Overland Travel ⎮ Adventure Photography
We have a new VLOG episode live on our YouTube channel. In this episode of our Vlog, we tidy up some cabinetry, build the pallet wall behind the dinette area, and Rachael hammers on some curtain grommets.
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Stay tuned for our next episode, a gear review.
Before you read about one of the best and most iconic roads in North America, go read about our journey through Alberta in Bow Valley Parkway and Lake Louise and Banff, AB: Okienomad’s Trip Through Canada’s Oldest National Park.
Now onto this road. The Icefields Parkway is a 167 mile road that links Lake Louise to Jasper. The road winds and curves along pristine alpine rivers, over massive mountain passes and passed some of the coolest attractions in Canada.
We left out of our epic hillside parking spot and made the turn West and onto the Icefields Parkway.
Just after starting up one of the mountain passes, we were greeted by a herd of bighorn sheep crossing the road. These creatures did not remotely care that we were on the road. We let them pass and continued on up the hill.
We shortly stumbled upon the Columbia Icefield and proceeded to hike as close as we could before the crevices started. I was really taken aback by the glacier and how much it has retreated into the mountains since discovery. The date markers showing the toe of the glacier over time really convey the effects of global warming. I enjoyed the hike because of the beauty but was also humbled by the reality of what damage we have done to our planet.
On our way up the Icefields Parkway, we somehow missed the turn off for Tangle Falls. We realized it shortly after we missed the sign, but decided to come back to it on our way back South. We were not disappointed. This waterfall looked like something on a tropical island. I can’t imagine what it looks like in the summer season. We met a man here, he was actually stopping to use the facilities, and he was on his way from Alaska to Idaho, solo, in a 2nd generation Nissan Xterra. I was a little jealous of the epic distance of his trip and also very nervous for him driving through the wilds of North America through the night on his own.
We continued down the parkway toward Athabasca Falls, aptly named for the river that feeds the falls. The falls were incredible and what we missed seeing over the horizon due to the fog, we made up for in snow-covered trees bordering the river.
Racheal and I attempted to follow a trail around to the lower falls, but ended up on an old rail track and followed it a little ways into the forest. We returned to take in one more look at the falls and head toward Jasper.
This road is iconic and epic due to the sweeping views and the beautiful natural features that litter the landscape. If you are traveling the Icefields Parkway, I encourage you to take two days to see this road, especially during the summer season. If you feel like turning off and getting a picture, do it. We stopped for a lot of pictures of the road and I still wish we had stopped for more. There are so many beautiful scenes to see, TAKE YOUR TIME!
We made our way to Sunwapta Falls, a Class VI waterfall with a drop of 60ft. I would have loved to see someone ride a kayak through this set of falls as it is impressive in size and volume. I encourage you to visit this (and any other iconic sights) early in the morning. If you can be the first one there as the sun comes up, you will miss the hoards of tourists that bus in during the day. It became difficult to even setup a shot at Sunwapta due to the masses of people during the week in mid-October. Nevertheless, it was beautiful and well worth the stop.
We met the nicest woman from Ontario while we were hiking around the falls. She was visiting her son in Alberta and decided to stop at some sights along the way. Meeting people on the road is one of our favorite elements of long-term travel. We are contemplating making a business card so we can stay in touch with people that we meet on the road.
We pulled into the Jasper area close to dark, so we got the RV parked and paid for in the Wapiti Campground. Similar to Tunnel Mountain II in Banff, Wapiti is a massive campground. Be warned, during the winter months, there is not water fill or dump station at Wapiti, it is strictly an electric-only site. We were not alone at Wapiti, but the shore power and warm, clean showers were worth the $25USD that we paid to park in a parking lot with other RV’s. We will tell the story of our time in Jasper in another post, stay tuned.
Thank you so very much for taking the time out of your day to read about our adventures and view our photos. If you haven’t yet, please take a couple more minutes to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our channel on YouTube. Take a look around our website and if you see anything you like or have any suggestions, please let us know by commenting or e-mailing us at okienomads@gmail.com.
One of our newest and most unique pieces of camera kit is our drone. We use a 3DR Solo Quadcopter, filming with a GoPro4 Silver. The drone allows us to get shots like these:
The Solo is a very user friendly and easy to operate, however, one of the drawbacks is the case that it comes in from 3DR; the case is cardboard and has a luggage style handle instead of shoulder straps. Enter Lowepro DroneGuard CS 400.
The CS400 has a patented “Foam Shell” carbonate casing that makes it strong enough to protect your drone and accessories without adding the bulk and weight of a Pelican case. The back-pad and straps are padded enough to be comfortable for short walks and moderate hikes, but would probably require some additional padding for longer hikes.
The exterior of the case is extremely scratch resistant and will more than likely not show most stains such as dirt or similar. I wouldn’t however apply a lot of pressure to the case as it is not as rigid as a hard case.
The interior of the CS400 has the “Drone-Guard” customization system that allows several different drones to be able to fit in the case with a simple switch of some panels. Take a look at the Lowepro website for more detailed images of some of the different customizations you can come up with to fit your drone.
Below is how my 3DR Solo is setup, with plenty of room for a jacket or additional camera on either side.
As you can see, the case fits everything that I need to operate the Solo and even has room for more batteries if I add some later on. Zippered pouches are well placed to allow storage of chargers, cables, and more. The propellor board is Velcro’d to the lid and is removable.
I have only just received this case and have not had a chance to run it through a field test as of yet, so I cannot speak to the durability of the case. I will report back after extensive use if the case was anything short of satisfactory.
The only potential failure points that I can see is the semi-rigid construction of the shell. Any large amount of pressure from someone accidentally sitting on it, will more than likely cause damage to the drone and the case. The case is heavily padded and should be able to withstand short drops, throws, and slides.
I am very happy with this case so far. Time will tell if it is worth the $100 price tag or if a Pelican hard case would have been a better bet for a little bit more money. If this case holds up to the abuse of a traveling photographer, I will be satisfied with the purchase. As with anything made by Lowepro, a lot of time and energy was put into designing this case, and it shows.
Whether on the road, in the woods, or around the shop, a good fixed blade work knife is essential. Most fixed blade knives with much quality cost over $100, but I may have found a budget contender for an excellent EDC (Every Day Carry) fixed blade knife that won’t break the bank. The Schrade SCHF57 is a full-tang, fixed blade knife that is both easy to carry and extremely useful for under $20!
Key Specs
The build quality initially seems excellent. The knife is substantial when used, but not overbearing when carrying. In my first outing with the knife, I was able to carry the knife perpendicular to my waist and was able to conceal the entire knife in my back jeans pocket and under my sweatshirt. The blade is extremely sharp out of the box and has a great edge.
The Blade
The 65MN Carbon Steel blade is extremely tough and wear resistant. 65MN is, however, a readily available Chinese steel, but that is to be expected with the price tag.
The Bottom Line
For $16, this is a home run. Compared to my other, larger fixed blade knife the Cold Steel GI Tanto, this knife has as substantial of a build with less weight and more conceal ability. This knife is easy to carry, easy to sharpen, and easy to buy.
If you haven’t read the last installment of our blog, you should. See it HERE!
After a short, beautiful drive up the Bow Valley Parkway, you should arrive at Johnston Canyon. Johnston Canyon was a favorite stop for both of us. The trail is easy and well-marked and meanders along some truly beautiful cascades. The falls themselves make for an excellent place to stop and take in the view.
A more strenuous hike leads up the mountain-side to the “ink pots”. These pools were less than interesting, but the vast expanse of the top of the forest made the hike worth it. If you visit in the fall, be sure and take some warm clothes, it was brisk up top.
We camped in the Johnston Canyon RV parking lot across the street from the trailhead. It was free and no one hassled us either night that we camped there. To see more about where and how we boondocked in our rented RV, check out our blog post here! www.okienomads.com/rvrental .
Lake Louise-
This is what we woke up to the next morning…
Continue travelling down the Bow Valley Parkway as far as you can and it will terminate at Lake Louise Village. Due to bad weather and visiting in October, we had to leave the parkway at Castle Junction and continue North on HWY-1. If the weather and road closures permit, take your time on this road. There are beautiful things to see all along it. Don’t get in such a hurry that you miss it.
Lake Louise is an interesting little village, but there was not much in the actual village that interested us. We got some advice for a “private” hike from a ranger at the information center in Lake Louise that we were glad we got.
The gentleman explained that he liked to be alone, and this is the hike he likes to be alone. We followed his directions to Moraine Lake Rd and parked at the road closed sign to continue on foot. Due to visiting in mid-October, Moraine Lake Rd was closed, but we parked at the highway and continued onto Lake Annette on foot.
We bundled up and stepped out into a fairly substantial snowfall and brought along our YakTrax in case things got sketchy. We hiked the road for a few KM’s and found the trailhead to Lake Annette, as described by our new friend at the visitor center. The trail was moderate and fantastic as it was covered in about 6 inches of fresh powder. We were the only humans that had been on it since the most recent storm.
We hiked a total of around 11 KM’s up to ice-covered Lake Annette and the unnamed glacier hanging on Mt. Temple. We made much better time back down the trail as we followed our original steps out of the woods. Although this is prime bear country, we saw none. We saw absolutely no wildlife on this hike, which was strange. This however was a great snow hike and an awesome experience to get into the backcountry.
We then made our way to iconic Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau that rests on the lakeshore. Although the hotel is beautiful and in a prime location for hiking and skiing in the winter, it is not really our style and definitely not in our price range.
The lake, however, is beautiful. The mountains in Alberta seem to burst out of the lakes and erupt into the clouds. So is the case for Lake Louise. The emerald blue water is like nothing I have ever seen. We walked around the lake and took in the sights, conversed with some very nice tourists, took obligatory shots of the boathouse and made our way back to the RV for lunch.
A lot of the popular trails either had roads closed to the trailheads or were socked in with snow, so we missed some of the more iconic hikes at Lake Louise such as the Plain of Six Glaciers or Moraine Lake. We will save those for another trip.
North of Lake Louise, the Bow Valley Parkway turns into HWY 93, the Icefields Parkway. One could spend a few days travelling the Icefields Parkway by itself, and we will leave that to a later post. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read about our adventures. If you enjoyed the stories or the photos, let us know by leaving a comment or sending us an e-mail at okienomads@gmail.com. You can see all of our images on Instagram and videos of our bus build on YouTube. Subscriptions, shares, and follows are always appreciated, they help keep this dream alive.
We have a new VLOG episode live giving an update of our progress on the bus conversion. We are roughly 50% done with the bus and it seems like projects keep getting easier and faster as we go.
*The GoPro on the drone had an SD card error on the first battery flight, so there isn’t as much footage as I would have liked, but you get the idea.
Enjoy!
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Stay tuned for our next episode, a gear review.
Once we had rested up from our flight and Canadian Thanksgiving in Calgary, we picked up our rental RV, and pointed the RV North and tried to get out of the city as quickly as possible. You can read about our experience with the RV rental in a previous Blog Post. We made a short stop in Canmore, AB to hike a bit, grab some coffee, and score the single coolest thrift store purchase that I have ever made (see: 90’s Shimano bike jersey).
Canmore
First thing is first, Canmore and much of Alberta as a whole, has bike lanes, hundreds of them. To an unsuspecting tourist from bike-averse rural Oklahoma, these lanes look like lanes for cars. I mistakenly tried to turn onto one of these glorious bike lanes and was swiftly pulled over by one of Canada’s finest. After a short run of my ID through what I have to guess was Interpol, we were free to go.
We stopped for coffee at Good Earth Café and after a mediocre cup of joe, we were on our way to Grassi Lakes Trailhead. I wish we had more time in Canmore as it was an interesting little town with what appeared to be a ton of mountain biking and hiking trails, but we had only planned on this one hike so we hoped it would be a good one.
When we saw the trailhead, we couldn’t help but notice the hundred-foot waterfall that cascaded down the side of the hillside. We hiked along-side the waterfall to the top, where we found the Grassi Lakes. The views from the top were exceptional and we picked a great hike to start our trip into the Canadian Rockies.
Do yourself a favor and if you are ever presented with two options on a hike, “easy” and “less easy”, always take the “less easy” route. You will be glad that you did. These lakes were well worth the hike up and the views were worth the effort to hike the “less easy” trail.
Banff
We arrived in Banff at dark and drove straight to our first campground of our trip, Tunnel Mountain 2. We camped at Camp “2” because it was officially winter season in Canada. The entire campground is huge (600+ RV sites) and I can’t imagine what this place looks like during peak season. Most of the facilities were on and in good condition, but our “campsite” was literally a parking spot with a plug-in. My expectations for RV living probably needed to be adjusted a bit.
Travel Tip #1: If you are traveling in an RV in the late Fall or Winter FILL UP WHENEVER POSSIBLE! Every chance that you get to dump your grey water, fill your fresh water, fill propane, or fill vehicle fuel, do it! You never know who will have fresh water in the next town on the map.
When we woke up we saw a rig parked across from us that was unique and had some branding on the side of the RV. The rig belonged to the Symons, a family living full time in their RV and travelling all over Canada. You can learn more about them at http://symons4everonroad.over-blog.com.
If you have never been to Banff, there a few things that you need to see first. The Fairmont Hotel, Cave and Basin Historical Sight, and Bow Falls are a few that come to mind. These are iconic sights that are beautiful and fun to experience. We spent half of our first day in Banff visiting these locations. We parked in town and walked the impressive trail system from one side of town to the other and back around for lunch.
For coffee or to get on the web for a while, we recommend Whitebark Café. The café is in a hotel lobby, so it is comfortable, has a public restroom and Wi-Fi plus the coffee was some of the best that we had in Alberta. If you are in an RV or large vehicle, we recommend parking at Wolf St and Lynx St near the Banff Canoe Club or at the Central Park Parking Lot on the South end of town. Central Park has public restrooms and is across the street from Banff Public Library (free Wi-Fi). Both parking spots are near the Bow River and make a quick walk to downtown.
One of my favorite businesses in Banff was the All in the Wild Gallery on Banff Ave. Jason Bantle is an excellent photographer and his work is on display and for sale in his downtown gallery. To see more of his work, check him out at www.bantlephoto.com . –Zach
I really enjoyed the walkability of Banff in that you could park in the FREE public parking and walk to anywhere in town. It was nice to not have to move the RV to go do something different.” -Rachael
If you have an afternoon in Banff, take the time to drive to Lake Minnewanka. It is a long and winding road to get to the lake, but be sure to cross the lake and complete the loop alongside Two Jack Lake. The views of the lakes and forest along the road are beautiful and we saw quite a bit of wildlife on this road, including some rutting bull elk that were locking antlers when we arrived.
If you are leaving Banff and heading toward Jasper, travel on HWY 1A instead of the TransCanada HWY, the Bow Valley Parkway is much more scenic and much less traveled. The road leads you to a destination called Johnston Canyon. Do not skip Johnston Canyon! There were more waterfalls and cascades scattered along this canyon than any other location in Alberta. To read about Johnston Canyon and the rest of Banff National Park, you will need to keep an eye out for our next blog post: Bow Valley Parkway and Lake Louise.
Thank you so very much for taking the time out of your day to read about our adventures and view our photos. If you haven’t yet, please take a couple more minutes to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our channel on YouTube. Take a look around our website and if you see anything you like or have any suggestions, please let us know by commenting or e-mailing us at okienomads@gmail.com.
One of our biggest challenges on road trips is eating healthy and gluten free. Rachael has a gluten intolerance that makes digesting wheat a truly miserable experience for both of us, but mostly her. I can eat Gluten, but my digestion is greatly improved when I kick wheat out of my diet. So how do we do it? We travel all over the country staying in campgrounds, Air BnB’s and backcountry campgrounds in the middle of nowhere and we always have to eat.
Below are some tips that will help you eat Gluten Free on the road or in the woods:
Shop Before You Leave- If you know that your regular grocery store stocks GF bread and all of the ingredients that you will need to make your favorite camp dish, don’t wait until you get to Pond Creek, OK to see if the 7-Eleven attendant has any idea what Gluten is. Plan your meals ahead of your departure and buy your potentially hard to find items before you embark.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit our site and to read our content. We greatly appreciate it and we want to hear from you. Please leave us a comment on the blog, send us an email at okienomads@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube @okienomads.
The easiest and least complicated aspect of our recent trip planning was arranging to get into Canada from the US.
Did you know: American Citizens can visit Canada for up to 180 days before other arrangements such as Visas have to be arranged? Crazy! All of this natural beauty and all of these super friendly people and the government doesn’t care if you spend 6 months across the border. AWESOME!
The backbone of our whole trip was finding an affordable international flight that left near our wedding and arrived when we needed to be back. We used Expedia.com for our flights and found a cheap flight out of XNA in Northwest Arkansas and a return flight to Tulsa International.
Once we arrived in Calgary, we made our way to our first Air BnB for our layover for Canadian Thanksgiving. MJ was a fantastic host and we could not have asked for a better place to relax and recharge before hitting the road. The apartment is furnished well and the hot-tub was a great addition. The location was great for walking all over Downtown Calgary. I would highly recommend this for anyone looking for an alternative to a hotel room.
On our return trip through Calgary, we stayed here. Justin was also a great host and was even there to let us in when there was a malfunction with the buzzer at the front door. The building is a historic brick building in the heart of Downtown Calgary. The layout was a little unique, but it worked great for two road-weary travelers.
Calgary has plenty to offer in the way of food and shopping, there was however, limited nightlife. We are not big into nightlife or bars, but we did notice that it was a little dead after about 10PM. We found no shortage of food options and even found some that accommodated with gluten free options. Below are a few of our favorites:
Calgary has a lot to do, especially if you are short on time in the city. We really enjoyed spending quality time walking the trails around the Bow River and exploring the different neighborhoods in and around Calgary. If we had a little more time, we would have taken a trip out to the Calgary Olympic Park. Our schedule did not support this however, so it will have to wait until next time. We got a hold of our RV and our next stop was Banff National Park. To learn more about our experience with Cruise Canada and a rental RV in general, click here!
Next Article: BANFF, AB: OKIENOMAD’S TRIP THROUGH CANADA’S OLDEST NATIONAL PARK
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When we started brainstorming options for our Honeymoon, Rachael and I were both unaware of how much adventure we could cram into two weeks by renting an RV and road-tripping through the Canadian Rockies.
Why Cruise America (Canada)?
We researched a few other RV rental companies (Canada Dream mostly) and they were more expensive and not nearly as flexible with dates and costs. We got a seasonal deal with Cruise Canada (same company as Cruise America) and it cost us almost half as much with CC as it would have with Canada Dream.
Why an RV?
Cost. One alternative is to camp, but campsites are around $12-20/night not to mention the cost of renting camping equipment that could withstand the cold of October in Alberta which ranged anywhere from $20-100/night which isn’t any cheaper than the RV. The RV cost us just under $1000 CAD after renting pots and pans for the 8 nights. Hotels in Banff and Jasper averaged around $150/night not to mention the cost of a rental car or shuttle to drive us to cool places. In the RV it was one cost for the whole trip and we only had to worry about one reservation.
Convenience. Everything was in the RV! Just like when we travel in the bus, all of the things that we needed were tucked away in the RV, ready for any hike or adventure that arose. We could go from sleeping to hiking in a couple of minutes and the RV was secure and safe anywhere that we visited in Alberta and British Columbia. All we had to pack was a sleeping bag and we were set!
How terrible was living in an RV for over a week?
You are asking a couple who want to live full-time in a school bus, but past that, the RV was great! Everything worked and was clean when we picked up the unit. We used the propane stove and heater throughout the whole time we were in the rig and it worked flawlessly. The refrigerator ran off of electric and propane and we only refilled the propane tank once to the effect of about $25CAD.
The RV only had 100k miles on it and appeared to be basically new. It drove fine for as large of a vehicle as it was and we only had to put air in 1 tire on one occasion. We literally just drove it, slept in it, and took it back.
How brutal was dealing with Cruise Canada (America)?
I too have read some of the reviews online about Cruise Canada and I was initially very skeptic. I had planned to walk around the whole rig with a GoPro filming all of the little problems and blemishes, similar to the experience of renting a cheap apartment in a college town. However, our experience with CC was very good. Customer service was right on and we spent a total of about 20 minutes at their location, total. The check-in was fast and painless. Below are a couple of tips to help your process go smoothly:
Do you have to stay in Campgrounds?
Yes and no. To use the 110V appliances like the AC unit and the microwave, you must be connected to shore power in a campground or driveway. The rest of the appliances/lights/etc are 2-way, meaning they can run on the “house” battery for a short period of time. We only paid for camping 2 nights out of the 9 that we stayed in the RV.
Look for highway turnoffs, abandoned parking lots, and free RV parking signs and eat your heart out. One of our favorite nights of the trip was in a “Free RV Parking” area at the Crossing Gas Station/Motel/Pub.
Where did you poop?
This is a super common question that we often get with the bus life and the answer is the same, public restrooms and the woods are everywhere, especially in Canada. We did not use the RV washroom for #2 once. We utilized the always present forest or public restrooms when were near a city or town. Just think of how many trailhead, coffee shop, visitor center bathrooms that you see every day of a trip. Now just plan your day a little bit ahead of time and you too will not let the poo control your adventures.
Bonus tip: Always bring TP. An extra roll of toilet paper can save the day. We bought a small 4 pack when we landed and donated what was left to our AirBnB host in Calgary before we flew out…A small price to pay for comfortable BM’s.
If you have ever rented an RV and had a hack or suggestion that could help us the next time we rent, please drop a comment or e-mail us at okienomads@gmail.com. As always, keep up to date with our adventures on Instagram and YouTube @okienomads.
Next Article: Canadian Road Trip: Getting to Canada
