So far, August seems more relaxing than July, although we are still packing in the activities before Ying and Fanfan head back to China in September. Our first event was to go to a live performance of Mamma Mia! in Hamilton. It was a great show and was closer to home than going into Toronto.
With the weather cooperating, we decided to do a day of shopping in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Bought a few things, but could not resist going back to Cows Ice Cream again. This time, Christine was able to come with us. After the hot day of shopping and eating, we headed to our friends' house and had a quick swim before heading back home.
Only a few days later, we were on the move again. This time to Banff!
Ying wanted to see the mountains, so that is what we did. We flew to Calgary, stayed at a hotel overnight that also had a casino and a water park, then drove to Banff the next day.
We stayed at the same place we visited many years ago (Tunnel Mountain Resort) and had a fantastic room with 2 floors, full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies, etc.
Our first morning was looking a little overcast, but we had tickets to go up the Sulphur Mountain Gondola. We seemed to time it right, as we went through a very thin layer of clouds part way up the mountain as it started to clear and become a fantastic weather day. The gondola gave us great scenery, but the view from the top was far better!
 |
| This layer of clouds disappeared shortly after we broke through it... |
After lunch and a short rest, we headed to the Banff Upper Hot Springs. Wendy, Ying, and Fanfan went in - I stayed outside and watched people go by. The water was apparently very hot (93F).
Shopping in Banff seemed oddly familiar - like going to Niagara-on-the-Lake but with more people. In fact, it was so familiar that we went into virtually the same candy store as we had a week ago, AND we got to visit yet another Cows location. I wonder how many more there are to visit...
We had wanted to go to Lake Louise but heard stories about it being almost inaccessible due to the crowds. We checked the shuttle bus - probably needed to plan for a whole day to do it that way. We also checked the distant parking lots with shuttles to the lake. Not practical, as they stop running around 4 (useless...)! We decided to go there at an unconventional time - after dinner.
We definitely hit the sweet spot by arriving about an hour or two before sunset. We parked right next to the lake (ahem, not exactly in a legal spot... but the park people seemed to have shut down things for the day). The views were great and we were able to get out of there before the bugs got really bad. Took Highway 1a back for some different scenery, but sadly saw no animals at all along the way.
 |
| The light was starting to fade, but it is still beautiful. |
The next day was our 'early day' - we left at 8:30 to drive 2.5 hr to the Columbia Ice Fields in Jasper National Park. The drive was gorgeous, with only a a brief bit of traffic as we passed Lake Louise. We stopped several times just to enjoy the scenery (we didn't have to be there until 12:45).
One of the best stops was Herbert Lake, a rest stop at the side of highway 93. We walked a few feet through the trees and came upon a glass smooth lake with this view. Fantastic!
After lunch at the Icefields Discovery Centre (expensive, but hey, what can you do!), we took a shuttle up to the transfer location and moved onto one of the 'tundra vehicles' for the first part of our adventure. Ours was the only green one. Apparently there are only 24 in the world of these machines - 2 in Antarctica, 22 at the Ice Fields. Only one is green!
Wendy has previous said that she didn't want to be at work on her birthday (or at home, if possible). This birthday was spent with beautiful scenery and fresh glacier ice water!
 |
| Wendy collecting fresh glacier water to drink! |
 |
| They put flags out to keep tourists busy taking photos, as well as to prevent them from going where they should not. |
The final leg of the Ice Fields package was a trip on another bus to the SkyWalk - a glass floored extension 30 metres out over a canyon. Not bad views, but a little tame in comparison to the glacier. Wendy was not pleased that the glass floor moved when people were walking by...
 |
| Wendy is definitely holding on (it was windy as well), and she wasn't happy about looking down. |
On the way back from the Ice Fields, we had told Fanfan that we likely would see no animals. This time, we were wrong! We saw two black bears. Below is one of them heading into the bush after crossing the road.
Having done our sightseeing, we headed back to the resort after picking up a take-out Chinese dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening. The next morning saw us head out to Canmore, to visit with Wendy's Aunt and Uncle, plus her cousin and her husband. They were staying in Canmore while on their own summer adventure. I noted that we also saw them 1 year ago when they were visiting PEI, and a year before that on our way back from Hawaii.
Back to the airport we went (after one quick detour to pick up a lost item at the first hotel of our trip), and away we flew to Hamilton. The late flight arrived just after midnight, ending a quick but worthwhile visit to the mountains.
Next adventure? We head to Sauble Beach for a week of relaxation prior to usual rush at the end of August.
