SEPTEMBER 6: CALGARY

My last day full day in Canada was spent touring the City of Calgary. In the morning I needed to run some errands to prepare for the trip home. I walked around the downtown area and visited the Canadian Olympic Training Facility and Sports Hall of Fame, Calgary Tower, City Hall, McDougall Centre and Prince's Island Park. Calgary is a nice enough town.

This has been a great trip. While I missed my family, 2 weeks alone gave me plenty of time to clear my head. Parts of the trip would not have worked with the whole family but other areas I hope to visit again with them. In a fitting end to my visit, I stopped at Walmart and got dinner at a Wendy's and Tim Horton's stuck together.  (Inside joke.) My flight leaves very early in the morning so it is time to finish packing.

7th Avenue

 

Calgary Tower

 

Art District View of Tower

 

Olympic Park

 

City Hall

 

The Bow

 

McDougall Centre

 

Peace Bridge

Canadian Sports Hall of Fame

City of Calgary

SEPTEMBER 5: HINTON to CALGARY (CANADIAN ROCKIES)

I got an early start on my way back to Jasper and Banff National Parks via the Icefields Highway. The Canadian Rockies is a good place to visit. There is a lot to see in a relatively condensed space compared to the trip I have been. My stops in Jasper NP included Mount Edith Cavell, Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls and the Columbia Icefields.

Further south I arrived in the Town of Banff. Banff is a small tourist town that is decidedly more upscale than Jasper. It seems like a popular place for Europeans to overspend. The sites around Banff are more developed for tourists and in my opinion take away from the natural beauty found elsewhere. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, two of the more popular spots, was disappointing. I saw much more scenic lakes throughout the Northwest. These are popular because tourists can stay at hotels near the shorelines.

The sites visited in Banff included Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Lake Minnewanka and Banff Springs Hotel and Bow Falls

Today's wildlife included elk, mountain goats, a coyote and a large rack white-tailed deer.

The pictures I have taken do not adequately capture the true beauty of the area. I have taken over two thousand on this trip but can obviously only choose a few for the blog.

From the Rockies, I headed to Calgary where this whole adventure started. After checking in to my hotel, I got dinner and watched some of the NFL season opener.

Tomorrow I will need to run some errands in preparation for the return trip and then tour the City of Calgary.



Jasper National Park

Coyote

Mount Edith Cavell

Athabasca Falls with Rainbow

Athabasca River

Sunwapta Falls

Columbia Icefields

Columbia Icefields

Mountain Goats

Bow Glazier

Bow Glazier

Lake Louise

Moraine Lake

Bow Falls

Elk

Banff Springs Hotel

Town of Banff

Lake Minnewanka

SEPTEMBER 4: PRINCE GEORGE to HINTON

Distance: 475 km (295 miles)

Today I traveled from Prince George to Hinton, Alberta and toured Mount Robson Park and Jasper National Park along the Yellowhead Highway. I stopped in the Town of Jasper to get an early dinner at Famosa Pizzeria and take a walk around town. From there I continued east and took a side trip to see Maligne Lake and Canyon. On the way to Hinton, there was a herd of big horn sheep. In Hinton, I checked-in and got ready for tomorrow.

 

Yellowhead Highway West of Jasper NP:

 

 Mount Robson Park:

 

 Town of Jasper:

 

 Jasper National Park:

To me this looks like a face looking up at the sky.

From left to right do you see a forehead, eyebrow, eye, nose, mouth and chin?

Maligne Area

Big Horn Sheep