Oh Canada

 

Lately we have been going to western Canada.  A lot, in all seasons.  Not to avoid the draft or escape the insurrection, but to beat the crowds at our National Parks and on our Park City Streets. We go to chill out and relax in a big land full of huge mountains and glacial valleys with few people, lots of trees, little towns, big lakes, ice castles, hot springs, low temps and deep snow.  It’s like having a foreign country right next door with funny money, words, accents and customs.  Exactly like that.  But it’s clean and close, inclusive and inviting, safe and comfortable, affordable and affable.  Like Switzerland, but you can drive there. 

Sure, it can be cold in winter.  Wicked cold.  It’s usually below zero, oftentimes well below zero, sometimes 40 below (F and C!).  But it’s a dry cold and usually manageable.  It can even be hot in the summer.  They have a desert valley below Kelowna, in the rain shadow of the coastal range, where they grow wine and fruit.  They have lakes and big water.  The Columbia River starts up there, among other major rivers, with lots of dams and hydro power.  The lakes have free ferries that are not crowded and don’t require reservations.  Check availability in the winter.

The Canadian dollars are called Loonies, like the bird, and Twonies, like two birds,  with a good dollar exchange rate (0.7) and there is good value there for your money.  They are metric, like the rest of the world and like we should be, with almost 0.7 km/mile.  Gas is taxed more to cover the actual costs and promote conservation at $1.75 a liter or $7 a gallon. So, between the money, miles and gas, you learn to multiply by 7 very quickly.   Camping is cheap and reservations are recommended but you can always find a spot.  Cheap hotels are less than $100 a night, good ones are $150 and classic ones are $200 so if you don’t camp, lodging is reasonable. 

Canada's infrastructure has been much improved lately.  No longer do you take a two-lane, traffic-signaled highway through downtown Calgary to get to the hills.  There are freeways and belt routes and even a Banff bypass to get you up the canyon.  And once in the canyon there is no pass to go over to get to Banff or Lake Louise.  West of there is Kicking Horse pass to Golden and then Roger’s pass to Revelstoke, which are formidable, even in the summer.  From there to Whistler are some wild coastal mountains and crazy roads that are in good condition.  The Powder Highway from the Idaho-Montana border connects a dozen large and small ski resorts but beware, in some places they do not plow the roads at night!  There are many border crossings that are open at various times so check their web page and if you are civil, they won’t hassle you.

And so, we go there in the summer too, and it is not crowded.  There are more people in California than Canada and it is the second largest country in the world, by area behind Russia, which is almost twice as big.  We have ten times as many people as they do in our slightly smaller country.  90 percent of Canadiens live within 100 miles of the US border which means the rest of the place is wide open.  It’s like North Dakota with trees.  The people are polite to a fault and their favorite saying is ‘soorry’.  The vibe is friendly and inclusive, and they are curious about us.  Canadiens think we are all rich, a little crazy and slightly immoral.  Some think our politics are nuts and that we want to take over their country for their natural resources, free medical care and the pleasant low-key vibe.  I never thought about it, but it’s not a bad idea.