Yahoooo!

 Our last day in Calgary was spent at the Calgary Stampede. We were all pretty tired, so we slept in, I did some laundry and wrote before we headed to downtown Calgary. The Calgary Stampede is the world's largest outdoor rodeo with competitors from around the world. Part of the Calgary Stampede is also a giant fair filled with exhibits, shows, music, food, and a midway of rides.

Due to the traffic downtown, it was about a 45-minute drive to our reserved parking lot. I am so glad that I forked over the big bucks for reserved parking. We were very close to an entrance, and once we made it through the traffic, it was smooth sailing to get into the Stampede.

We looked at the immense schedule and saw that there was a magic show just starting, so after asking for directions, we found Exhibit Hall C in the BMO Centre and found the Magician and the Muse. The room was quite large and could seat far more than were actually in attendance, but it was one of the first shows of the day. It was quite a bit fancier than most fair type shows with lighting and special effects and very fancy costumes. The magician and his wife/assistant were very good and felt like they could have been at Las Vegas.

The rodeo started at 1:30 so we had about 45 minutes to grab a snack and find the GMC Stadium and our seats.  I had a Parmesan pretzel, Joe got a smoothie, and David had cheese curds. It was pretty standard fair food and tied us over until the rodeo was over.

The rodeo was similar to a large sporting event except everyone was wearing a cowboy hat. There were seven different events: Barrel Racing, Bareback, Tie-Down Roping, Saddle Bronc, Steer Wrestling, Breakaway Roping, and Bull Riding. The rodeo lasted 3-4 hours, and there were assorted crowd activities in between the events. It was a fun event, but honestly, we were at a loss when it came to how the competitors received their scores. 

After the rodeo, we went back into the BMO Centre to look at all of the exhibits and vendors. I even did a little DIY craft. By then, it was after 6:00 pm, and we decided we would eat dinner away from the Stampede. So we headed back toward our lodging and got dinner. The night before when we arrived in Calgary, we ate at an eatery nearby called Foodyard Mashup so we decided to return for another meal. Foodyard Mashup is a mix of Indian, Greek, Mexican, and Asian food. The boys had an interesting meal called a Tik Tok Burger which was a chicken breast dipped in tomato cheese sauce with melted mozzarella cheese. The interesting part was that it came with a syringe of additional melted cheese that was sticking out of the bun.

It was an early morning as we had flights to catch. The boys flew home to San Diego and I caught a flight to Lincoln via Denver. As anyone who knows me and my travel troubles can attest, I can assure you that, true to form, my flights had their stressful moments, but I made it to Lincoln and will be here for the rest of this week until I fly to Houston for a school training and conference.

With the first leg of my 3-city extravaganza in the books, I will have some time to focus on my family and work, but this past week has been a break from the current divisiveness of the United States. We relaxed in the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and enjoyed the hospitality of the Canadian people. Thank you, Canada! It was just what I needed.

Lakes, Hiking, and Driving

 Before I begin writing about yesterday's experience, I want to mention a few things I forgot in my exhausted stupor last night.

Wildlife

On the day of the glacier visit, we thought we might see some wildlife from the Skywalk, but the animals were elusive. We did see some Bighorn sheep climbing on a rock pile as we left the icefield.

During the Lake Minnewanka boat tour, we looked for wildlife, but only saw hikers. But as we drove through a residential area toward the highway, headed home for the night, we were surprised by a large group of 20 or so deer walking down both sides of the road. It was impressive!

Now let's talk about yesterday, the grand finale of our time in Banff. We packed up and checked out of our cute little apartment by 7:00 am to meet the Hop On Banff bus at the Banff Train Station. The Hop On Banff bus is a yellow school bus, which felt most appropriate for this teacher. It was also easy to spot in the ocean of tour buses whenever it was time to leave. There were actually two buses that allowed us to plan our day based on what we wanted to do. There were four drop-off and pick-up points, and we worked with our guide to figure out our best schedule.

The first stop was Johnston Canyon for about 90 minutes. This gave us a chance to hike to some waterfalls. The canyon was beautiful and the hike was mostly paved as we hiked up the side of the canyon along the rushing water. We saw a lot of small waterfalls and rapids, but our goal was to get to at least the Lower Falls. It was about 1.5 km to the lower falls with a climb of only 30 m. So the hike wasn't strenuous. There were quite a few people on the trail, and as we approached the viewpoint of the Lower Falls, it became pretty crowded. We felt like we were in a Disneyland line as Joe and I waited

about 20 minutes for an up-close view of the falls through a rock window. Meanwhile, David headed up the trail to the Upper Falls. This was about a 2 km hike, but the elevation was 120 m, so 4 times as steep. By the time Joe and I finished taking our photos at the Lower Falls, we were able to meet up with David . He only had enough time to get about 2/3 of the way to the top, but he still got to see some impressive falls. We headed back toward the trailhead, looked briefly through the gift shop, and caught the Hop On Banff bus for our next stop.

We drove on the bus for about 30 minutes to Lake Louise. Our guide pointed out mountain ranges and told us stories about the naming of both the mountains and the lake. Lake Louise was originally called "lake of the little fishes" by the Stoney Nakoda people, but the British later named it Lake Louise after Queen Victoria's daughter. Lake Louise is fed by the Victoria glacier so the names make sense. Lake Louise is a beautiful turquoise lake nestled in the mountains. There is a gigantic resort on one end, opposite the glacier. There were a number of long hikes that we didn't have time (or stamina) to complete, but we hiked along the lake edge and got close to where the glacier feeds into the lake. We saw some rock climbers on the side of the mountain and a lot of little squirrels that were pestering people who were sitting on the rocks, eating lunch. We spent about 2 hours at Lake Louise.

We hopped back on the bus for another 30-minute drive to Lake Moraine. Before getting there, we stopped for a quick photo op of Castle Mountain along with the river and valley below. Train tracks ran alongside the river. There is a train called the Rocky Mountaineer that travels along this track. It has glass domed cars for spectacular views. Lake Moraine, the hidden jewel of the Rocky Mountains, has only been well-known for about 10 years, but it has some of the most iconic views. It is surrounded by the 10-Peak mountain range, and is the main reason Joe wanted to come to Banff in the first place. We only had about an hour at Moraine Lake, but it was enough time to climb to the top of a gigantic rock pile to feast on the amazing view of the lake and mountains.

Our final stop on the Hop On Banff bus was the Lake Louise Gondolas. During the winter, this is a ski resort, but in the summer, you can ride the ski lift to the top of the mountain and back down. During the 14-minute ride to the top, we enjoyed the quiet of the mountain, the sounds of birds, and the splendor of the mountainside. One person earlier in the day, spotted a grizzly bear grazing, but aside from birds, we only saw lots of gophers near the lodge. It was a nice relaxing end to our 9-hour trip around Banff.

The original plan was to return to the train station at 5:00 pm and then head to Emerald Lake. However, when we added the gondola ride, it added an hour to the trip. After speaking with our guide, she did not recommend trying to do Emerald Lake. It was over an hour to the lake and by the time we got there, it would be close to 8:00 pm. And then we would be driving over two hours to Calgary. So the decision was made to forego Emerald Lake. We will save it for another trip. As we headed back to the train station, we were excited to see a black bear in the brush and some more big-horn sheep.

We got in the car for a 90-minute drive to Calgary, where we will finish out our vacation.  As we said goodbye to Banff, Canmore, and the Rocky Mountains, I was happy that we made this trip. The beauty of the mountains and lakes was unbelievable and will stay with us for a long time.

Today is the Calgary Stampede, a different side of Canada. Time to get ready to go to the rodeo!

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Banff - A Popular Place

 It seems that after an early morning rise, we tend to have a slow start the following day. Typically, I am the one holding us up, because I am trying to finish my blog post from the previous day or sort through and upload dozens of photos to Facebook. But today was not one of those late start days and I didn't have time to write my post until tonight. It is currently 10:00 pm and I am now two days behind. So I'll focus on yesterday for now.

We were up and out the door around 11:00 am for our first foray into Banff Town. I knew we had a full day planned to see Johnston Canyon, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake the following day, so I had a few things I hoped to accomplish on this more laid-back day.

Our first stop was Lake Minnewanka, but there was no parking available, so we left and headed into town. We drove around for a while again, looking for parking with no luck until Joe checked his phone and discovered we could park at the Train Station for free. Success! There was plenty of parking, and it was just a 10-minute walk into town. Banff is primarily one main drag with restaurants and shops. There is another street with mostly hotels. We walked to the visitor center and purchased a day bus pass for the transit system in Banff, called Roam. 

We walked down the street to the Banff Museum and National Historic Site. For the summer, Canada is
offering free admission to many of its parks and museums. As a result, we didn't have to pay for the entrance to the museum. This was a good thing since we only spent about 15 minutes there. This museum was the first museum in Western Canada, and primarily it contained hundreds of stuffed birds and other animals from around the area. There were also insects. In fact, the total number of specimens is 5000. The founder of the museum was a naturalist and meteorologist. Although this museum was number 2 on a list of things to do while visiting Banff on the Parks Canada website,  all of the vintage taxidermy was not really our cup of tea, so we quickly moved on.

Number 1 on the list from Parks Canada was the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. We took the Roam to the site, which was not too far outside of town. Back in 1883, three Canadian Pacific Railway workers came across a cave and a basin with hot water bubbling up. The indigenous people had known about and used these thermal waters for 10,000 years, but these three men decided to use the springs to make a profit. Eventually, this became the first national park. There was a lot of history and some fun interactive exhibits. The cave and basin were pretty smelly since the waters came from Sulfur Mountain. That should be all the explanation you need.

We hopped on the Roam again, but this time we made a transfer to a different route and went back to Lake Minnewanka for a one-hour boat ride. It briefly started to rain while we waited for our tour, but eventually, the sun came out, and we saw several rainbows over the water. Lake Minnewanka, like all of the lakes in Banff, is surrounded by mountains.  It is the deepest lake and even has a flooded settlement underneath it from the third dam that was built on the lake. 

By the time we finished the tour and waited for the Roam to pick us up, it was after 7:00 pm. I had hoped to drive to Emerald Lake, but it was over an hour away, and it was just too late. With so many people visiting Banff, everything just took longer, so we put off Emerald Lake and made a plan to possibly go the next day. 

We had eaten a late lunch at Melissa's Missteak, and weren't really ready for dinner, so we walked around the shops and eventually headed back to the apartment, where the boys ate their leftover pizza from Red Rock Pizza. It ended up being another late night, and we had an early call time for Hop On Banff in the morning. Thus, the reason for this late entry.

It seems like so long ago that we finished up the day, but it was really only 24 hours ago. I will post about our final day in Banff in the morning. For now, I need to get some rest!

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Glacier Walk

Most Americans spend the Fourth of July either lighting or watching fireworks. In Canada, the 4th is just another day. The Canadian Independence Day is July 1, which we experienced in 2023 on our trip to Vancouver. This year we arrived a day late, so no fireworks or independence celebrations (of either country) for us. Our day was spent looking at gorgeous lakes and walking on a glacier. 

We were up and out the door to catch our tour coach at 8:15. Our driver was John and there were two couples and a family of four with us on the trip. All of us were from the U.S. Our destination was the Columbia Icefield and more specifically, Athabasca Glacier. However, we made several stops on our way there and back to view several lakes. John told us assorted facts about the Bow River and the Bow Range of mountains as we drove the more than 2-hour drive. or so. 

The first stop was a viewing point of Crowfoot Glacier. This glacier is one of several along the Icefield's Parkway. It got its name because it looks like a crow's foot. It is small and shrinking like most glaciers and is no longer attached to an icefield. It feeds into Bow Lake which supplies Bow River. John helped us to understand the difference between an ice field and a glacier. While both are large masses of ice. The ice field is the origin of glaciers. As the snow and ice grow heavy, the ice gets pushed down the mountain, forming a glacier that carves out the land. The Columbia Icefield is the largest in the Rocky Mountains and has six different glaciers. 

Next stop was Bow Lake. In the morning sun, it was amazing to see the reflection off the water. All we could do was say, "Wow!" over and over again. It looked like an impressionist painting. The colors that reflected off of the lake were so vibrant and beautiful. We took a bunch of photos and then back in the van for a long drive through beautiful mountain scenery until we arrived at the Athabasca Glacier Visitor Centre at 11:00. We took photos of the glacier from a distance, and ate a quick lunch at the cafe.

Our call time for boarding was 12:00 and we were on a large bus that drove us about 5 minutes to the base of the glacier. Then we transferred to an Ice Explorer, a gigantic vehicle with 6 tires as tall as me. There are only 24 ice explorers in the world. 22 of them are at the Athabasca Glacier and the other two are in Antarctica. The ice explorer is designed to travel on the glacier. We drove very slowly down a steep hill with a 30% grade. Our driver, Jake, called it the slowest roller coaster in the world. It took about 15 minutes and then we were on the ice. There was a white crust that is similar to crushed ice over the blue ice of the glacier. Where the ice was melting, it was slushy, and small streams of water flowed down the slope. You could dip your water bottle in for a taste of glacial water right from the source. We were only allowed in a roped-off section of the glacier. The rest was off-limits. They grade the section to ensure that it is safe. Across the rope lines, you could see that the glacier looked dirty. This is a collection of dust and ash from the air as well as rocks from erosion as the glacier moves. The Athabasca Glacier is the second-largest glacier in the Columbia Icefield and the most easily accessible. While it grows a little each day, it melts even more. It is decreasing in size by 4 - 6 meters in a year. If trends continue, it is expected to disappear by the end of this century. 

After about 30 minutes on the ice, we took the slow trip on the Ice Explorer back to the bus. It was then about a 20-minute ride to the Skywalk, a one km walkway extending over the side of a cliff. The floor of the walkway is glass and it is a little crazy to look at your feet and see the 918 feet drop below you. You can see the river flowing through the canyon and assorted waterfalls from your viewpoint. The Skywalk was very busy and crowded, so it was not the most pleasant experience and you weren't able to stay long since so many people were trying to take their photos, but I am glad we did it. 

The bus took us back to the Visitor Centre where we met up with John for the trip back. We stopped at Waterfowl Lake, which has turquoise green water. John told us that there are 5 lakes in Canada that are the most beautiful, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, and Emerald Lake. Everyone goes to Lake Louise and Moraine when they are visiting Banff. We had seen Bow Lake earlier in the day and our last stop would be Peyto Lake. John wanted us to see Waterfowl Lake because it has a similar coloring to Emerald Lake and that was the one people might not get to on a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Waterfowl Lake was lovely and as we got closer to the town of Banff, we stopped one last time for a 5 minute hike to a viewpoint of Peyto Lake which was just stunning. The color of the lakes which range from sapphire blue to teal green is because of fine dust as the glaciers erode the mountains. It is called rock flour which is so light that it floats on the surface of the water absorbing the red, yellow, and orange light, but reflecting the green and blue rays which is what our eyes see. 

We arrived back in Canmore at 6:30 pm. It had been a long and memorable trip. We were hungry so we stopped at Red Rock Pizza for dinner. It was a local pizza shop with yummy pizza and a really good crust. Joe ordered Wild Chicken, which had buffalo chicken, bacon, pineapple, and ranch dressing. David and I split a Margherita pizza which was delicious. It had a pesto sauce along with the tomatoes and cheese. The thing that made it most tasty was the balsamic drizzle. We also got some homemade macaroni and cheese which was much better than the nachos, according to David, our cheese connoisseur. After purchasing a few pastries from the bakery next door, we headed back to our suite and watched the movie Interstellar so we could look for scenes of Canmore.

We slept in a bit this morning and are headed into Banff. I have a list of things I want to do and I am hoping we can also make the trip to Emerald Lake, about an hour away. Then I can say I have seen the five most beautiful lakes in Canada! The only downside is that it is supposed to rain today, so we may have to work around a few showers.

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Mining, Olympics, and a British Pub

 Yesterday was our first full day in Canada, and we spent it in Canmore. Canmore is a small community that was formed after coal was discovered in 1893. For many years, Canmore was a bustling mining town until the mines began to close. The last one ceased to operate in 1979, and the town faced a certain decline until the announcement of the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988. The Nordic Centre, which hosted the cross-country ski and biathlon events, was built in Canmore. This brought renewed life to the area and the population tripled along with the number of tourists and outdoor enthusiasts.

The first stop of the day was breakfast at Chez Francois, the home of "world-famous Eggs Benedict." Joe had a combo of Eggs Benedict and crepes. I had French Toast Surprise, and David had Strawberry and Cream Cheese French Toast. It was all pretty good and we were full, ready to start the day.

After breakfast, we were off to the local museum, where we learned about the mining operations. It was a small but informative museum with artifacts you could see and touch. There was even a virtual reality headset where David explored a mine. My favorite part was an exhibit about the children and their lives in this mining town. There was a quote on the blackboard written by a resident that said, "You just have to look at the three sisters, and you know you are home." A popular winter pastime was to skate on the frozen Bow River, and some would skate the 22 km up the river to Banff. 

The Bow River flows through the town of Canmore and has a walking trail alongside the river with various hiking trails that you can take into the surrounding mountains. We spent a good amount of time walking along the river. It was lovely. There was a small pond that was a perfect mirror reflecting the sky and trees above. The town is surrounded by mountains so regardless of which direction you look, you see mountains. There are three prominent mountains called Three Sisters. They received that name because in the winter when they are capped with snow, they look like three nuns.

We explored the town and did some souvenir shopping before going to the Safeway grocery store to stock up on breakfast and snack items. I had hoped that we might be able to drive to Banff, but by the time we put away groceries, it was 4:00 pm, and the two things I wanted to visit were closing in an hour, so we will save those visits for another day.

Dinner was at Georgetown Inn and Pub, a local British establishment. Joe had shepherd's pie, I had chicken pot pie, and David had nachos. The food was good, but David wanted more cheese on his nachos. The best part about this pub was they had a bunch of movie posters of movies from the 1920s to the present that were filmed in or around Canmore.

It was an early night to bed because we had an early call time for a trip to the Columbia Icefields.

If you want a different perspective, you can read my son, David's blog here:  https://favoritesonsspiels.blogspot.com/

Back in Canada

 This summer is different than what we had originally planned. But life can suddenly change those plans in an instant. It was Joe's idea to do another "road trip" since he wouldn't be on his honeymoon with his beloved Allegra. He suggested we return to Canada, but this time we go to Banff, Canada's first national park. It's not a true road trip, since we don't have enough time to drive to Canada, so we hopped on a West Jet flight yesterday afternoon and started a weeklong adventure in Alberta, Canada.

We landed at Calgary International Airport around 6:30 pm. Once we went through customs,  picked up my gigantic suitcase from baggage claim (I had to pack for three trips over a 16-day period, more on that later), we got our car and drove the hour or so drive to Dead Man's Flats right outside of the city of Canmore where our Airbnb is located. It was a nice drive, and we even saw a billboard that said "Honk for Joe, Canada's Number #1 Shaft." Apparently, a shaft is a hard coffee.

We are staying at a complex of apartments called Sparrowhawk Lodge. We have a lovely two-bedroom/two-bath suite complete with a living room, kitchen, and a small patio with a BBQ grill. It will be a great home base for the next few days.

It was nearly 10:00 pm, but we really hadn't eaten all day, so we drove into Canmore to the local A&W Root Beer fast food for a late-night meal. It didn't feel that late, because the sun hadn't fully set yet, and the place was busy! As we left the restaurant, it was dusk, and a half moon was shining bright over the
mountains that towered over the parking lot.

We slept in a bit, but are now headed back to Canmore for breakfast, grocery shopping, and some exploring as we get our bearings in this beautiful Rocky Mountain area.

A 60th Birthday to Remember

 Back in October when I decided I wanted to go on a Disney Cruise to celebrate turning 60 years, I knew I would have a great time. I did not know my vacation would extend into a 3-week extravaganza! The cruise and the pre-visit to Vancouver were 9 days of glorious fun, but then I was scheduled to attend a 4-day training in Chicago. Since I would be in the Midwest, I decided a quick stop in Lincoln, Nebraska on my way home was needed to see my parents and sister. So the adventure continues.

On Monday morning, we had one last meal with our servers, Anthony and Galang at Tiana's Place. It was a yummy breakfast and then it was time to leave the ship. I was carrying my luggage off the ship since I had switched to a smaller carry-on suitcase for the last part of this journey. The boys had to wait for their luggage to be unloaded from the ship, so I caught an Uber to the airport. My flight to Seattle was supposed to leave at 12:15 pm.

Now if you are at all familiar with my travel troubles, this next part will not surprise you. The organization that was sponsoring the training in Chicago was paying for my airfare, but they would not cover an international flight. So I had to book a flight from Vancouver to Seattle and the travel agency would book me a flight from Seattle to Chicago. The travel agency was really behind and although I had been asking for over a month about an update on my tickets, I did not receive a ticket to Chicago until July 4 while on the cruise.  That was pretty stressful, but it finally worked out. 

I had my four one-way flights confirmed and I was ready. 

Alaska Airlines to Seattle, United Airlines to Chicago, United Airlines to Omaha, Southwest Airlines to San Diego, what could go wrong?

I arrived at the Vancouver airport with plenty of time to spare. I was unable to get my boarding pass on the app, so I planned to do it at a kiosk in the airport. However, when I arrived, none of the Alaska Airlines kiosks were working and the counter was closed. I looked for my flight on the screen of all departing flights and it wasn't there. My flight was supposed to leave at 12:15, but the only flight leaving from Vancouver to Seattle was at 1:30. "Hmm...that's weird," I thought. Eventually, the counter opened, and I handed my passport over to the agent at the counter. She couldn't find me listed on a flight from Vancouver. Wait, What? I showed her my flight info on the app, and she pointed out that the flight to Seattle that left at 12:15 was NOT from Vancouver. It was from VICTORIA! We had visited Victoria the week before and it took 90 minutes to get there by ferry. Ay-yi-yi! How did I book the wrong flight???

After a long phone call to the reservations department, they were able to switch my ticket to the 1:30 flight leaving from Vancouver. My original ticket was a non-refundable ticket and this new ticket was more expensive, but they let me pay the difference (instead of charging me for the entire ticket again). My panic attack started to subside and once I had a boarding pass, I headed to security. I made it through security without a hitch, gathered up my things, put on my shoes, and walked to immigration. The nice thing is that when you are leaving Canada and returning to the U.S. you go through immigration before you even get on the plane. Once I was through immigration and walking to the gate, I suddenly realized that I was missing my suitcase. I had left it in security! I was so flustered from the ticket debacle that I had not grabbed my suitcase off the track when I was getting my things.

Back to the immigration officer I went to explain that I left my suitcase behind. I must not be the only one who has done this because they pointed the way back to security and told me to just come through the immigration line again once I picked up my suitcase. Fortunately, my suitcase was still sitting at the end of the track, and no one had accidentally claimed it or moved it to a lost and found or whatever. I grabbed my suitcase and headed back to security. I got the same officer, and she waved me through since she recognized me. Whew!

I still had plenty of time before my flight left so I began looking for the boys. Their gate was coincidentally right next to mine. Eventually, they showed up and I got a chance to say goodbye again before I boarded the plane for Seattle. The rest of the trip was smooth. I landed in Seattle, found the United Airlines gate and connected to the wifi and caught up on emails and wrote my last blog post until my flight to Chicago took off at 5:00 pm. With the time change and the nearly four hour flight, I made it to my hotel around midnight.

The Summit training I am attending is going well and I am getting to know my newly hired math teacher. Today is the last full day. Tomorrow is a half day and then it's back on a plane to fly to Lincoln. As I think about this trip that was part 60th Birthday Celebration and part business and family visits, I am happy that my trip has been so memorable. 

View from the convention center on Lake Michigan

The time in Vancouver was awesome and I loved all of the different things we did while there. Vancouver is a pretty city and a fun place to visit. 

Getting to go to Chicago has been fun. Even though I'm not getting out much to see the city, I did get to experience a tornado evacuation which is something I have never done before.

View from my hotel room on the 24th floor.

I am looking forward to seeing my parents and their new place. It will be good to visit with them and the rest of my family.

The Disney Cruise, however, is the highlight of this trip. Joe expressed it well when he said, "I am being treated like I am a rich person." The crew and cast of the cruise line were so accommodating and kind. We never a grouchy staff member and those who were assigned to our stateroom and table got to know us so well. We were warmly greeted by name each morning and evening and even if we saw them at another location. The rooms were comfortable and everything you needed was available. The ship was well maintained and beautiful. And the excursions were fun and informative. And finally, the scenery was exquisite. Alaska is a gorgeous state and the views were breathtaking. 

I can head home in a few days knowing that I have a wealth of experiences and memories to treasure for a long time. Happy Birthday to me!