Day 8: Calgary to Revelstoke

John Leblanc

REVELSTOKE, B.C. – The Rockies had always been the carrot.

When we started our road trip from Halifax to Vancouver one week ago today, we purposely piled on the mileage the first few days -- mainly so we could take our time driving the western provinces once we got out of Ontario.

Unexpected weather, road construction, traffic — or too many Junior Mints — had the potential to have us rushing through the Prairies and mountains to make our Saturday flight home to Ottawa.

Not the experience my navigator/daughter, Olivia, or myself wanted.

For both of us, the opportunity to experience the Rocky Mountains kept us going during those long driving days out east.

OLIVIA LEBLANC FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Ah, those breathtaking vistas out west!

For me, I was looking forward to the mountain driving. Yes, even in the 42 hp Smart.

For Olivia, 14, this would be her first time in these parts of western Canada. Luckily for both of us, the Rockies delivered on their promise.

As always, the traffic from Calgary to Banff was fast and frenetic this morning.

At one point, cars, motorhomes and trucks all came to a halt, pulled over to the side of the road.

The "big incident" ended up being merely a bear taking lunch on a nearby rail line.

OLIVIA LEBLANC FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Apparently bears like to eat railroad tracks in these parts.

Now with time on our side, instead of the Trans-Canada between Banff and Lake Louise, we drove the Bow Valley Parkway. It’s a tad slower, but it winds along the valley bed beside the train tracks with lots of laybys to stop and take pics.

From there, the climb to Rogers Pass, and then down the west side to our evening’s destination in Revelstoke was nothing less than brilliant. Avalanche tunnels, snowcapped mountains, pristine river valleys — all spectacular! Impressive enough to get a certain 14-year-old navigator to put aside her In Style mags for a few moments.

I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was a little anxious about how the Smart’s minimal power was going to handle crossing the Rockies’ higher elevations. Especially after the foot-to-the-floor climbs we experienced in parts of New Brunswick and Ontario.

Ironically, the roads here have been engineered with less incline than some of the two-lanes we traversed in eastern Canada. There were only a few instances on the road today, west of Golden, B.C., where the Smart needed the whip.

Tomorrow, our final day in the ForTwo, will be, literally, downhill all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Day 8: Thursday, June 28, Calgary to Revelstoke

Distance: 433 km

Average fuel consumption (L/100 km): 5.0

Weather: Sunshine, turning cloudy 20C

Smart car sightings: 1

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