River Rafting in Colorado, USA

''Manifest Destiny. Westward Expansion. Come April it will start again'' So starts one of my favorite monologues in a Horror movie. The movie is called ''Ravenous'' and it is so diverse it is difficult to pinpoint its genre but I will go with Horror. This movie is partly inspired from the story of Alferd Parker also called the Colorado Cannibal,who confessed to resorting to cannibalism while travelling with a group of men through the mountains of Colorado. The monologue was playing in my mind as I sat in the flight from Vancouver to Denver, Colorado. The movie was part of my preparation for my trip to Denver.

This was a couple of months back when I was in the United States of America to visit my sister Sheereen and her husband. This was my first visit to USA and I was hugely excited. Here was the land of the movies I grew up watching and the novels I used to read.

Luckily my sisters husband, Azaan is an active outdoor person himself. He loves going on hikes and doing adventure activities. The weekend I was going there, he had planned, a river rafting trip near the town of Glenwood Springs which was around 150 miles away. Other members of this rafting trip were his friends, Ujjwala, her husband, Manish,, Rohini and Daivik.

We started off from Denver around 8 am.We passed through some beautiful scenery and I was glued to the windows as this was my first road journey in USA. We reached the rafting spot at around 11 pm and since the starting time was 1 pm we still had a couple of hours to kill. So we decided to have lunch in the small but quiet cafe there.Soon it was time and after the registration process we headed over to the gathering point where we were to be given some instructions. After a brief talk which included heavy doses of humor we grabbed our gear. This included a safety vest, some smelly shoes and for those of us who were wearing specs, a strap to hold the specs onto our faces. From here we were shepherded into a school bus which was waiting for us. It was a bright sunny day and inside the bus it felt like an oven. Some windows were stuck and wouldn't open and everybody was drenched in sweat within  minutes. The bus started and this bought some respite with the air blowing on our faces.

We reached the starting point at around 12 30 pm. There was only one last thing to do now and that was each team had to carry their raft with them towards the river. We did this and were in position. Soon, the rafts were dragged into the river, people jumped on them and on they went on their way. Our turn came and we did the same. We were off in the Colorado River now. I already had done river rafting once before. That was in Rishikesh in India some 5 years back. Similar to that one, this was also a grade 2&3 rapids rafting. I was looking forward to how different/similar rafting here would be.

At first, we drifted into the current in a gradual pace. As for the seating, Ujjwala and Manish sat at the front, in the second row sat Daivik and Rohini and behind them was me. Bringing up the rear was my sister and her husband Azaan. Our guide, the good natured Mike sat the back steering the raft.  He gave us some simple instructions. When he shouts 'row' we were to row and with shouts of 'stop' we were to stop rowing. Also if he said 'Right' then the those of us who were on the right side were to row and the left would sit still. And when he shouted 'left' only those on the left side were to row. We practiced this for a few times till we got the drift.

After some time we could see the change in the state of the water. It became more turbulent and we were getting excited now. Soon enough our guide instructed us to strengthen our grip with our feet and start rowing with our hands. In a minute our raft collided with a huge wave. The front of the raft went up a huge angle, stayed there for a split second and then fell into the retreating water. There was a spray of water on our faces and bodies as we tried to hold ourselves in place. This first encounter was mighty thrilling and bought out shouts of joy and excitement. We ran into many more rapids like these now and then.

At one point the guide stopped the raft at a section of the river where the water was calm and told us to jump in the water if we wanted to. I was waiting for this part the whole time and without further prodding I jumped along with Daivik. As I hit the water, the momentum carried my whole body a meter inside the waters and then I popped up, breaking the surface. Initially I struggled to catch my breath but I soon recovered. I floated around in the water and took videos with my action cam. But I did not let go of the grab rope holding it with one hand and taking videos with the other. Soon others joined too. Rohini and Ujjwala also jumped into the water on the other side of the raft. All got in the water except Azaan. He helped everyone with getting back on the boat.

To make matters more interesting our guide suggested we take turns in sitting on the tube itself on the front. They had tied a rope with a knot from the D Ring at the front. We were to hold on to this rope and enjoy the heaving of the raft from the prime seat available on the raft. First to go was me. I perched atop the tube there and as instructed grabbed hold of the rope and sat there. The first collision with the waves bought a huge scream of joy from me as it felt exhilarating. You feel as if you are flying in the air. Truly, the feeling of the raft striking the waves and shivering with the impact is something that has be experienced. Pumps up your adrenaline!

We all took turns sitting at the front. Sheereen also had her turn and she enjoyed it a lot. It felt good seeing my sister with me on this trip. We used to go on trips with our dad when we were kids and as so happens in life as we grew up the frequency of trips slowed down until it stopped completely. And now back together on a trip made me happy.

We passed a number of sections of rapids of different intensities. Some were mild some wild. The only thing I found a bit annoying was that the whole rafting trip was a bit too long with long periods of calm water in between the rapids. This was getting a bit boring but our guide tried his best to fill in these phases by telling stories of local legends and also his own experiences. The only story that stuck in my mind was that of a woman of 19th century who used to climb one of the cliffs overlooking the river. In that day and age a woman doing something like that was super inspiring.

Soon we reached the end, where again we had to get off the raft and carry it upwards towards a waiting vehicle. We all then got inside the bus mighty happy with the rafting experience. We were taken back to the original starting point where we returned all the equipment and changed into dry clothing. By 5pm we were soon on our way back. That ended my first adventure trip in the United States of America all thanks to Azaan and my sister!

In Brief :
Activity - River Rafting
River - Colorado
Location - Glenwood Springs
Distance from Denver - Around 150 Miles.
Rafting Agency - Defiance River Rafting
Class of Rapids - Class 2&3
Duration - 3 hours. From 1 pm to 4 pm.

Prince George and Jasper Road Trip, Canada. Day 3

The Agenda for today was to start for Jasper as soon as we got up and from there move on to Vancouver.
As we drove out of Prince George, our Google Maps was showing that there was a road block ahead and directed us to take a diversion. We pondered over this bit and in that moment decided to take the diversion. This was near the Grizzly Den Provincial Park. I would be lying if I said that the name of the park did not make me feel a bit nervous. The alternate road was to take us right through the park on an unpaved road. This was further worrisome. Nevertheless we had no option and we entered the back road. We coasted along the gravel road taking care not to go too fast. Somewhere in the middle we spotted a bear strolling beside the road. This sent a wave of excitement in the car. This was the first bear sighting for us. Sadly we didn't have much time to take a proper look. It was just a blink and you miss appearance. It took us close to an hour to cross the whole park and finally emerge out and join the main highway. Within minutes of rejoining, Namendra sensed something wrong with the car so he stopped someplace ahead. Here we got down and checked the tires. Sure enough the front right tire was punctured. We could hear the hissing of the air as it escaped. I was thinking what should we do next when Namendra calmly bought a tire repair kit. We inserted that long slug into the hole and tightened it. 

I was skeptical if it would work having no experience with these kind of things but Namendra insisted that it would hold till we reached Vancouver. We had a small discussion now about our next step. Shall we stick to our original plan or in view of the new conditions now should we change our plan and head directly to Vancouver.  Namendra was pretty confident that the tire wont prove to be a further problem so we decided to stick to the original plan. Though I didn't say it out loud at that time but we were actually quite fortunate that we had to stop the car only after we exited the Grizzly park. Imagine our plight if we had to stop inside the park in that service road. The whole time we were on that road we didn't spot even one car. The only thing we spotted there was that bear. I didn't want to go into the would haves/should haves now so pushing away these thoughts I tried to bring back my focus to the present.

The country side now was throwing up some spectacular views. We saw yellow fields set against some imposing mountains. With each passing minute the views were getting even better. Finally some where around a place called Goat River we stopped to look around. Now this place was simply breathtaking. The road ran straight ahead where far away huge mountains rose into the sky. To the left of the road the ground was lined with yellow flowers. They shone brightly under the sunlight. On the right there was a carpet of grass for some area and then beyond that the forest cover started. The overall view was spectacular. We spent some time here taking pics and just strolling around. 

We then moved on and the next stop we took was in the town of McBride. It had a straight road leading to the railway station at the center. To our left and right we could see buildings that looked like sets of a Western cowboy movie. Right in front of the station there was a Bar and Hotel. I imagined myself walking up to its doors with my head turned down and entering it. Lifting up my cowboy hat with the tip of my finger I nod towards the bartender and throw a 'howdy!'. Thivya woke me up from my reverie and asked me to get down. I realized we had parked our car near the Railway station. We got down and casually looked around. A little bit of googling told me that this was indeed cowboy country.

We entered the railway station which has a little information desk there. We chatted with the friendly ladies manning the desk for a while asking them about the history of the place and surroundings. There was a small gift shop too from where I bought a couple of souvenirs. From here we walked around the town, looked at the buildings and climbed atop a Train engine displayed there. The whole town was set against the back drop of the Rocky mountains, which looked like layers laid on top of one another. With those mountains serving a spectacular background, the neatly laid out grass lawns and the quaint buildings between them all made McBride a charming little town.

Soon we left McBride behind and resumed our journey. As we continued on to Jasper, at some point, like a spirit materializing itself out of nowhere, the famous Mt Robson appeared. This view was instantly recognizable as I had seen this view a number of times on Instagram and in travel magazines. As I looked at the imposing face of Mt Robson through the windshield of the car, it almost looked magical. I was sitting at the back of the car and had to crane my neck to actually get a good view of the famed mountain. My view offered this scene. The left and right of the road was lined with trees. Just beyond them, a good distance away in a diagonal direction the sides of mountains rose as if creating a frame for the superstar in between them. Out of this frame rose the majestic Mt Robson standing there like some giant.
The upper half of it was covered by snow and the tip was not visible as it was totally enveloped by clouds. It was a stunning view. We had to stop somewhere. A bit ahead there was a viewing stop. Here we got out of our vehicles and looked around. It was a beautiful sight. We took a lot of pictures here and then moved on.

We had one final stop before we reached Jasper and that was at Moose lake. At this point we were inside the Jasper National Park. Moose Lake is huge. As we stood at the side of the lake I could see the lake disappearing into the layers of mountains far way to the left and to the right. Directly opposite was the same mountain range running across the horizon. Again, we did nothing much but enjoy the views and take some pics. Divya bravely ventured into the water but had to come out quickly as the water was freezing cold. Its here I think I saw the most picturesque restroom ever in my life. It was just at the edge of the lake right overlooking the excellent views.

Thivya taking some selfies!

Namendra playing with his kids

A pumped up Divya!

The brilliantly placed restroom!

We finally reached Jasper around 3 pm in the afternoon. Jasper is a beautiful tourist town set in the middle of the Jasper National Park. Its often called the less crowded sibling of nearby Banff. As we entered the main street, we could see a railway track running parallel to the road. A bit ahead was the Railway station around which is spread out the main busy area of Jasper. The Rockies provide a stunning backdrop for the whole town. We parked our car on the main street and wandered out in random directions. Jasper reminded me of the Hill stations of India. It had that touristy air about it.  We checked out a few souvenir shops, then headed over to the Railway Station which had a big train engine exhibit displayed out in the front. This was a 1923 built Steam Locomotive 6015  We had some snacks in one of the restaurants here and finally started out on our return journey.

Arhaan enjoying the mighty train engines

We had an event to attend the next day in Vancouver so it was imperative that we reach by at least morning. The return journey was uneventful except for one phase. It was night time around 1230am when Namendra handed over the wheels to Divya. Since Namendra had been driving since morning he was mighty tired. I moved to the front to give Divya company while Namendra sat in one of the rear seats to take a nap. Now we had been on the road since morning and we were all pretty tired. On top of that we were now on the Coquihalla Highway. It has a history of accidents. I was just scared that whoever is driving shouldn't fall asleep on the wheels. So me and Divya kept up tidbits of conversation going but Divya never looked like he was loosing attention. He was focused the whole time and kept on going at a good pace. I drifted off to sleep a couple of times but not him. Had to admire his focus. We reached Vancouver the next day morning at around 7 am. So finally ended our first road trip in Canada.

Prince George and Jasper Road Trip, Canada. Day 2

''Why would anyone come to Prince George for a road trip?'' This was our Hotel Receptionist the day before, when we checked into the Hotel. Not the ones to be fazed by such dispiriting welcome we laughed it off. After a refreshing nights sleep we woke up excited to spend the day exploring Prince George. After a quick breakfast we were on our way. The first item on our list was the Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum.


This quaint looking Museum houses a number of Train engines and other related stuff. I am a fan of trains and engines so I made it a point to mention to the group to give it a shot. We arrived at the Museum at around 11 am.

We started off our little tour inside the museum in real earnest. There were not many people around which is something I always pray for when visiting a museum so that I have lots of time to view the exhibits at my own leisure. Since the exhibits are kept in the open, the weather plays a major part in the experience. It was a nice warm sunny day and our stroll through the museum was a pleasant one. I do not remember the sequence in which we covered the whole area but some of the highlights are the following. Deviating from my usual way Ill let the pictures do the talking this time.

A Kitchen inside one of the Carriages

A number of bogies and engines parked in a circle with a rotating track in the middle

A small 18 hp train where people can sit and take a ride. Unfortunately it was closed for maintenance at the time of our visit.

 A complete room inside one of the bogies

The 1520 Steam Locomotive. Built by the Canadian Locomotive Company in 1906 and served with Canadian Northern Railway

A luxury carriage called the Nechako Coach. Built by the legendary Pullman company in 1913, it served with the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.

Divya inspecting one of the sleeper carriages

Thivya checking out the controls

Namendra and Sonali on their thrones

I was having a wonderful time at the Museum but had to leave as the kids were getting bored. I made a mental note to visit this place again someday soon.

From here we planned to visit the science center but before we did so we did a short drive around the surrounding industries. One of the reasons for us to choose Prince George for a road trip was this. We wanted to have a look at the industries and assess the conditions of the town itself in case we ever got a job here.

After this we made our way to a Science center called The Exploration Place. This place had many interesting exhibits on display. For kids too there were a number of interesting games, interactive models and play areas to keep them occupied for hours. Heck, I would have spent hours there if I had the time.

After the end of the tour of the science center, Divya wanted to check out a bowling alley he spotted nearby. But Namendra had different plans. So we split into two groups. Namendra, Sonali and the Kids went to a nearby cafe while Divya, Thivya and myself went to the bowling alley. Here we played a round each. This was the first time I was trying out bowling and I loved it. In our little competition I had the edge initially but Divya soon overtook me and emerged the winner. Thivya meanwhile was trailing us with a long margin. After the game we joined Namendra and Sonali in the Cafe. The Cafe had outdoor seating area which is where we had seated ourselves. The ambiance was brilliant and the weather was pleasant so conversation flowed along nicely. We had some delicious food too. As dusk approached it grew chilly but we were reluctant to leave. Finally we had to leave as the temperature dropped. We made our way back to our hotel and tucked in for the night. The next day was going to be a long one as we planned to go to Jasper and then turn back to Vancouver. This was quite ambitious and a bit risky but we were up for it.

Prince George and Jasper Road Trip, Canada. Day 1

It is often said that sudden trips are the best. I am not a fan of that theory. I believe the planning part is an important step and an equally enjoyable part of the trip. But that doesn't mean we stick to the plan no matter what. I follow a simple rule - Have a plan but be prepared to throw it out of the window when something new presents itself.  Sometimes opportunities knock and you have to succumb to its temptations and embark on it without a plan. Which is what I did when Namendra, my friend and batch-mate in University presented this idea of doing a road trip to the interior of BC that weekend.  One day after class he casually said lets go on a trip. I said cool. Lets do it. I asked when. He said now. We had classes that Thursday but I thought well I can always catch up with the stuff I am going to miss but this trip, who knows when the opportunity is going to come again. So I said yes and we started our planning. Meanwhile we started looking for other people to join us.

The Team
With 2 more people agreeing to come laong, we were a total of 7 persons including 2 kids. Namendra, the man with the plan, Sonali, Namendra's wife and their two cute kids, Arhaan and Bubbles, then Divya and Thivya, our classmates in University.

The Plan
Our plan was vague and we wanted to go with the flow as the trip progressed. The backbone of it was this.Go to Prince George, look around and from there,depending on our progress so far, either go to Kitimat in the west or to Dawson Creek on the east.

The Journey
We hardly slept the night before our trip. Thivya and myself had come over to Namendra's home to spend the night there so that it would be easier for us to start the next day. After watching a movie we all slept at around 1 am in the night. This was totally against my rules before a trip but I was helpless here. We woke up at around 3 30 am and by 5 am we were on the road in his Dodge Caravan. A handy vehicle, it was perfectly suited to our purpose. We picked up Divya from his home and by 6 am we were well and truly on our way for our first road trip in Canada.

As everyone had very little sleep the night before we kept drifting in and out of sleep except Namendra of course who was on the wheels. Slowly Vancouver disappeared behind us, and we found ourselves on the Sea To Sky Highway. Through my sleepy eyes I could see that some places of interest passing by. The first point to mildly elicit our interest was Shannon falls. We passed by it as we stared at it excited but there was not enough time to take a picture and since we had a long journey ahead we did not stop.We planned to take the following route passing through Squamish, Whistler, Clinton, Quesnel and finally to Prince George.

Badly in need of some coffee we stopped at Pemberton for breakfast. I will have to admit, we missed the excellent views of the sea to sky Highway.  But that part was to be covered in a later trip so I was not worried about that. Our plan for the day was to reach Prince George by evening.

At Pemberton we stopped at a McDonalds outlet and had our breakfast there. The sun was shining warmly above and we sat outside on the chairs provided near the parking lot. The location itself was beautiful. Set against the backdrop of the snow covered mountains the McD building looked pretty.

I had never stepped out of Vancouver and had never seen anything of the rest of Canada so this was the first town I was seeing outside of Vancouver. Wide eyed I looked around. With wide roads, pretty little sidewalks and the houses which looked they were transported from the Old west era, it looked idyllic. A little Wikipedia reading told me that Pemberton was an important town during the Gold Rush years of 1850s. That explains the old west vibes. All of this was mighty exciting for me. Growing up watching Hollywood movies I could match a lot of things I used to see in movies right here in front of me.

Our next stop of significance was near Duffey Lake some 45 kms beyond Pemberton. One of the things that I liked immensely was that near every scenic spot they have a small area where you can stop your vehicle and enjoy the views. Duffey lake too had one of those small areas near the highway. Here we stopped, and having got out of the car took in the excellent views on offer. The parking space was just beside the road, the edge of which was lined with pretty yellow flowers. Beyond this patch of flowers the land sloped downwards into the Lake. From where we stood, we could see the lake extending towards the left and the right disappearing into the sides of mountains far away. Directly on the opposite side were the majestic snow capped mountains.  The water was clear and looked like a sheet of mirror as the mountains above made a perfect reflection in the water below. The weather was warm and sunny, making it pleasant for us to just stroll around and take a much needed breather.

After this rejuvenating break we resumed our journey. We passed through other towns like Clinton before we stopped at 100 Mile. We passed all of those things I used to see in movies. Deserted Gas stations (Yeah, Petrol is called Gas here), huge shops like Walmarts in little towns, Vast fields with not a person in sight. Compared to the density of people we find on Indian Roads with a village every other kilometer, this lack of people seemed unnerving. Sometimes the loneliness of the roads bought to my mind all the Horror Movies I watched which were set on roads like Jeepers Creepeers (Both parts). Or maybe the coin toss scene in No Country for Old Men'. Well, pushing aside these thoughts I sent most of my time looking out the window enjoying the views.

At 100 Mile we stopped at a Tim Hortons outlet and had our lunch there. After this we made a couple of stops before we reached Prince George at 7 pm in the night. In all, it took us around 14 hours to reach Prince George from Vancouver. We did not have much time to look around Prince George nor did we have the inclination to do so. We just headed to out motel which, again, reminded me of Hollywood movies. For dinner we went into the the city and by luck found an Indian restaurant from where we got some food packed and had it later in the room. Thus ended our first day and first foray into the huge expanse of Canada.