Leaving Alberta made us reflect on the omnipresence of poutine. Many restaurants, including the Fairmount, offered poutine. If you’re from Quebec, don’t get too excited. We were offered breakfast poutines (in a wide variety of mixes and flavours). It all comes down to a blend of different ingredients in some sauce, usually featuring potatoes and cheese. You may come upon a “real” poutine here and there, most likely in places that have met Quebecois who told them it’s potato fries, cheese curd, and brown gravy (ideally from a beef stock base). In the end, you’re just as likely to find Hollandaise sauce in your poutine as gravy. We’re wondering whether BC will offer the same wide variety of poutine Alberta does.
Entering British Columbia through the Trans-Canada Highway is barely noticeable at first. There’s a little sign a couple of kilometres past Lake Louise, and that’s it. It took a good hour for our phones to get the memo and switch time zones to Pacific time. The thing that made us realize we were in a different province was the lack of rest stops with views. There’s an abundance of stunning views on the highway, but the rest stops seem purposefully placed where there’s nothing to see or in the middle of tall trees, obscuring any views. Stopping on the highway to take pictures is dangerous. There’s no lack of people doing it, but you risk the same fate as the mountain goats they keep warning drivers about.
Just before entering Revelstoke, there’s the Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail. It’s a 500-meter loop with, you’ve guessed it, old cedar trees. The walk itself is lovely, a relaxing 20-minute route where everyone stops every couple of meters to take pictures. Taking the photos is really the only way to pace yourself through it; it would take more time to park than to visit. Still seeing large cedar trees is worth the stop, and the old-growth forest gives a very different feel than what you could have experienced while in Alberta.
Getting into Revelstoke is eerie. In every trip, one finds that city that’s overhyped. Revelstoke is that city. On Google Maps, there’s a good choice of restaurants with excellent ratings and interesting menus. However, when you get in the city, you get the feel that it’s a tourist town without its tourists. The streets are empty, even on Labour Day weekend. Finding a place to sit and take a glass of wine and relax before dinner is tough - it might be more of a beer town? If you’re into beer, there are a couple of options, but we can’t comment on them.
Tomorrow we’re exploring Mount Revelstoke. We’re hoping the hiking up there is worth our disappointment at the town with the same name.