Travels in Canada – part eleven – Canmore

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 3 Comments

After our first week spent in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, we settled into a condo in Canmore (via homeaway.com) for week two. Canmore is a treasure of a town. Our location was perfect, including a fabulous wine shop just a few steps from our elevator and an easy walk to shopping, restaurants and pubs in the downtown area and a panoramic view of the Three Sisters Mountains.

DSCN1504 (2) — Painted on the side of a building

“Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately 81 kilometres (50 mi) west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta’s Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 to the north and east. With a population of 12,288 in 2011, Canmore is the ninth-largest town in Alberta.” source Wikipedia

DSCN1496 — The Three Sisters are a trio of peaks near Canmore, Alberta, Canada. They are known individually as Big Sister (Faith), Middle Sister (Charity) and Little Sister (Hope)

Situated along the Bow River and surrounded by the Three Sisters Mountain range, you are always surrounded by beauty. Canmore has a clean, fresh look to it with stylish architecture and flowers at every turn. We found the dining options to be fantastic – a foodie lovers dream (my first meal with a Confit Duck Poutine, OMG right?)

“Canmore’s economic future seemed dismal until the announcement in the early 1980s that Calgary would be hosting the 1988 Winter Olympics, and that Canmore would play host to the Nordic events. This resulted in an increase in tourism, and Canmore began to develop into the recreational tourist destination it is today.” source Wikipedia

Canmore’s scenery has also drawn the movie industry, a fact we learned while staying there. The following movies (several of our favorites) were filmed in Canmore:

Nikki, Wild Dog of the North (1961)
Naked Flame (1964)
Brother of the Wind (1973)
Death Hunt (1981)
High Country, The (1981)
Kelly (1981)
Harry Tracy, Desperado (1982)
Stone Fox (1987)
Nightbreed (1990)
Bekhudi (1992)
Last of the Dogmen (1995)
Edge, The (1997)
Wild America (1997)
I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1998)
HeartBeat: Changing Places (1998)
Mystery, Alaska (1999)
John Q (2002)
Snow Dogs (2002)
RV (2006)
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The (2007)
The Right Kind of Wrong (2013)
Canmore: 72 Hours in a State of Emergency (2013 Documentary)
Interstellar (2014)

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This post brings to a close my Travels in Canada series, I hope you’ve enjoyed it. God willing, Spence and I return to this stunningly beautiful part of the world.

Travels in Canada – part eight – Banff

November 30, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 6 Comments

Banff is a charming town in Alberta Canada, surrounded by breath-taking mountainous vistas at every turn. The people are friendly, the town is easy to walk, filled with a variety of fun restaurants, pubs and shops plus every possible outdoor activity you could want.

We stayed at a B&B near this cross street

Stopped off at Wild Bill’s for a cold adult beverage and were seated in this window with a great view of Banff’s downtown

Happy to be in Banff, enjoying an ice cold stout

This gentleman was playing on the street for tips

First of all, great Greek food. Secondly, how can you not go into a place featuring a Dancing Sasquatch? Which come to think of it, we did not see….

Located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, St. James Gate, established in 1996, was built and manufactured in Dublin, Ireland.

No idea what type of bird this is but saw he and his friends all over Banff

Another view of the Fairmont Banff Springs

Banff is surrounded by views such as this

Travels in Canada – part seven – Cascade Gardens in Banff

November 28, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 5 Comments

For anyone who follows this blog, you know how much I adore gardening. When Spence and I heard about the lovely Cascade Gardens in Banff, we had to check it out.

Canadians love to garden and this place proved that in spectacular fashion. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Travels in Canada – part six – The Banff Hoodoos

November 16, 2015November 18, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 3 Comments

Banff is a gorgeous spot to visit. Surrounded by mountains, the air is pure and the people are friendly. There are great restaurants, gardens, Banff National Park and every type of activity embracing the outdoors.

One of the recommendations we were given by locals was to drive up Tunnel Mountain to the Hoodoos, which we did.

Hoodoos are composed sedimentary rock covered by harder rock that is harder to erode. Once softer sediment erodes rock needle, or tower like natural obstacles are left. The Hoodoos are awesome to see as are the views from this elevation.

Keep watching for more on my Travels in Canada….more to come on Banff, Jasper, Canmore featuring the beauty of Alberta.

Travels in Canada – Lake Louise & Moraine Lake – part five

November 13, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Thus far in my series “Travels in Canada”, I’ve posted photos that might beg the question “are these for real?”

The color of the water in this part of Alberta Canada, is a breathtaking mix of turquoise, teal, aqua, blue-green dependent on the depth, sun and clouds. The brilliance of these lakes is also explained by “rock flour”.

“The impressive colour comes from silt-like rock flour continually being carried into the lake by melt-water from the surrounding glaciers. The tiny and uniform particles become suspended in the water, refracting blue and green wavelengths of light.”

Suffice it to say, the pictures are for real. While standing on the shores, it defies description.

Travels in Canada – Moraine Lake – part four

November 12, 2015November 13, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 13 Comments

Moraine Lake is a glacially fed lake in Banff National Park, 14 kilometres outside the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 6,183 feet. source: Wikipedia
Spence and I learned of this locale by accident. We’d mentioned we were headed to Lake Louise and were told we must visit nearby Moraine Lake. This recommendation came from locals which we believe is the best source when travelling.

A bit more rugged than Lake Louise, Moraine Lake is equally lovely with trails to enjoy and photo opportunities at every turn. It is hard to imagine a place like this until you see it.

Travels in Canada – Lake Louise, Alberta – part one

November 7, 2015November 8, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 9 Comments

Spence and I adore traveling. Before my retirement, my dear Canadian friend (and co-worker) Jess and I were discussing vacation spots. We started talking about Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Canmore and before you knew it, I was planning our trip. As much as we’ve traveled, we’d never been to this magnificent part of Canada. If it isn’t on your bucket list, it should be. Traveling there in September, the weather was perfection as you can see. I’ll be recounting this amazing trip over the next few weeks in my new series, Travels in Canada. I hope you’ll follow along…