So here we are- Vancouver on tues 31st may 2011. That means one thing - we are coming home......... Huge mixed feelings- very excited about seeing everything and everyone but so sad it's all over and would like to change our flight destination to Sydney and start all over again !!!! (missing out Seattle this time;-)).
So Banff. Sadly we had really rubbish weather until the day before we were leaving. So we didn't actually get to do an awful lot. Wednesday we walked around the town checking out the 3001 Souvenir shops!! And got totally soaked. Thurs we drove out to Lake Minnewanka for a short walk along the shore and up to the green waters of Stewart canyon. The lake was still partially frozen and there was not much activity. But it seems in the summer there are huge amounts of things happening - lots of fishing, boat cruises and the like.
Thursday late afternoon I sneaked off for another trail ride. Along the Bow river and up onto the forested slopes of sulphur mountain. Was very pleasant. But very wet and absolutely freezing!
Friday we woke up to snow!!!! Was wet snow but settled well. All very pretty. We headed down to town and sadly said goodbye to our car - no more driving until the uk!! 2180km in Canada !! Not many really here!! We walked along the river past some really exclusive property very very nice. Walking a bit further we caught glimpses of the Banff springs hotel - wow very very nice - looked like a ghost castle sat in the trees and the swirling mist!
By this time we were freezing and soaked again!!!
Finally on Saturday the sun came out and it was all beautiful. After spending half a day packing we walked down tunnel mountain into the town and actually wondered round town in the sun!! It looked totally different being able to actually see the
surrounding mountains!! Reminded me very much of whistler with the alpine architecture. It's a very nice town, development is very strictly controlled and you can't live there unless you born there or work there. There are loads and loads of restaurants etc and a huge population of transient workers as has everywhere we have been in Canada - mainly from Ontario it seems!!! Obviously huge winter sports area but also huge hiking and watersports area. Very beautiful place but think I preferred jasper - was smaller and felt more like a real town rather than just a resort. We finished the day in tony romas for tea- where we started in San Diego!!
Saturday dawned very very early but was a beautiful beautiful clear frosty morning. The mountains looked amazing with all the fresh snow on them. Taxi waiting for us at 630!!! Haven't seen that time of day for a long long time!! We did see a coyote at close range though from the taxi. We arrived at the train station at around 710 and waited and waited!! We were supposed to board at 820 but train didn't get in til 9!!! Was just like waiting for a train at home!!!
Was worth it though. We were so lucky we had been moved to the front of the carriage to an 8 seat area between 5 of us and thank god!! Would have been a nightmare in the normal seats. We were the front gold leaf coach too so had front row panoramic views!! Think boys were the only kids on the entire train!! They even got bags with books and binoculars in which kept them entertained for two whole days!
Was a great trip the scenery was fab. Day one we followed the route we had driven for parts of it but was great to see it all from a different perspective and obviously we got to go through lots of tunnels !!! Really beautiful weather too we were very lucky. Saw more coyotes and one black bear. The crew were great brilliant with the boys- very entertaining and lots of interesting stories along the way. Great food lots to drink and other passengers were really friendly. We travelled from Banff up to lake Louise then across to kamloops on the first day. Past the huge Shuswap lake where you can get pizza and beer delivered by speed boat to wherever you happen to be on the lake!! We had 11 hours on a train -wow!! An over night in hotel in kamloops then out through the semi arid desert of British columbias interior. Very different scenery on the second day but still fantastic. Followed the Johnson river then the Fraser river. Both rivers were at a record high due to hard winter with lots of snow so big snow melt combined with large amounts of spring rain. Wow these rivers are huge and wild!! Particularly impressive at hells gate where the river dramatically narrows. We basically followed the migration route of the sockeye salmon poor old things!!
Scenery flattened out and became very agricultural as we approached Vancouver along with sawmill after sawmill.
Over the Fraser river for the last time and into the station. Great journey glad we did it.
Walked into gastown for food in the evening and sat by the steamclock!! Very pleasant end to our trip. Got all day today to amuse ourselves in the city before we fly out tonight. And thats it back to reality :-(.
So bye-bye all it's been a blast :-) :-) :-)