Blogs from Banff, Alberta, Canada, North America

Friday 7th June 2019 On Wednesday evening, our last in Canmore, we took our washing to the local laundromat and then we treated ourselves to a really nice Italian meal. One great thing across North America is the proliferation of laundromats; something we don’t have in most of Europe. It makes getting the washing done so easy for the traveller. Whilst waiting for the laundry we took a stroll along the Bow River footpath and a large female elk was in the river paddling along. We were so delighted, she made our total of Canadian mammal-spotting to eleven species: bison, black bear, moose, elk, deer, rabbit, squirrel, ground squirrel, chipmunk, prairie dog, beaver and fox. We managed to creep fairly close to the elk to take some photos (not too close, cow elk can be vicious ... read more

Day 28 2/06/2019 Banff – 2 Jack Lake We started the morning with freshly made cappuccinos from our resident barista Ron and hot croissants. We loaded up Scott’s truck and we headed off for Banff. We drove via Calgary and then stopped in Canmore to buy some supplies. We dropped into the Bagel Store for freshly made Bagels of choice with toppings/fillings of choice. We travelled on to the campsite and it was perfect. We had a view of the lake through the trees and the shore was only 20 metres from where we were going to pitch the tent. We unloaded the truck and Scott and Ron went to collect the fire wood. On their way back they noticed an Elk just down the track from the campsite. It was young male as its antlers ... read more

Groundhog day - up early, bags out, buffet breakfast, onto the bus, mountains, forest, waterfalls, lakes, sun, rain, clouds. Started the day back on the Icefields Parkway on our way from Jasper to Banff, and because we are on a bus tour, and that means seat rotations, every morning is "find where we are sitting today". Because we were on the "good" side of the road when we travelled to Jasper, we had to be on the other side today. First stop after we left Jasper this morning was Athabasca Falls. A little walk to the falls, viewing area fairly crowded, but very nice waterfall. We see lots of waterfalls, on sides of mountains, and near the road as we are driving, guess we stop at the special ones! Then a coffee stop at Sunwapta Lodge ... read more

After a full Western breakfast, Ann and I drifted along Banff Avenue to the Bow River. The warm sunshine encouraged us to take the riverside path, just to see what people were doing. When the pedestrian bridge loomed over us, we crossed it. The shady path enticed us further along, as we joined other tourists on the gentle trek. Where the river narrowed, the sound of rapids drew us up stairs and down stairs, up the path and down the path. Our reward was the crashing water of Bow Falls, and the placid beach where boaters launched onto the river.... read more

Hello my friends, I am happy to announce my arrival in Canada. This morning I landed at the Calgary International Airport. Upon my arrival I was taken to my friend's house, who willingly lodged me for a week. On the road I could see magnificent landscapes, mountains, forests, wild animals such as bear and caribou. Canada has a real ecosystem that the people want to protect. Indeed, I could see animal bridges to avoid accidents with animals and I find this design very important to protect animals. When I arrived at my friend John's, I was happy to see him again, we talked a lot and told him that he was fighting ecological damage, for his garden, he uses no chemical fertilizers but only nature fertilizers. He also told me that he hunted a maximum of ... read more