Kelowna to Okotoks - The Scenic Route

As usual I headed out onto the road as early as possible and in this case I was left the Funk family around 6:00 am. It's about a 10 hour trip to Okotoks (home of Tija and Christine) from Kelowna and as Tija and Christine were both working there was no real reason for me to fly up the highway like I normally would. That being said I mostly flew up the highway until I reached Golden.

The drive was gorgeous like usual and due to my early departure and only quick stops for gas and Tim Horton's I reached Golden before lunch. This was the junction and decision point for me as I didn't really want to go through Banff and stop there as Tija, Chris, I were planning to visit there later in the week. So I did what any modern woman (who travels with a computer and 3G wireless

stick for internet) would do - I used google maps to evaluate my driving options! End result - I decided to head to Radium Hot Springs and then north again through Kootenay National Park. After that I headed south east to Okotoks via Bragg Creek. This route definitely added time but it was amazing... at least until I hit the crazy rains in Alberta! I was expecting to see funnel clouds and flying clouds! Well there were no flying cows but I think they were lining up in twos!!

The drive south from Golden to Radium was really beautiful. I have done that trip recently but as it was February the scenery was quite different! In stead of

white it was a lovely green! While this road was only two lane it didn't matter as there was so much less traffic than on Highway 1. This was useful as there

were a number of times when I made quick and unexpected stops to take pictures! The day was perfect for it as the air was still and the sun was filtered through a light layer of clouds. The only real challenge on this road is the general lack of services - two stops at Tim's meant that I was really looking for a bathroom by the time I arrived in Radium.

After a quick stop to empty the bladder and fill up the gas tank I headed north again. The trip through through the park starts off great as you weave through tight canyons and come to the hot springs very earlier. I didn't take the time to stop at the hot springs but I was really amazed

at how many people were parked there and just how cheap it was to partake. I did stopped in the second parking lot to call Cameron and to take a the picture of the red cliffs. I suggested that we stop here on our trip later in the summer but I think that we'll be taking a different route. That's okay as I'm sure that I'll be travelling through here again in the future!

As I was travelling in a national park it wasn't surprising that there were a number of pull-outs and bathroom breaks! Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic on the road and people didn't get that I would want to stop unexpectedly to take pictures! That being said I did the motor-home driving technique (pull over and let the speed demons go by) and then just gave up and didn't stop unless there was an official pull-out.

For those who haven't travelled through Kootenay National Park or haven't done so since the fire season of 2003 (I think that's the year) you need to be prepared to see vast tracks of forest that are burned. The fire damage (I know it's natural but it's still sad) runs along both sides of the road for quite a while. It is great to see the regrowth but it is still disturbing to think about how dangerous it would be for the fire fighters and how many animals would have been displaced. It was more like driving through a movie than a national park. I took some pictures and will posted them later on.

Once I reached Highway 1 again (between Lake Louise and Banff) I basically headed to Okotoks without really stopping (other than a quick food stop in Canmore). The drive from Highway 1 to Brag Creek (highway 22) and then to Okotoks was really beautiful and while it added about one hour onto the total trip it was definitely worth it to avoid Calgary! The sky was really dark and the rains tended to feel more like the monsoons we experienced in Ghana but overall well worth drive!