Odometer reads: 7,249km
The last blog I wrote, I was west of the Rockies. Now I am east, and our trail from now on will take us further and further away from them. Kind of sad; I’ve never seen mountains like the Rockies. You know, real mountains. We were supposed to visit Switzerland last fall during our backpacking trip, but due to the infamous train strikes in France, we were unable to get there, unfortunately. So driving along highway 1, through Revelstoke and Golden and Lake Louise and Banff was beyond incredible, to say the least.
We stayed one night at the beautiful Chateau Lake Louise in a big room on the fourth floor, facing the lake. Incredible. It was a great rest day, where I got to watch a bit of the NHL playoffs and have a beer at the “Glacier Saloon” downstairs, relax in the enormous jacuzzi and steam room by the pool, and window shop at some very interesting shops that sold things far outside my buying capabilities, such as a $75,000 Mammoth tusk. Yep. It is most definitely on the pricey side, but you will be treated like royalty while you are there. The buffet breakfast was absolutely delicious as well, and the beds were some of the comfiest beds I can remember! If you want to treat yourself to something special in a place that is absolutely breathtaking at every turn, I highly recommend it.
We stopped in Banff to visit some of Jannet’s relatives, and after strolling the streets a bit and eating dinner at a really hip, fresh restaurant called Nourish Bistro, I knew I had to be back here again. It is definitely a young town, with lots of youth and young adults vacationing here or working here with the sole purpose to ski on some of the best mountains in the country. It makes me want to pick up my skis again and hit the slopes. What a cool city!
I’m currently in Edmonton, staying with a friend who I actually met on a Contiki trip to England, Scotland, and Wales in 2008. We’ve kept in contact and he was kind enough to let me stay at his home here in Edmonton. It’s been great to see him again. I also got to stay with one of my best friends in Calgary; he moved away several months ago from London, ON for work, and before this trip, I wasn’t sure the next time I would see him. So to stay at his place for a couple nights was a great treat; it’s been really great seeing some familiar faces on the road!
This could likely be my last blog post for a week or so, as we fly north to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories tomorrow, Inuvik, Northwest Territories in a few days, and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory about 5 nights from now. Inuvik is actually above the Arctic Circle, and bot the other two cities are fairly secluded (and most definitely very cold). I am not sure what the internet situation will be like up in these places, so there is a chance there might be a lack of Twitter updates and blog posts for the next week. So not to worry. Yes, that means you, Mom!!
Anyways, we are filming a short interview with Elizabeth May, the leader of the Green Party this evening at a rally going on here in Edmonton at Avenue Theatre. It should be a very interesting interview to say the least. I’m going to finish this post, finish my latte, and figure out the transit system to get me from this coffee shop downtown to the Theatre. Wish me luck!
Happy travels!
Dan..
