Canadian Rockies July 29, 2023 report

[Eastridge]

Day 2: Bar U ranch, part 2

After that we walked around to an area with teepees, and then to some of the buildings on the historic site. The itinerary mentioned meeting a blacksmith but we didn't get see that. But we did see many buildings for storing food, cooking and living. These were upscale by frontier standards. But I wouldn't pick this over the Palliser!

 

[Eastridge]

Guide backgrounds

When I introduced our guides, I forgot to mention that they are very experienced in the areas this trip covers. It goes beyond just being from Canada. Lauren lives in Calgary and she previously worked at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Josh previously worked at Lake Louise and while we were there he talked to hotel staff who recognized him. Josh also led hikes in the Lake Louise area. So we were in excellent hands.

 

[Eastridge]

Day 2: Lunch and Eau Claire Distillery (part 1)

The next stop was the Eau Claire Distillery. Anything with "distillery" in the title is something to look forward to. But first we had a casual lunch outdoors. I had a bison burger. It was pretty chewy.



Ok, where is the booze? We were taken into a building with the following sign. This didn't sound promising.



Once we entered, we were back in the 1920s. A woman appeared on a monitor and congratulated us for supporting the cause to ban booze, which led to Prohibition. But eventually the government decided it wanted the tax revenues instead. And the woman was livid that not only is alcohol now legal, so are other things...

She is NOT happy that people are drinking alcohol...​

Then our guide gave the correct secret signs and some of the doors magically opened, allowing entry into a speakeasy...



To be continued...

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

So glad you are doing a detailed trip report of this ABD. I've always been intrigued by this trip, although for some reason I thought it was one of the more active adventures. I'd prefer something more active so that might keep me away from this itinerary. But sounds like the trip is off to a fun start.

 

[sayhello]

Miss Ruby also talked a bit about her history. She's been in movies. And as a girl she was treated poorly by Canadian schools, which I infer were trying to stamp out indigenous culture. Things seem very different today. Virtually every business in Canada had a statement to the effect of "We acknowledge that our business is on land that was originally of the following tribes..." I don't know if that is a legal requirement or a cultural thing.

Yep, Canada's treatment of their indigenous people is quite a scandal, on par with our treatments of the Native Hawaiians and Native Americans. It's not something they're proud of, but they are making amends.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada...es-indigenous-children-60-minutes-2022-06-05/

That whole speakeasy thing looks like a hoot!

So glad you are doing a detailed trip report of this ABD. I've always been intrigued by this trip, although for some reason I thought it was one of the more active adventures. I'd prefer something more active so that might keep me away from this itinerary. But sounds like the trip is off to a fun start.

I think the original version of this trip was more active, back when it started in Glacier National Park in Montana and then worked its way up to Banff. It had white water rafting and canoeing and boating.

Sayhello

 

[ronandannette]

Day 2: On the Range, blessing from indigenous elder



...Miss Ruby also talked a bit about her history. She's been in movies. And as a girl she was treated poorly by Canadian schools, which I infer were trying to stamp out indigenous culture. Things seem very different today. Virtually every business in Canada had a statement to the effect of "We acknowledge that our business is on land that was originally of the following tribes..." I don't know if that is a legal requirement or a cultural thing.

Not a legal requirement but a sincere and solemn effort on the part of all modern-day Canadians to redress the very weighty historic injustice that mars our past as distinctly as does the practice of slavery in yours. And in that spirit, they are never, ever referred to as tribes, but instead as First Nations. Most of what you heard/read would have been along the lines of acknowledging this area (all of southern Alberta) as being hosted on the traditional territories of the Treaty 7 Nations of Siksika, Tsuu T'ina, and Stoney.

Guide backgrounds

When I introduced our guides, I forgot to mention that they are very experienced in the areas this trip covers. It goes beyond just being from Canada. Lauren lives in Calgary and she previously worked at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Josh previously worked at Lake Louise and while we were there he talked to hotel staff who recognized him. Josh also led hikes in the Lake Louise area. So we were in excellent hands.

The first thing I thought of, when you mentioned these two would probably be working on the Nova Scotia tour as well, is that it would be quite unlikely. I'm sure ABD will hire hospitality industry professionals with local expertise there, to provide the same high-quality experience.

 

[Eastridge]

Day 2: Eau Claire Distillery (part 2)

Upon entering the speakeasy there were tables with samples of drinks set up for everyone. There was a video screen where they described the history of the distillery. Rather than just ship the barley to Scotland so it could be made into whisky there, they decided to start making spirits locally.

Mickey is almost 100 years old. He can drink.​

Mickey had too much to drink​

Toward the end, the speaker on the screen fled with the sound of arriving police, only to return shortly later announcing that "hey, Prohibition ended 90 years ago!" And then we were herded into the gift shop.

Overall this was a good experience. Not just because of the alcohol, but the overall atmosphere and presentation.

 

[Eastridge]

Day 2: Junior adventure nature walk activity

Um, so while we were at the speakeasy, where did the kids and non drinkers go?

Lauren took them onto the bus, which drove somewhere else where another local guide talked to them about foraging for berries and other food. Then the kids played a game to test what they learned. I think this involved some kids playing animals that gathered food while others played predators. Apparently they had fun.

 

[Eastridge]

And in that spirit, they are never, ever referred to as tribes, but instead as First Nations.

Thanks for the correction. No disrespect was intended.

 

[lawboy2001]

Thanks for your work on this trip report!

I’m looking forward to the rest. Our family loves getting to Banff, Lake Louise.

A question for you if YOU are following this thread: were there any Canadian adventurers on your tour?

 

[ronandannette]

Thanks for the correction. No disrespect was intended.

Oh my, I didn’t intend for it to come off that way. It was good of you to mention the topic in your TR and for others to comment. It is a significant matter here but not something visitors would necessarily be in tune with. I trust everyone you encountered made you feel welcome, regardless of their backgrounds.

 

[Eastridge]

A question for you if YOU are following this thread: were there any Canadian adventurers on your tour?

In our group for the Canadian Rockies, there were two people from the UK and the rest of us were from the US.

I believe I did meet some Canadian guests on my So. California short escape ABD, but I'm not sure.

 

[Eastridge]

Day 2: Calgary Farmers Market

After the speakeasy and nature walk, the bus took us to the final event of the day: a scavenger hunt at the Calgary Farmers Market.



This is a big warehouse sized building with many stalls inside. Some were food stalls, which covered a wider variety of cuisines than I would have expected. For example, there is a Korean hot dog stand... Then there were vendors specializing in particular items, such as produce, honey, beef, cheese, chocolates, etc.





And booze...



This is a nice, upscale market, with prices to match. It's interesting to walk around and see the high quality foodstuffs available. It reminded me a bit of the Ferry Building in San Francisco. But this place had a service I haven't seen elsewhere: Husband daycare.



The activity was a scavenger hunt. Each family group was given a list of things to search for, based on the signature foods of Alberta. We had to walk up to vendors and ask if they were participating. When we found one, they provided samples, such as teriyaki bison. Nora set up at one table for the canola oil samples. When you found all the items, you learned the secret word and got a prize.

 

[Eastridge]

Day 2: Dinner on your own and downtown Calgary

The bus brought us back to the Palliser around 5:30pm. Dinner was on our own. We went to an upscale Italian restaurant called Teatro, a few blocks from the hotel. I was happy with the food and would recommend it.

After that we went to a grocery store. This was a couple of blocks north and east of the hotel. Once we got past Teatro, there were significant numbers of homeless and we started seeing security around the businesses. The grocery store had a guard at the entrance, and inside the store there was also security roaming the aisles. We had no problems, but I'm mentioning this to suggest being aware and alert if you choose to go in this part of Calgary.

The grocery store had some flavors of potato chips that were new to me. The guides introduced us to various Canadian snacks throughout the trip and ketchup chips was one of them.

 

[Eastridge]

Day 3: Peaks and Valleys

On this day, we left Calgary and headed towards Banff. Luggage was collected at 6:30am and we met in the lobby at 8:20am.

Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics and we drove by the site on the way west towards Banff. It's also close to the Farmers Market. This is a photo of the ski jumps:



So after we passed the site of the Olympics, Josh marked that occasion. Although I don't think he is old enough to remember those Olympic games...



Up to this point, this trip could be called "A Salute to All Nations, but mostly Canada."





The guides tested our knowledge about them and Canada:



Day 2 was fun, but now the trip starts going to the sites that made us choose this trip, in the Canadian Rockies. We started seeing sights like this:



On the ABD New Zealand trip while we were driving to Queenstown, I was thinking that the scenery was so gorgeous that you should listen to the Soarin' Over California theme while viewing it. Well, Lauren and Josh actually did that, piping the theme through the bus' speakers when we reached the start of the Canadian Rockies.

The first stop was in a small town called Canmore.

 

[Eastridge]

Day 3: Float trip on the Bow River

The bus dropped us off in Canmore and we walked through town to get to the where the rafts were. It was about a 15 minute walk.



We walked over a bridge crossing the Bow River to reach the rafts (which you can see in the distance on the far side of the river):



Then we boarded the rafts and started down the river:





This was the start of an exciting class 3 whitewater rafting trip! Oh, just kidding. This was a float trip. The river was almost completely flat. The rafting company said nobody had ever fallen off a raft in all the years they had been doing float tours. You could just relax, drink in the scenery and enjoy the peaceful experience.

The Three Sisters​

When the trip ended, the bus was there to meet us and return us to Canmore.

 

[sayhello]

Dill Pickle was one of the crazy chip flavors someone found in Rotorua. I really liked them! Never tried Ketchup flavored. And I *love* the "loaf of bread" sign!

There's something to be said for a leisurely float trip!

Sayhello

 

[aggiedog]

I'm fascinated by random potato chip flavors. We were in Ireland and saw Haggis, Whiskey & BBQ, Hoisin Chicken. Greece had Oregano, and Hungary had Paprika, Mushroom.

Great pictures!

 

[Eastridge]

Day 3: On your own time in Canmore

We had around two hours on our own for lunch and to explore Canmore. Canmore has a good selection of restaurants, specialty shops, gift stores, art galleries, etc. All surrounded by the mountains you saw on the float trip. There was certainly enough to do and explore during the time provided. I think there was also a museum if you didn't want to go shopping.

If you continue east past the shops on the central street, you encounter this "Big Head" artwork:



I should also mention a local snack, called "Beavertails." No, it's not made from tails of beavers. I didn't eat one, but it appears to be a fried pastry that is flat and oval shaped, and then you select your toppings.





Since we had plenty of food and snacks, I wasn't looking to eat one of these! And if I passed on a beavertail, then I really wasn't about to try poutine...

 

[Eastridge]

Day 3: Lake Minnewanka

After Canmore, we continued driving towards Banff. Since there we had some extra time, the guides added a stop: Lake Minnewanka.

Yes, I'm not making the name up. And no, it has nothing to do with Disney.

It is a large lake and was enlarged by a dam. Because of the dam, a village is now submerged underneath the lake. People come to scuba dive and explore the submerged village.



Anyway, this was a nice photo stop.