Day 2: Bumming around Banff
Ah, luxury. For the first time in ages, I was not woken by the sound of my Blackberry alarm shrieking at me but instead took my own sweet time to come to. Bliss!! Had a pretty decent night’s sleep – no dreams about franchise optimization or forecast models so hopefully that’s a good sign that I’m leaving behind the stresses of my work life! Getting up, I pulled back the curtains and was greeted by that most glorious of sights – sunshine and clear skies!!!! Obviously my call in to the God of Spontaneous Wildlife Spotting last night also managed to connect with the God of Clear Blue Skies for Decent Photography as it was a beautiful morning! I hadn’t made any definite plans for how to spend the day but the weather made my decision for me, as it was too good an opportunity to waste and almost demanded that I take the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, stat!! So, I took a quick shower, got dressed in some reasonably sensible walking gear, packed the camera and lenses, slung my tripod over my shoulder and headed out for my first morning at large in the Rockies!! By sheer happy happenstance, my hotel The Rimrock Resort, was a 5min walk from the base of the Gondala, so it was perfect!!! Not even I could get lost!! Walking the short walk along the road up to the base, I got my first real taste of being outside and the full spectacle of the mountains and the amazing scenery. I stopped to take some pics (the first use of the rented wide-angle – huzzah!) but even the best picture is a poor facsimile of just how deeply impressive the views are here.
So I got to the gondola place and went inside to get my ticket. Now, its not often – even in New York – that you see a Starbucks staffed by a stuffed grizzly bear. But that’s the joy of being in the Rockies! So I had to stop and pay homage first to the Bear and buy a beary coffee before getting on the gondola. Got my ticket with a minimal wait, then 5mins later I was up, up and away in my own little private gondola, trundling up the mountains with the full panorama unfolding beneath me. I first got a brilliant view of my hotel then, as I climbed higher, the full Bow Valley with the castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs visible in the distance. Simply breathtaking.
After about 7-8mims, I got to the top and hopped off (weirdly, the whole Gondala set-up seems to be staffed by Australians) and walked out onto the wraparound viewing balcony. Holy shit. It was bloody FREEZING!!!! It might appear sunny but bugger me if it wasn’t as cold as hell!! The main bits that suffered were my poor hands which instantly froze cos I’d forgotten my gloves – matters really weren’t helped by my lugging around my photo tripod – the carbon fibre legs instantly sucked all warmth out of my fingers! So, I wandered around for about 20mins, taking pics whilst watching for frostbite, before deciding that enough was enough and heading inside, to the sanctuary of the restaurant and a very welcome cup of black coffee. Here’s where the first Sarah Clumsiness Index seemed to make a triumphant return after a long absence, as I managed to walk into the door, drop my coffee cup and twat myself in the mouth with my tripod all in one easy, fluid motion. I blame a complete lack of co-ordination brought on by partial deep freezing of my prefrontal motor cortex – my body was just an innocent by-stander. I think the Japanese tourist behind me was probably just as shocked as me – I dazedly scuttled off to the café to recover both sensation and dignity. 30mins, a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll later, I was feeling much better – also credited to the restorative effect of gazing out at the mountains and thinking mildly esoteric existential thoughts for probably longer than is healthy. So, enough of that bollocks and time to head back down the mountain. As the gondola car pulled into the base station, I realized just how fortuitous my decision to come early had been – where just a hour and a half earlier, I’d waltzed in to the station, bought my ticket and hopped on within 10mins, now there was an ENORMOUS queue that snaked out of the station and wound all the way round the back, so WOOHOO-HOOOO for avoiding that one!! I reckon it was probably at least a 40min wait – and it still really wasn’t all that warm, so it would have been a right pain in the arse! The car park was also stuffed full so I felt suitably smug as I walked the short walk back to the hotel, thinking “YEAH! Been there, done THAT already!!”.
So, back in the hotel, I made a couple of calls to confirm my trips over the next couple of days (tomorrow’s adventure is a horse ride through the Valley), dump my digitally-challenging tripod and catch the complimentary bus into town. I had a good wander round town, with the obligatory stops in the gift shops, before settling in to the Elk and Oarsman pub for lunch, which consisted of a pint (or two) of perfectly chilled cider and a plate of beer battered haddock and chips. Only felt a mild twinge of guilt (sorry, Lacey!) as I’ve made an agreement with myself that I’ll be spending this evening in the gym burning it all off again! Which is where I’m at right now as I write this. I’m off next to go and find the free internet café, perhaps a coffee or the chocolate shop. Toying with the idea of buying some gloves, but I can’t quite bring myself to spend $40 on a pair that I already have at home!! So my hiking socks might just find themselves employed for another use tomorrow on my ride….. After finishing my shopping (have to get a mug for Mum), then I think I’ll head back to the hotel for a quick snooze (ah – such luxury) before heading down to the fitness centre and spa before dinner this evening. So far, so good!!