Day 14: Live Long and Prosper in Banff National Park

I woke up this morning to some amazing news - the best you can get as a parent. My son and future daughter-in-law, who live in Australia, had sent me a save the date for their wedding! YABADABADOOOOOOOO!

So it's safe to say I had an incredible morning. It also helped that I had a great night's sleep in my cosy little motel. I'm becoming a huge fan, though it's not as cheap to stay in these motels like the good old days. The cost is comparable to some of the big chain hotels, but here I get to have my vehicle right next to my room door! There is also sometimes free entertainment, depending on what your neighbours are up to... 😆

I had also gotten a message from Lisa, my VP Sales, asking me for some work-related help. So I logged on for a bit and replied to some pressing emails. I'm very lucky that my team back at the office are working so hard to allow me to enjoy this much-needed time off. Thank you IN-COMers!

Then it was time to make some PB&Js! I got a bit of a morning workout while mixing the "Adam's 100% Natural Creamy Peanut Butter". It was really tasty stuff, but I had to work pretty hard to get the peanut butter and oil to mix back together to make it spreadable!

As I was mixing it together and "taste-testing" I thought to myself how the name Adam seems to be trending on this trip, first with Adam from the distillery being a complete hidden gem and now this delicious Adam's peanut butter. Peanut butter finally all properly blended, I put together 13 PB&Js to keep me alive for the next 24-36 hours: 3 peanut butter, 6 pastrami and 5 smoked brisket - yum!

At this point, it was already 10:00 AM, and I was only just ready to leave. I had a few work-related tasks to get done before starting off the day, but now I'm 3 hours behind my usual 7:00 AM start time. But I was finally off!

I went to the front office to return the key and was surprised when they asked "Oh, you're from room 18, right?". "How did you know??" I replied thinking they must have very personalized service if they can remember each customer's face to their room number. "Well, that was the last room we were waiting on to check out so we can clean it.". Oops, I definitely was running late! As I was getting ready to jump in my car, Kelsie and Navi came to clean my room, the last room needing cleaning in the whole complex. I apologized for taking such a long time but promised to include them in the blog to make up for it. Thanks, Kelsie and Navi, for your patience!

Red Deer River & The Mystery "Lake"

I was on the road! Soon enough I saw a small little bumpy trail branching off toward a river. The trail was a very short one, so the poor road quality was easy enough to deal with for a short time. I pulled up alongside the beautiful river. It was a stunning view with the rocky hills on the other side.

As I continued driving I saw what I thought was a huge lake in the distance alongside mountains. It was shining blue, and seemed quite large! But as I got closer I realized it wasn't a lake at all!

It was in fact an ocean of solar pannels closely packed together! From this distance, they blended together and looked like 1 solid body of blue.

Take the Long (Standard) Way Home

Today is a Star Trek-themed kind of day. You'll see why soon enough. So I figured I'd live by the words of Spock and "Take the long way home". Even though time is short today, I decided to take a smaller, slower route, though it only adds 10 minutes of time to my journey. This allowed me the chance to drive through some beautiful farmlands.

Soon enough, I spotted my next hidden trail. I saw a sign for a speck of a town named "Standard". Time was against us, but I just could resist, and my intuition said hang right! So I did a sharp right down the road to Standard. The name really suited the down, as all the signs on the buildings were very standard, no frills, simple signs.

Instead of "So and so's delicious burger restaurant" the sign said simply "Restaurant". Instead of "[Insert town name here] Fire Station" the sign simply said "Fire Hall".

No descriptions, no colours, no fancy font, just standard simple print! Talk about a no-nonsense town!

Gleichen

As I continued my drive, I decided that either the entire state of Alberta is sitting on top of a giant oil reserve or it's just fashionable to have an oil rig on your farm. Every single bit of farmland I've passed has at least 1, but usually several, oil rigs pumping oil! Maybe its to pump water? Maybe they're used to frighten off coyotes? Maybe they are collectors' items? I do not know!

I pulled into another small town called Gleichen. If I had to eyeball an estimation, I'd say this town probably has a population of around 300 people.

I saw a few cars around, but a bunch of dogs! It seems that the dogs here are just free to roam and follow whoever they want. I guess whoever has the better food gets a dog escort to wherever they are going that day. I met one particular dog named Baily, who came to say hello to me.

Aside from the interesting approach to community dogs, I noticed that there were only five working buildings downtown. Of those, there are 2 liquor stores and 1 cannabis store. The other two buildings are for a grocery store and a hotel. Funny how three out of five of the stores are for "recreational" pursuits. 😂

Bow River

I arrived at the rustic blue bridge crossing Bow River.

Fun fact, I was supposed to camp at Bow River Campground last night, but we all know what happened there, don't we? Instead, I“camped” at the beautiful Badlands Hotel. 😬

I crossed the bridge and pulled up to the river to enjoy the view and take some photos. As I was enjoying the beauty of Bow River I looked up and saw an eagle sitting up high in a tree just gazing at me.

There he was looking majestic on his brand when suddenly a rival swooped in! A crow apparently wanted this very sought-after branch, so they had a bit of a "wingman fight". It didn't last long, however, and as would be expected it seemed like the eagle won. Don't mess with eagles.

Vulcan City

I was now on my way into Vulcan. Charise from Gardiner Dam a couple of days back had recommended I go see Vulcan City in Alberta since the whole city is tied to Star Trek and I'm a huge Trekkie!

This is definitely not a hidden trail, but I just had to stop by to satisfy my Trek appetite. 😉 I entered the Star Trek Center of Vulcan where Emry, a young lady, took good care of me and dressed me up to take a picture in front of the green screen.

Emry also told me where to go in town to visit all the hidden Star Trek gems! I also spoke with Rochelle who was a huge Star Trek fan and we had some discussions about several different episodes. I had such an amazing time talking with her and I'm so happy I decided to stop here for a visit. Special thanks to Emry and Rochelle for their guidance and friendly chats about Star Trek!

So following Emry's guidance, I walked around the downtown area in search of some hidden Star Trek gems. I found the Transported she had told me about between 2 buildings! But as I tried to get a picture, I realized my arms weren't long enough to get myself AND the transporter in the selfie. Dang! Luckily, just at that moment, Cole and John came to my rescue!

These two young guys agreed to take my picture and I was surprised when I found out they actually watch Star Trek! When I'd asked other young people here they didn't even know what it is, so way to go Cole and John! Thanks for helping me transport to my secret location.

So after I was beamed into the front seat of my car, it was time to go go go! It was 1:30 PM and I had a 2.5-hour drive left to get to Banff National Park. That would mean I'd get in around 4:00 PM. But I am living dangerously and have no accommodation booked for tonight. So today's adventure will be to arrive at the park and pray that I find a place to sleep tonight. If not then there are 2 options:

1. I sleep in the car

2. I finally am forced to go camping

Banff National Park

I made a super quick stop along the way to just take a photo. The scenery once again changed within minutes, from flat lands to hilly, rocky structures! the photos don't do it justice. Then there was a scene change again, going from farmlands to forest pines and deep green all around.

Once I arrived at the National Park, I purchased a 2-day pass allowing me to stay for a couple of nights. Then the search for accommodation began! I found a cute little Chalet at the Tunnel Mountain Resort. Now that the stress of finding a place to stay had been removed, I decided to get back on the trails and search for some hidden spots. Maybe I'll even see some wildlife.

Back in the car, I was headed to cruise around Minnewanka Lake, Johnson Lake and Norquay Lookout. It was all beautiful, but (don't come after me!) I think I prefer the random hidden trails along the highway. There, it's the thrill of being all alone, not knowing what you will find, and the hidden gems you find that no one else but the locals know about. This is nothing like that.

Banff National Park feels a bit like Disney World. Everything is perfectly mapped out for you. Go there, stand here, eat there, sleep here, do this and don't do that. It feels very commercialized and touristy. That being said, there is a reason why. The scenery here is spectacular, and it makes sense why droves of people come out here to enjoy some incredible nature. Though it is very crowded with lots of people and cars, I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer scale of the mountains and the clarity of the water. It is nature at its very finest.

LAKE JOHNSON

I arrived at Lake Johnson, another stunning spot. I learned that this previously had been a river feeding into the actual Lake Johnson, but now is just part of the lake itself.

I was speaking to a group of 4 young girls, Morgan, Nyah, Jordyn, and Tatiana, when all of a sudden a waterspout tornado made landfall. It came up onto the beach, taking the girls' towels and clothing where it had been lying on the floor, and scattered it all around the campsite. I ran to help them collect their things, and they were happy to be on the blog to tell their story of their tornado run-in.

TWO JACK LAKE

Next up was Two Jack Lake. This spot was beyond beautiful. The lake was crystal clear and glowing the brightest blue in the sunshine.

They even had a pair of bright red chairs for me to have a seat and lounge as I enjoyed the view. So I had a seat and ate some tasty blueberries.

While I was hanging around, I met Justin from Edmonton and his gorgeous dog, an Australian Shepherd-Bernese mix. Darwin, the dog, is super intelligent and such a good pup! Also, what a great name for a dog. I love when dogs have people's names.

LAKE MINNEWANKA

I couldn't get enough of the stunning scenery here. And the next stop, Lake Minnewanka, also did not disappoint. I don't know how many times I can say "absolutely beautiful!" but so far everywhere I turn that's all I could keep thinking.

Have you ever seen a lake so blue??

NORQUAY LOOKOUT

The final stop of the day was Norquay Lookout. On the drive up, I saw some l bighorn sheep.

They were right on the road! It seemed like someone had left some food out for them or something because they were munching away at something on the ground. Hope they stay safe!

At the lookout, I was again having some doubts about my arm length and their ability to get a good shot of me and the view. Luckily I made some friends. The 2 young travellers, Lucas from Brazil and Seika from Japan seemed very much in love.

The couple told me they had met at school in Toronto. Apparently, Lucas had never travelled anywhere in the world, until this trip. So far they have been to Vancouver, Calgary and from there rented a car to do a road trip to Banff. They seem like a very sweet couple and I wish them all the best. And a huge thank you to them for taking a photo of me with the full Norquay Lookout!

I also saw the largest crow I'd ever seen! We were in complete awe. His beak was huge like an eagle's. Now the fight between the crow and the eagle I saw earlier made more sense, this guy could definitely give an eagle a run for his money.

The Great Milk Shortage

I was on my way back to the hotel, but it was already 7:30 PM. I was in need of a coffee, but I was out of milk. There were no stores or small shops nearby, only in Banff city, which would be a 45-minute journey there and back. No way I was going there and back just for milk. So what was a coffee-loving guy to do?

I asked at the office if there was any place to get milk other than in the city of Banff. If there is a will there is a way! Cue James, the bartender at the Buffalo Mountain Lodge, an accommodation close to mine. He completely saved the day! He gave me some milk to hold me off until tomorrow morning. Thanks, James! You were the hero of the night.

Back in my room, I was now fueled up and able to write today's blog entry. Tonight's lodgings were extra nice and I was enjoying my room.

I'm off to sleep now.

See you all in the morning!

-Shlomo

Today there were soooo many stunning photos that could not all be squeezed into this blog post. So check out the photo gallery for more jaw-dropping views of Banff National Park.