Majestic Alberta (part 2)
Day 4
Fueling up before the long drive to Banff
Selfie at Becker's before our departure.
How great that the Athabasca River is right in my backyard.
E. playing with a new friend in the backdrop of Sky Tram the morning we leave Becker's.
In the morning of day 4, we packed our stuff, picked up sandwiches and said goodbye to Jasper. The plan is to drive to Banff and make stops along the way. This drive is one of the most scenic drives in the world and it did not disappoint.
Like this random lookout point. The panorama is amazing. Photo doesn't do it justice.
The Icefield Parkway was stunning. It is one of the top 10 most scenic drives in the world. For me, it was top 1. At the same time, the drive can be scary. You pretty much have a cliff right beside you at all times. All in all, it was just magical. Let me share a few of my favorites.
As I drive, the view comprises of snow capped mountain, jade colour lake and cliffs lines with trees.
Driving (Photo Credit: Susanna Ng)
On the road again (Photo Credit: Susanna Ng)
Posing in front of an icefield we saw along the way. Magnificent!
The Lookout:
This particularly lookout was undoubtedly the scariest part of the drive. On one side, there is a huge mountain with a skinny streak of water racing down. On the other side, is a deep valleys with rivers and tiny little cars driving on ribbon like roads. As I got out of the van and looked around, my knees were wobbly. I did not dare go near the edge to take a photo. I just took this one from the safety of the guardrail, which doesn't show the grandeur of the view.
A cautious selfie from the safety of the guard-rail.
A little further from the look-out, there was Bow Lake. This was one of my favorite places. It is not a very big lake. When we were there, we were blessed with white clouds , blue sky and calm waters. By that point, I was sick of driving and just couldn't wait to get to Banff. The wind started to pick up and was getting cold. So we just made a quick stop.
Throwing stone is one of my son's favorite activities. He was a good sport for staying good after such a long drive.
Another view of an icefield
We arrived in Banff that day exhausted. We found a restaurant nearby. But the place was so busy that it took forever to get the food. It all worked out in the end. After dinner, we found this cute icecream place that is made from a school bus. We were laughing, singing and having a grand old time. Great evening.
Day 5
Day 5 was relaxing, somewhat. We walked around Banff downtown, picked up souvenirs (and anniversary gifts). This is, of course, not easy with little ones. Parking is also a challenge in downtown Banff. We parked at the train station and walked downtown.
We went to mass in the morning. Near the church, we saw some bear dropping on the ground (of course, there was no bear around). I don't have a picture, but bear dropping is similar to a large dog's poop. When we looked up, there was a gigantic berry tree with loads with little red berries on it. It's a reminder that we are in bear country and we are in their home, not the other way around.
Downtown Banff. Fun town to walk around in. A tad too touristy.
In the afternoon, we ventured out to Takakkaw Falls. Visiting Takakkaw Falls was a driving adventure. Once I pulled off the highway, the road suddenly became tight with cliff on one side and mountain on the other. Not for the faint of heart. On top of that, there are hairpin turns (i.e. tight 180 degree turns) that is extra difficult for a minivan because it is impossible to see in front of you because of the incline. Once we got up the mountain, we were greeted with fast moving river and incredible view of a tall, really tall, waterfall.
After T. Falls, we made the drive over to Emerald Lake. Emerald lake was special. It is my absolutely and definitively favorite lake of the entire trip (and maybe the world). Aside from its beauty - calm water against a backdrop of trees and mountain, it is relatively small and charming. There were many playing in the water and hiking - this is how a lake should be - to help families make memories.
View while walking into Emerald Lake
We arrived there in the late afternoon. There was a last call for canoe and luckily, we got the last one. Being able to canoe on a glacier lake was special. Touching the strangely beautiful emerald coloured water helps me connect to the place so much more. It is also the first time our family canoed together. The conditions were almost perfect. Sunny skies, warm with a little breeze which made the paddle back slightly challenging but manageable.
The sun peaking through
Maiden family canoe trip.
We then hung around to take some photos on the bridge.
At night, we headed back to Banff for dinner. We had a nice dinner at a bar and grill type restaurant. I had elk meat and other local dishes. The view from the top of the restaurant was incredible. Kind of reminds of what Aspen looks like in movies. It has clean streets, lodge-like buildings and of course, mountains in the background.
Elk Salad
Wash it all down with a local beer
Day 6
The morning of day 6 was also Sept. 6 - this happens to be my 18th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, I have yet prepare any gift. So, I needed to venture out to downtown Banff and pick out an emergency anniversary present. Now, you must understand that shopping for gifts is not my strong-suit. It was do or die that morning. I have to find a gift that my wife won't refund anytime soon. I remember that my wife likes and looks cute in a toque (AKA beanie). Without delay, I darted over to the Fjallraven store (one of my favorite winter gear brand). I was with my soon and in a desperate mood. I told the nice sales lady that I need a winter hat for my wife that must match every piece of clothing that she owns. She looked at me for a moment and brought out the following selection. I was overwhelmed. How do I choose? So many colours. Even more styles. My marriage and life is on the line here. I took a deep breathe and after a few long minutes, I picked the white one with the cute little fox. Bullseye! My wife approved and I get to live another day.
Shopping is not my forte. Good thing Banff is touristy. Last minute anniversary gift shopping. A true anti-suicide mission.
That afternoon, we went to the ever popular Lake Louise. We were blessed with another gorgeous day. The sun was out and made the lake a little shinny. There is a rather grand hotel facing the lake. Would be fun to stay here one time so we can talk short walks by the lake when all the tourists are gone.
I had an interesting emotion while at the lake. It may sounds terrible, but I reached my limit as far as seeing beautiful lakes. That is, I was hitting my limit as to the number of beautiful lakes and mountains that brings me joy. Don't get me wrong. I am not ungrateful, but just desensitized and just a tad tired. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed Lake Louise and its beautiful snow peaked and glacial mountains and the beautiful emerald water.
Speaking of glacier, the ice-field on this mountain has receded quite a bit. I believe it is due to climate change. For me, when you go out to see these physical manifestation of climate change, it is chilling. Glacier is a major source of clean water. To think that Ewan and his kids would not have clean drinking water is an unsettling thought.
That evening, we went to our anniversary dinner at a casual Thai restaurant in Canmore. It has been years since we had dinner without Ewan. Food was good though as with many restaurant, there was a long wait for food. I think there's a labor shortage issue at most restaurants there.
Speaking of Canmore, this seems like a nice town to call home on our next visit to Banff. Hotel rates are much more affordable than Banff and has a few Asian restaurants that we quite enjoy.
Short stroll after dinner. Selfie with the Rockies.
Beautiful sunset against mountain backdrop. Wonder what would be like to live here?
After dinner, we walked over a grocery store to load up on food before our road-trip to Columbia Icefield and back toward Jasper. At check-out, we had a short but memory chat with a fella at the cashier. A nice fella who lived in Toronto but move to Canmore more than 10 years ago and he thinks the world of this place. I ask him how much snow he gets in the winter and he says next to nothing (let's fact check that). He told us all these places that we could visit if we have a few more days (unfortunately, we don't). Most folks we met on our trip are friendly and takes the time to listen. We thanked him for his kind advise and left.
We headed back to our hotel. My wife made stayed up late to make breakfast for the crew to eat in the van. She made bagel, veggie sticks and hard boiled eggs. We packed our stuff and got up early the next morning.
Stay tuned for part 3.
Comments
Post a Comment