Week 14: Oh Canada

Week 14 | August 3 - 9

Banff - Continued!

This week wraps up a visit to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. And my multi-week travels in Canada overall.

Following Banff, I spent a few days in Calgary before making my way back to the states!

Sunday, August 3. Day 91

Fancy meeting you here!

Banff, Alberta, Canada

I'm traveling with my friend Erin who is visiting from the Philly area. Last week we drove the Icefields Parkway on Friday and hiked up from Lake Louise to Lake Agnes on Saturday.

Those 2 days were a lot, so we took it mostly easy today - The plan was to drive the other end of the Icefields Parkway to Banff.

But first…! I met up for lunch with an old friend who happens to be in the area! (See: Unexpected)

Then we drove Canada Rt 1A from Lake Louise Village to the town of Banff. A very pretty drive, but pales in comparison to Rt 93 / Icefields Parkway we drove on Friday. 

Along the way we stopped at Johnston Canyon for a short hike to a small waterfall. I was glad to get out and move, but honestly could have skipped this. The trail was narrow and tremendously crowded, and the tourists were extra oblivious.

The drive wasn’t very long and we got to the town of Banff in the late afternoon. I’d gotten a tip for where to park and was able to leave the van in a safe parking lot while we explored the town. 

We wandered around Banff for most of the evening, got a bite and popped into just about every t-shirt shop in town, twice.

Good: I got a Banff t-shirt that I really like. I skipped getting a national park t-shirt at Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier because I’m pretty picky and didn’t see anything that called out to me (or, that fit well.)

Bad: So much driving! Gas is roughly $5.10/gal and I'm starting to be conscious of every kilometer!

Unexpected: Met up with my buddy Mike again! (I'd also visited him in Colorado back in Week 7! Where we went white water kayaking). He’s doing a bike-packing tour, riding the Great Divide. I saw a fb post last night that he was in the Banff area! In fact, yesterday we were within a half mile of each other and didn’t know it! Fortunately we were able to coordinate meeting for lunch. Erin was also excited to see him, they met 7 or 8 years ago when Mike was riding the circumference of the US and stayed with me for a few days on his way through PA. 

Monday, August 4. Day 92

You Only Hike Once

Yoho National Park

Our last full day in the Banff area and we didn’t have any specific plans for the day. Being the last day in the airbnb, I took time in the morning catching up on journaling and laundry. Late in the morning we decided a short hike was in order and flipped through AllTrails to find a good one nearby. Each day that we drove out to Lake Louise and beyond, we were passing through Yoho National Park. Today we finally stopped in the park for a waterfall hike.

The trailhead was down a long dirt road that made me nervous to drive in the van, but I was determined! The hike itself was a nice walk through the woods, until we came to a huge waterfall! We did a little scrambling down to the bottom of the falls and hung out there for a bit. It rained on and off through the hike, but not enough to bother us and was occasionally kinda nice.

In the evening we picked up fixins for dinner and then cooked. It was good to stay in, get our shit together, and just have a chill evening. 

Good: Hiked to another waterfall!

Bad: All last night I had a headache that resisted every effort to kill it with Advil. It lingered low-key through the day.

Unexpected: Erin and I cooked dinner together. We used to do this often. Tonight we were nicely in sync and the meal came out great. Stir fried rice with lots of vegetables.

Tuesday August 5. Day 93

On the fringes 

Golden, BC -> Calgary, Alberta

And thus brings to a close my whirlwind string of visitors over two+ months! 

Early-ish in the morning Erin and I said goodbye to the nice airbnb and headed to Calgary. It occurred to me that this was the longest stretch I stayed somewhere with a bed and a shower since starting the trip. It was a little sad to give up! But also nice to get going again. 

It was another beautiful drive on the 3 hour trek to Calgary. We didn’t have much to talk about on the way, but shared a heartfelt farewell at the airport. Her going back to Philly, and me… wherever the road takes me! 

I didn't have a specific plan for where I wanted to go after dropping her off, so I found a shopping center near the airport to sit and figure out my day. After so much driving for the last week I wanted to stay put for a few days and regroup. I have plans in Seattle, but not until later in the month.

Googling “things to do in Calgary” popped up a link for the Calgary Fringe Festival. I enjoy Fringe and almost never get around to going in Philly! It’s just one of those things that I either forget about, or procrastinate until it’s too late. This seemed like an opportunity I wanted to take advantage of.

There were a handful of shows starting in the early evening. I bought tickets at the door without really even knowing what the shows were. Just getting a seat and seeing what the universe put in front of me!

The first performance was a singer doing songs by black female musicians.

The second show was a kind of fringe story hour where two women shared life stories in an entertaining and dramatic way. Very different, but very enjoyable.

Following the shows I stuck around for trivia. The group I joined was a fun and good mix of people. In trivia I even answered a sports question!! “Deflate-gate” was the answer to a question abut the Patriots. I answered a few other questions as well; “Towel” was the answer to a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy question, I answered a science question (I can’t remember) and a Nic Cage movie question! “Nicholas Cage had a run of successful action movies in the 90’s, what was his highest grossing movie of that decade?” With a list of 4 or 5 movies to pick from. I correctly answered ‘The Rock’.

Our team ended up winning, and they gave out medals to everyone!

Daily Listen: The fringe fest singer. She did a musical tour of black female singers, intermixed with some history and trivia of the music and the artists. The singer herself was phenomenal, and I felt fortunate to stumble upon this performance. 

dynamitelunchbox on Instagram

Good: After spending a whole week with Erin, a lot of it in the van, I didn’t get her sick with all my coughing. Either we were very lucky, or I’m not contagious and just getting over the stubbornly lingering cough. 

Bad: Not having an agenda or a destination is weird and unsettling. But I shouldn’t always need that so I’m trying to become comfortable with unstructured time. 

Unexpected: Two amazing shows at the Calgary fringe fest. Found it randomly on a Google search of things to do in the city. Saw that a show was starting in an hour - drove just 16 minutes to the theater drive from where I was. And it was a cute section of town with a lot of local shops and restaurants.

Wednesday August 6. Day 94

Jazz Hands! 

Calgary

It’s weird going from a nice airbnb and exploring majestic Canadian parks, to waking up in a Bass Pro Shops parking lot. Even more so, being out in nature for almost 2 months and then finding myself in the middle of downtown. I feels a little overwhelming. 

The van had become a bit disheveled with all the adventures and visitors. I took some time during the day to clean and organize things. Unpacked a few cabinets and put things back more neatly organized. 

In the evening I caught up with someone I met last night in Calgary and we went to another Fringe Festival show. A jazz tap dance performance. It was flat-out amazing. The 3 piece jazz band was outstanding and the dancing was phenomenal. A total joy all around. After the show we walked along the river and then got a huge plate of nachos at a fun supernatural themed bar. 

Good: Lovely and enjoyable company and conversation in the evening. 

Bad: Fatigue caught up with me at the end of the evening and I skipped the later Fringe performance to retreat to my bass pro shop parking lot. 

Unexpected: Just how much fun the tap dance performance was. 

Thursday August 7. Day 95

Let’s do the time warp again 

Calgary 

I could’ve left Calgary today, but I stuck around for a late night Fringe Festival showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show! 

It rained most of the day and that kept me from exploring the city. I used the time for an oil change and to chip away at editing the mountain of photos from Banff! 

Also went to see the new Fantastic 4 movie, which was… fantastic! I was tempering my expectations for the movie because I really wanted it to be good, but didn’t want to get my hopes up. It was very good. I might go see it in the theater again if I can.

Daily Listen: ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor. Playing at the taco place while I was having lunch. I usually only hear that at the end of a 5k run in the Philly area. The whole Philly/Rocky connection. 

Good: The Rocky (different Rocky) Horror Picture Show. Haven’t seen it since college, and it was a lot of fun to watch with an audience that shouted the lines at the screen. But wow, what a gonzo movie! How did this get made?! 

Bad: “It’s a good thing you came in, your oil is really dirty.” One engine flush and oil change later, the van is good to go. 

Unexpected: The big box store ‘Canadian Tire’ wasn’t able to do an oil change because my van couldn’t fit on their lifts. They recommended me to Jiffy Lube down the street. Living up to their name, JL was able to do the service right away. Originally I was going to get this all done in a couple weeks in Seattle, but I’m glad it occurred to me to do it here. Added bonus that the exchange rate is very favorable.

Turns out I didn't take any pictures this day! 

Friday August 8. Day 96

At least my bed’s not wet

Calgary, Alberta -> Revelstoke, BC

It rained heavily all night. The patter on the van alternating between soothing and annoying. 

Woke up late. Almost noon. Made coffee and had breakfast in the van. I have no agenda for the day and am taking my time getting going. 

Most of the day was driving. Retracing my route back through Banff and Golden felt weird, like I was backtracking. But ultimately continuing farther west, with the goal of getting to Washington. 

I stopped for the night in the town of Revelstoke. A ski town that I recognized the name, and decided to check it out. It’s a cute and somewhat touristy town. There was live music in the town square, but better still was that it seemed perfectly ok to park in town overnight! There weren’t the usual “no overnight parking” signs plastered everywhere. It felt actually inviting!

Later in the evening I heard music from a nearby bar and went over to hang out and listen for a bit. Two instances of good, live music in one night! That’s a win. 

Good: A wonderful 5 piece folk string band at the Revelstoke town square in the evening. 

Bad: Last night I woke up at 4am to the sound of drip drip drip. There was a leak through the rooftop AC. There was nothing I could do other than put a trash can under it. Fortunately it was in a spot I could do that. It just as easily could have been dripping on the bed, or somewhere I couldn’t get to. Also very fortunate I woke up! Could have slept through it and woke up in the morning to a puddle on the floor. 

Unexpected: Stopping in Revelstoke, BC for the night. I had planned to get farther down the road today, but stopped in this cute town. Then I considered getting back on the road for a few more hours, but I have a reliable and safe spot to park for the night, enjoyable live music, and I’m tired. Plus, if I feel up for it tomorrow maybe I’ll stick around for a day and do a hike in Revelstoke National Park. 

Saturday August 9. Day 97

Just Peachy 

Revelstoke -> US Border

I did not stick around and go for a hike. But before I turned in last night I noticed signs along the street for a Saturday farmer’s market and knew I could wake up and browse the market.

I made coffee in the van and then walked around the market, picking up a pastry for breakfast and browsing what this cute town had to offer. Which was 5 blocks of nice looking foods and goods. I waited in a long line for fresh peaches, also picking up strawberries and tiny golden plumbs as well. The peaches were worth the wait, and some were a day or two from ripe so I got to enjoy them through the week. Also got a nice looking raspberry cake, which similarly lasted me most of the week.

The rest of the day was just driving to the border. I knew the border crossing would be closed by the time I got there so I wasn’t in a hurry and was already planning to stay one more night in Canada. I did stop briefly in a ghost town kind of lodge. Mainly I stopped to chat with a friend who'll be visiting in a couple weeks, but it turned out to be a neat place to walk around for a bit.

I got to the border town late in the evening. Once again the Walmart I scoped out had ‘no overnight parking’ signs, but the Canadian Tire store had no such pesky restrictions, and a few other RVs already parked there. I grabbed some dinner and tucked in for the night. 

Good: The farmer’s market was everything I thought it would be for a cute, affluent ski town. I spent probably 2-3 hours browsing, snacking, and chatting.

Bad: The shopping center I was parked at for the night, a pickup truck did donuts in the parking lot at 1 in the morning.

Unexpected: Those peaches. Ambrosia. 

And that brings an inauspicious close to my time in Canada!

Tomorrow (and next blog) I head back into the states.

Some observations about Canada

There was enough casual mention of American politics that I noticed it was a thing they’re unhappily aware of. They’re generally not thrilled with what’s going on and the overall shitshow here. But nobody ever gave me a hard time or a dirty look when I mentioned being from the states.

I noticed a good amount of national pride, without being over the top about it. Stores advertised and advocated for ‘made in Canada’ goods. There were Canadian flags on a few cars and at some stores, but not plastered all over everything. There also seemed to be some national pride and respect for the railroads. Where I feel that in the States we just think of rail as some thing that exists in the background. 

Tim Hortons is the big fast food chain. I thought it was just a coffee place, like Starbucks, but Erin set me straight that they have donuts and food too. We ate there one of the first days she visited. It’s somewhere between a dunkin donuts and a Panera Bread. The food was ok, but their donut holes (called ‘Tim Bits’, but which I called Tim Holes) were quite yummy. I got a box of them a couple times and noshed on them over a few days. 

A&W Rootbeer is another one of the bigger fast food chains up there. I think it’s Canadian owned. I finally ate at one on my way out. It was average. A decent burger and good fries, but not anything special. I got a rootbeer soda and was perplexed to learn that they do not have ice for their drinks. None at all.

I’d never in my life heard of Canadian Tire, but apparently it’s a huge chain there. It’s like if Pep Boys crossed with Sears. It’s primarily an automotive store, but also with household goods. The selection and prices were decent and the people I spoke with about my van were friendly and helpful even though they couldn’t do the work.

I was surprised to see highway billboards for injury lawyers! I thought that was a distinctly American thing. Granted there were fewer of them, but they were still in abundance in the bigger cities.

Everyone was generally pretty polite and helpful, but not so much more that it stood out.

In the time I was there, most goods were a little bit more expensive than in the States, but after the favorable exchange rate it came out a little cheaper. Except gas, that was more expensive across the board.

Oh, and I did fast math in my head converting Kilometers Per Hour into MPH for 3 days before I realized that KMH is printed on my speedometer under the MPH numbers. *facepalm* 

I enjoyed my 3 weeks visiting our neighbor to the north. They have some stunning parks and views, and the whole experience was overall pleasant. I would like to visit some of the east side of the country, and I’ve heard the Canada side of Niagara Falls is beautiful. I’ll add that to the list. 

Next Week: Back in the US, back in the US, Back in the US of A!