BC and Alberta, Canada
MEM-YVR, YEG-MEM
July 1 - 9- Woke up in the morning around 8 or so, and packed everything up for travel. We got rid of everything that was no longer needed, since we weren't going to be camping any more. Left camp around 9:15 and drove east to Edmonton, arriving around 12:30 or so.
The GPS directed us to some industrial area on the northwest side of the city. After a bit of confusion and map searching, we got the correct address to the hotel and followed the map to the location, which was about 30 km south of where we were. - We checked into the airport Hampton, showered, and got ready to see the city. We wanted to go to the Royal Alberta Museum and then to the Old Strathcona area, but we needed to eat first. We ended up having dinner at Siciliano's Pasta Kitchen, a nice place with good food and decent service. Had a beer (Grasshopper) and wine with our meal, then headed to the museum.
- We arrived at the museum at 4 PM, so we only had an hour to check out the entire place before it closed. The museum houses two permanent exhibits (bugs, and aboriginal history) on the second level. We had to rush to finish the temporary exhibits on the lower level and we were rushed out at 5:00.
- After leaving the museum, we drove past the Alberta Legislature Building and got a couple pictures.
We also happened to see a couple police cars - something we really had not seen the entire week we had been in Canada. - The Old Strathcona district is adjacent to the University of Alberta campus. The area is pretty large and is full of shops, restaurants, and bars. The bars were our main concern, obviously. We walked for a while and stopped for a pint at O'Byrne's Irish Pub. From there, we went to a place called the Billiard Club and played pool. There was a music festival going on in the district all weekend, where a lot of the restaurants/bars play host to several bands. We heard 2 or 3 bands play (quite decent music).
Nick secured a CD from the first band that performed to play on Lost in the Shuffle, the world famous radio show which he co-hosts. We had had several pints by that point, so we decided to leave and get a 6er for the hotel (and a bottle of wine). The hotel had no proper courtyard, but the lady at the front desk did suggest the bench outside the front door. So we sat there and drank and talked to the employees. Finally crashed around midnight. - The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel, then went to the airport for our flight back to Memphis. We were both upgraded on the leg to Minneapolis.
- Total mileage: 436 km on Friday, 2,532 km total.
- Final thoughts on Canada: 13$ cigarettes; 15$ 6-packs; good number of wineries and vineyards in BC; the term "hoser" is not used as frequently in Canada as one might believe' guns are legal; people are friendly, but tend to move a bit slower than what we're used to; "aboot"; Calgary was mildly disappointing; Edmonton was surprisingly appealing; Vancouver is a Canadian Seattle; food/groceries very expensive; more smokers than anticipated, and smoking allowed in more places than in the US; and finally, it seemed that every time we asked for ranch dressing the server would bring us Caesar dressing...not the same thing.
BC and Alberta, Canada
MEM-YVR, YEG-MEM
July 1 - 9
- Got up, took the tent town, and departed camp around 10:15 AM and on the way out, we stopped at Athabasca Falls, very scenic falls in a deep gorge cutting through the rock.
- In Jasper, Alberta, we stopped for lunch. We liked Jasper - it's a cute, touristy town with lots of restaurants and shops. We had lunch at Jasper Pizza Place (pita/tzatziki and a Greek pizza). Delicious. After lunch, we stopped at a gift store and picked up a magnet and some junk.
- Leaving Jasper, we took Hwy 16 to Hwy 40 to Hinton, where we got some chicken and beer. Drove another 25 km or so to William A. Switzer Provincial Park. The first campground there was full (meaning, packed with children and RVs), so we stopped at the visitor center and the nice lady directed us to Cache campground. There was only 1 other group of campers (a couple more came in later) so we decided to set up camp here. Decent scenery and it was fairly quiet.
- From the campground, we drove down to Gregg Lake and did a 3.5 mile hike through the woods. Along the way, interpretive signs taught about kettles and kames.
- We were back to the site by 5 pm or so, where the family a couple spots down had begun chopping down small trees for firewood. Some people just don't get it. Dinner was BBQ chicken thighs, potatoes/onions and beans. Last camp night :-(
- Mileage: 191 km, 2096 km total
- Drink of the day was a horrible white wine from a BC vineyard (Laszo Pinot Blanc)
- Weather was very warm today - 30 C in Jasper.
BC and Alberta, Canada
MEM-YVR, YEG-MEM
July 1 - 9- We left the Sandman Hotel at 9:30 and drove back west via Hwy 1 toward Banff N.P. There were great views of the Rockies from the city and driving on the highway - very similar to the view from Denver toward the US Rocky Mountains.
- Entered Banff NP and went to the town of Banff.
We went to the Cave and Basin, but it was closed for renovations so we kept on through the town to Bow Falls, along the Bow River. 
Checked out the falls and got some photos, then had lunch at Timber Food Co, a restaurant downtown. Nick had a pot pie and salad and Brad had a ham and cheese panini with fries. It was a decent meal; surprisingly not overpriced like most places we've been eating. After eating, we stopped at the Post to mail a card (1.05$ CDN) and got gas (30$) then left the town of Banff via 93 toward Jasper N.P. - Drove about 70 km through Banff NP to Lake Louise, but there were so many people there that we just had to get the hell out. It's named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria. Elevation here is 5,680 feet. We continued on to Moraine Lake, which sits in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, on the old version of the Canadian 20$ bill. Peak elevation here is 11,200 feet, making it the 3rd tallest in Banff.
- We followed Hwy 93 through Icefields Parkway, known as the most scenic highway in the world.
The color of the lakes and rivers (almost an emerald color) comes from the minerals in the water. We saw lots of wildlife (including several deer and mountain goats). Stopped at Sunwaptha Falls and took a short walk through the woods to the falls, which were really beautiful. Water cascades down and through very narrow canyons. We took some pictures and then got back on the road.
- We finally arrived in Jasper National Park, still on the Icefields Parkway. The area, comprised of about 200 square miles, is one of the largest icefields south of the Arctic Circle. In the park, we checked out Jonas Creek campground, which was pretty bad, so we just settled on Honeymoon Lake campground.
- Mileage: 395 Km, 1905 km total
- Beer of the day: Canadian Molson, Pilsner, and 2 bottles of sauvignon blanc.
- Dinner was salad with sausages, sun-dried tomatoes and vinaigrette.
- Dark at 11 PM.
BC and Alberta, Canada
MEM-YVR, YEG-MEM
July 1 - 9- We left Dunbar Lake around 9 AM and went south via Westside Road, which connected to 93 in Radium Hot Springs, BC. We drove from there through Kootenay National Park and connected with Hwy 1 (Trans-Canada Hwy) in Banff after we crossed into Alberta. From there we went into Banff National Park and then on to Calgary.
- We arrived in Calgary around 3 PM and checked into the Sandman Hotel downtown at 7th Ave and 8th St. Finally able to shower! The hotel rooms here were kind of a relic from what seemed like the 70s and 80s but the lobby was fairly modern and renovated. We felt the money could have been used to provide a soft, non-caving-in bed, as well as a tub that actually drained so as not to have to stand in one's own filth.
- From the hotel, we walked downtown to find something to eat; we were starving. Not a whole lot of decent options were available. The downtown area is large but it's more of a corporate/business area rather than a residential mix, so there wasn't a lot going on, even with Stampede coming up in a week. We ended up finding a place to eat. Had a mojito and beer, Nick had a margherita pizza (sent it back) and Brad had a salad. Waitress sucked.
- After we ate our slop, we went to the Calgary Tower and rode up to the observation deck. It had great views of the city, but not a whole lot of information about the town, which would have been helpful.
- Almost ready to call it a night, we decided instead to have a go at a beer at an Irish pub near the hotel. We weren't really in the mood to do much, so we just ended up going back to the hotel and calling it a night.
- Mileage: 294 Km (1510 Km total)
