The plan for the next few days was to take it easy and try to relax a little before we put Frank and Helen on the Rocky Mountaineer to finish their Canadian adventure and then on to Europe. We were all tired but powered on and enjoyed our time together.
A vist to Banff for the day and we showed the family around spots we had been. The Hot Springs, The gondola, "Hogwarts" and the main street. One of our favourite places was the look out near Nordegg ski hill where Paddy's gopher friends lived. We took a few beers and watched the world go by - very relaxing!
The next morning we wandered the streets of Canmore and sent home a parcel of fabric from the Quilt store there before Greg and Frank even knew we had brought it. We hadn't visited Morraine Lake yet so today was the day. Armed with plenty of repellant and our walking shoes we hiked around the edge of one of the most gorgeous lakes in the world. You could see the glaciers from certain vantage points around the walking track and imagine them melting and producing the most stunning blue of the lake below. Again lots of pictures taken and still amazed at be on the look out for bears signs. A quick snack shared with a friendly squirrel and we were on our way gain - this time to Lake Louise.
Greg and the boys were desperate to hire a canoe and paddle on the lake. Frank and Helen joined them and it was cute to see them trying to race each other across the lake. My broken arm which was still mending was not up to the paddling so Dad and I decided we would hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse. It said 3.2km which we thought was a reasonable distance. Holy cow the climb was hard. The incline was steep and I forgot how old Dad was - or perhaps I aged him 20 years taking him on that hike. It took us nearly 2 hours to get to the teahouse and there were parts where I thought I'm going to have to carry my Dad back down if he slips into a diabetic coma. Well we made it and it was definately worth the sore muscles we were bound to have in the morning. The views were stunning and we were in awe of the world. The Fairmont Lake Louise which stands so majestically at the edge of the Lake looked like a little speck from the steep mountain we were looking from. A 30 minute downhill trek and back to the van.
At this stage we thought we'd be late for a show that we had booked in Canmore so we were in a bit of a hurry to get out of the car park. Gereg let a big truck pull its trailer up to the car park when all of a sudden the big truck and its massive trailer stopped - and so did everyone else. The truck has blown its transmission and was blocking all of the traffic. You can imagine how furious Greg was. Ha ha funny now but finally someone with a vehicle able to tow that truck and trailer up the hill came along and moved it. Also funny was how all the tourists to Lake Louise that day cheered when it was moved.
Back in Canmore we enjoyed the stage show "Oh Canada, Eh!" a dinner and show which was awesome. Everyone enjoyed this one which had something for all age groups. Our final night with Frank and Helen was a special one.
Tears the next morning when they had to leave early to board the train but what a wonderful experience our kids were able to share with their grandparents. Memories I am sure they will remember for a lifetime.
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