Banff

Day 6 -- Canmore, AB

Google Earth measurements (straight line between locations)
Distance from Vancouver: 591 km
Distance from Kingston: 2973 km

Today was my birthday and we celebrated by going up the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain! The gondola ride was lots of fun and the view from the top was really great! We got to see all the surrounding mountains and also the town of Banff from above. Banff is a National Park and we had to get a park pass to get into the town and the gondola. The town of Banff is a lot like Whistler, but a bit bigger I think. For dinner, we went to a french restaurant, Chez Francois, in Canmore. I had more tasty Alberta beef, yum! Laura had an amazing piece of salmon topped with scallop mousse and hollandaise sauce.

Also, someone told us that the mysterious animal in the last blog was a marmot. It seems likely!

Entrance/Toll Booth for Banff National Park

The Starbucks in the Gondola terminal had a giant stuffed bear
and significantly higher prices.

A view of the gondolas from above.

Looking towards Vancouver from the top.

Town of Banff from the top of Sulphur Mountain.

 

We did not see nor feed any mountain goats.

This vehicle was for tours to the Columbia Icefields, but it was a
9 hour trip so we left it for another visit to Banff.

Now, a message from Laura:

Is this pen stating a political message?

Nope! It is our hotel pen!

Alberta Bound!

Day 5 -- Canmore, AB

Reminder: You can now view our videos in the "Video Blog" tab above!

Google Earth measurements (straight line between locations)
Distance from Vancouver: 591 km
Distance from Kingston: 2973 km

Distance Driven Today: 565 km
Distance Driven so far:  1209 km

Today we drove for 9 hours including short breaks and a picnic lunch at the Last Spike of the CPR. We saw lots of rocks and trees and water! We took Highway 97 north through Kelowna and Vernon then got on Highway 1 at around Sicamous. From there, we just followed Highway 1 straight to Canmore! But we went through Revelstoke, Rogers Pass, and Golden. We went through Glacier and Yoho National Parks and saw many great views of the mountains.

 I recreate Donald Smith putting in the last spike.

Laura prefers a more accurate portrayal.

We almost missed the Last Spike because it's just part of a rest area near Craigellachie. Laura noticed the sign for the rest area just in time. There were no signs on the highway about the Last Spike. We posed for several photos and ate yummy sandwiches that we had prepared in Penticton last night. We also finally found our BC fridge magnet for our collection.

Only YOU can prevent forest fires!

A view along Highway 1. Maybe the Three Sisters?

What IS this animal? It makes a very high pitched screech and
pops out of holes in the ground. Maybe a Prairie Vole?

Mountains were blasted apart just for us!

These mountains look furry.

Pride Rock?

Yay!