Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada - Day 1

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Our day began on the Waitabit Creek, about 20 minutes outside the city of Golden, British Columbia. We said good-bye to Laura and Shaun this morning, and then spent a few hours catching up on school and work. With Starlink, Andi can take conference calls anywhere so long as we have a clear sky view to the northeast. He sat outside at a picnic table, and the kids and I did school inside the RV where there are less distractions.

Around Noon, we packed up camp and drove about 10 miles from Waitabit Creek to Bluewater Creek Recreation Site. A friendly older gentlemen by the name of Carl that we met at our campground yesterday recommended Andi and Aden check out one of his favorite fishing spots in the area. To get there, we followed a dirt road maintained by the logging industry. “Watch out,” Carl told us, “If you see a logging truck, they have the right-a-way, and they won’t stop.”

Oh, the places this RV has taken us! It’s not an all-terrain vehicle, but it sure feels like one sometimes. We bumped and bounced along the dirt road to Bluewater Creek on high-alert for interior cabinets to fly open or food to fall out of the freezer. We all know to open RV compartments slowly with one hand at the ready to catch whatever has come loose.

When we got there, Andi parked the RV at a campsite by the river. Tory said she didn’t want to fish, so we left her alone in the RV while Andi, Aden, and I walked along the shoreline. Carl’s instructions said to walk about 10 minutes to the confluence of the Bluewater Creek with the Columbia River. This was his favorite place to catch the elusive, fierce-fighting bull trout. Bull trout are one of the largest inland species of fish in British Columbia.

There were tons of kokanee salmon swimming in the stream, but that wasn’t what Andi and Aden were after today. Kokanee salmon are a landlocked species of sockeye found in western North America. Their bright red color signifies the fish are nearing the spawning stage and end of their life cycle.

The color of the Bluewater Creek was so beautiful. The only other place I’ve seen water this color of turquoise-blue was in the Caribbean.

It wasn’t long before Aden had a bite on his fishing pole. Zing went the line on his fishing reel. Aden reeled with all his might as the big bull trout fought against him in the water. Eventually, he reeled in his big catch with a gigantic smile on his face. I’m not sure who was more proud and excited in this moment— Aden or Andi!

“Can we keep it? Please, Dad,” Aden begged. Andi agreed that they could keep it (limit is 1), only if Aden promised to eat it for dinner. “I will, I promise,” he assured Andi.

Andi and Aden continued to fish several spots in the river without any more luck. No worries though; the guys were still riding the high of their big catch. For me, it was the perfect afternoon to sit by the river in the sunshine and watch them fish with the peacefulness of nature surrounding us.

Around 2:00pm, the three of us walked back to the RV and joined up with Tory. She’d been happily munching on snacks and watching episodes of Young Sheldon on her phone.

Tonight, we planned to stay in the town of Revelstoke, British Columbia about 90 minutes away. During our drive, we passed through two more Canadian National Parks — Glacier National Park and Mount Revelstoke National Park.

As we drove, we listened to commentary from Guide Along, an audio-guide tour of national parks in the United States and Canada. Our family enjoys listening to this audio for facts, stories, and history about places we travel.

For instance, we learned about snowsheds as the Trans-Canada Highway 1 summited Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park. I’d never heard of a snowshed before, and probably wouldn’t have given these structures much thought unless our “talkie guy” friend from the audio tour hadn’t told us about them. Snowsheds are one of many avalanche protection methods used along the Trans-Canada Highway. In the early 1900’s, avalanches killed dozens of people (both train passengers and railway workers). For decades, this area of Canada lacked industry and development because of its dangerous winter conditions.

When the idea of a true east-west highway through Canada was considered in the 1960’s (today’s Trans-Canada Highway), snowshed structures became part of the government’s plan to help mitigate snowfall along the roadway. These huge structures are strategically placed along the roadway to allow snow to collect on top, and avalanches to pass directly over the top of them. This keeps people safer, and helps roadway workers clear the highway of snow more quickly.

At the summit of the Selkirk Mountains, we stopped at Rogers Pass Discovery Centre to learn more about snowsheds and other facts in Glacier National Park. Fortunately, we’d already purchased a Canadian national park pass or entry into this museum would have cost us $22 CAD ($16.20 USD).

Inside, the discovery centre shared history and cultural information. Our family went into the theatre room thinking we’d learn more about Rogers Pass, but instead sat through a 15-minute video about bear attacks. Hmm… not exactly what we were expecting.

Another one of those pesky charter buses loaded with Asian tourists dropped off at the discovery centre not long after we arrived. The huge influx of people these charter buses bring has a way of ruining the vibe in places we’ve visited in Banff, Yoho, and Glacier National Parks — instantly overwhelming.

The four of us left the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre after the crowds of people showed up, and continued our drive to Revelstoke. Soon, we’d crossed into Mount Revelstoke National Park. Our audio-tour “talkie guy” recommended several hikes, short walks, and viewpoints along the drive. We decided to stop at the Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail for a 20-minute walk through an old-growth forest.

The Giant Cedars trail was worth a stop to walk through the beautiful forest and stretch our legs. The boardwalk was easy to follow, and took us about 20 minutes to walk around its length.

One fact I read said these trees were saplings when Christopher Columbus made landfall on the North American continent. They’re over 500 years old, and somehow survived logging and deforestation.

Andi made us a camping reservation at Lamplighter Campground in Revelstoke. We were due for a night’s stay in a place where we could plug in & re-charge, dump our RV’s septic, take showers, and do laundry. Unfortunately, the Lamplighter Campground isn’t within walking distance to Revelstoke’s main downtown business area, so we needed to decide what we wanted to do for dinner.

I’d reached the point of the day where I just wanted to be settled for the night; honestly, I wasn’t very hungry for dinner. Andi stopped at a Vietnamese food truck we passed by on our way to the campground, but unfortunately it was closed. Andi and Aden decided they’d cook up the bull trout they caught earlier today, and Tory said she’d make herself some gnocchi. Easy enough.

Aden helped Andi prepare the fish he caught today. They marinated the fish in soy sauce and honey, and served it with rice.

While he and Aden were grilling, Andi struck up a conversation with neighboring RVers from Ireland. The couple was interested to learn about Aden’s fish, and where he caught it. They are traveling in the opposite direction as us, making their from Vancouver to Banff National Park. Andi shared the coordinates of Bluewater Creek so hopefully they’ll have as much luck as we did fishing there.

While Andi and Aden visited with the couple from Ireland, I did a few loads of laundry. The facilities at Lamplighter Campground were very clean and nicely kept. Boy, they sure pack RVs in here like sardines though! There were a lot of people camped here, and at least half of them were traveling in rental RVs.

Tomorrow is Wednesday — a longer work day for Andi. Our plan is to stay in Revelstoke one more day to work, do school work, and hopefully enjoy exploring this beautiful small town in British Columbia.