Day 4 - Banff & Canmore

I'm starting this post from a little bar in Banff, Alberta named Brunos where I am the only person in the place that doesn't work here. This will be my last stop for the day before I retire to my hotel next door, the Mount Royal Hotel. So, how did I arrive at Brunos? Well, the Mount Royal charges $11 a day for Internet access and Brunos is free -- well, I did purchase a glass of red wine, but that's a nominal fee compared to being ripped off by my hotel.

So, since I'm starting at the end of my day, I'm going to keep this going and write through my day in reverse.

Prior to coming into Brunos, I hit up the dozens of shops that line the main drag of Banff on Banff Avenue. Alot of touristy souvenir items, but I still haven't found my Mom a maganet for her collection. I was strong and didn't make any purchases even though I found a couple of cute items, but nothing I couldn't live without. Even though the Roots store did tempt me - but dropping that kind of cash on clothes didn't seem all that fiscally responsible.

A 2nd patron (but I think he might be an off duty employee) has entered Brunos and is also enjoying the live music by the rest of the employees. This must be a fun place to work if you are a talented musician, as they all seem to be rather skilled.

Before shopping, we had dinner at the St. James Irish Pub. I had a whole pound of BBQ chicken wings - in fact my fingers still smell like BBQ sauce. Somehow, most of our group managed to stay together for dinner yet again - which is kind of surpising given our size. Aunt Dottie almost opted to shop rather than eat, but we convinced her to have a bite.

We ducked in a few shops on our pursuit to find something to eat, but I restrained making any purchases. Shortly before dinner we arrived at our hotel, the forementioned Mount Royal Hotel and checked out our rooms. Very nice, a little small, but it's a cute and very conveniently placed along the main stretch of Banff. Banff is one of those amazing mountain towns that is big enough for all the amentities - like a mall and great eateries. This town comes alive in the summer, but our tour guide lived here for quite a few number of years (his daughters graduated from Banff High School). The sites our beautiful and I'm looking forward to renting a bike tomorrow and hitting the trails, but that's for a post tomorrow. Banff is also the 3rd National Park in the world - first was Yellowstone, second in Austrailia.

Prior to checking into our hotel, we had the highlight of the day - a Gondola ride to the top of Mt. Sulpher. I rode with Uncle Lenox, Aunt Dottie and Aunt Edwina. Poor Christopher was not so much a fan of the heights and threathened his fellow passengers anytime they made any kind of movements. It was a bit scary going up - I must say. I kept looking down and thinking, well we aren't that far from the mountain as compared to the bottom. Getting to the top was worth it - amazing view of the Rockie Mountains. I also was able to purchase and send some postcards from the top that receive a special stamp. I hope they make it to Cincinnati and Columbus!

Before arriving in Banff, we stopped for lunch and shopping in Canmore. It's like a little Banff, just as cute and delicious food. We all ate outside at the Wood and enjoyed the weather. We got to see a lot of dogs, including a huskey and for some reason babies were everywhere. I picked up some bath salts and sample pack of soaps at the Rockie Mountain Soap shop.

Before arriving in Canmore we had a long journey with a stop at the Bar U Ranch on the way. I wish I could remember more, but I just had a piece of blueberry pie there rather than looking through the historic ranch. Pie sounded soo good, I couldn't help it. Plus I feel asleep on the bus ride up there and missed the educational DVD explaining where we were going. I did learn about the branding and how to read a brand (left to right, top to bottom, inside out). I took a few pictures and felt it was appropriate stop for our drive through Cowboy Country.

The morning started out with a nap - and it was wonderful. I slept pretty much the entire way from Waterton National Park to the Bar U Ranch - a good 2 hours. Before we departed Waterton, we did stop at the Prince of Wales hotel for some photos. Really beautiful morning and the sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Perfect photo opportunity to catch Waterton National Park in it's glory.

Waterton National Park was beautiful, but there wasn't much going on in the town as compared to Banff, so I can't say I was sad to leave, but I think I might be when we head to Jasper in two days.

Brunos is starting to get hoppin. I'm the only nerd on a computer, but I refuse to be ripped off by my hotel and I'm enjoying chatting with Paul on gmail chat. It's open mic night, so this could be interesting!