We rejoined the Johnstons in Banff. They had spent some time in Jasper, which they really enjoyed. Our campground was right in Banff National Park and it was in a beautiful setting. On our first evening together, we went to the town of Banff for dinner. The town was quite picturesque, with lots of restaurants and shops. Unfortunately, Joanne and I never got time to go shopping there, which probably was a good thing, since everything was quite expensive like Vancouver. I just drooled as we passed by some of the stores!
The first full day together, we decided to explore sights near Banff. We went hiking at Johnston Canyon, (no, not owned by Les and Joanne), and hiked a steep path to a beautiful waterfall! After lunch, Les talked all of us into going for a dip in one of the area hot springs called the "Upper Springs" on Sulfur Mountain. Although Joanne, and I were not thrilled about putting bathing suits on and Art wanted to wear his "Speedo", it turned out to be a pleasant and relaxing experience. The spring water was actually in a huge swimming pool and there were all ages and body types. Because the temperature was maintained in the upper 90s, it was only recommended you stay in the water for 20 minutes. I hate to disappoint all of you, but there will be no photos of us soaking at the hot springs!!!! Before dusk we all went wild game "hunting" in the park. We were able to spot a Grizzly Bear in the bushes just off the road, some elk, and mountain goats, who happened to be walking down the street and blocking traffic! A successful hunt!!!!!!
The next day was so exciting! Les kindly offered to drive us on the "Icefields Parkway" which connects Banff to Jasper. The scenery was spectacular with the Canadian Rockies looming on either side of the road! These were the largest mountains we had ever seen and they were awe inspiring! At every curve of the road, there was another beautiful sight, including glaciers on some of the mountains. Our main destination of the day was the Columbia Icefield and a ride onto the Athabasca Glacier. Our mode of transportation was the Brewster Ice Explorer, a bus-like vehicle with huge tires to grip the ice, unique to this glacier. What a thrill! Although the glacier has receded, it is still huge. After we stopped to walk on the glacier, there were still 2 more miles beyond where we were to reach the end. We were only allowed to walk in a certain area, due to crevasses, or cracks, that formed in the ice, some of which were very deep. 2 days after we left, we heard that a body was discovered on the glacier, that was believed to have been lost 25 years ago! The body probably fell into a crevasse and was discovered once the ice had melted enough.
Our adventures with Les and Joanne were lots of fun and unfortunately had to end! We both left for Calgary, they to fly home and us to spend a few days to catch up with cleaning and laundry. We enjoyed our time in Calgary. One of the nights there, we attended "Globalfest", a week long festival celebrating the diversity present in Calgary, with different cultural presentations of entertainment and food, and also a firework competition between countries. The night we were present, Germany put on a fireworks display, synchronized to music. It lasted 30 minutes and was one of the best fireworks show we had ever seen!
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