Aide Memoire

I saw this poem on the shuttle on the way back from Mt Norquay. On the first read, based on the title, I thought it was an ad for a memory care facility. I don't have a lot of experience in mass transportation, and didn't really consider that there would be poetry on the wall of a shuttle!  As it turns out, according to what I looked up online, Glen Sorestad is a well regarded Canadian poet (and former teacher!). Anyway, take a read. It's a poem that I can't quite let go of yet. 

Aide Memoire, by Glen Sorestad

The world begins and ends in memory;

what I remember is what I am. 

Did that blade of grass I plucked

as a boy to vibrate with my breath

really burst the air with shrillness?

A remembered world holds truth

and realities far clearer than echoes.

In the cupped hands of remembrance

the thin green reed of what we are

trembles with a sound so rare. 

Aide memoire simply means a memory aid. But I found one definition that said "especially a book or a document".  Or a blog. 😊 It's true, I love to write. But even more, I love making these memories with my mom, and having a way to relive them after we are back home. 

And back home we are! We took three days to go home, and went drove through five National Parks. And, of course, there were adventures!

Our first stop was in Golden, BC. It took F O R E V E R to get there due to a car accident, but I think we were so eager to stop because we were so rummy from being in the car so long. In Golden there is a newish adventure facility that has ropes courses, zip lines, and two suspension bridges. I think they go over the Columbia River. We just can't shake that thing! ;)

It was SO HOT!!! My face turns a deeper red/purple in some later shots that you won't see... One of the highlights of this stop was a conversation we had with a woman from China (who was also resting in the shade). She and her husband moved from China to Calgary about 10 years ago in order to be able to have more than one child. They intended to have one more, to make a family of four. And then she got pregnant for a 3rd time. She talked about how it was hard to understand that an unplanned pregnancy could be a blessing, and not a curse, which is what she had been raised to believe. I mean, wow. We shared pictures of the coast with her, and she showed us pictures of her three kids and talked about where she was from in China. It couldn't have been more than 20 minutes, but mom and I talked about it for several hundred miles. Traveling always opens your world in ways you least expect it to. 

Our final stop was a last minute addition. We took a couple hour detour and drove up to Mt Rainier. We haven't been since I was small, and couldn't resist one last hurrah. We only had time to drive up to Paradise and do a short walk, but it was totally worth it. 

Mt Rainier is something else! We have been looking at ginormous peaks that seem higher than anything we've ever seen before. But...Mt Rundle sits at 9,672 feet and Mt Rainier at 14,410 feet. Perspective is everything! The mountains in Banff/Jasper seem to come straight out of the ground and go straight up; they tower over everything. Mt Rainier, while reaching much higher, makes a slow rambling ascent in foothills and forests, giving you the false feeling that it isn't as high. It was the perfect last stop for these summer vacationers. 

That's it travelers! We've been through Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Yoho National Park (YOLO - that's for you, mom), Kootenay National Park, Glacier National Park (the other one), and Mt Rainier National Park. We're happy to be home in our beds, and I think the car is equally happy to be parked in its driveway. Until next time!

💕

Early Grey, Please

If it's a Thelma & Louise vacation, there has to be tea. I mean, unless you're driving across Nevada...  We have enjoyed traditional "high tea" all over: Edmonton, St Louis, Victoria, Portland, Seattle... 💕 And it's always Earl Grey, just like my great-grandfather used to have. Yesterday we headed off to the swanky Fairmont Hotel in Banff to enjoy tea. The tea was delicious, the company was divine, and the view was incredible. 

If you've never had high tea, put it on your list! Even if you think you don't like tea. Tea is very familial for  me, and I have fond memories of drinking it with Grandpa. But if you don't care about tea, let me tell you about the little sandwiches and pastries. Usually the top layer, or first course, if you will, is scones and clotted cream. Clotted cream sounds disgusting, but it's divine. Sort of like marscapone, but not as sweet. 

Scones are hands down my favorite, and I'm always a little annoyed that they are first. In most tea houses, these will be on the top layer of three. But at the Fairmont, these were served separately, and then this very cool "tower" arrived with the rest of the bites. 

Doesn't that look lovely! Mom's favorite sandwich was the "Icelandic Dill Gravlax". To you and me, this is cucumber sandwich with smoked fish. 😂 After I got rid of the fish, this was actual my second favorite. My favorite was the chicken salad.  I am not a fan of the "salad" group of sandwiches be it chicken, egg, tuna....And yes, it's because of the mayonnaise. And the fact that it's all mixed up and everything is touching. ;) This one had tomato bread, grapes, and a layer of almonds for crunch. I took a bite to try it, and loved it so much I had some benadryl for the almonds and polished it right off!  Don't worry, I'm not that careless, the allergy is mild.  On to desserts! Mom's favorite was the matcha cake with raspberry, and mine was the chocolate biscuit cake. Delicious!

After some down time at the condo (we've been so busy!), we headed up Banff's second lift. The gondola we went on previously went up Sulphur Mountain. It's a very busy tourist stop, and for good reason given the views. But there is a second lift, a chairlift which goes up Mount Norquay. It'd be neat if I could tell you that this was in the ________ (enter cardinal direction) part of town, but since the mountains are a full 360°, I have no idea which mountain is which, and where I'm looking. Well, I might be able to pick out Mt Rundle now, but only if I'm looking from a specific direction!

Even with the noise from the lift, it was so quiet and peaceful.  At the top is the Cliffhouse Bistro, which is a little retro cafe from around 1950. I'm sure they have repaired things over the years, but it was like stepping into the past.  Only two other tables were full, and we had this amazing view to enjoy while we ate. 

Not bad, eh? ;) 

Every day seems to top the previous. We are having such a great time! :)

Jasper Revisited

In March of 2018 we visited Edmonton for Spring Break. On a lark one day, we decided to drive several hours to Jasper National Park. We LOVE National Parks, and the idea of visiting one in another country was too much to pass up. But, it was truly still winter. Winter in the Canadian Rockies....  We traveled until the snow was so fierce we couldn't see the road anymore. Driving back a bit, we got out at a trail to catch a glimpse of the glaciers. Only several feet from the car, the wind off the glaciers, mixed with the blizzard drove us back to the car. Collectively we have never been that cold (or scared!) before. Today we tracked down the same spots to see in the heat of summer. 

(Tech tip: Did you know you can use the maps in photos (iPhone) to see where your pictures were taken? There is also a "show nearby photos" option to basically see all the photos you have taken in that area.)

We were so surprised to find that in 2018 we had driven all the way to the icefields. The Columbia Icefields feed six glaciers in the area. And since it's situated on the Continental Divide (the Great Divide here), waters flow to the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. And we were there twice! ;)  But what a difference in time of year! 

One of the six glaciers, and the one that is closest to the road, is the Athabasca Glacier. In the last 130 years, the glacier has receded almost a mile. The rocky moraine left in its path looks so much like the aftermath of mining. 

The Athabasca River, running out of the icefields has that quintessential glacial blue/gray color. We stopped often and once, even dipped our toes in. Yes - it was cold! 

We also stopped at the Sunwapta Falls. It's a fairly small falls, but the water comes out of the falls and slams against a canyon wall. It was mesmerizing watching the power of the water. 

And then, we were back on the road again! Mountains in EVERY direction.

No pictures, but another special part of the day were the bears! We saw four black bears.  💕 One was solo, and the others were in a group: mama, and two cubs of differing ages. They were adorable, and hilarious, and it's definitely a highlight of the trip! 

Lucky Girls

My dad has this irritating phrase: "If you can be good or lucky, be lucky!" It's irritating, because to choose luck laughs right in the face of good. But....I mean, we have been on the side of luck for this trip! (We've been good too...). We often fly in the face of luck on our travels, probably because we are adorable and unassuming. Right? 😉  One time (not this trip) we went through the border crossing and one of us had an expired passport. (I'll never tell who!) We got in and back - no issues! Was that because we were lucky, or good? Ha!

This trip, we had our passports and vaccine cards in the order. Turns out you need one more thing. OOPS! But the agent let us through. How lucky is that? 😃  After we secured a parking spot in downtown Banff (no small feat), we got a little turned around getting to the bus. Upon arrival, we were frazzled, and didn't have cash readily available. But Mark, the bus driver,  let us on anyway. 😃  Lucky. 

Today we took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain. 

There are six mountain ranges in Banff Nat'l Park, and at the top of the gondola, you feel like you can see for days. We were super lucky 😃 with beautiful weather. 

At the top, there are a couple restaurants, some historical information, and more pictures than we could take. 

How cute is she?

Our luck continued as we caught a FREE shuttle back to town. I mean, I guess the first one was free too, right? 😉

After hanging out at Spaghetti Factory, our best day ever continued as we went for a canoe trip down Bow River.

Our group went in two big canoes, and included people from Germany, Toronto, Hong Kong, Montreal, Quebec, Ontario, New Zealand, and New York. We booked in the early evening hoping to see some wildlife. Outside of Barry the beaver,  and an osprey nest, we came up short. But the trip itself was wonderful. The glacial water is stunning, and paddling amongst such beauty was truly special. 

Look at this color!

Art shot!

These lucky girls had an incredible day.  This is summer and traveling at its best. 💕