My sister works full time just a few minutes down the road from her house but she was able to get several days off to spend with me. On her last day off, we decided to take a drive to the British Colombia border and spend time in the little town of Field British Columbia.
Along the way, we stopped in Canmore Alberta to admire the stunning mountain town known for its beautiful alpine architecture and stunning scenery.
Next, it was on to Banff Alberta. I wanted to stop there because I enjoyed wandering around the little mountain town the last time I visited. My sister gave me a weird look when I suggested we go there. "Why would you want to go there? It's overrun with tourists. trust me, it's nothing like you remember it !" I shrugged off her comment and said I still wanted to go and check out some cafes and shops. I was there five minutes and begged her to leave. While it's still a beautiful mountain town, it's no longer a place I wish to spend any time in. The older I get, the less I like crowds and the more I want to be away from as many people as possible. In Banff, there are people and cars everywhere!
Since we were in the area, I asked my sister is we could check out Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. Once again, I got the same strange look but she agreed to check them out. We arrived at the road to Lake Louise to learn that you can no longer drive up to the lake and the only way to get there is to get a shuttle from a parking lot where the fee to park is 35 dollars. I said "no thanks" and we hightailed it out of the area and back onto the Trans Canada Highway towards B.C. I had already experienced Lake Louise and Moraine Lake the last time I was in Alberta so there was really no need to see it again. Besides, the lakes of Kananaskis Country are just as beautiful but without the crowds.
A little ways up the highway near the border between Alberta and British Columbia we stopped at what looked like a rest stop. We got out to stretch our legs and take in some of the pretty scenery and noticed that it was actually a historical site called Spiral Tunnels dedicated to the history of the train tunnels that dotted the side of the nearby mountains. As luck would have it, a train happened to be passing by and we were able to witness it passing through one of these distant tunnels as if it were driving right into the mountain!
Upon arrival in Field, we planned to hike to nearby Takakkaw Falls British Columbia
which is the second tallest waterfall in Canada. I was looking forward to the short hike to this beautiful natural wonder but we arrived to discover that the road leading to the trail to the falls was closed until June 15th.
I was just a little over a week too early.
We decided that since we drove that far, we would make the most out of it and see what we could of the area. We parked the car on a dead end street and began walking when I noticed that a small crowd of people gathered on the grass and taking pictures of something in a backyard. I scanned the area and stopped on a small black mass. It was moving but it wasn't until a passerby said "did you see the little bear? Mother is over there behind the tree." A mother bear and her cub were feeding so close to people seemingly unbothered by the paparazzi that gathered to admire them. Even if this was all I got to see that day, that long drive would have been worth it!
We drove around the area randomly and happened upon a little park at the end of a road. The sign indicated that it was an area where two different colors of freshwater converged. Seemed interesting enough to check out so we climbed down a little embankment to the riverbank and witnessed more stunning scenery. Of course, this area of the country has no shortage of such views but it's always nice to accidentally find these hidden places where there are no crowds.
On the way back to Kananaskis, we stopped in Lake Louise to eat at the Station Restaurant. My sister ate there years before and said it was good and sometimes the trains pass by while you're eating. No trains passed during our meal but the food was very good and the atmosphere was peaceful unlike many of the other restaurants in the area.
We arrived home quite late and sat outside watching the forest for wildlife. The squirrels and birds were busy and a deer passed by in the distance. That night I noticed something peculiar that I hadn't noticed the previous night; the sky stays bright very late in Alberta. At 10:00, it was still light out! Now that was something that took some getting used to!
