On flatter sections, maintaining 80-100 mph wasn’t difficult but required a lot of concentration, assessing the road ahead and being ready for a change in surface before getting on it
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The car had been running fine. No trips planned, but a few odd trips on Turo. Since getting the Jeep, handling two cars was getting a little too much in the winter. Basically, my wife preferred the Tiguan (smaller and familiar handling), but I tried getting her used to the Jeep as it had remote start and she would need to use that most since she parks out in the open at the airport where she works. But still, getting them in and out since we have a single-car garage and parking outside it was getting bothersome. The few trips on Turo were shorter trips. And I learnt some guests preferred my car since the listing mentioned studded winter tires.
Summer 2025, beginning in May, saw very little of the Tiguan available for personal use. The first longish use we saw of the car was in July. My Uncle and aunt were visiting from Australia, and my parents were here for the summer. We had planned a week-long trip in the Canadian Rockies for them. After the first two nights in Canmore visiting the usual spots around Banff National Park, they headed to Jasper/Hinton, where we were to join them for two nights.
Calgary to Hinton.
Nesting raptors along Highway 16 leading into Hinton.
We kept the Tiguan with us for this trip and headed for Hinton on Wednesday afternoon. We took the fastest route there. 540 km with a driving time of 5 hrs and 20 minutes. We didn’t stop anywhere; the goal was to get to Hinton before 6 PM. Loved the drive after Red Deer as soon as we left the divided highway. The names of these towns now make sense after learning about them in the last three years. it was an overcast day, with the fields full of a flowering Canola crop. I took the opportunity of a fresh oil change and a set of two new rear tires as a blessing to push more this time. had always wanted to do a trip in all Sport mode, and after getting corrupted by 100 extra horses and natural aspiration on the Jeep, this was deemed a necessity to fight sleep. The first stop we made was in the town of Edson. Interesting fact about Highway 16 that joins Edmonton and Jasper, I learnt that the up and down lanes are far apart, with sections where you are far apart that you don’t see the other for 15-20 km at a stretch. There were interesting nesting posts made for raptors. After the first one we spotted and thought was inhabited by accident, the next three made it clear that they were placed there with a purpose. It was good to see nests on them that were occupied. Entering Hinton the setting sun in front of us showed a silhouette of the Rocky Mountains, which looked refreshing after five hours of driving. Made it there in a total travel time of 6 hours, which included a stop for chai in Edson. Bug splattered in the front, the car was let to rest for the evening.
Don’t follow Google to Ogre Canyon; get to Brule instead.
Enter Brule, and the trail head is at the end of the road.
Past the second gate, inching closer to Ogre Canyon.
The next morning, Dad and I decided to hike to Ogre Canyon. While everyone else slept in, we sneaked out at 6 AM and entered Brule, where the trail begins. We were supposed to park and walk on foot for the next 4.5 km to the Canyon, but we kept pushing further into the forest. There were puddles after every bend, and no one else. The trail was interesting as a railroad ran along it and was busy with slow rail movement even at this early hour.
This is where we had to drop the anchor.
The picture sums it up.
The trail and the railroad both ran along the Athabasca River, which runs fresh glacier water. Fresh flowers, the forest calm, interrupted by the breeze changing the environment from cool to warm and back frequently, were all unique occurrences we enjoyed. Spotted a few birds, but nothing new to add to our list. We had parked on the side and probably ventured a kilometer further before coming across a big puddle, which we could not bypass. That was the end of it, turned back and headed to the car to get some breakfast.
Wild Coneflowers in the forest.
Another solitary one.
Very organic-looking cliff face of the Boule Rouche Mountain.
Parked in a natural alcove.
Video: Link
That day we didn’t go out, just caught up with everyone and on sleep. In the evening, we took a short stroll on the Beaver Boardwalk and visited Solomon Hill Lookout Point. Filed up both cars and cleaned the windshields. Realized that the Tiguan fared equally (8.04 l/100km and 8.45 l/100km) in fuel consumption, the Tiguan was a little worse from he spirited driving on the way to Hinton. Dinner was ordered from a local Indian restaurant, and we called it a day.
The route chalked out for the day was to Nordegg and then Rocky Mountain House.
The Bighorn Highway, also known as Alberta 40 (erstwhile 734).
The next morning was a Friday, and we had a target to return home by 6 PM. Checked out from the Airbnb at 9 AM and took the route to Cadomin. Not knowing what to expect. This route was the closest to the mountains all way along and we thought it would be more scenic. The sky was overcast and it had and continued to drizzle will into midday. But interestingly, the weather with mist and low cloud kissing the mountains made it perfect.
Misty mountains, open roads, heading south into Cadomin.
Soon after, we began enjoying the roads on Alberta 40, also known as Bighorn Highway, which led us to Luscar past an old mining site. This was my first glimpse of Forestry, the way it’s done in North America. Forests are harvested for lumber, wood chips are used for fuel, and coal, stone, and mineral mining are done in a very old-school and hardy way. Sections of the forest had plaques mentioning the last year in which they were harvested, replanted, and the next year they would be harvested. Saw an interesting plaque with the next harvest marked for 2067, a year I don’t even imagine myself surviving into.
A sign to cheer up travellers in the winter.
Approaching Coalspur.
Somewhere close to Coalspur, we turned south, leading us to Nordegg. In the 200 km driven since Hinton, 150 km was on compacted gravel roads, which turned slushy due to recent rain. Banked edges to drain off water were tricky on a few instances when setting logging trucks. It was difficult pulling back into the middle due to a lack of grip. The slush on gradients required manual gear changes to ensure adequate traction or to put down power. There were two instances of the back of the car stepping out. It wasn’t the feeling of something could go wrong that held you back, it was the wait and complication involved in help to arrive and the extraction of men and machine from that situation that weighed heavily.
The difference between a harvested forest and a harvested forest.
A different perspective of the forest being harvested.
On flatter sections, maintaining 80-100 mph wasn’t difficult but required a lot of concentration, assessing the road ahead and being ready for a change in surface before getting on it. Stopped near Coalspur to check the underbody. Already dreaded at the sight of caked-on mud and gravel, fearing the car wash times two I would have to do on reaching Calgary.
Scenic views unfold after every turn.
We pressed on after Coal Spur with another 100-odd km to go before we saw paved roads. Passed a few provincial park sites which seemed like hidden gems for someone willing to compromise on the site being non-serviced (i.e. okay with pit potty, no water or electricity). There we a few bridges, hills, and sweeping bends along the way. I remember counting in single digits the number of long-haul logging trucks that came the other way. Everything about the life of the people working in the forest painted an idyllic picture in our heads. There were a couple of pick-ups with AVTs on their trailers and one lone motorcyclist on his adventure tourer with knobby tires.
Caution! – Road underwater.
The route had just a little more to offer and soon we came across a broken section with signs put up informing us of the upcoming ‘road under water’. Slight panic, with just 10 km to go, I didn’t want this to be the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Approached it carefully, realizing that a makeshift repair had already been done with some gravel added to the section that had run off. Crossed it carefully, waited for the trailing car to join, and soon we were met with an intersection in Nordegg, with the promise of a paved highway for the rest of the journey.
Ironically, wild horses preferred staying closer to paved roads, entering Nordegg.
Stopped at Beaverdam Provincial Recreation Area for our first break in 3 hours of driving. A break to chat about safely getting across to the other side, and to stretch our legs. 3 hours of on the edge driving that no one felt tired of. Everyone was engaged in the sights and seat-clenching and floor stomping maneuvers by passengers.
Beaverdam Provincial Recreation Area, stopped for a quick break.
Rocky Mountain House, National Historic Site, tells the tale of the fur trade by the Hudson Bay Company, which recently went bankrupt in 2025 after 300 years of history, which is older than Canada.
Left me with a sore left shoulder and two buckets full of mud, would do it again, but probably find a carwash in Nordegg to wash it off before the mud and slush cakes on and dries off. For the first time, it felt like there was a lot to explore in this new country, Canadian’s proclaim to be the “Best country in the world”.
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