Happy Days in Banff

Beauty, beast and a bit of Lake Louise
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Sorry to be misleading in the title, this entry is not about a reunion in the Canadian Rockies of Fonzie, Chachie and the ginger one from the popular 80's comedy. Although, what an idea for a script Danny?!

Sorry, I digress. Finally, we checked out of Vancouver, picked up a hire car and left the last of what seem an endless procession of motorways, hotels and tourist attractions and out into the 'real' world. Stopping at Walmart on the way to kit the kids out with cold weather gear (boots, gloves and socks each - total, $20) we left the concrete jungle that is Vancouver and traveled the 850km to Banff in Alberta. Breaking the journey into two, we stopped roughly halfway at a Revelstoke motel and completed the journey the next morning. Sounds a long way, especially with two kids in the back, but honestly the journey flew by. Driving an automatic along long, wide, straight roads with plenty of passing areas is a piece of cake, just stick the cruise control on 120kph and relax. And the scenery, which was just breathtaking made the journey a total joy (snow capped mountains, wide blue rivers and vast pine forests the dark green of which were speckled with bright yellow patches of Larch trees, their leaves turning with the season.

All smiles after the earlier puke-stop!
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A stop at Lake Louise, just short of Banff, was well worth it. Escaping the crowds of tourists who chose just to walk around the lake, we headed up in the forests for a better view. The lake is full of melt-water from the overlooking glacier and as it runs into the lake it picks up what is known as rock flour, created as the glacier grinds the rocks below. The rock flour in the lake is suspended in the water, making a kind of thin rock-gruel, which when looked at from a height turns it an amazing turquoise (see the pics, just fantastic). Oh how smug we felt as we passed the lazy "lake walkers" on our way back to the car!

The windswept look at the top of Sulphur Mountain
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Anyway, Banff turned out to be a very nice town, at the foot of a ring of high mountains and the B&B we were staying in for the next 4 nights was clean and comfy, with a communal living room where we could escape from Stan and Archies snoring in the bedroom in the evenings and read and catch up with emails.

Day 1 in Banff was possibly one of those perfect days that comes around once every decade or so and went along the lines of;

Wake to total blue skies and surprisingly warm sun Gondola ride to the top of Sulphur mountain, breathtaking views Return on gondola and spend an hour relaxing in natural hot springs at foot of mountain Return to Banff and leave Sam and the boys in time to get to the bar where I have already confirmed will be showing UK sport all afternoon

We walk the children until they pass out most days - Tunnel Mountain
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Watch England beat France live in the Rugby World Cup with a couple of pints Watch repeat of England beat Croatia in Euro qualifier (not knowing result b eforehand!) with a couple more pints

Meet family at restaurant for celebratory meal, and a couple more pints Bottle of wine back at the B&B with Sam before bed

You see, traveling around the world need not giving up all luxuries along the way. It does not matter where you go you can always find somewhere showing the important sport on TV where you can relax with 40 or 50 English (or English-supporting) drinkers and have a good time. My next task after writing this entry is to find somewhere showing the rugby final in Jasper....no problem (and even if  I don't they are showing it at Kamloops rugby club a mere 557km away!). So, come on England, hope you are all watching it at home!

Sam in her 'cheeky cockney' hat at Castle Mountain
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Days 2,3 and four, without the sport, were pretty much the same. After breakfast we would venture to various waterfalls, walks, rivers and mountains (again, in glorious weather) with our packed lunch (Safeway over here does the most amazing freshly made sandwiches at their deli counter) and having such a great time in the open air. Banff is about 4500ft above sea level so in the thin air we were always tired at the end of the day and slept like the dead.