Camping with the whole kit and caboodle

A few rides while in Kaslo

Managed to visit the Duncan Dam again.  Where I had just been camping with the Dual Sport guys. We had gone up this way to hike a trail I had seen on my maps.. Turned out it was straight up. 1600 feet of elevation gain in two miles !!!  Too much for my old knees and even Mrs MG complained a bit.. We turned around and explored with the Sidecar instead.. Lucy got a good swim in the lake. 

They had turned the water on since I had been here 

Lake level was about maxed so letting some out I suppose, or the Washington Farmers were needing to irrigate 😀 

After Kaslo we hit the road. A stop in Nelson, the heart of the kootenays for lunch 

Pee stop,, For Lucy of course 🤣 

Nice little waterfall there. 

We had been to Champion lakes before, a long time ago with Kathy's sister.. We had to camp there in her honour as she had passed this spring. We rode into Trail and had a good visit with Kath's Bro in Law and niece and Nephew 

Obligatory rig shot 

Camp Caboodle 

While at Champion Lakes, Half of BC was still on fire.. Our boys were taking good use of the ready supply of water to work a near by fire. 

These are all in a bit random order, but after Champion Lakes we headed East to Premier Lakes Provincial Park.. We are slowly ticking off all our Provincial parks.. One would have to be a fisherman to fully enjoy Premier which we are not but still there was the hiking to do. 

Kath and Lucy 

A rare shot of the Old curmudgeon 

Kootenay River, Edit, Sorry Vermillion River

A day of rain. We needed it badly 

Some one takes up a whole bed. Even she was tired after all the hiking 🙂

Cat's eye lake

We wanted to spend a bit of time in Kootenay Nation Park. We hadn't really explored the North end of the park last time here. I had had a hard time booking sites but in the end probably didn't have to.. Most sites were empty with the reserved ones mostly empty as well or just having people show up late and leave early.. Not my thing but hey, I guess. 

This is Kootenay river-- Hiking trail and bridge takes you over and up to Dog Lake.. Sort of up both ways 🙂 

We did manage to get into Marble Canyon Campground as well. Just one night.  Of course, It did involve more hiking.. I might need new shoes after this trip 🤣 

Pretty impressive cut through the limestone. Really busy with tourists but as an old stomping ground for me when our family lived in Yoho Nation Park I had to show Kathy. 

Before it cut in

With a bit of weather and a few days to kill, no hiking. yippee! 

I relaxed

Got caught up on some reading 

More canyon Pretty impressive. 

Lucy checking things out 

I think this is a pan of Dog Lake. Hiking was involved 🤣 

On the move again

The continental divide and onto the busiest place on earth, well Canadian Earth 

Banff!!! 

We have been to Banff many times but not recently.. Last time was a Ski holiday, a few years ago now.  It is still spectacular and worth a visit but OH MAN is it busy with people.. From all over the world too.  I think we visited with people from just about every US state as well. 

We did a bunch of hiking, of course, visiting, waiting out some rain, trying to avoid the crowds, not possible and generally enjoyed our time getting to know Banff again. There is just too much to see in a brief 4 days.

Anyways I am just going to do a big Photo dump. 

More Banff. If you ever get the chance it is worth seeing, just be aware that you will be jostling for space with the rest of the world.  I think there might be 5 kajillion photos taken of Lucy in the Sidecar with goggles posted out there on internet land.  Quite the crowd stopper. 🤩 

Lake Minniwanka, I recommend hiking up the trail a ways, way less busy 

Home

The clean up. Way more bugs than a Moto windshield 🤣 🤣 

Random Banff

So that's it. Impressions. I like our Provincial Parks a lot more than our National Parks.. Neater and better laid out, more space between sites. Good facilities, new in a lot of cases, trails well maintained. Of course we have been putting a bunch of money into them over the last few years. The National parks seem a tad worn, maybe a tad neglected. The busy areas get attention but even those seem a tad shabby in places. Banff of course is just over run. Way too many people for way too few facilities. All my favourite spots I remember are either closed,  heavily restricted, or impossible to find a parking spot at, even with a sidecar. Still worth it just that once. Pick your time of day and you might see what I mean. 

Epic report! 

Thanks for sharing.  🍻 

Great stuff, Brian, but where is the boat?  A proper caboodle includes a boat, and not a canoe or a dingy.  A big, sleek, powerful boat with twin engines, a boat that will increase your enjoyment a bit and increase your frustration and expenses tremendously.

@kevin-huddy HA!  Boats to me are sort of like Snowmobiles, designed to empty your wallet. Even more than Sidecars. 🤣

Scenery of the sort that can only cameras only hint at. 

Thanks.

@brstr Yes, It is spectacular even having lived there I still find it so. Still it would be fun to do a run around the outback Like inmate Will and company just did in Oz. Posted over on ADV "Hacks"  I bet there are bits there that are just as spectacular, just in a different way.

Yep Australia has amazing scenery as well.

Enjoy.