Maligne Lake

After passing the town of Jasper, we turned off the main highway onto Maligne Road.

48 km and an hour from Jasper, Maligne Lake is at the end of Maligne Road. Maligne Road doesn't have a fence and it's common to see wildlife on the drive.

Maligne Lake is the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies. You can take a boat out to Spirit Island,

or you can rent a canoe and paddle yourself.

2019 06 17

En Route to Jasper

It's 288 km (173 miles) from Banff to Jasper. You will need to purchase a park pass--CAD19.60 for 2 people per day. An annual pass costs the same as a 7-day pass.

The road is well maintained and the drive is stunning. Transcanada Hwy 1 becomes the Icefields Parkway 93 after Lake Louise.

We had planned to drive northbound non-stop and stop at different sites when we drove south a few days later. We couldn't pass up Bow Lake though. It was gorgeous, especially with the mirror image in the lake.

Good thing we stopped because a few days later, the weather didn't cooperate and we couldn't see the mountains at Bow Lake.

You won't find wildlife on the Icefields Parkway because there is a fence keeping the animals from entering the highway.

2019 06 17

Banff

Banff is a resort town with a population of roughly 8900.

At the southern edge of town, hike the Bow River Trail to Surprise Corner. It's a flat 1.1 km trail from Banff Ave. The trail is mainly paved. 

At Surprise Corner, you'll get a great view of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. 

Banff Avenue is the main street in town. You'll find restaurants, shops and the Visitor's Center. The Visitor's Center has brochures on what to do in Banff and trail maps.

2019 06 16

Tunnel Mountain

It was a 1 1/2 hour drive from Calgary to Banff.

We stayed at the Tunnel Mountain Village II Campground. It was convenient (close to downtown Banff) but the campsite leaves little to desire. We were in Site A23. It had electricity and a fire pit for CAD52.10. Wood was included. The campground has flush toilets and free hot showers. Sites 100-150 are better—at least you can pull off the main road. Those sites had electricity, water hookup and sewage hookup. There is a dump station for both sections.

From the campsite, you can take the Roam bus to town—the ride is free to town and CAD2 to return. You won't get change so have exact change to pay the fare.

2019 06 16

CanaDream

We rented a camper van for our tour of the Canadian Rockies.

I searched on Motorhome Republic and rented from CanaDream. They will pick you up at the airport. You can pick up your motor home from 1pm-4pm. If you want to pick it up at other times, there will be an additional charge.

We arranged to pick up the van at 1 pm. It took a little over 1 1/2 hours to go over how to operate the van.

We got the Deluxe Van Camper. It is perfect for 2 people and is small enough that it fits in a parking spot.

There is a Costco at 11588 Sarcee Trail NW. We picked up groceries for the week, including salad packages with dressing, a rotisserie chicken, prepared smoked pulled pork, packaged chicken taco and steaks. It was also a good place to gas up since the van only had a half tank of gas.

There is a Walmart less than 10 minutes from Costco. We picked up lawn chairs (CAD9.97), a portable grill (CAD8.98) and bottled water. Alternatively, you can rent lawn chairs from CanaDream for CAD10.

The camper had a large refrigerator, 2-burner stove and microwave.

The seating area converts to a king-size bed.

We ordered the convenience package (CAD95/person), which included sheets, pillows & pillow cases, blankets and towels as well as kitchen supplies. You can find a full list here: https://www.canadream.com/faqs/additional-rental-items/canadream-convenience-kits/

There is a bathroom with a handheld shower. You get 1 roll of toilet paper and 1 toilet tablet (to be inserted into the toilet after you empty the tank).

There was a TV and DVD player. The van also had air conditioning and heat. We did turn on the heat one night when it started to snow.

2019 06 16

Calgary

After dinner at Ten Foot Henry, we walked around the downtown area.

The Calgary Tower is 628 feet tall and when it opened in 1968, it was the tallest structure in North America.

Stephen Ave is a pedestrian walkway lined with shops, restaurants, art and entertainment venues.

"Conversation"--a statue on Stephen Avenue.

At the eastern end of Stephen Avenue, you'll find Olympic Plaza. "Gratitude" was installed in 1999 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the "Persons" Case, which resulted in the inclusion of women in the definition of "persons," allowing women to be nominated to the Senate.

There's a section of the park dedicated to the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988.

A tiny olympic cauldron in the park.

Canadian Pacific Railway in downtown Calgary.

Prince's Island Park just north of the downtown area. It's a peaceful park.

The ski jump at Olympic Park. You can see it just south of the Trans Canada Highway.

2019 06 15

Ten Foot Henry

Dinner was at Ten Foot Henry. It's a popular place and I made reservations 1 month in advance for a Saturday night.

It's located at 1209 1st Street SW. It's easy to miss.

Tomatoes, Herbs and Feta with Sidewalk Sourdough Toast--CAD15. The tomatoes were warmed. Mash up the whole bowl and spread it on the toast. I must admit it was quite tasty. Cooking the tomatoes releases lycopene, an anti-oxidant.

Taglietelle Pomodoro--CAD17. I was expecting chunks of tomatoes and this was more a tomato sauce. It had good flavor but next time I think I'll try the Cacio e Pepe.

I had heard Alberta beef is one of the best beef in the world. I ordered Hanger Steak, Truffle Mustard, Gai Choy--CAD26. This was delicious. The meat was tender, flavorful and cooked rare--just the way I like it!

2019 06 15