Visitors from England

On 21st April Sabrina and my friend Sara from work drove to Calgary and spent the day shopping before picking up my friend Caz and her boyfriend Charlie from the airport.  They came for 10 days, and we managed to do so much in that time!

On the Friday we went up the Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain.  Nick and Chris decided to hike up the mountain instead of taking the Gondola.  Was such a glorious day with the sun out, and hardly a cloud in the sky.  After lunch we drove to Lake Minnewanka.  The whole of the lake was still covered in snow, except a tiny area where it was a beautiful blue/green colour.  We saw some mountain sheep on the road.  Then we drove to Two Jacks Lake which was close by, and this was fairly frozen also.  I was working all day Saturday, so Caz and Charlie went dog sledging on Spray Lake, just outside Canmore.

 

  

On the Sunday I was working in the evening, my last shift at the Rimrock.  In the morning we took a nice walk along the Bow River to the falls.  On the walk back we saw some huge huge elk, just sat on the side of the path!  After lunch we drove to the Vermillion Lakes, which are just on the outskirts of Banff and then up Norquay so they could get a view of the whole of Banff and the surrounding mountains.  Again the sun was out, and it was lovely outside.  I definitely want to go back and cycle round the Vermillion Lakes.  We saw some Canadian Geese too!

  

Monday we went skiing at Sunshine, and it was Charlie's first time up a mountain.  Nick was working that day, so I had to try and remember the things he'd taught me from his instructor courses, and try to relay it to Charlie.  I'm not very good at teaching, but somehow managed to stay patient, which is rare for me.  We skied again Tuesday, and then Nick came on Wednesday, and by now Charlie was really improving.  We took Caz down a black slope in the afternoon and she did really well.  On Thursday we took a full car load to Lake Louise: Charlie, Caz, Sabrina, Chris, Nick and I, and we were surprised we managed to get everyone into the car with all our stuff, but Betsy Mae pulled through.  Again we were really lucky with the weather, and had a great day skiing.  The slopes were pretty icy as Lake Louise hadn't had any snow now for about 2 weeks, so that will probably be the last time we ski there now before we leave.  On the way back to Banff we took a detour along Banff Parkway to try and see some wildlife, now that the snow has gone and a lot of bears have been sighted.  Unfortunately all we saw was one lonely elk.  That evening we went to the Grizzly House for fondue for dinner.

On Friday we took a day off from skiing, and hiked up Tunnel Mountain.  It usually only takes about 1.5hrs, but it was slippery from all the slush and snow and so took us a record breaking 3.5hrs!  Saturday Caz and Charlie went skiing, and I stayed home because I wasn't feeling too well.  Then on Sunday we all went to Sunshine for their last day of skiing.  This had to be the best day skiing yet; the sun was out and the snow was great.  In the evening we went to the Magpie and Stump for mexican, and what was meant to be a night of partying turned into us all going to bed early because we were exhausted!

Caz and Charlie were flying back from Calgary on Monday, so we decided to spend the day there.  We arrived just in time for lunch, thanks to my map reading skills, and had a picnic in the Prince's Park.  It was an unbelievable 18oC!  I can't remember the last time we felt the sun that warm.  Then in the afternoon we took a stroll round Calgary and went up the Calgary Tower, which sounds more exciting than it was.  However, it was unbelievable to see flat plains and then the Rocky Mountains just appearing on the horizon.  We ended the day with a drink in a pub and then dropped Caz and Charlie off at the airport.

Laid on the glass floor at the top of the Calgary Tower.

It was really great of them to come visit, and I had such an amazing time with them.  So thanks for coming to see us!!

Lake Louise

On 20th April Nick and I took a little road trip to see Lake Louise, which we thought would be slightly melted.  Unfortunately to both our disappointments it was very much still frozen, and the Fairmont hotel on the side of the lake was very very ugly looking.  All in all the road trip was a bit of a let down compared to our original expectations.  We still have a month left in Banff so we will make a return journey nearer the end of May and hopefully it will have started to melt by then.

We walked on the lake, and then decided to follow the trail round and saw some amazing water falls and the beginning of the glacier which is at the far end of the lake.

This is my favourite picture of Nick...

Nick took some brilliant pictures of the waterfalls...

My Perfect Thursday by Nick Wilcock

One of the two not quite perfect things that happened was that I had to get up very early.  But we did this so we could go skiing.  I went skiing with my friends Laura and Chris.  I took some blue skis with me.  They were very big, and they were constructed thus to allow them to float in deep powder, and yet carve on piste.  I enjoyed my big blue skis. 

It was quite cold at Sunshine and it was snowing quite a lot and after the second run of the day Laura went home because she had a sore leg and didn't want it to hurt anymore when her friend Caz comes to stay with us and this was the other not perfect thing that happened on this most special of Thursdays.  Chris and me did lots of skiing in the trees and at the end of the day hiked across Wawa ridge to find some powder and then we went home.

Being a bit sleepy I had a nap, and yet did not wake up with the oft associated grogginess; another sure sign of a good Thursday.

Thursday derives from Thunor's Day, or Thor's Day, and as a great thunder storm building over the plains of the Serenghetti, my Thursday had amassed a mighty charge that reached a crescendo as we wound our way up Sulphur Mountain toward Eden restaurant, and our destiny.  

Eden remains the only 5 diamond restaurant in Western Canada, and this was a reputation well deserved.  As it was in the Rimrock where Laura worked she wanted to make the most of her discount and check the place out.  I couldn't have guessed how good it was going to be, all the food was cooked perfectly, and arranged real pretty like.  The scallops were my favourite, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, much like an armadillo.  This picture is of me freaking out over how good they were.  The guys there properly sorted us out too giving us an extra cheese course, a couple of free drinks, and gave us half price off everything else.  Everyone should eat there if they are incredibly wealthy or work there.

    

Panorama Ski Tip

Last Thursday Nick and I went on a road trip to Panorama ski resort, which is just a 2.5hr drive from Banff.  We drove through Kootenay National Park, which felt like a long drive but was only an inch on the road map!  The route also took us past Radium Hotsprings, which looked amazing!  Just wished we'd remembered our swim stuff.  The hot pools were surrounded by huge rock faces.  The day we chose to go to Panorama was brilliant.  The sun was out and they'd just had a fresh dump of powder.  We even managed to have lunch outside.

After lunch we ventured to the summit of the mountain.  Near the top of the chair lift we could hear bagpipes, and then as we skied off the chair lift ended up in the middle of a wedding!  I wondered how they got the elderly relations down the hill afterwards, but later on we saw a ski patroller skiing down with a sledge of "oldies" behind him.

The weather in Banff has been changing dramatically now that Spring has finally arrived.  The snow has almost gone, the sun is out and bears are now an actually threat.  The first one was seen last week, and considering he hadn't eaten for months and months he still looked huge.  We've decided we're going to invest in some bear spray, just in case we happen upon one when we go for walks.

Today we went skiing at Sunshine, and it was so warm.  Tonight we're going to the local english pub to watch the football, and tomorrow night we're going to the Eden restaurant at my hotel.  I handed in my resignation last week, so wanted to eat there while I can still get my 30% discount.  The menu looks amazing, so we'll make sure we take plenty of photos to make you jealous and hungry :-)

Breakfast at Coyotes and a Week of Amazing Skiing!

Last week Nick and I were invited to breakfast at Coyotes Deli and Grill by Pat and Larry, my Canadian relations.  They took a little detour from Calgary to Banff to see us on their way back home, which was really really nice of them.  Especially considering they had a huge drive ahead of them.  We both had huge yummy pancakes!  It was really lovely to see Pat and Larry, and we'd like to say thanks for treating us to breakfast.

After breakfast we decided to try and burn those pancakes off and had a game of squash at the local gym.  Nick won but we had some great rallies, and I even managed to win one game :-)  To carry on our sporting endeavours, we took the french couple, Sabrina and Chris, on a badminton.  The trash talking began well before the game took place, but our British compatriots will be happy to hear we took those Frenchies down hehe.  I'm sure the competitiveness will not end here, and future matches are in store.

Last Thursday Sabrina, Chris and I went to the Royal Canadian Legion for a spot of bingo... we didn't win anything but it was really fun and we'll definitely go back for $1 a card for the whole night!

Considering its now past the 1st April, last week we had a crazy dump of snow, with 18cm of fresh powder at Sunshine on Thursday.  Nick, Chris, my workmate Sara, and I went to Sunshine super early to try to get there before the crowds.  We ended up being able to put fresh tracks in down Goats Eye mountain, it was epic.  Possibly the best skiing day of the year so far!

Revelstoke, BC

On the 9th March, about 2 weeks ago Nick and I embarked on an adventure to Revelstoke, BC.  The drive took about 4 hours and took place along one of the most dangerous roads in the world... apparently.  We were highly prepared for any eventualities - flask of tea (very important), lots of food, blankets, winter clothes, skis, extra fuel and a lighter (incase we had to set the car on fire to stay alive if we broke down and there was no one to save us!).  However, when driving through Rogers Pass in a snow storm and seeing other cars spin off the road, we realised we didn't have a number to ring for someone to come save us if the car broke down!  You'll be pleased to hear that we made it there safely with no problems.  The weather at Rogers Pass, which is in the Glacial National Park was totally different to the rest of the drive.  As soon as we entered this National Park it started snowing and the conditions became a lot worse, and then when we left it brightened up and the snow had turned to rain.

Nick booked for us to stay in 7 Acres Bed and Breakfast, and it was really nice.  The owners were really friendly and made a good breakfast; the only thing they lacked was a taste in interior design.  Every room had a theme, mainly involving flowers, trees and shrubs, and they were everywhere!  The snow in Revelstoke was immense: so far this season they've had 6 meters!  It nearly came up to the top of the windows, so all you could see out to was a wall of snow.  This is what Nick and I thought the snow in Canada would be like.  It was also a lot warmer and therefore wetter, so snowballs could be made :-)  Each night we went out for dinner.  The first night we went to Bad Pauls, which is named after a man named Paul (surprisingly) who had a pet bear that he used to ride around on with a saddle and bridle!  The second night we went out for pizza and it was huge and very tasty.

We stayed in the B&B for two nights and skied for 2 days.  The hill had had 17cm of fresh powder for our first day, and most of this was on top of groomed slopes.  I've never skied on so much snow in my life.  It was really really hard going, and at one point I thought my legs might drop off from the pain.  Over the course of the two days, I think I fell over more times than I have all season.  Luckily there was so much snow it didn't hurt at all.  Even when I fell flat on my face and used my head to stop myself.  Of course, Nick didn't fall over, but I'm still waiting for it to happen...  On the second day we ventured to the North Bowl, where you have to remove your skis and carry them to get to the top.  Once there, there is a small traverse and then you just drop into the bowl.  This run takes about 45 minutes from top to bottom!  When skiing down, the snow was up to my knees.  We only managed to do this twice, and on the second time Nick became more adventurous and traversed further around the bowl to where it was much higher.  In this picture he looks tiny...

The drive back was pretty easy as the temperature had gone up and all the roads were clear.  Back in Banff it looked like Spring had finally arrived, along with the slush and the ice.  Nick and Laura survived their first Canadian Winter :-)

Last week and this week Nick has been doing his Level 2 CSIA course, and has his assessment tomorrow. It sounds hard, but I'm sure he'll do well.  We're planning to go to The Keg Restaurant to celebrate him taking the course.  I've also just seen that Elton John is playing in Calgary in May...

The Perfect Sunday

Finally after 3 months I was given a Sunday morning off work, and I'd just like to boast about how amazing my boyfriend is...  I woke up to a glass of orange juice, a cup of tea, and the smell of freshly baked muffins.  Yes Nick had baked us blueberry muffins for breakfast, which we ate (scoffed!) while watching Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit on the tv!  Definitely worth the wait for a Sunday morning off.

After a very lazy morning we decided to give cross country skiing a go.  We rented the equipment from Nick's shop at a very cheap rate, and then drove to Banff Springs where there are a few trails.  There were a few other cross country skiers leaving when we arrived so Nick went over and asked them where the good routes were.  They told him the tracks were quite difficult to find and this proved correct.  We managed to find what we now have decided might have been the difficult routes as it was mostly up hill, and a massive challenge for newbies!  The fun part was then trying to get back down, which ended with me on my bum and then stuck there for about 5 minutes and Nick just laughing at me.  Finally at the bottom of the hill we found the easy route which went by the side of the Bow River, and we followed this for a while before heading home as I had work.  We'll definitely give it another go, and maybe snow shoeing too sometime.

  

  

This is a photo of the frozen Bow River with the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel poking out of the trees.