I had always been a bit embarrassed to admit I had never been further west than Toronto (in Canada), so, when I saw a “fam” in the Rockies advertised, I jumped on it. I was curious to see if I would enjoy these mountains more than their southern part that I had seen in Argentina. I can honestly say that I did. I find that there is more diversity both in the scenery and the activities up here …but this also confirmed that I am more a beach and ocean girl than a mountain one. Give me iodine over ozone any time! This said, allow me to share with you this wonderful discovery.
We were a small group with people from all over Canada as well as the US, even Hawaii. Easygoing people all of them, so no crazy stories this time.
The itinerary started in Calgary and made a loop through Alberta to return to its starting point. We rode in a very comfortable motor coach that had plenty of room for everyone, on roads that were, for the most part, fairly smooth.
I was traveling with my friend Blondie (cruising partner in crime) but on our first night at the Arts Hotel we were each given a single room. As far as hotels go, this one was the top! This is what is called a boutique hotel. The room was elegant and, of course, very comfortable, it had a huge flat screen TV (a very pleasant novelty for me). The bathroom was done in the latest fashion and the toiletries were top of the line.
They even delivered a platter of fruit dipped in chocolate after I had settled in! Call me prejudiced but I had not expected this in Alberta.
The food in their restaurant, called le St Germain, was very good and original both in presentation and preparation. This is where we all got “white hated”, meaning we were each presented with a white cowboy hat. Those hats are surprisingly stiff; they even have hat-destroying contests! But I find them cute, and some people wear them very well. This was our first dip into western culture and fashion. Later in the trip we would even be given blue foam antlers!
Once we had freshened up, we were taken to the Calgary Tower.
From the observation deck at the top we had a nice view of the city even if it was cloudy. The stampede grounds were easy to spot, as were the saddle dome, and city hall.
The next morning we set off for Edmonton. Both Edmonton and Calgary are booming thanks to the gas and oil industry, centered in part around Fort McMurray. There is no shortage of work but rather of workers and lodging for them. To most people Edmonton is the West Edmonton Mall; well…I finally got to see what the hoopla was about. It is a huge complex that holds a hotel (the Fantasyland Hotel), an amusement park, a water park, an ice rink, a casino, a seal show, restaurants, a day camp for kids and stores, hundreds of stores!
The hotel is reminiscent of Disney: it has theme rooms such as a roman room with columns and mirrors everywhere and a Jacuzzi pool, a Polynesian room with a volcano and a pool, a Canadian Rail room, an Igloo room, an Arabian room to name a few.
The water park has a beach and a wave pool as well as numerous water slides.
It is a very strange concept but, judging from the crowds on this Saturday, it seems to work.
Back on the bus we headed for Fort Edmonton Park and the Selkirk Hotel. The park is not yet opened for the summer but we did catch a glimpse of the fort.
It is a very strange concept but, judging from the crowds on this Saturday, it seems to work.
Back on the bus we headed for Fort Edmonton Park and the Selkirk Hotel. The park is not yet opened for the summer but we did catch a glimpse of the fort.
We had dinner at the Selkirk, which is a fairly accurate replica of its 1903 ancestor.
Back on the road on the way to Jasper we started seeing some serious mountains.
At one point the difference in temperature between the ground, the water and the air produced vapor that gave the scenery an unreal quality.
We went through an area called Pocahontas, so named because there is a mountain that resembles an upward turned face, and it is said to be that of Pocahontas.
We started seeing some wildlife too. My favorites were the mountain sheep, especially the old rams with spectacular spiraling horns.
Our first stop was the Jasper tramway. It goes up to 7500 ft above sea level. Needless to say the view was spectacular. It reminded me a bit of Mont Blanc in the Alps.
This being an action packed day, our next activity was a raft tour. Not a white river rafting trip thankfully, but a lovely tranquil ride down the Athabasca River.
And to top off the day we visited the Jasper Park Lodge. There are three lodging icons in the Rockies, all Fairmont properties, and this is one of them. It is the most rustic of the lot, with its log cabins, cedar chalets and fieldstone fireplaces. One of the rooms we saw has to be the nicest of all. Not only did it have a four-poster bed and a fireplace but also it had a fabulous view of the lake and mountains.
What impressed me the most was seeing wild elks, deer and geese wandering on the grounds.
That night we slept in a hotel called the Lobstick Lodge. I thought it was a silly name until I found out that:
“The term lobstick is strongly associated with the northern Cree nations. A lobstick is a tall conspicuous spruce or pine tree stripped of all but its top branches and serving as a living landmark, monument, or mark of honor for a friend. Apparently first used as a term by “explorer” Alexander MacKenzie in 1789 in his book entitled Voyage from Montreal, lobsticks often served as trail markers or meeting places.”
The next day was glacier day! On the way we came across a lovely waterfall. You could see the traces of years and years of erosion on the rocks. Water is a powerful tool.
We were off to the Columbia Ice fields.
This is the largest accumulation of ice south of the Arctic Circle, it encompasses eight separate glaciers. The melt water feeds three oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic. The ice is up to 1,200 feet (365 meters) deep. The glaciers do move down but they also melt back so that in the end there is little visible movement at the bottom. I found it hard to make out their shape through the snow covered mountains but in these photos it is easy to see.
We transferred from our coach to a vehicle called an ice explorer, a funny looking thing perched on top of 6 huge wheels.
Once up there we got off and took a few tentative steps on the ice. It was very windy and the ice was somewhat slushy so not very inviting…but definitely spectacular.
Once off the glacier it was time for some refreshments so we headed for the Chateau Lake Louise. This must be one of the most photographed spots in Canada: the emerald lake surrounded by mountains! Unfortunately, when we got there, there was no green water. The lake was still covered with ice. It was a bit of a letdown but the hotel and the grounds are nice even in winter…and the food they served us was amazing! This property has a Bavarian (or Swiss) flavor to it. It was named after Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter, Princess Louise.
While we were into fancy hotels, we went to visit the nearby Banff Springs Hotel. By far my favorite even if it is a bit dark, it has a Scottish manor feel to it. The spa is very inviting with its waterfall pool.
To top off this day we attended a dinner show called: “Oh Canada Eh”. Needless to say it was a humorous look at our country, its history and inhabitants such as the French explorers and the Mounties. The performers are also the waiters and they managed to serve the food between sketches. Quite a feat!
That night we stayed at the Caribou lodge and I must say their restaurant (The Keg) served the best breakfast.
Next morning we were off to the most originally named attraction of the tour: “Head-smashed-In Buffalo Jump” (I am not joking!). There are indications that this site has been used for killing bison at least 5,700 years ago and perhaps as early as 10,000 years ago. The technique was clever and strangely resembles that described in Jean Auel’s novel. The 18 meters cliff facing east, opposite prevailing winds, prevented the animals from smelling the kill site. A large basin of grassland west of the cliff attracted large herds. They would be slowly lured towards the precipice and then scared into a stampede to their death. There is a massive bone deposit below the cliff that indicates not only how successful the hunts were but also what kind of tools and techniques were used to process the carcasses. Tribes would get together for this hunt and would camp in the prairies below the cliff. The interpretive center is very well done with several display cases as well as an educative video about native culture and traditions. The outside site is barren but with imagination, one can recreate the carnage mentally….and yes we got to taste some buffalo stew with bannock (the native Cree bread) and it was nice and tasty.
Following this foray into prehistoric times we were off to a much more recent attraction: the Remington Carriage Museum. Although state run you would think this was the baby of some old and romantic spinster. The washrooms were decorated with fabric flowers, garlands and reefs, as was the tearoom. They served us a short version of high tea. I had to laugh because although they try to be very formal and proper, they did not quite have it all together. The tea was lukewarm at best, the scones were cold and dry and the tea sandwiches were done open faced on baguette, with puréed smoked salmon instead of real slices and big chunks of cucumber instead of paper thin slices… as for the pastries they were heavy and overly sweet. BUT it was a lovely break and the museum section was interesting. We even got to ride in a horse drawn carriage.
That evening we attended an activity called: the “Great Canadian Barn dance”. This may sound corny but it was one of the highlights of the trip because we got the opportunity to talk with real cowboys, men who earn a living farming cattle and raising horses. My cowboy had sparkling blue eyes and talked about branding calves, moving cattle, lassoing strays, training horses, he was very proud to show me photos of his children and grandchildren winning prizes in stampedes… We never got to do the dance part but they had Louise up on the stage playing the kazoo with a gingham bonnet on her head (she was not the only one from our group up there).
Our last night was spent in Waterton. Waterton is not a famous place, yet it was the most picturesque of all the areas we visited. It is located at the southern tip of the province in a national park that spans over the American border into Montana. It is far enough south for the lakes to have thawed so we did get to see a beautiful green lake encased in snow-capped mountains, similar to lake Louise without the ice. By the way the green color is caused by rock flour, (sediments) which gets washed off the rocks and settles in the water.
There is a lone hotel standing on a hill.
It seems I made a fool of myself when I crouched down to photograph a groundhog (I had never seen one before). To me it was exotic, to the locals they are a nuisance.
Our last day was spent back in Calgary, on the road back we saw several wind turbines. I find them elegant and wonder why they are so controversial.
In Calgary we visited the Stampede grounds and got a presentation on its history and activities. Finally we stopped in Heritage Park, which boasts a very thorough reconstitution of three periods in Alberta history. Again it was not yet opened but we got a good idea of what it must be with all the employees in historically accurate costumes, and the various businesses in activity. We were offered cookies from their bakery…..MMMmmmm!
And then it was time to come back to the twenty first century and catch our flight back to Montréal.
This was a wonderful trip. I think it made us all proud to live in such a beautiful country. It was a unique opportunity to see how the other half lives. I would recommend it to anyone, Canadian or not!