Revelstoke

The Greyhound bus is completely full today. It is the start of a long weekend and everyone is on the move. July 1^st is Canada Day and Wikipedia helps me out with some background information about this national public holiday. Canada Day is the national day of Canada, celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, when three British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada (the southern portion of modern-day Ontario and Quebec) joined together into a single country called Canada. Britain kept limited rights of political control until 1982.

I am travelling east heading closer to the Rockies and I stop for a few days in the small town of Revelstoke. It is a pleasant little town on the banks of the Columbia Rive, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It has many restored historic buildings and individual shops which give the town a pleasant atmosphere.

Downtown Revelstoke

Revelstoke Court House

There is music in the street each night and in the bars. On my first evening I join the people sitting around the bandstand to watch and listen to a local rock band - they are really good. Small children run around and dance in the space in front of the stage. On my second evening I go to a bar and drink local beer while listening to a single musician is playing guitar and harmonica. Another night I watch a very entertaining ska/gypsy/circus/burlesque band. The music in town is diverse and high quality.

Rock Band in the Street

Burlesque Trumpeter

The town's history is inextricably linked with the trans-Candian railway, which runs along the side of the town. Huge long goods trains rumble slowly along the tracks, seemingly all day and all night. Sitting by a level crossing in the town I watch a train go by and count 154 goods wagons!

Canadian Pacific Railway

In the local town museum I find out about the link between the building of the railway and Devon! In 1885 the trans-Canadian railway was almost complete, but finance was needed. The President of the railway company travelled to Europe to raise funds. He met with Edward Baring – Lord Revelstoke of Membland (near my home in Devon) who then raised 13 million pounds in shares for the railway. The town was renamed Revelstoke in his honour.

Sunday 1 July is Canada Day. There is no set format across the country as to how this is celebrated. Local communities do their own thing. In Revelstoke there is a parade a community event in the park. I get to see my first Mounties in their iconic red uniform, as they lead the parade through the town.

Mounties Marching on Canada Day

Many people are dressed in red and white and even dogs wear red and white neckerchiefs. The parade goes through the main streets of the town and to a park. Here there are some short speeches from local dignitaries about the special day, the special country and the special town. A woman with a beautiful voice sings the Canadian National Anthem both in French and English into a microphone, while the Canadian Flag is raised and most of the crowd seems to struggle to join in with the words.

Raising the Canadian Flag

In the park local community groups have stalls; there is a huge Canada cake and games and races. I sit on a wall listening to a band from Nova Scotia playing celtic music and sea shanties and chat to two local women, Jan and Linda. They are very friendly and understanding that I am somewhat restricted by bus transport, kindly offer to take me sightseeing outside of the town. We drive up to the nearby hydro-electric dam and admire the lake above it.

Me, Jan and Linda

We visit the site of an historic ski jump where amateur ski jumper Nels Nelson made a new world record in 1928 by jumping 202 feet. Then we drive up Mount Revelstoke and into the national park, where we get fantastic views across the town and down the river.

Revelstoke Town from Mount Revelstoke

Columbia River from Mount Revelstoke

The road to the summit is usually open by the start of July, but this year snow still blocks the road 5km below the summit. Jan tells me that in the winter the snow can be 100’ deep here and the fir trees will be completely covered in snow!

Snow on the Road

After our lovely sightseeing tour, Jan invites me back to her house for a meal. She and Linda busy themselves in the kitchen making salad and hamburgers, and although I do offer to help, all I can do is sit with a glass of wine and some nibbles. The meal is delicious and pudding is a home-made lemon meringue pie. We discuss favourite puddings and I give them the Banoffi Pie recipe, which is a new one for them.

Dinner with Jan and Linda

After dinner we drive back into town to catch the end of this evening’s music in the square. What a great way to spend my first Canada Day – in the company and hospitality of two lovely Canadians. I hope I have the opportunity to return the favour at some point in the future.

The next day I join a local guide and a group of people for some kayaking on the Columbia River. The water level is extremely high, making the river over twice as broad as it would normally be and there is almost no discernible flow. The surface is smooth and glassy, so that it mountains which are swathed in low cloud and the kayakers themselves, are reflected sharply. The guide has made the wooden kayaks himself and the boats are light and beautiful. We paddle across the river and visit a waterfall, which comes straight from the glacier from the mountain. In the middle of the lake we play around with the echo which bounces back at us from a cliff at the shore, so crisp and clear that it sounds as if someone is mimicking our calls. This is a great way to get out into the beautiful natural environment and a good antidote to the frustrations of the lack of hiking.

Kayaking on the Columbia River

(these pics are small as they came off the kayaking website)

In the morning as I am wandering downtown to get a cup of coffee, I bump into Jan. She joins me and we sit and chat for an hour in a pleasant café. So now I almost feel like a local, as I have a friend to go for coffee with.