mrslomo
01-15-2010, 08:59 PM
After admiring all the wonderful roadtrips fellow members have posted, I would like to share one of my recent drives. Actually, my husband does all the driving while I navigate, entertain, and offer constructive advice (not quite back-seat driving since I'm sitting next to him). Also, our two dogs always join our jaunts... why else would we have 3 Volvo wagons if we don't include the family?
On this May, 2009 4,000-mile trip, the car of choice was our 1998 V70 T5. Since we were heading towards "XC70" country, I hope this qualifies to be on the forum. Driving north and east to Spokane, Washington, and then north to the Idaho/Canada border, we crossed at Kingsgate without a hitch.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=137
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=138
Not far from the border is the beautiful 249 acre marsh, Elizabeth Lake in Cranbrook, BC. situated in the Rocky Mountain Trench Migration Corridor, it's an important waterfowl nesting and staging area.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=139
Next stop is to visit the largest tandem-axel offroad dump truck in the world. It's not something I can even park on the driveway not matter how much hubby wants to take it home!
Height = 6.88m (22'7")
Height With Box Raised = 17.07m (56')
Length = 20.09m (65'11")
Width = 7.57m (24'10")
Weight = 260 tons
Payload = 350 tons
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=153
We then spent the next day in Calgary, Alberta. It had been 8 years since our last visit (driving our now-past 1990 740 turbo wagon). MY, has it grown! Still a fantastic city to visit.
No visit to Calgary is complete without a trip into the past via the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Located about 1.5 hours from Calgary, you can't help but feeling you're in dinosaur-country with their life size reproductions... and no one can miss the oil wells on the back roads either. Our car got a free ride on a ferry a few miles from the museum.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=141
Located 1.5 hours east of Calgary, beautiful Banff National Park was our next stop.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=142
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=154
Since we've previously visited the famous Lake Louise twice in the past, it was due time to see the frozen "wild" Moraine Lake. Have you ever noticed that Volvos tend to all park together?
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=143
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=144
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=152
Then, it was northbound to the Columbian Icefields to visit Athabasca glacier in Jasper National Park. Dozens of smaller glaciers as well as many waterfalls can be seen all along the way.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=155
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=150
Finally, Athabasca Glacier. One of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle, it covers an area of nearly 325 square kilometres, sometimes reaching a depth of 300-360 metres. The alternative to walking up to the glacier was to hop onto the Brewster Ice Explorer snow bus for a more extensive visit since walking beyond the posted barrier is treacherous.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=151
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=156
This visit held us in awe because of how much the glacier had receded since our last visit 8 years ago. It used to be snow covered practically from just beyond the parking lot to the main body of the glacier. Back then, climbing up to the glacier was quite scary because of all the visible fissures. Now, it's just essentially walking on a bit of ice and lots of rock.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=157
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=160
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=159
After this incredible drive, we headed towards home. Our route took us westbound on Canada Hwy. 1 to Vancouver, BC. After crossing the border back into the US, I had a craving for Tillamook Creamery anise ice cream (a flavor I've only found at the factory). Hubby then veered off from Portland, OR to coastal Tillamook, OR and made it just in time for our treat. After meandering halfway down the Oregon coast to, we turned east to reconnect with Hwy. 5 southbound to home.
Thanks for looking.
On this May, 2009 4,000-mile trip, the car of choice was our 1998 V70 T5. Since we were heading towards "XC70" country, I hope this qualifies to be on the forum. Driving north and east to Spokane, Washington, and then north to the Idaho/Canada border, we crossed at Kingsgate without a hitch.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=137
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=138
Not far from the border is the beautiful 249 acre marsh, Elizabeth Lake in Cranbrook, BC. situated in the Rocky Mountain Trench Migration Corridor, it's an important waterfowl nesting and staging area.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=139
Next stop is to visit the largest tandem-axel offroad dump truck in the world. It's not something I can even park on the driveway not matter how much hubby wants to take it home!
Height = 6.88m (22'7")
Height With Box Raised = 17.07m (56')
Length = 20.09m (65'11")
Width = 7.57m (24'10")
Weight = 260 tons
Payload = 350 tons
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=153
We then spent the next day in Calgary, Alberta. It had been 8 years since our last visit (driving our now-past 1990 740 turbo wagon). MY, has it grown! Still a fantastic city to visit.
No visit to Calgary is complete without a trip into the past via the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Located about 1.5 hours from Calgary, you can't help but feeling you're in dinosaur-country with their life size reproductions... and no one can miss the oil wells on the back roads either. Our car got a free ride on a ferry a few miles from the museum.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=141
Located 1.5 hours east of Calgary, beautiful Banff National Park was our next stop.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=142
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=154
Since we've previously visited the famous Lake Louise twice in the past, it was due time to see the frozen "wild" Moraine Lake. Have you ever noticed that Volvos tend to all park together?
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=143
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=144
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=152
Then, it was northbound to the Columbian Icefields to visit Athabasca glacier in Jasper National Park. Dozens of smaller glaciers as well as many waterfalls can be seen all along the way.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=155
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=150
Finally, Athabasca Glacier. One of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle, it covers an area of nearly 325 square kilometres, sometimes reaching a depth of 300-360 metres. The alternative to walking up to the glacier was to hop onto the Brewster Ice Explorer snow bus for a more extensive visit since walking beyond the posted barrier is treacherous.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=151
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=156
This visit held us in awe because of how much the glacier had receded since our last visit 8 years ago. It used to be snow covered practically from just beyond the parking lot to the main body of the glacier. Back then, climbing up to the glacier was quite scary because of all the visible fissures. Now, it's just essentially walking on a bit of ice and lots of rock.
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=157
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=160
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=36&pictureid=159
After this incredible drive, we headed towards home. Our route took us westbound on Canada Hwy. 1 to Vancouver, BC. After crossing the border back into the US, I had a craving for Tillamook Creamery anise ice cream (a flavor I've only found at the factory). Hubby then veered off from Portland, OR to coastal Tillamook, OR and made it just in time for our treat. After meandering halfway down the Oregon coast to, we turned east to reconnect with Hwy. 5 southbound to home.
Thanks for looking.