This was a down day in several ways. First of all, we traveled downhill almost all the way as we left Lake Louise and made our way to Calgary. We also experienced a prairie downpour in the afternoon. And there were a few down moments during the day when our plans did not quite work out as we anticipated. Still, although it was not the best day of the trip, it did have its pleasures.
When we woke up in the morning, there was a thick fog hanging over everything. We took our time getting up, packing up, and checking out. We decided to take Highway 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway, instead of the Trans-Canada Highway. It was a lovely park road, and there were many spots along the way to stop and enjoy the scenery or to pose for pictures.
There were also some historical markers and monuments here too. Canada not only interned the Japanese during World War II, but also interned Germans and Austrians during World War I. One of those World War I camp was located in Banff Park. Most of those who were imprisoned here were unemployed Ukrainian immigrants. This is a monument to those men.
We continued down the road towards Johnston Canyon. We had met a couple people who told us that this was a great walk. I suspect it might be in the off-season, but we were stunned by the number of the people who were there and how crowded it was. It would have been hard walking up to the falls even without the dogs; with them, it was a nightmare. Although the canyon was quite pretty, we gave up and turned back. Before we left, however, we had to have the obligatory tourist photo.
We continued a little further to Banff. The fact that Johnston Canyon is sooo close to this resort town may explain the crowds. We stopped at the headquarters of the Canadian National Park system, a handsome nineteenth century building with lovely gardens perched high above the town.
We drove by the hot springs here – the Rocky Mountain parks were actually established to protect the springs from commercial exploitation – but there was no good place to park the car where the dogs would have shade, so we decided to pass on this famous attraction. John suggested that we try to get the dogs washed. I typed “Dog Wash Banff” into my phone, and a place called the Eagle Crescent Car and Dog Wash came up. We discovered that it was just a basic outdoor car wash where you could turn the hose on your pooch instead of your Porsche (not that, I suspect, people with Porsches actually wash their own cars). So we decided to pass on that too.
We drove about another hour until we came into Calgary. I was surprised at how quickly the mountains melt away into the prairie. As usual, the first impression of a city is seldom good. We drove through ugly suburban commercial strips before coming into the heart of the city. We’re staying at the Westways Bed and Breakfast. Our room is the one on the top floor with a tiny balcony.
We did not really have an agenda for the day, but thought it might be interesting just to walk into downtown Calgary – about a mile away – and see what we saw along the way. We walked a little by the edge of the Elbow River, and then came to an old railroad station. Just next to that was the Roman Catholic cathedral and a small park adjacent to it.
Calgary is a boom town, and there are new buildings everywhere.
We were about halfway to downtown when the dark cloud abruptly replaced the sunshine. Before we could even get to the nearest building for some shelter, it was pouring.
Eli really hates thunder and lightening, so he was trembling and whimpering. I had to hold him and comfort him. Edie, ever the strong female, simply surveyed the entire scene with a certain interested detachment.
We walked back to our bed and breakfast when the rain had subsided to mere drizzle. The dogs were not having a good time and neither were we. But we made it back reasonably dry, and our innkeeper had thoughtfully provided towels to help us dry off the beasts at the front door.
In the evening, the skies cleared. John and I set off for dinner – a place recommended on UrbanSpoon which it turned out had closed when we finally found the address – but on the way we drove through some of the adjacent neighborhoods. One nearby area was on a small bluff, and from a gap in between some houses John snapped this shot of Calgary’s downtown.
Tomorrow, we’re going to be dogless and do some serious exploration of this city.
