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!

Last Day at Sea

 Yesterday was bittersweet since it was our last day at sea. We arrived in Vancouver this morning and we had to be out of our rooms by 8:00 am. So yesterday was all we had left before our Disney Adventure ended. Each of us spent the day doing different things sometimes together and sometimes apart. While David caught up on some sleep, Joe and I got a little tour of the ship focused on the design elements of the ship, particularly the lounges. We also got to tour the Oceaneer's Lab which is for kids only. What a fun place! Overall the tour was very interesting and we learned a few insider tips. Joe and I agreed that this tour would have been more helpful at the start of the cruise instead of at the end. While on the tour, we saw a craft activity where people were decorating anchors for their cabin door. So once the tour was done, I went back to make my anchor. Many people decorate their doors with Disney magnets so for our last night I wanted something to put on my door.

Next, David joined us for Bingo which was really fun. We didn't win anything, but it was a fun and entertaining experience with the crew joking around at every turn. I haven't played Bingo in a long time so I enjoyed seeing how much technology has taken over. There were tablets that held 24 cards and the program actually marked the spots. We purchased the family pack which gave us two tablets with the digital cards and then 12 old school cards with markers. "Shake it up Betty!" was the phrase repeated by all players when we didn't like the numbers that were coming up. All in all, it was a lot of fun.

Since we all were busy touring or sleeping during breakfast, we had an early lunch. David and I ate at Cabanas for the buffet and Joe had Bruschetta and Carbonara at Tiana's Place. Later in the afternoon, I attended a towel folding class to learn how to make some of the amazing towel animals that were waiting on our beds each night. The teacher was one of the cabin stewards (called hosts). He was funny and told some corny jokes while also teaching us how to make a swan, a dinosaur, an elephant, and a monkey. The boys were busy going to more trivia games and I joined a few of them, but eventually went back to do one more load of laundry so I had plenty for the training I am attending this week. Suitcases were packed and then it was time for the final live show, Disney Dreams.

Disney Dreams told a sweet story of a girl trying to find the magic to fly. She was visited by Peter Pan along with an assortment of Disney characters who sing and dance to help her realize she always had the magic inside herself. The quality of these shows was very good. The same cast actually did three different shows, The Golden Mickeys, Frozen, and Disney Dreams. It is quite impressive that they are able to keep it all straight!

Our final dinner was at Tiana's Place. It was Mardi Gras night so we were given beads to wear while the music played and then we ended the evening with a big dancing line. After the festivities, it was back to the stateroom for me to sleep one more time in the luxurious bed.

Ketchikan

 Yesterday was our last port of call, Ketchikan. It was a cute fishing village with brightly colored buildings that just make you smile. We arrived in port late in the morning, so we were able to sleep in and have a later breakfast before walking down the gangplank right into town. The main road is built upon the pylons on the dock. We had about 90 minutes before we met our tour guide so we wandered the shops and noted things we’d come back and buy later.

Joe had reserved a tour with Wild Wolf Tours which was not part of the Disney excursions but a locally owned tour company. Our guide Zach picked us up and then drove to another dock about 7 miles away where a couple from Norwegian Cruise Lines joined us. We headed to the Tongass National Forest for a nice little hike. The trailhead was at the end of the road and it took us through the rainforest down to a little cove. The trail is named Lunch Creek Trail because it is along a creek where bears come for lunch. The salmon hadn’t started running yet, so we didn’t see any salmon or any bears and that was okay with me. There was a lovely waterfall and the forest was just gorgeous filled with red cedar trees and hemlock tress and tons and tons of blueberry, huckleberry, and salmonberry bushes. Zach told us all about the how a fallen tree becomes a nursery for new trees and other plants who feed off of the nutrients and we saw examples of this several times…tree logs covered in moss, with a plants and trees growing out of it. The log itself had become very spongey as it was being decomposed.

As we walked along the trail, Zach regularly picked berries and encouraged us to do the same. He knew a lot about plant life and told us many facts and stories that kept our interest. As we came down to the beach, Zach was sure to let us know that although it looked like a lake because we saw land all around us, we were actually looking at the Pacific Ocean and this was where salmon would return to swim up the stream into fresh water to lay their eggs. It was low tide so Zach took off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and waded out looking for tidal creatures. He reminded me a lot of my own Zach, a little quirky and a man on his own individual path. After the hike Zach gave us crackers with salmon spread. Joe was brave enough to eat, but David and I took the granola bars instead.

We climbed back into the van, and Zach drove the opposite direction on the main road until we got to a Totem Pole collection. I think it was called the Totem Potlatch, but I don’t remember, and I don’t have enough data to look it up using Google. He told us some of the traditional stories that the different totems represent as well as the ones that represented a lineage. They have a very nice gift shop where we wandered spent money. After the totem poles, Zach dropped us off back downtown where we finished up our shopping and headed back to the ship for an acapella concert by three women who are called Pipeline Vocal Project. They were very talented and put on a good show.

Dinner was at Animator’s Palate and it was so awesome. When we came in there were papers the size of a placemat at our table with markers. There were instructions to draw a person. The head arms, torso and legs were in different sections, but there were examples showing you how to complete your drawing. They collected the drawings, and then after dinner, there was music with the very characters we drew dancing across the screen. It was great fun and Animator’s Palate became our favorite restaurant of the cruise.