Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Whitewater Rafting – Kicking Horse River, Canada

Friday, July 24th, 2009

What’s a trip to the Rockies without white water rafting? It had been a very long time since either of us tried it, so we thought, why not! We called up Wild Water and made reservations to do the Whitewater Exciter. We were quite excited to give it a whirl!

White Water Rafting is FUN!

The Whitewater Exciter is described as such, on their website: “There are numerous rapids, such as, “Roller Coaster”, “Hopi Hole”, “Goat Rapid” and “Twin Peaks” that are certain to leave you with big smiles. The most famous rapid is known throughout the area . . . the “Portage” and “Shotgun” rapids! (Cue dramatic music!) Long, continuous, quick and tricky, this section of river is, without question, the most popular and memorable section of true class IV to IV+ rafting in the Alberta area.” (more…)

Canmore & Calgary

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Canmore, Main Street
Wednesday was the busiest day of our vacation.

We started off doing a little shopping in Canmore. We stopped at Tin Box; a boutique shop, and also the Canadian equivalent of the dollar store. There was a third store, but I forget the name. It was in half of a person’s house, and contained a bunch of nic nacs with an old west theme.

Rachel Chilling at Grizzly Paw Brewing Company
Then we had lunch at The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company. My favorite part of lunch was the root beer. They make their own from scratch and it is by far the best root beer I’ve tasted! (more…)

Rest Day – Icefields Parkway – Scenic Drive

Monday, July 20th, 2009

We Love Bow Lake & Crowfoot Glacier!
On Monday, exhausted after two days of activity, we decided to do a scenic drive. We had heard rumors about the drive from Banff to Jasper, so we thought it would be a nice way to spend our rest day.

Clare & Dennis Columbia Icefield
This drive is the most beautiful drive I’ve ever experienced…and we just barely made it to Jasper National Park! (more…)

Day Hike – Chester & Headwall Lake Loop Hike

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

Chester Lake and Mt. Burstall (9,056 ft)

Headwall Lake, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

On Sunday, we were all tired from the previous day’s mountain bike excursion, so we slept in a bit. We made bagels & eggs and had a leisurely morning.

Peter & Lynn recommended we do a really nice, but challenging day hike in the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The hike is a loop which goes up to Chester Lake, over a pass, then down to the Headwall Lake, and finally back to the parking lot.

Elevation Gain: about 3,000 feet
Distance: about 10 miles
Total Time: 10am to 6 pm (8 hours)
Hiking Posse: Lynn, Peter, Coryn, Clare, Dennis, & Rachel

(more…)

Mountain Biking – Goat Creek Trail (Canmore to Banff)

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

On Saturday morning, I woke up around 7:30am, to the sound of a coffee pot chugging away. I slinked into the kitchen half asleep. Lynn & Peter were enjoying their coffee, and getting food ready for breakfast.

Clare on Goat Creek Trail

They made a hearty breakfast, and soon we were all noshing away. Pancakes, blueberries, canadian bacon, and eggs. I ate well, knowing I’d be needing the calories. We were going mountain biking today. It was the Goat Creek Trail, 17 kilometers of sheer excitement, with a 34 km round trip distance! (more…)