The Canadian Rockies Adventure
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Stunning, varied, captivating, the Canadian Rockies are all these things. We were graced with lovely weather as well, as we made our way eastward from Vancouver to Calgary.
The journey began on a high note as our wonderful private guide, Lois, showed us around Vancouver. She employed a prefect blend of presenting facts and demonstrating her passion for her home while showing us Yaletown, Chinatown and Gastown. She also took us to Stanley Park and Granville Island. During these 5.5 hours, we got only a taste of what this wonderful city has to offer. Early the next morning, we boarded the Rocky Mountaineer train where we were greeted by our onboard hosts, Naomi and Chase, and chef Fallon. The hosts provided narration during our journey, pointing out peaks and valleys, birds and animals and explaining some of the history of the area. In between--and sometimes during!--their explanations, they served us tasty food and (lots of) drink. We enjoyed breakfasts, snacks, lunches, snacks, and cocktail hours over the course of the 2 days. After the first train day, we over-nighted in Kamloops and after the second, we disembarked in beautiful Banff. On our free day in Banff, most of us enjoyed a boat ride on nearby Lake Minnewanka. After lunching in the cute downtown, several of us browsed the unique shops while others took the shuttle to Cave and Basin Historical Site. All the while, we were surrounded by the beautiful mountains. The next day, on our way to Lake Louise, we toured Yoho National Park, stopping at lookouts to see several of the lakes. That afternoon, several of us walked around Lake Louise, enjoying the brilliant sunshine and beautiful views at every turn. Those who took the gondola ride were rewarded by spotting a grizzly below! The following day, we walked on a glacier at Columbia Icefield and continued on to SkyWalk with its glass platform through which we looked for wildlife 900' below. That night we treated ourselves to a delicious dinner in our hotel's lakeside dining room. En route to our final destination, we rode the steep 8-minute Banff Gondola up the mountain and later took panoramic helicopter flights. Grounded once more, we bid farewell to the mountains and entered the prairie just before arriving in Calgary. There we enjoyed a lovely final group dinner before preparing for our all-to-soon departure the next morning. |