The 1988 Winter Olympics - Only 19 Years Late and in The Summer

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We left Calgary for the drive to Banff and the Rockies. On the way out, we stopped off at the Canada Olympic Park, which is where the Winter Olympics took place in 1988. There was lots to do there and it makes a nice stop-off on the way to Banff. We got to go to the top of the 90m ski jump, which can’t be used any longer as new ski jumping techniques mean that it’s no longer long enough.

The drive was not far, but was quite slow going, mainly because the roads were littered with sodding camper vans and the moment you managed to get past one of them, trundling merrily along, there would be another even slower one round the very next corner. RV4RENT (which has been firmly engrained on our minds as we spent a lot of time stuck behind their ads) has got a lot to answer for.

Calgary is in the Canadian Prairies, so the drive was very flat until we got to the Rockies. Once we’d paid the toll required to enter the Banff National Park, the scenery changed dramatically.

Driving into the Rockies shouldn’t be hurried as the scenery is stunning, which did go some way to making up for being continuously stuck behind the camper vans. After a couple of days however, we did start to get a bit dismissive about the scenery. After coming round a bend and seeing yet another spectacular, snow-topped mountain reflected in yet another beautiful, emerald-coloured lake and surrounded by tall, green forests.

We got to Banff and then spent what was left of the day having a look round the town and some shops. Banff, is a nice picturesque little town despite being a major tourist centre. The fudge shop was heaven, particularly given our dislike of American chocolate.

Banff was our centre for touring some of the Rockies before we moved on to the Icefield Parkway (see Driving on The Ice) and Lake Louise (see Lakes, Lakes and More Lakes).

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Photos

Ski Jump
The highest ski jump at the Canada Olympic Park

Top of The Ski Jump
View from the top of the ski jump