Rockies Trip - Day 6 - July 20th, 2014

Rockies Trip - Day 6 - July 20th , 2014

Banff, Alberta

We found it hard to sleep last night as we were excited to being the next part of our trip - touring the Rocky Mountains with our friends, Alan & Elaine (from the U.K.). I have known Alan since the first year in high school and we've been friends ever since - a friendship that has grown stronger over the years and has been enhanced by the addition of both of our spouses. 

Alan & Elaine flew from Britain to Vancouver the week before and had spent time visiting the attractions there, including a trip to Whistler, B.C. They arrived in Banff last night after taking the Rocky Mountaineer Train from Vancouver. It has been several years since we have seen them. 

Leaving Calgary with a smile on his face (after all - it was his birthday!!), Mark drove the rental car through the foothills of Canmore on the way to Banff. 

We always find ourselves in awe at the first close-up glimpse of these magnificent mountains, and remarked - for the 'n'th time how lucky we feel for living in a country which affords such a wonderful variety of terrains and experiences. Needing to meet up with our friends at noon, we placed a detour along the Bow Valley Trail on our bucket list. 

Main Street, Canmore

Meeting old friends is always a joy, and this was certainly no exception. True to form, Alan and Elaine had not only remembered Mark's birthday, but had bought an array of cheesecake slices to celebrate! Mark was one happy camper and chose the chocolate slice (why am I not surprised?). 

After catching up with their travels so far, we decided to head to the Sulphur Mountain Gondola, just minutes outside the downtown area. Parking presented a bit of a challenge on this Summer Sunday, but we finally found a spot and headed to the ticket office. 

The ride up was smooth and enjoyable, affording ever more wondrous views as we rose up from the valley floor. 

Sulphur Mountain Gondola

We spent a good couple of hours up the top, including a stroll along the interpretive boardwalk to the summit. Words like, 'breathtaking', 'awesome', 'astonishing' passed through our lips so many times! We all agreed that, while photos do build memories, they fail to capture the experience exactly and that sometimes, you just have to consign something to memory and enjoy the moment for itself. That being said, here are a few snapshots from the top. 

Top of the Gondola (from the summit)

View of Downtown Banff from Sulphur Mountain

The Summit 

Any wildlife in the area must have decided to hide itself away for the day because the only animals we saw were the chipmunks and a couple of golden mantled ground squirrels. The sheer number of tourists didn't seem to bother them, as they skittered around looking for food while avoiding their unseen predators. 

Our friends from Edinburgh, Helen and Alec, recommended a restaurant that they had really liked when they visited Banff a few years ago. We found Melissa's Missteak and had a lovely meal to celebrate Mark's birthday. The menu choice was very good and the prices were reasonable, and so we are passing along our own recommendation, with thanks to our Scottish friends for their suggestion.

To finish the day off, we were treated to an awesome view of the setting sun on a mountain overlooking the town of Banff. It was truly spectacular, but we only caught the end of it. 

Tomorrow, we have plans to take a walk along the Bow River Trail, and explore the main streets and their unique shops and stores. 

View from our hotel window