Anniversary Trip

We decided to take a weekend trip to celebrate our anniversary (41st) but really it was a weekbeginning trip since we left on Sunday and returned Monday evening.  We also wanted to spend a little money in towns that had suffered from the flood, Canmore and Banff.

We slept in Sunday after a great anniversary dinner made Saturday night by our daughter, Meg, then headed out Highway 1A.  The traffic on this highway travels at a leisurely pace and that was our mood.  We planned to do some letterboxing along the way but missed the turn-off to Kananakis Country so changed our plans.  There is a box hidden at Grotto Pond near Exshaw so we headed there.  By the time we arrived, it was nearing lunch and the trek to the box was about an hour. My stomach rules my life so instead of doing the hike, we headed to Dead Man's Flats.

There are several stories as to why it's called this.  My favourite is the tale of two First Nation trappers who were poaching and fooled a warden by playing dead.  The reality is probably the version that says it was coined to foster tourism in the area.

The box we sought was close to the trailhead so would be quick to find.  We had walked this trail with Glen's cousin, Alan, about 30 years ago and suffice to say, things have changed.  For one, there is a parking lot with washroom facilities.  The trail was lovely and we had a great stroll through the forest until we came to the creek.  The letterbox was hidden under a pile of stones beneath the first bridge.  Problem was, there was no bridge.  There was certainly no letterbox.  The creek was filled with flood debris and the banks badly eroded.  We saw where the water levels had been and it was scary the power this tiny creek had.  Newly-laid stepping stones linked the trail across the creek bed and even though we did a search, nothing that resembled a letterbox did we find.

Next up was lunch at our favourite restaurant in Canmore.  The Grizzly Paw patio was packed so we ate upstairs.  They had run out of Glen's favourite beer, Powder Hound Pilsner so we had a pitcher of Rutting Elk Red which I like.  He had a burger while I enjoyed a Veggie Panni.  We both loved their Roughage salad.  We've had it many times and each time, it's served differently.  This time it came layered in a ramakin dish so tossing it was difficult.

After lunch we headed into a part of Canmore where we've never ventured.  A letterbox took us to a lookout above the town and gave us a good view of the Bow Valley.  The box, planted by Ontario boxers, had been destined for the Ink Pots at the top of Johnston's Canyon but due to the flood, never made it.

Another Ontario boxer planted two in Banff so we headed to Tunnel Mountain to find those.  We realized as we drove past the campground, we had never been there before even though we've lived in Alberta for over 35 years.  Isn't it always the way that a tourist finds places a resident never does.  The boxes were on the popular, Hoodoo trail.  One family stopped and asked if we were geocaching as they had just found one further along the trail.  We explained what letterboxing was about and I think we may have piqued their interest in this hobby.

We had booked a room at the Holiday Inn in Canmore.  The hotel has had several owners over the years and I guess Holiday Inn hasn't decided what to do with it.  The restaurant/bar was closed which they hadn't mentioned on their website and one customer had been told they served a 'free' breakfast.  We had hoped to eat in the restaurant so Glen tried to goggle nearby eateries but the hotel wifi was not working.  Other than those problems, it was a great hotel--very picturesque.

A friend's daughter who lives in Canmore, mentioned the Iron Goat restaurant when we said we were making this trip.  It was close to our hotel so we opted for that.  What a gem!  It sits on the top of a hill with a great view of the Three Sisters (famous Canmore landmark).  The food was excellent and not expensive.  Glen had a meatloaf of bison, elk and lamb while I had the 'catch of the day' which was a seafood and chicken paella steamed in a banana leaf.  It was cooked perfectly and the mussels were fresh and not 'rubbery'.  Yay!!  We drank at Czech-type Pilsner from Big Rock Brewery called Saaz Republic Pilz.  While choosing our beer, we learned our server was also from Ottawa and went to Carleton U, our alma mater.

Back at the hotel, we talked to our real estate agent and made the decision to sell the house to a couple with whom we'd been negotiating for two weeks.  It seemed a good way to end our anniversary day.

We were up early Monday and drove to Banff before having breakfast.  We were going to hit a coffee shop but then remembered Phil's.  As you drive to the Banff Springs Hotel, you pass Phil's.  Like the Hoodoos, we knew it was there but had never been inside.  As we pulled into the parking lot, it looked as if the place were closed.  It wasn't but we were the only customers.  Breakfast is Phil's forte and it's been serving it since the 1960s in this location.  Glen had bacon and eggs while I had sausages and hash browns (chunky but you could have them shredded).  The coffee was good and the orange juice tasted freshly squeezed.  Other customers arrived just as we left.

We decided to walk the golf course because it is only 9 holes.  We planned playing 18 with lunch in between so walking was a good option.  We hit a few balls on the driving range then paired up with Jan and Cathy, two locals about our age.  We all struggled at some points in the game so it look 2.5 hours to play.  I did get a par which I felt good about.  It is not an easy course.  Glen actually killed a ground squirrel with one of his drives.  The poor thing had stupidly made its burrow in front of the tee boxes.

We had lunch in the clubhouse which Cathy called Battlestar Galactica, enjoying Banff Springs Lager with French Onion soup.  The soup was very salty and when the served asked if we wanted salt and pepper, I nearly laughed out loud.  Our second tee time was 2:15 but we were ready to go at 1:45 so they let us play.  The clouds were quite dark by this time and we had rain off and on during the game.  We played with another Glen so that wasn't a hard name to remember.  He was an excellent golfer so we did the course in 2 hours.  Unfortunately, I'd been having back pain for a couple of days and by the last hole, I could no longer swing a club.  I caddied for Glen which was fun, too.

When we got back home, we signed the final documents to sell our house.  A new phase in our lives begins which is exhilarating and scary at the same time.