Banff, AB
Just as we had hoped, we had a gorgeous day of driving to Banff. Blue skies, unbelievable views, and freshly plowed roads made it an intense ride through the mountains, but not a scary one.
After checking in at Irwins Mountain Inn we stopped by the local dog park. This place had maximum security - a 10 foot fence and trashcans I couldn’t even figure out how to open. We learned this was all to protect against the abundant coyotes inside the national park.
On our first day we set out to ski Lake Louise resort. While the city of Banff had nice blue skies and visibility, it was a little foggy out on the mountain. We were happy we got to see the views on the drive so we knew what we were looking at.
On our way home we stopped by Lake Louise itself. It was frozen and there were people skating, playing hockey, and checking out the ice castles. Some snowshoers and cross country skiers ventured all the way to the waterfalls at then far end of the lake.
That same day I spoke to my mom and learned that one of this blog’s biggest fans, my adored and adorable Gram wasn’t doing well and my family was preparing for the worst. We knew this was a possibility when we went on this trip and we thought we were emotionally and mentally prepared if it did, but it was indescribably difficult to be so far away.
I knew Gram knew I loved her. But still, it broke my heart not to be able to be there with her and it was almost harder to only be able to provide support to my family via the phone. Mike and I quickly decided I would fly home as soon as possible. Unfortunately - we were still in the middle of the Canadian Rockies! I couldn’t do anything right away so we decided to take a night to figure out the best way for me to get there.
For dinner that evening we went to Nourish, a vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free friendly restaurant that came highly recommended by a friendly local at the dog park. The food was out of this world and the carefully crafted cocktails were an excuse for us to linger and share memories of Gram and her importance in my life.
The next morning I called home to let them know we would be driving to Vancouver and I would fly home from there early Tuesday morning. We weren’t able to start out until the next day, so we stuck with our plan of skiing at Sunshine.
I was so distracted on the way to the mountain that we missed our exit and ended up driving 40 minutes out of our way. When we finally got to the mountain we had to take a shuttle from overflow parking. It was a Saturday and within minutes we remembered why we don’t ski the weekends. The lift lines were long, visibility was low, and there were a ton of people skiing above their ability. Mike was run into before he even put his skis on!
We did a couple runs but just weren’t feeling it. We decided to listen to the universe, cut our losses, and leave early. Of course, since this was part of the Mountain Collective, it didn’t cost us anything other than time and minor frustration.
When we were back at the hotel I got the call that Gram had passed peacefully in her sunny bedroom at my parents’ house. I took some time to myself to process the news, and when I was feeling ready I decided we should try to make the best of the rest of the day.
I'll be honest - this portion of the trip was the most emotionally intense for both Mike and I. It was also the most beautiful. It is difficult to reflect on, but I am ultimately grateful that we were surrounded by the beauty of the natural world as we said goodbye to Gram. Afterall, she was an avid traveler, painter, and lover of mountainscapes! I still miss her everyday but I continue to carry her with us as we travel around this gorgeous continent.
In pursuit of a mood lifter and some relaxation we went to the Banff Hot Springs. We arrived to a busy pool but the warm mineral water and mountain air did the trick and we started to feel more like ourselves. As we left there was a line out the door to get in - we seemed to have timed it just right.
That evening, exhausted from the events of the day, we headed to bed early. The next morning it was time to start on the most challenging part of our drive. We pointed the 4Runner West and started our journey over the mountains to Revelstoke!
