Before reaching Banff, Greg & Helen had one more day in Mount Robson campground and they took full advantage of the beautiful weather (in the 70’s). First, they went on a 9-mile hike which included a stop at the Kinney Lake (the gorgeous feature photo) and then, if that was not enough, they hiked to Rearguard Falls to see the late season Salmon jumping over the falls to their spawning ground.
Dave and I made a side trip to another beautiful Provincial campground, this one was named Fish Lake but it is on Shunda Lake. Go figure. We had a gorgeous drive, taking us on the eastern side off the Rocky Mountains. We also had a sheep sighting – they were licking the minerals off of the pavement. And then a momma deer (doe) and her fawn ran across the road and ran away.
Remember how I fell in love with British Columbia’s Nanaimo Bars? Well, I was reading a novel which is set in British Columbia. First, the story mentioned Nanaimo Bars that were brought into a meeting as a treat. Then the story mentioned donairs. In the novel, the teens would go eat donairs as their late night out snack. So, I looked them up and discovered it is type of sandwich, made with spiced beef, tomatoes, onion, with a sweet white sauce, served on a warm pita. It originated in the 1970’s in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was created by a Greek immigrant, who changed the traditional gyros to better suit local tastes. It has spread as a popular food item throughout Canada, with Edmonton, Alberta having over 120 donair shops. I found a restaurant not too far away from our campground named “Rocky’s Donair, Ltd.,” so Dave and I headed there for lunch. I loved it! The meat had a great flavor and I loved the sweet sauce (which I found out is evaporated milk, white vinegar, and garlic powder). I will order another one if I found it on a menu before we leave Canada.
After leaving Mount Robson, Greg & Helen drove down the Icefields Parkway which connects Jasper and Banff National Parks. The scenery was stunning. From our campground a bit southeast, Dave and I drove on the southern section of the Icefields Parkway, making a short detour to head north to see the Columbia Icefields, which includes the Athabasca Glacier. The site is quite the tourist destination, with buses that drive on the glaciers and even a skywalk where you walk on a see-through platform (as you can imagine, I did not do that). After seeing so many remarkable glaciers in Alaska, this site was a bit too touristy; however, the Canadian Rockies are spectacular!
We have made it to Banff National Park, with a 5-night stay. There is so much to see, we will have a packed calendar. I looked up what are the “must see” things in Banff and it listed 19! I am not sure we can fit those all in. I will try to summarize our Banff trip into one blog (or maybe two). But I will leave you with this. Greg and Helen had arrived one day earlier than Dave and I and Greg had found an awesome bakery –The Wild Flour Bakery. And guess what they had? Nope! Not cinnamon rolls; but rather a Morning Bun. Flakey wrapped dough, covered in sugar, with cream cheese in the center with a hint of lemon. Divine! We started off our first full day with that tasty treat.
Thanks for following along and stay tuned for our Banff adventures.
Rockin’ Rocky Mountains Brenda, Beautiful Banff Dave, and I’m going to Doggy Day Care oh boy Murphy.