Best Western Pocaterra Inn Canmore

... to rain hard.  The weather changed like crazy in just one day.  Tika and I reached the highway and realized we had much, much farther to go.  We decided to try to hitchhike.  The first couple of cars passed us, but we were finally picked up.  There was a woman driving and a man wearing a "National Geographic Adventure" hat, which is always a good sign.  <br><br>Our conversation was something like this:<br><br>We say our thanks for picking us up, it sucks to ...

... the steam spewing from the cave entrance at our feet, caught in the chill of the autumn breeze it was blown around, a nasty smell of bad eggs! We walked around the board walk to the sound of creaking trees, our eyes wandering to every russle or crack, bears still in our heads!!, We read the various information boards. Naturallty it was of great interst to me as a geographer. The springs begin as snow on the top of Sulphur mountain and then head ...

... busy, with cars overflowing the lots so be pull to the side of the road and move the no parking sign behind our car. Its a half mile walk to the parking lot and cars still keep coming. The views along the road to the lake are spectacular and i frustrate les with my frequent stops to take pictures. Moraine lake is smaller than expected, but the water is also a beautiful azure colour. Les tells me the water is much lower than ...

... be more prepared, I asked them if I was going the right way. A good chat later equipped with the knowledge I needed, I proceeded on at my own pace. It turned out to be a very valuable decision to have that conversation, because on the way back, just as I was discovering my blisters, they came upon me and said hello again. They gave me a couple of bandages for my feet, which was great, 'cause I had at least an hour of hiking yet to get back to ...

... nearly 360 degree views of Banff, the Bow River and the surrounding mountains. It was so nice that Nath and I decided to continue the hike down the other side and along the river. In the end it was about a 14km hike all up so we were tired by the end of it, but we had a fantastic day. My parents picked us up at Cave and Basin and we had a very late picnic before visiting Vermillion Lakes nearby. That evening we went for a walk around the town. There was a big ...

... and red faces in future photos!) It is a 20 minute gondola ride up the slope to Sunshine Village, where we were assured we would be able to hire all our ski gear, including clothes. Unfortunately, noone mentioned that gloves and goggles were not available to hire - fairly essential elements! Luckily the friendly chaps at the hire place suggested we borrow these from the lost property down at the base of the mountain, so I borrowed his goggles and ...

... that he was away, it was arranged for his office to be painted PINK! I was on in the morning, so helped with the clearing of his office but not involved in the actually painting. Too funny for words and amazing that those things can happen in the workplace. I am glad to be working in such a good-humoured workplace. Attached pics of that one too - I was the one with a camera there to capture the before and after pics. I am a little sad... found out this week that ...

Now everything in the NP from Jasper to Banff is really expensive, whether you want a cup of coffee, an excursion or accommodation, so needless to say we had to be careful where we decided to stay....this meant that KOA campsites &amp; hostels were the order of the day.....not a bad thing, you start to view quality from a different perspective eg., basic hostel vs deluxe !! now anyone who has stayed at a hostel will know ...

... noon. At one point, Julie and I w**e hitchhiking, and a hat-wearing guy blurted at me out of a backseat window, "Get a job ... and a haircut!" A second lat**, I recognized the shout** as Adam. He got driven away. We got to the town of Canomre, home to the most highly anticipated bar of the trip: "The 'Ho." Johnny and I w**e told about this hot spot by dread-locked Mike, the twenty-year-old who drove us two for sixteen hours through north**n Ontario. We w**e told ...

... they were arranged more like a motel - there were two floors in some places. I worked about 6 hours a day, with a partner - making beds, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning bathrooms and kitchens. It wasn't bad work and we could usually work at a decent pace but when it was busy it was rush, rush, rush. I was housed in an apartment with a few other girls, located over a garage. Other staff lived in an A frame next door. Since my ...