March 10-11, 2018 Heading West

March 10

Woke up a bit later than normal this morning and relaxed with a couple cups of coffee. Lorin made us an amazing omelet for breakfast. After breakfast we cleaned up and then went out to hook up to the trailer and hit the road. It was a bright, sunny 8C day...perfect for travelling. We are only going to Hinton, AB today, so a short, three hour drive.

Margaret enjoying the sunshine

First good view of the Rockies...sigh :)

A few kilometers later we reached Obed Summit, the highest elevation on the Yellowhead at 1,164 meters/ 3820 feet above sea level. 

I have been fighting an ear/ sinus issue and really noticed the changes in elevation. Lots of tissues needed but feeling great to be back in the mountains. We pulled into the Super 8 in Hinton around 3p.m. We found a large parking area and unhooked the trailer as we had some running around to do in town (fuel, Canadian Tire and out for a late lunch/early supper) We mentioned to the server that we recently retired and guess what! We got our first official SENIORS Discount.

Not sure exactly how I feel about this but my practical, thrifty side is winning over my vanity side. Dave and I went back to the hotel and did a bit of re-organization in the storage compartments and back seat of the truck. 

March 11

Another beautiful day. Driving the Rockies with bright white snow on a bright blue day is spectacular. My heart is happy.

Jasper National Park is one of our favourite places on the planet. There is so much natural beauty, wildlife and fun and interesting things to do. The vibe is very casual and laid-back. Margaret was very interested in the elk just outside of town.

If you look about half way from the tram station to the summit of Whistler Mountain you can see where Dave and I got married in 2006. We were joined by 14 friends and family, a justice of the peace and two dogs for the hike up. Thankfully it was in July so there wasn't snow at the time. The blue sky was exactly the same though. It was magical.

Passed into B.C. on Daylight savings day so our time didn't change. How's that for timing?

We had to pull over for this great view of Mount Robson (tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies at 12,972 feet). 

Valemount Glacier

We had planned on overnighting in Barriere but because we didn't lose an hour and had lots of daylight left we decided to continue on to Merritt, BC. We secured a pet-friendly room at the new Best Western. We jokingly mentioned our "Seniors" discount from supper the night before at check-in and were told that Best Western considers 55+ for their discount too. SCORE!! What a great hotel. The pet-friendly rooms have exterior doors for easy late-night and early-morning potty breaks, the gym was great and the free breakfast was one of the best ever. We highly recommend it if you're ever in the area.

After Dave did a run on the treadmill and I took Margaret for a nice, long walk we showered up and walked  a block to Boston Pizza for supper. 

Back to the room to get some sleep. The Coquhalla (Hwy. 5) and Vancouver tomorrow! Our campground reservation is just off the trans Canada highway in West Vancouver.