Adventures in Banff

posted at 4:40 pm
on Mar. 5, 2006

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While Susie was speaking at a seminar at the Banff Center, I got to be a Banff tourist.  Normally, I would have joined in, but Susie’s group was the Canadian Women in Communication, and I’m neither (b) nor (c)—though I did still occasionally come sit at their table for dinner.

Instead, I wandered around Banff, alone and with my friend Stone.

We went wandering around downtown Banff, which has about six candy store in a 500 meter stretch.  I’m not complaining.  I bought fudge and candy rocks, and remembered wht time when I was young and my friends would buy the SUPER big jaw breaker that would take two weeks to finish, and you would walk around with it in a plastic bag in your pocket all licked and sticky, and at night you’d set it on a piece of paper beside your bed to dry.

In the morning the cat had knocked it onto the shag carpet so you’d rinse it under the tap before you headed for school.  Finally, you’d go out to the garage and whack it with a hammer and eat the shards and leave the hammer all sticky and sweet for your dad to find.

(I didn’t get a picture of the jawbreaker.)

We went east from downtown and found the train station, closed for the winter.  A little poking around and we were able to climb into a parked train snow plow—that is one mighty piece of iron!  It was windy cold, but excellent fun, to see a train go by. Stone’s camera took many pictures, too.

When Stone left town, he took me with him on a drive up the old Banff highway towards Lake Louise.  Yes, that’s the actual highway—not an unshoveled driveway.

On the drive, we saw an eagle’s nest on the steel bridge we crossed.

The next day, I took a hike by myself along the Elbow River Valley.  I borrowed Steve’s dad’s boots.  The snow crunched under my feet.  My breath froze in my thin scarf, and smelled of must and toothpaste.

It’s always amazing how hot you get hiking in the winter.  On the hike out, the wind was in my face, but on the way back, it was behind me, and I took my jacket and hat off once I really got going.

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Keywords: banff  •  candy  •  elbow river  •  hike  •  snow  •  snow plow  •  steve  •  stone  •  train  •  winter

Previous entry:
Quit the Army, Go to Bagdad, Pass Go, Collect $200

Next entry:
Travis, P.I.