Banff trip, April 24-27, 2003
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Dad was going on a work trip, so the family decided to come along for the ride.
Waking up at 3 a.m. to catch the plane was alot of fun. We went to bed early - so when we woke up we were really excited to be going on a big trip.
Thursday -- The plane ride was lots of fun. We flew from Ottawa to Toronto, and then Toronto to Calgary. With the 2 hour time difference we were able to arrive around 11 a.m. Calgary time. People were wearing shorts, the temperature was in the high teens. We then had lunch at the airport and then caught a bus to drive us 2 hours to Banff. Calgary is just before the Rocky Mountains, so it was alot of fun riding in the bus and seeing the scenery.
Thursday afternoon/evening -- By the time we got to the hotel we were well rested and excited about checking out the hotel. The Banff Springs hotel is THE hotel most associate with Banff, over 100 years old, it is just an incredible place. Our first adventure was to go to the pool, an indoor/outdoor pool, the best part was the outdoor heated pool with water from the spring. It was like swimming in a bathtub with very warm, salty water. (Dad noticed they served drinks too - very good drinks). That night Dad had to go to the conference for a little while, everyone else went to "The Grill", one of the many restaurants in the Hotel. Their buffet was expensive at $40/person, but the food is exceptional and kids eat free!!
Friday morning -- The next morning we got up early to check out the sites (the kids were still on Ottawa time, but did sleep in a little bit). It was pouring rain, but we had come prepared. So at 7:30 a.m. we went for a walk to check out the scenery around the hotel. We walked past the golf course and along a path until we came to one of the larger water falls. We then went back to the hotel.
Friday evening -- Mom and the kids spent the day touring and shopping in Banff while dad was at his conference. That night we had supper together before going on an evening wilderness tour, it was a large van (10 people) and we drove around for 2 hours. We had a nice tour of banff, learned some history about the area, and saw a couple elk and deer. The driver saw a black bear, but we didn't see it. We got some nice photos of the area, but it was very cloudy so we couldn't see the mountains very well. Susan and Josh arrived from Calgary to visit us ... they came to our hotel room to visit, and then they left with Mom to go hang out at the bar, dad stayed with the boys.
Saturday -- Although it was the end of April and had been very hot in Calgary, a big snow storm hit Friday night/Saturday morning. All the roads into Banff were closed and everyone was very excited/concerned. Dad was overjoyed because his conference was having an afternoon break and it meant he could go skiing on new snow. Because the roads were closed the hills were almost empty. From 12 to 5 p.m I rode on some of the best soft packed snow Banff ski hills had seen in the last 10 years, there was no waiting for the high speed quad lifts, and, Colin James was playing blues at the chalet. Basically, this was the highlight of the trip for dad and was priceless. I might never get to do something like that again, but I certainly would like to bring the boys to ski in the Rockies, there is nothing else like it around Ottawa.
Saturday --- While dad was carving the slopes, everyone else spent the day touring banff again and going on a special tour of a local cave. After that, it was back into the outdoor pool to enjoy the hotspring pool. That evening, after skiing and another drip in the pool, Dad joined everyone at the Grill restaurant for supper.
Sunday --- We were up at 5 a.m. to put Mom and the boys onto the bus back to Calgary. The airport had been closed on Saturday so there was alot of concern about whether the airport would be open. We called early Sunday and Air Canada confirmed the flight. After finishing packing up the bags on Saturday night, everyone was tired for the ride into Calgary. Mom and the boys caught their flight but there was alot of problems with the plane, they didn't leave for almost 3 hours and they weren't very happy. They arrived home in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, back in Banff, Dad finished off the last day of this conference. It was a beautiful day so Dad took a few more photos around the hotel. Beautiful. If Dad was a little smarter (devious) he would have cancelled his flight back and spent another day skiing on the slopes, but he decided it was time to leave. Dad caught an afternoon flight back to Ottawa and arrived home around midnight.
Conclusion --- We had a great time. From finding an Elk outside our hotel door (munching on the grass), to swimming in a hotspring pool at 7 a.m. in the morning while snow feel on our heads, we had a fantastic time. It rained the whole time that the boys were in banff, but Dad was able to go to the ski hill where 2 - 3 feet of fresh snow and falling snow made for fab conditions. We would like to go again. Claudia is going to see if she can book the same conference for herself in another year or two.