“That we leave our homes, that we step through our doors to the world, that we travel our whole lives not because we want to collect exotic T-shirts, not because we want to consume foreign adventure the same Western way we consume plastic and Styrofoam and LCD TVs and iPads, but because it has the power to renew us—not the guarantee, not the promise, just the possibility. Because there are places our imaginations can never construct for us, and there are people who we will never meet but we could and we might. It reminds us that there is always reason to begin again.” - Stephen Markley, Tales of Iceland or "Running with the Huldufólk in the Permanent Daylight"
Amid flurries and stormy skies, Dadda and I took full advantage of our free Saturday and headed for the mountains. Hoping to see wildlife (more on that later) we started our day in Lake Louise and made our way slowly east. Lake Louise was very busy, of course, but worth the parking lot frustration! We walked partway around the lake, stopping every few hundred feet to take a photo, breath in the trees and admire the view. A few hearty souls were canoeing on the lake but we appreciated our view from the solid shoreline. It certainly is a place for quiet contemplation, one cannot have an overwrought head in a place like this. I need to do this more often. I need for my boys to experience this more often. Living near the mountains is not the same as living IN the mountains. I miss living in the mountains. Banff was a huge disappointment. I don't love it at the best of times but it was so overrun with people, the restaurant we really wanted to eat in shuts down between lunch and dinner (on a Saturday, in high season...?) and it was colder than Lake Louise by far. Aubrey and Dadda OUT! We decided to drive east using the Bow Valley Parkway, a more scenic route renown for its wildlife sightings. Eagle eyes peeled we drove through the amazing fall colours ever-vigilant for foul-legged residents. At one point we pulled over into a rest area to snag a picture of the mountains and Dadda got very excited "Ohhh I think that it is something!" It was something alright...it was a young guy oddly posing for a photo in the grass while his girlfriend with her weird brown scarf sticking out all over her upper body over took the shot. "Ah yes, THAT is another kind of wildlife - real Canadian wildlife! The elusive adolescent male and girlfriend with weird scarf..." We laughed all the way to Banff! Canmore has a special place in my heart. To me, it is much more beautiful than Banff, it is quieter and it feels like an actual town not a tourist trap. We found parking right away, went to the Grizzly Paw for lunch and had some fun in The Tin Box! By this time in the day the weather had cleared and the mountains were fully visible, and they were stunning! A fresh dusting of snow throws the Rockies into such beautiful relief, it really does steal your breath for a moment... We headed home in time to catch the last hour of Zane's outdoor field lacrosse practice. The first 45 minutes had taken place in quite a snow flurry but when we arrived it was just chilly. We stayed warm in the jeep for the first while and braved the wind for the last 20 minutes. It really does say something when the Canadian puts the Icelander in a place where she is too cold! Brrrr...not sure where our autumn went but it can come back any time! Now would be good! Looking forward to a Sunday at home, a roast dinner, walk around the lake and some time by the fireplace. It is hard to believe part 1 of our adventure is halfway through already but looking forward to the week ahead!
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AuthorAubrey: "Leader of the Elves"....that's me. Mom of two amazing guys, wife to one bigger (yet no less amazing) guy and teacher of little ones. Blogging about the adventures (usually with my rubber chicken in tow) is one of my favourite things. Archives
April 2019
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