It took me almost a year to post them, but as I mentioned yesterday, I finally finished editing the pictures from my family's trip to Banff, Canada. The photos deserve a brief textual recap because the location (I hesitate to say the trip, because the journey itself was stressful) is so amazing.
I fell in love with Banff. The mountains are incredible and though it's a tourist town, so is the culture. I say this primarily because of the influence a heavy influx of Japanese travelers have had on the city-- authentic restaurants and Japanese-style shopping abound. I could easily, in a heartbeat, make a living using my waning language skills in Banff. Hot springs, wilderness, and warm udon. What more can a girl ask for?
We were there because my dad had a work conference staged at the Banff Center. Which, if you're ever in town, is a wonderful place to stay and certainly more affordable than the legendary Banff Fairmont.
Here's a summary of our trip:
Day Zero through Day One: Drove from Seattle to the upper Northwest corner of Podunk Nowhere and stayed somewhere in Southern Canadia. Finished up the next day with a blustery drive though Roberts Pass and the Canadian Glacier National Park. Not many photos from this day.
Day Two: Drove from Banff to the outlying wonderlands. Stopped at Lake Louise, Lake Moraine, and other pristine locations for strolling and photos before proceeding up the Columbia Icefields Parkway to the ice fields themselves and riding a Snocoach onto the glacier. Wahoo!
Day Three: We woke up late today and walked on a trail near the Banff Center along the river quite a distance from the hotel to the Hoodoos. The Hoodoos are little moundy pillars that look like dribbly sand castles. Color me unimpressed. We saw elk and other wildlife, but it was a cold day and a long way back. We ended up taking the bus to town and eating something delicious that I can no longer remember. It wasn't Japanese and it wasn't Old Spaghetti Factory... or maybe it was, we actually went there twice and flirted with the waiters both times.
Day Four: Dad was in a conference, so us girls went on a pony ride. Eleanor liked the horses and they liked her, but some shortypants girl wasn't so lucky and fell off her horsie into the mud and manure before we even got started. I liked the authentic cowboy, but I think the horse made my hips hurt more than he ever could have. (O God, I just wrote that?) The ride was fun, save for intermittant rain, but taking photos was stupid difficult. Wish I'd been smart enough to set it to something other than full manual. Duh-HURR. Pretty landscapes anyway. After the ride we saw the old hot springs caves and resort which are no longer open for public bathing due to endangered snail protection.
Day Five: This rainy morning, we had tea and cakes at the Banff Fairmont, then hiked up Sulphur Mountain when the weather cleared. There is a gondola running up the mountain but we deigned only to take it down. At the top, we were so hungry we ate chili-cheese dogs. I regretted it later. Allie made me take glamor shots of her, and the weather cleared so I got a couple nice panoramas. Also, we look awesome.
Day Six: Mom, dad, and I reserved spots on a terrifically expensive guided hike to the Burgess Shale Site, leaving Allie and Eleanor at the Centre. We started early and hiked six miles to the restricted site to look at some pretty awesome fossils. Mom was a goof, dad was a goof and the scenery rocked. (Pun intended.) I particularly enjoyed the Inukshuk along the trail... like a cairn, they mark the way to show a traveler the way home. This one had a wang.
Day Seven: Our last day, so we set out to look at some of the best sites again, this time opting for a scenic route along the highway. I loved the aspens turning and the alpenhorn guy at Lake Louise. We hiked up to the Lake Louise teahouse and had tea and cakes. So did the chipmunks. This guy has had too much. Scenery from the top was, of course, friggin lovely. After some excruciating family drama, we hiked back down, turned in for the night, and then drove the entire way back to Seattle the next day. Like the crazy people we are.
THE END!!
Posted on September 07, 2006 @ 11:31 PM | 4 comments
Comments:
Breathtaking photos. The thing I remember about Banff was the smell of the pines. Wonderful.
Plus thanks for making me crave udon noodles at 7:30 in the morning.
By 
running42k, at
4:31 AM, September 08, 2006
What fun! Someday (sooner than later I hope), we need to go there and spend more than a few hours, for sure.
--Lazy Lightning (Your comments - they won't let me select 'Other' or 'Blogger'. Weird.
By 
, at
7:16 AM, September 08, 2006
where was Liz?
By , at
4:34 PM, September 08, 2006
its about friggin time!
And I'd like a copy on cd thanks ;o)
By , at
4:47 PM, September 08, 2006
