Today was a long, full, good day.

We left Cochrane for Banff at 7:30 to get there in time for a 9:00 meeting during which Calvin and I walked up and down the main street, then took refuge from the rain in an indoor shopping centre and went up and down the escalators. The only shops open before 10:00 are the souvenir shops, which happen to be every other store, so our walk wasn’t much entertainment.

After another meeting, we went to check in to the hotel then found some yummy lunch. One more meeting, then we were off to do some sightseeing!

The first thing we did was a narrative boat tour of the Minnewanka Lake. This lake is super long and skinny, so basically they dive you up then back down, telling you about the local wildlife and the forests along the way. Did you know that the lake rose 10 feet during the two days of rain that caused all the flooding?!

From there we went to the gondola. The weather wasn’t perfect for it, but it was fun none the less. The scenery is gorgeous, with it without clouds and the gondola is just plain fun anyway.

We were going to have supper at the top, but apparently they close down quite early. We ended up treating ourselves at the Keg. We got there at 8, making it the latest I have ever eaten dinner in my memorable past. Calvin did super well, considering the only nap he had was about an hour in the car and he was confined to the stroller more than he was able to run around today. But we finally got back to the hotel and he is is fast asleep, only 2 hours later than usual!

Tomorrow we will go to Lake Louise then head back to Edmonton. Maybe not quite as full of a day, but possibly just as long. Then we have a weekend to recuperate and get things done at the house!