lies on a peninsula north of the centre. Our first stop is at a group of totem poles.

We continue around, pass the Brockton Point Lighthouse and watch the seagulls carrying starfish in their beaks. They look like the birds’ versions of H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu.

We also spot some birds. A woodpecker, probably a pileated woodpecker. Then, also in the forest, a barred owl and finally at the beach a great blue heron. All beautiful birds of their kind.

At the end of Stanley Park there are several sandy beaches. Time for a swim – our first swim ever in the Pacific Ocean.

Now I am getting pretty hungry. We took Granville Bridge over False Creek and get some food at the Granville Park Public Market which was quite crowded. We cycled a bit more but I got tired and so we turned back, this time using the Burrard Street Bridge. After about thirty kilometres of cycling we were back at the rental shop to bring back the bikes.

In my option the bicycle is the perfect vehicle to explore Vancouver.

8 September

It is time to pick up our rental car at the airport. We’ll have it for three weeks to travel around in western Canada but today we’ll just make a day trip. We get a VW Tiguan with all-wheel drive and I am glad that Annika is driving this day, she handles big cities better than me. Our first stop is Richmond, a city near the airport where we buy some essentials and eat lunch, then we head off north to visit Whistler. In my view, Whistler is just a town and a ski resort, the journey there is very beautiful. We stop twice at designated tourist attractions. The first one is the Shannon Falls Provincial Park. The waterfall is beautiful, but what impresses us much more is the giant trees in the park. I’ve never been in a forest like this before.

We make another stop at the Brandywine Falls Provincial Park. First we take the short walk to the platform from which you can see the water falling down about 70 metres, then we take a small hike to a lake nearby. I’m a bit nervous, there are black bears and grizzly bears living in these forests as well as coyotes and cougars (though sightings of the latter are uncommon).

When we drive back the same way to our accommodation in Burnaby, it starts to get dark and when Annika parks the car in front of the house, it is dark.

Steindalsbreen 2026 Jul 26 2026

It has become a tradition for me to hike to the glacier Steindalsbreen on the Lyngen Peninsula once a year. I was there on 24 September 2023, on 28 September 2024, and on 14 September 2025. This year I’ll be away most of September, so I hiked there already yesterday with my friend Christine.

We know the way – the ascending forest path by the river Gievdanjohka (Steindalselva) …

… the Steindalshytta cabin, where my wife Annika and I stayed overnight last year, the bridge over the river Doaresjohka (Tverrelva) and the small hilltop from which you can see the glacier for the first time. Then the U-shaped valley, broad and easy to walk before the ascent where the landscape looks high alpine between 1500-metre-high mountains.

Now the landscape is dominated of rocks and the vegetation is sparse and low. Here a favourite flower of mine grows: Ranunculus glacialis – also known as glacier buttercup or glacier crowfoot.

The landscape rises in several waves and then we can see the glacier lake. The water level looks higher than usual. I don’t know if it’s due to the wet summer or the time of the season. This time the lake has some small icebergs in it.

I’m not sure if it is possible to reach the glacier without taking an icy swim but it is surprisingly easy to follow the small path on the scree slopes. The other years it was possible to walk along the glacier front on banks of sand and mud. This year I am limited to the tiny reachable edge of the glacier. This makes the photography part much shorter this year.

The lake looks murky and so do some of the huge ice blocks by the lake. They are covered with rocks, pebbles, and clay and only the smooth side reveals that under the debris there is solid glacial ice.

On our way back I hardly took any photos, just an snapshot of this flower with my mobile phone to look up what it is. According to my app “Flora Incognita”, it is Saxifraga aizoides – also known as yellow mountain saxifrage.

Thanks for the trip, Christine, and for driving all the way.

A summer overnight stay at Blåkollkoia cabin Jul 5 2026

The weather in Tromsø for the weekend didn’t look promising, but for Friday it did. I leave work just after lunch so that Annika and I can hike up to Blåkollkoia cabin together. At half past one I park the car in Tønsvik. From there, it is an 8 km walk up to the cabin. The first 2½ km we follow a gravel road that leads to some private cabins.

Then the road turns into a marked hiking trail. It leads through fern thickets and birch forests; it crosses grassy plateaus and bogs with cotton grass.

It is perfect hiking weather. The air is not too warm, but the sun is quite strong and we are glad about the occasional wind cooling us down. There are hardly any mosquitoes, but plenty of flies seem to fall in love with us and follow us everywhere.

Below the cabin we use the bridge to cross the river Goahtevuomieatnu/Tønsvikelva. We were here in August 2024 and took a bath; now the river carries a lot more water.

Then we arrive at the cabin. It is locked and we use the key provided by DNT (Den Norske Turistforening) to enter. We have booked two beds in Room 2.

I go outside several times to take photos, while the sun is slowly sinking lower and lower. It is still polar day in Tromsø, so the sun won’t set. I sleep a bit but after midnight I am out again enjoying the beautiful scenery that is illuminated by the low sun in warm colours.

The next morning the scenery is quite different. The sky is overcast, some mountains hang in the clouds and it has started drizzling a bit.

After a two-course breakfast (fried spaghetti and muesli), Annika and I pack our things, clean the cabin with the other guests and start our tour back to the parked car.

First it is just overcast, then it becomes foggy and in the end, when we are on the gravel road again, it starts to rain.

Luckily, a friend of ours lives nearby. Here we can change into dry clothes and we get hot soup and coffee. Thank you, C. for the food and good company! A perfect ending for a great hiking tour that took less than 24 hours.

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