A (Sort Of) Overland Honeymoon - Part 9
Remember how I mentioned the "Tactical Error"? Well, once we got into Banff, it was even worse. The traffic was nuts. There was no, and I mean
zero, parking. We spent about 30 minutes trying to find somewhere to park and get out, but it was without luck. We ended up going straight through town and leaving as quickly as we could. The crowds that had descended on Banff were huge. Guess that teaches me to not go to Alberta's biggest tourist destination on Canada Day.
A little dismayed, we opted instead to go hang out in Canmore, just a few miles down the road from Banff and the town in which we would be staying for the next couple of days. We found our hotel, the Holiday Inn Canmore, and checked in without issue. It's a really nice hotel that I would recommend to anyone. Well-kept, modern, good staff, and quiet. Once we got the truck unloaded, our next move was to check out Canmore. We strapped on our Chacos, put on light clothes, and headed out into the warm afternoon to walk the streets.
Canmore is a very cool city. It's eclectic, beautiful, and has a totally different vibe from Banff. It feels a little bit more like the wild west than Banff does. A little bit dirtier, less organized, noisier, but somehow just as exciting. We spent a couple of hours checking out local shops, including a tea shop, a book store, and a store that sold everything from camera lenses to fake Seiko watches to weed paraphernalia. Interesting place! We marveled at the number of shops, outdoor enthusiasts enjoying the landscape, and tasty looking eateries. Before too long, we were starting to get hungry and decided to find somewhere to eat. Somehow, it had escaped our minds that it was still a huge national holiday! We tried several restaurants. Every single one downtown was packed. We consulted one of our town guides and selected one a little farther outside of town. When we arrived, we could barely find a spot to park. We walked in, asked for a table, and were told the current wait was over 90 minutes. The hostess said we could try at the bar, and spotting two seats, we proceeded to sit down. A woman to Beret's left looked at us in disgust and told us her husband was sitting there. Irritated, my normally level-headed and patient wife grabbed her things and stormed out of the restaurant. It was only after we had gotten back to the truck that she had pointed out there was no drink or menu in the "occupied" seat, while the woman who had shooed us had a glass of beer and a menu in front of her.
Defeated, we drove back to the hotel and decided the only thing to do was sit down for dinner at the hotel restaurant. This turned out to be a great decision.
We arrived at the restaurant and were amused to find a minimal staff serving one other table. We were seated at a table and were able to have a good conversation with our waiter, a native of Calgary who was very friendly and very interested in our travels. Hell of a guy. We had a plate of
amazing poutine, a delicious BBQ chicken pizza, and several pints of delicious locally-brewed beer before calling it a night and going back to our room with exciting plans for the following day.
We awoke early and grabbed our backpacks for yet another hike in Canada's mountains. We loaded our stuff in the truck and headed north along Highway 1 to Lake Louise. At Lake Louise, we turned off and followed the road to Moraine Lake, mine and Beret's favorite place on Earth. Moraine Lake is a beautiful glacier-fed lake surrounded by massive mountains and vast wilderness. It's a place of unparalleled beauty. Unfortunately, it's also a hug draw for tourists. We arrived fairly early, around 9:00 AM, but it was already getting a bit crowded. We wasted no time in parking and getting our stuff before dodging the crowds and taking off on a small trail leading east to a much more secluded view.
Thanks to the early hour, we were totally alone as we made the short hike to Consolation Lakes. The trail mostly winds through thick forest, except near the beginning of the trail where it's rocky and exposed. It's a little uphill, but mostly flat and meandering. It's a super easy hike that is totally worth doing, because the view is absolutely outstanding!
The last little bit to get to the lake shore is composed of rock-hopping. Most of the boulders are about the size of Volkswagens, and they take a bit of maneuvering to get over. As you can see in this picture, we're standing on one of the boulders.
We lingered for a while, drinking in the great view and the solitude so rarely found in the more popular parts of the Canadian Rockies. It was a great respite that we as Montanans were familiar with. Amazing scenery and total solitude, save for a few marmots.
After we had enjoyed the landscape for a while, we made our way back to Moraine Lake, where the crowds had increased exponentially. We decided to do something we had hoped to do for a while, and got in line to rent a canoe and explore the lake by water. The wait was long, the people in line were obnoxious, and it was kind of expensive ($75CAD), but it was completely worth it.
The experience was once-in-a-lifetime. Dipping my hands in the freezing cold, aquamarine colored glacial water is something I won't soon forget.
Being able to spend some time here on the lake, without being crowded by tourists and overcome by the din of other people, we found a small bit of seclusion in this epic landscape that we really loved. Plus, we spent a good amount of the time talking about how we really needed to buy a canoe and use it back in Montana.
After our hour had expired, we took the canoe back to the dock where we unloaded and walked over to the Moraine Lake Lodge to check out the gift shop. We bought a few things and decided to eat here for lunch. We had some sandwiches from their little cafe and savored having lunch outside in such an awesome place. When we were done, it was time to spend some time in Banff, our favorite city in Canada.
By pure dumb luck, we got back into Banff, which was much less crowded this time, during yet another farmer's market. Our first time in Banff we had been able to participate in one as well, and we enjoyed doing the same here. We shopped the local produce, eventually buying some baguettes and tasty Okanagan Cherries.
There was also this booth, run by people who made T-shirts with vintage advertisements for the Rockies on them. I, of course, had to pick one up.
The guy running the booth was a very affable gentleman. I had a good conversation with him about travel and overlanding. It turns out he was a weekend warrior offroader, so we got along very well. After a while, we had to go check out the other local flavors.
There were even some local musicians performing with some interesting traditional instruments. It was very cool to watch.
Having enjoyed interacting with the locals and tasting everything we could, we headed out onto the streets of Banff to do a little trinket shopping and sightseeing. Banff is one of my favorite walkable towns. So much to see and so much to do. I always enjoy it, even if it's just walking the streets. It's a blast. We stopped in at the photography shop, a little spice emporium, and a place to get gourmet olive oils and vinegars.
After having some time on the town, we decided to have dinner at a place we had always wanted to try: The Eddie. The Eddie is a cozy little place that serves up some of the tastiest burgers, poutine, and shakes I've had the good fortune to be able to taste. We gorged on burgers and poutine, washing it all down with some local beer and finishing with chocolate shakes for dessert. It was delicious. The Eddie is a place you should not miss if you're headed to Banff. It's a bit cramped, a bit noisy, and sometimes there's a bit of a wait, but the food is to die for and the atmosphere is very friendly. We talked at length with the bar tenders and our fellow patrons, telling stories of travel, food, and life. It was a great experience.
Satisfied with the day, we made our way back to the hotel and collapsed into bed.
To be continued....
