The Stampede to Calgary

Trip Start Sep 03, 2008
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Trip End Oct 01, 2008


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Flag of Canada  , Alberta,
Sunday, September 14, 2008

Wow, what a day.  We arrived in Banff late yesterday in the rain and fog, and it looked like any other resort town.  This morning dawned foggy, so we went to breakfast as the fog began to burn off.  As we looked up, the tallest mountains we have ever seen emerged from the haze, and were all around us.  As I look at the pictures we took, it amazes me how the camera loses so much.  It doesn't come close to capturing the scale and the majesty of the Canadian Rockies.  After breakfast, we drove about 30 miles up the road to Lake Louise.  It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, and maybe the most beautiful place on earth.  I am including a picture, but it doesn't come close to doing justice to this spectacular scenery.  When we first got to the lake, there was a group of Oriental couples taking each other's pictures.  I offered to take the picture of all of them and they bowed profusely.  After the picture, the next man in the group handed me his camera, and so on 4 times.  They then offered to take our picture so I handed him my camera.  Don't fool yourself, not all of them know how to work a camera Sandy has always wanted to pet a bear
Sandy has always wanted to pet a bear
 .  Look at the picture he took of us!

We made a second pass through Banff, and had lunch and a little gift shopping. then drove on East to Calgary.  On the way into town we saw the ski jumps, bobsled runs, etc. from the Calgary winter Olympics.  The facilities are on the outskirts of Calgary and about 50 miles from the mountains.  What a shock.  We drove through downtown, and looked at the area where they host the Calgary Stampede in the summer.  It is the world's largest rodeo.  They are redoing the entrance to feature the "Stampede Casino".  It seems like everyone has to get into the Casino act.  In our short passage through Montana, we found that they have casinos in storefronts in mini-malls.  What's next, old photomats?

All-in-all, our decision to lengthen the last 2 days and give us this full day in the mountains was the right one.  Today was the most beautiful scenery we have seen so far.  Tomorrow begins the 700 mile trek (2 days) to Vancouver.  I am told that Vancouver is highly Oriental due to the influx of HongKongers just before England returned it to China.  If Banff is any indication, the second language on the signs will soon be Chinese instead of French.
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