Banff and Calgary

Today was sort of a “slow day” compared to most on this trip. Sue, Henry and I set out for Banff on a day when the high was supposed to be 51°. That’s a full 15° lower than typical this time of year – which we didn’t think would be much of a problem, since we’ve been dealing with even colder temps this trip.

But as we went further into the park, we realized that our bigger obstacle was pea-soup fog. Not great for sightseeing! So we instead headed for the town of Banff. Pretty place, probably a “typical” resort town although Sue and I wouldn’t have known because neither of us is particularly interested in that type of place. Lots of shopping, including what looked to be high-end shopping, some very European, all suited to someone much more cosmopolitan than the likes of us.

Pubs are pretty much the same the world over, though, and we found the Rose & Crown for a spot of lunch.

One of the menu items was something called “Stuffed Yorkies.” Which to dog-lovers probably sounds weird and gross and inhumane, but is actually mini Yorkshire puddings stuffed with roast beef. Otherwise the menu seemed pretty standard: fish ‘n chips, shepherd’s pie and plenty of sandwiches and munchies. It was a pleasant place to eat and kill a bit of time.

After leaving the Rose & Crown, we took a spin around some of the more natural areas close to town. But seriously, it was foggy and miserable, so much so that I had to “borrow” this picture of the Banff Springs Hotel from the internet. It looks like a really pretty place, and probably is amazing inside, and on a nasty day like today I imagine the fireplaces in the lobby would be blazing … and there would be LOADS of people lounging about.

So we headed back to Calgary, where the weather was a little clearer, to take a little tour around its various neighborhoods and visit St. Patrick’s Island – which is accessible only by footbridges – for a nice, long walkie with the Henry-Dog.

Tomorrow’s weather promises to be much better than today’s. We’ll head back toward Banff and up the Icefields Parkway. Tomorrow THERE WILL BE GLACIERS.

More photos from the Forces of Nature Tour at Flickr.

Click here.