We first visited Kicking Horse Pass while we were still students in 1963. We gathered all such camping equipment as we had, bundled it into our little old Volkswagen beetle and set off from Toronto, Canada to see the Rockies. After about 5 days driving we arrived at Yoho National Park close to Banff. Kicking Horse Pass is located on the continental Divide between Alberta and British Columbia. (Banff B.C. and Yoho National Park.) It is over 5,000 feet high and the Canadian National Railway makes its journey west through this pass. Today there are two spiral tunnel through which the train has to pass to gently lower the gradient and to make less trouble for the trains.
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
In fact a few years later we took the trip from Minnesota driving west to the coast with our two children, then five and three years old, in our very small red mustang and then all the way down Hwy 101 to San Diego and back via New Mexico. Now that was an adventure in a class of its own! Try viewing the Grand Canyon with a hyperactive five year old ("...back in the car NOW!") ...and a three year old who'd picked up a tummy bug!
But back to Kicking Horse Pass. How did it get its name? Well apparently, a member of the exploratory expedition named James Hector, who was a naturalist, a geologist and a surgeon, was kicked by by his horse at that spot. So the event was memorialized by naming the pass and the river "Kicking Horse". Such embarrassments get passed down in history. (They are still probably laughing today at that prim English girl who didn't know how to pronounce Dubuque. )
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Our trip to Kauai is only a few weeks away, so more excitement is in store for our family. This time we are taking my sister with us.It will be her first visit to the islands. We purchased a time share there about ten years ago, and it has been one of the best things we've done. We took our sons with us a couple of years ago and now "Kaybee". Couldn't do all these visits without the benefits of Barry's mileage plus program.
Afternoon Coffee Break
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Lush tropical greenery
Can't swim, but love the water.
Living area - very comfortable
Thanksgiving Dinner at Gaylord's
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This is my entry for ABC Wednesday. Click HERE to see more informative and fun entries.
16 comments:
gotta be embarrassing to be the kickee in this story...
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
I've never heard your KIcking Horse Pass story before!
And believe me, my appetite for Kauai is certainly whetted - can hardly wait! Counting down the days!
The coffee we drink is "Kicking Horse" coffee!!
Jane x
These are wonderful captures!
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team
Love the story Chris and oh lucky you to be going to Kauai.
Nice you have a time share to use and miles to spend.
Nice to see Kicking Horse Pass again, - a few rounds back I used the same subject for K and it brought back a lot of memories of the tunnels and train trips through the Rockies.
OK - so how DO you pronounce Dubuque?
Oh, some of the things that get passed down! It's like in your own life, they will forget about the normal stuff, but do something silly and they will remember it (and remind you) for the rest of your life! But, on the plus side: it makes great stories and another one for the blog!
Oh AJ, sorry about that! You pronounce it Do-bewk !
Emphasis on the last syllable. LOL
Nice story, Chris and beautiful photos. I send you a mail this afternoon.
great post, info I didn't know about. There is so much of Canada and the States we need to visit.
Gill
It seems I have some problems with your e.mail address.
You can find mine on my blog. Send me a message, please.
Nice K. I too would have pronounced it like you, ta for telling us how it should sound. Place names always cause visitors problems because pronunciation is never logical. Gloucestershire and Cholmondeley being two that spring to mind which you may be familiar with. (Glos ter sher and Chum ley for those who do not know how they sound) Incidentally there is a Cholmondeley in Alaska. I wonder how they pronounce it.
Oh my those lush tropicals are gorgeous. Looks like a fantastic vacation destination. Dubuque is a hard word even for us midwesterners!!
Ann
Trains and scenery - what a mix - just my type of place and with all that history too - thanks for sharing - Jane UK
Looks like a lovely place even with kicking horses, lol ! apparently you didn't meet any. My second car was also a VW beetle and I went with it over 1000 km to the South of Italy ! (in the 60th)
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