Tunnel Mountain Sunset

Today was extra extra cold... -35oC this morning and then -30oC tonight!  Don't think I've ever been in that temperature before.  On the walk to the supermarket, I soon regretted telling Nick I'd go to the shop and get things to make him pancakes for breakfast, for his first morning off work.  Later today I went up Tunnel Mountain again with Sabrina and Chris.  We all went up there a couple of weeks ago before the snow came, so was great to see how different it looked covered in snow.  It so so cold at the top that my eye lashes turned into icicles, as you can see from the photo below.  The sun was just setting as we got to the top.  Afterwards we went to Evelyns (1 of 4 in Banff) for their amazing hot chocolate, which comes with chocolate cream :-)

The town of Banff from the top of Tunnel Mountain.

The Snow has Arrived...

It started snowing on Monday evening and it hasn't stopped since... it looks so magical and like Christmas, especially when I saw a family of Elk (with a baby one) on the corner of our street.  Maybe its Elk and not reindeer that pull father christmas's sleigh.  The two pictures below are of Grizzly Street and our place... we live on the right hand side of the big house.
 

 The Bow River is nearly frozen over now too, which means we'll be able to go ice skating soon.  Its definitely got a lot colder this week, and next week its going to be crazy cold!  Up to -23oC on Monday and Tuesday!!!

Nick found a job and started on Monday as a ski tech, but I'll let him explain all about that next time he writes.  He seems to be really enjoying it, especially the amazing discounts that he gets on all the gear!  I'm still looking, as everywhere seems to be full time (30-44hrs a week) whereas I want less than 30hrs so I can ski.  Had an interview yesterday for Brewster by 3 girls.  It went ok except when they asked me how my multitasking skills were and I answered "Well I'm a woman so I'd say I'm pretty good" and only 1 of them laughed it may have taken a turn downhill, oops!  The worst part was that they gave me a chair with wheels that swizzled round, and on a very shiny wooden floor.  I tried so hard not to move but when you're nervous and they're sat at 3 different points around a big table its impossible not to move around.  Never mind, its 30-40hrs a week anyway; so i'll keep looking.  Started applying for restaurants now, but they don't start hiring for another week or so, so I guess I should make the most of the snow.  Going to go buy a sledge today :-)

Tomorrow Nick is doing his CSIA (ski instructor course) at Mount Norquay, so thought I'd head along too and test out the new skis.

Bow River

Yesterday was a nice day, with the weather not being too cold, so we decided to take a stroll down Bow River before it completely freezes over.  Its glacial water, so its that bright blue colour again, and it never rises above 10oC!


Further down the river we came to the Bow Falls (pictured below), which were running rapid.  Apparently, a number of famous movie stars have been filmed being swept over these falls in the 1950s, including Marilyn Monroe.  Of course, we didn't try and reenact these scenes!  Nick commented that he was slowly turning into Ronald by stopping to ask passersby if he could take their photo... with their camera not his I hasten to add!

From the falls you can see the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel poking through the trees, our next destination.  The Fairmont is huge, and Nick wanted to know how much afternoon tea would be there... a mere $38 each!

Later that evening, after a tasty dinner/feast of bangers and mash prepared by Nick, we went out with the french couple from our apartment.  We hustled them at pool, table football and shuffle board... 3-0 to GB!  Of course we weren't being competitive.  Shuffle board is quite similar to curling, but with a small table covered in sand rather than the ice rink.  The idea is to bounce the small flat metal ball off the side of the board, with the aim of getting it stop in one of the boxes at the end of the table to score points, without it falling off the end and scoring 0 points.  Finally we ended the night with a pint in the 'English' pub, which had too many Liverpool football scarves for my liking.

Banff

Hey guys, what's hip hop happening!?  I thought I'd take a turn at writing a 'blog' as the kids call it, so you have the distinguished pleasure of joining me for a ten day journey of thrills and spills.

First allow me to clarify: there have been remarkably few thrills or spills.  Since we arrived here two Sundays ago our days have revolved around job searching (nobody's hiring), and looking for a flat (nobody was offering).  With this in mind we scoured the local rags, Crag and Canyon, and Rocky Mountain Outlook, and spent many happy hours in the Job Resource Centre trying to find a place to lay our heads after too long on the ol' dusty trail.  Finally some reward when we came up with an awesome flat on Grizzly Street where I'm writing this now.  We have a really big room with huge windows that give an amazing view of the mountains (and make it a bit cold at night).  There's a massive living room/kitchen with fireplace and balcony with bbq though as it's getting down to -8 during the day I'm not sure how much use it'll be getting.  We share with an Aussie couple and two Frenchies who are all super dooper friendly.  So much so that their friendliness drives me use the phrase super dooper.

We've been out a couple of times for dinner, with Eddie's burger bar, and the local TexMex standing out as extra tasty.  Similarly a few nights out, mainly in the hostel, meeting Sunshine lifties but for the most part we've been chilling, saving some funds as the word on Banff Ave is that companies really start hiring in December.

Last night we went up to the natural hot springs (slightly marred by the admission at the front desk that they didn't have enough natural water so would be topping it up from the hot tap).  Nonetheless, they were awesome.  So toasty, and while we went at night to avoid a rush, if you went during the day there would be cracking views down the valley.  Also, on the way back down you get to wait for the bus outside the Rimrock hotel which is kind of like being in it with all the hob knobbing big wigs.

There's so much wildlife here!  It shouldn't come as a total surprise given my many hours devoted to the watching of Due South, but when you walk out your front door in the morning to be confronted by a small herd of deer who let you walk within 3 feet of them it comes as a bit of a shock.  There are also loads of elk (see the pic) so the Marchmont fox can just jolly well take a long ramble (I was going to cuss there but Laura's folks read this - hello).  The elk were on the road today when Chris, Sabrina, (Frenchies), Laura, and I walked up Tunnel Mountain the base of which is right outside our door.  At the top you get the most astounding views back across Banff town and out over the Bow River Valley, and of Mount Rundle (the famous Banff mountain).

We also went to the Remembrance service today.  There were bagpipes galore, and as we paraded down the main street all I could think of was how upset Jamie would be at having missed it.  The Reverend giving it gave a bizarre performance, I think I switched off somewhere between 'the great earthquake of my soul' and 'I was filled with a vengeful fury'.  This was then followed by a video of fallen servicemen.  Moving you say?  Yes.  Until you use Shania Twain as a backing track.

Ummm.  Nothing else springs to mind right now.  I hope you've enjoyed this.  If not, please feel free to comment.  I won't read it.

Day 2 of the Moose Bus

Day 2 Moose Bus

After a slow start, we left the Squamish motel at 9am (ish) and drove up to a river where we could see the last of the salmon making their way to where they lay their eggs and die... it stank!  Would have been pretty awesome if we'd gone earlier as this year they estimated that over 4 million had made the journey.  Next stop was at Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven into the tracks.  They had an old train their too which we obviously climbed aboard :-)

From here on the scenery was immense... driving through the Rocky Mountains and 3 national parks.  It also got a lot colder and we finally saw snow.  Lunch was had at Mount Revelstoke National Park, where the trees their were huge and some estimated to be over 500 years old.  Next stop was Golden for another toilet stop, and where we saw some Elk, which are apparently the most dangerous animal in Alberta at this time of year... tis the mating season!

Whilst driving along the highway disaster stuck.  Jimmy pulled over onto the hard shoulder and quickly jumped out of the bus.  Next he came back in and said we should all get out and have a look... immediate panic.  The back door had come loose and was wide open, luckily everyone decided they could still see their luggage and a few people offered to walk back down some of the highway to make sure.

The last stop before Banff was at the Natural Bridge at Kicking Horse River.  This was where the water had eroded away a huge rock making it into a bridge, and eventually it will erode further into stone pillars.  The water was an amazing blue/green colour due to the dust and because it was overcast.  Nick and I played an epic game of poo sticks from the bridge.  I won, not that I was being competitive or anything!

Finally we arrived at Banff and said goodbye to the Moose Bus.

Day 1 on the Moose Bus

This is the route we took on day 1 of the moose bus...

Moose Bus Day 1 Route

16 of us on the bus, driven by Jimmy the driver.

In Hope, where they filmed Rambo, we stopped at Bridal Falls and saw the waterfall there.

We drove through Merritt (had my first ice cream of the holiday here) and onto Kamloops where we stopped to get halloween outfits for the party later that evening.  Finally we reached Shuswap and stayed in a motel at Squamish.  Eight of us were packed into a tiny room with one toilet and shower... luckily no-one snored but Nick and I were woken up the next morning by someone farting very loudly, and apparently/surprisingly it wasn't neither of us!!

The halloween party at the bar next to the motel was great, proper hillbilly fight was seen between a horse and another (not sure what they were dressed up as), but the horse was getting a real beating.  There was a live band called the Young Ones, and they were ace.  We had a 'few' beverages, and danced until 1 am, forgetting that we were leaving at 9am the next day.  Its fair to say we had rather sore heads the next morning, but nothing that a sausage roll and a cup of tea couldn't remedy.

Nick and our bus driver Jimmy who dressed as Otto from the Simpsons...