Calgary

Our last day in Canada was spent exploring downtown Calgary. First we went to the Calgary Tower for its 360 degree panoramic views of the city. As we walked around the observation deck you could see Calgary, the surrounding prairies and even the Canadian Rockies out in the distance.

Near the Tower is Stephen Avenue Walk, which is a pedestrian mall during the day lined with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. If you have the time you can do some shopping and then grab something to eat from a wide range of restaurants along the walk. 

We ended up spending the majority of our day at the wonderful Glenbow museum, which has a variety of art and history exhibitions across three levels of its building. My favorite exhibition was Kaleidoscopic Animalia, which was designed and curated by fashion designer and Glenbow Artist-in-Residence Paul Hardy. He combined original fashion designs with animal inspired artifacts and artworks from the museum's collection to create thematic department store style windows. It was a very unique way to put things together, and the exhibition had a playful and humorous undercurrent in many of the displays. It is on until 5 September 2016.

There were also two exhibitions focused on Canada's First Peoples with Native Cultures from the Four Directions, and Niitsitapiisini: Our Way of Life which focused on the history, traditions and values of the Blackfoot people from their own perspective.

On the walk back to the hotel to pick up our rental car I took one of my favorite shots from the trip - reflections of the sky and surrounding skyscrapers on two glass skyscrapers downtown. This trip has shown you can find beauty both in nature and urban environments.

We drove to the airport mid-afternoon to make sure we would beat the traffic and check in on time for our early evening flight to San Francisco. In what was a first for me, we actually went through United States customs in Canada. Unfortunately the international terminal is currently under construction, so it was very cramped with a lot of areas blocked off. We did manage to grab a table to eat a late lunch/early dinner at The Pub before boarding our flight home. On the way back to Marin we encountered some of the thickest fog I've ever seen driving through San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Banff

Today we explored the town of Banff for our last day in the Canadian Rockies. The downtown area along Banff Avenue is the shopping boutique and restaurant strip with a mountain village feel. The Bow River flows south of downtown, which you cross to get to a few tourist attractions around town.

Our first stop was Sulphur Mountain and the Banff Gondola. The fully enclosed gondola cabins hold four people and glide up the mountain quietly during an eight-minute journey to the top. Unfortunately the upper terminal building was under construction (it's due to open later this summer), but the 360 degree views at the top are pretty spectacular as you walk along the one kilometer ridgetop boardwalk. There are not only great views of the town of Banff, but also all the surrounding mountain ranges. We had brief periods of drizzle and sunshine as we walked around and even saw some ground squirrels and mountain sheep before heading back down the mountain.

Next we went to Cave and Basin National Historic Site, the birthplace of Canada's national park system. In 1883 three railway workers discovered the hot springs and tried to make a claim for the land, which the government turned into a reserve in 1885. There is a boardwalk around the basin and hot springs, which flow down the hill into a mineral pool with different colored algae. Here you can also find the endangered Banff springs snail (which is why you are not allowed to touch the water).

The Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum along the Bow River looks like a log fortress. It is Alberta's oldest museum and has artifacts and life-size dioramas of the traditional life of the First Nations people from this region. I found the articles of clothing and related artifacts to be the most interesting part of the displays.

We then bid farewell to Banff, driving east on the Trans-Canada Highway to our next destination, Calgary. The Canadian Rockies slowly disappeared in the distance and the landscape became more flat plains. We made good time and knew we had hit the outer limits of Calgary due to the traffic. On our way into the city we passed Canada Olympic Park and the ski jumps that were used in the 1988 Winter Olympics. We managed to navigate our way to the International Hotel of Calgary in downtown where we are staying tonight. Tomorrow we will explore Calgary and then fly back to San Francisco.

Lake Louise

It was nice to have a bit of a sleep in this morning now that we are off the Rocky Mountaineer. After eating breakfast Mom and I walked into downtown Banff to pick up our rental car for the next few days. Today we explored Lake Louise, which is about an hour north of Banff and part of Banff National Park.

We drove to Lake Louise on the scenic Bow Valley Parkway, which runs parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway. The Parkway has a lower speed limit and allows you the opportunity to see wildlife and make sightseeing stops along the way. One of the first things that we saw was a giant elk eating along the side of the road, which triggered cars to pull over to get photos (it reminded me of being on safari in Africa). We made stops at Moose Meadows, the Castle Mountain viewpoint (a mountain that used to be named for President Eisenhower), and Morant's Curve, with its views of the Bow River and the railway. The most surprising discovery was a memorial for the Castle Mountain Internment Camp, which housed hundreds of "enemy aliens" of Eastern European descent during World War I.

We arrived at Lake Louise around lunchtime, so decided to stop and eat at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. We sat at a window table in the Lakeview Lounge, which had magnificent views of Lake Louise and the Victoria Glacier. The food was quite good. For mains we had the Lakeview beef burger and dal makhani, and for dessert we ordered the lemon cheesecake and spiced blackberry pear cake (along with a hot chocolate for me).

When you first see Lake Louise you are in awe of its crystal clear turquoise glacial waters and the beauty of the whole area. We walked along the path that goes around the right side of the lake to get closer views of Lake Louise, Victoria Glacier and the surrounding mountains.

Next we headed south to Moraine Lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, which also presents a breathtaking view when you first see it. There is a giant Rockpile as you enter the lake area, and you can walk along the rocky shoreline or the trail running parallel to the lake. There are pretty amazing views from whichever angle you stand at.

As we drove back to Banff on the Trans-Canada Highway we were lucky enough to see a rainbow appear across the highway. Overall it was a day of spectacular natural beauty.

Rocky Mountaineer: Kamloops - Banff

It was an extremely early start for our second and final day on the Rocky Mountaineer as we departed Kamloops before 7:00 am. Today was the longest day on the train with the journey to Banff covering 497 km/309 miles. Once again we were fed incredibly well throughout the day. For breakfast we had a croissant and farmhouse scramble with smoked bacon, breakfast hash and roasted mushrooms. Lunch included a spinach and apple salad along with roasted pork loin in a creamy Dijon mustard sauce with brown rice risotto and local market vegetables. We had a few desserts with a piece of cheesecake, a cheese and wine course, and an oatmeal raisin cookie towards the end of the journey.

There was lots to see today as this was the day we hit the Canadian Rockies. We began heading around Shuswap Lake to the Eagle River, and then went through Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Rail line was driven, which linked Canada by rail from coast to coast.

We crossed the Columbia and Illecillewaet Rivers, and went in the 8 km/5 mile long Connaught Tunnel through Mount MacDonald before hitting the Stoney Creek Bridge which towers over the creek bed.

With the Canadian Rockies coming into view, additional bridges were crossed over Surprise Creek and Mountain Creek before leaving the Columbia River behind for the Kicking Horse River and traveling through Kicking Horse Canyon.

The next big architectural marvel was the Spiral Tunnels, modeled after a tunnel system in Switzerland. The Lower and Upper Spiral Tunnels allowed the grade to be reduced from 4.5 per cent to a much safer 2.2 per cent, with the railway doubling back on itself twice in the process of gaining altitude.

 

After passing the Continental Divide and highest point in the journey at 1,626 m/5,332 feet, we went through Lake Louise (though couldn't see the lake) and saw Castle Mountain as we arrived at the Banff train station to the welcoming waves of the ever friendly Rocky Mountaineer staff. Once again we made excellent time and arrived over an hour early. Shuttles for passengers to the various hotels around town were there on our arrival, and we were taken to the Banff Caribou Lodge and Spa, where we could head straight to our room with our bags arriving shortly after.

Riding the Rocky Mountaineer was a great experience, but I think two days was enough time on the train. The staff were really lovely and accommodating of everyone's needs, and you can see how much pride they take in their customer service. For the sheer variety of scenery I think the First Passage to the West trip we did is hard to top, so if you can only do one Rocky Mountaineer journey I think it is the one to pick.

Rocky Mountaineer: Vancouver - Kamloops

Mom and I were up bright and early for our Rocky Mountaineer First Passage to the West two day train journey from Vancouver to Banff. When we arrived at the Vancouver Rocky Mountaineer Train Station around 6:45 am we were greeted by the friendly staff who brought our bags to the check in counter to tag them for the hotels we would be staying at over the next two nights. The train station was big and filled with sunlight and you could get drinks and lounge around watching clips of the journey on large screens while a piano player played in the background. 

Before boarding the train they gathered everyone together at the front of the hall for a departure ceremony with a bagpiper. After the call of "all aboard" everyone headed to their designated train carriage and as we departed at 8:00 am all the Rocky Mountaineer staff were outside waving us farewell on our journey. We were in the SilverLeaf Service single level dome car and had assigned seats near the front of the carriage. There was lots of leg room and large windows to peer out of to see all the scenery. You could also go out back to the outside platform where we entered to take pictures as well. 

Each carriage has three dedicated staff - we had sisters Katie and Tracey as our servers and tour guides, and Jordan cooking all our meals. One thing about the Rocky Mountaineer is that you will never go thirsty or hungry. They are constantly serving you throughout the day. The food was hot and excellent. For breakfast we got a cinnamon scone then three cheese omelette with chicken sausage, skillet potatoes and roasted tomatoes. For lunch we had a sliced tomato salad and grilled salmon with a creamy dill sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. For dessert there was a chocolate brownie with fudge sauce, as well as snacks of mixed nuts and dried fruit in between meals if you were interested. 

For today's journey we traveled from Vancouver to Kamloops, which was 460 km/285 miles. We began with the green agricultural region of the Fraser Valley and the sight of our first mountain - Mount Baker.

As we climbed into the Cascade Mountains it got very green and lush, and then we saw Hell's Gate, which is the narrowest part of the Fraser River in the canyon.

Next we hit the Cisco Crossings, where the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National train lines cross the Fraser River on an orange arched bridge.

As we traveled further we came through Lytton, where the Thompson and Fraser Rivers met and the water goes from muddy to clear.

From here the landscape changes and becomes more dry and arid. The trees became more sparse as you went along and then it became more like a desert with all the brown rocks and slides.

On the way into the town of Kamloops the Thompson River widened into the massive Kamloops Lake. As we traveled around it we kept an eye out for animals on the hills and saw a few mountain goats along the way.

We made really good time during the day, and as the Rocky Mountaineer pulled into Kamloops we were greeted by the volunteer Kamloops Mounted Patrol. They come out with their horses to welcome train passengers into town.

Everything was very well organised as we departed the train. We got on our designated motorcoach and then drove the short distance to the Thompson Hotel and Conference Centre, where everyone was already checked in and had their bags waiting for them in the room. Mom and I grabbed dinner next door at The Noble Pig Brewhouse, and then got to sleep as it was another early start with a 6:15 am departure back to the Rocky Mountaineer in the morning.