We started the morning bright and early at 7:00 and headed to Canmore, surrounded by an ever-growing wall of mountains as we drove. Our first stop was the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies. What a beautiful church, filled with incredible artwork, mostly reproductions of Dali, Rembrandt,Velázquez, and others. I haven’t been to Mass in quite a while, but it was a wonderful experience. When we came out of the church, it was snowing! Nothing was sticking, but still, snow! In October!
From there, we continued through the mountains on our way to downtown Canmore. Pam drove me around some of the neighborhoods, and wow, the views were unreal. I can only imagine what these homeowners pay for the privilege of waking up to the Canmore and Banff mountain ranges 365 days a year.
We then walked around downtown Canmore, exploring the fun little shops and some excellent art galleries. I ended up buying a piece called Winter Moraine from the Ken Hoen Gallery. Ken himself was there, and I got to chat with him for a bit, a really great experience. I love the painting, and I know it will always remind me of Banff National Park and this unforgettable day.
Lunch was at The Wood, and it was fantastic. I had a hot sirloin steak salad, and Pam ordered a sirloin steak sandwich with a side salad, basically the same meal, but both delicious.
After lunch, we drove into Banff National Park. The scenery was incredible. We stopped at the Bow River, where part of the river was frozen solid. I actually stood on the ice for a bit, but I wasn’t brave (or foolish) enough to test my luck going any farther. 😎 We got some great shots of the Bow Falls and the river, and then, out of nowhere, it started hailing. The sun was shining, but it was hailing. Welcome to mountain weather!
Just as we were about to leave, we noticed something moving across the river. At first, we thought they were kayakers, but nope, it was a herd of caribou crossing the water! I jumped out of the car, grabbed my camera, and started snapping pictures. I got back in the car and Pam quickly drove off to see where they’d come out near the golf course. We spotted a few stragglers first, then more appeared, and suddenly, the entire herd was right there! A massive male with enormous antlers stood proudly in the middle. It was incredible. Honestly, it was every bit as exciting as seeing that friggin bear m in the last trip!
To top off an already unbelievable day, we went up the Banff Gondola. At 7,486 feet high, the views were beyond spectacular. You could see mountain ranges stretching forever in every direction. It was freezing up there, but totally worth it.
This whole day was pure magic, mountains, snow, hail, caribou, and jaw-dropping views. It’s one I’ll never forget.
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