We left Bristish Columbia and Vancouver behind and caught an early flight to Calgary, Alberta. From Calgary we drove to the quaint little town of Banff, nestled in the Canadian Rockies. Ryan and John had their first experience driving on the right side of the road. The only confusing thing was the 4 way stop signs that they have at almost every intersection in Banff. We never knew who actually had right of way. The views whilst driving around the Banff National Park are pretty surreal. The roads are lined with snow and endless views of snow tipped mountains.
John driving on the right side of the road from Calgary to Banff
Once we were settled in at the hostel, we headed up to the Banff Gondola. We took a further 1km hike up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain (2281m) where we were treated to spectacular views of the Rockies. Whilst taking in the views, we also experienced our lowest temperature of the trip. -16C plus a wind chill. It's always cold in Banff in winter no matter what time of day it is. I'm not sure how people live in this climate. On the same day back home in Melbourne it was 43C. Later on that night we went out for burgers and beers and caught up with Flinders and Em, two of John's mates from Canberra who are also snowboarding in the area.
At the top of Sulphur Mountain (Banff Gondala)
On Day 2 in Banff, we set off to Lake Louise for our first day snowboarding in the Canadian Rockies, minus Ryan who was in bed with food poisoning. Feeling rested up with two days off after Whistler, I was pretty excited to get up to the mountain. It hasn't really snowed in the area since before Christmas so there wasn't a huge snow cover on the mountain and it was pretty icy to board on. Even though the snow wasn't great, the views definitely made up for it.
Snowboarding at Lake Louise
Views of Canadian Rockies at Lake Louise
On Day 2 we headed to Sunshine Village, another ski mountain in the area. It was snowing when we arrived, and didn't stop all day. It took us 2 hours to get up to the mountain as there was a mechanical fault with the gondola. After an hour of waiting for the gondola to be repaired, and another hour waiting in line, we were finally ready to board. Sunshine didn't disappoint. The runs were covered in fresh snow and we had our first powder day of the trip. Snowboarding in powder is harder and it took me a few runs to get used to. After that day at Sunshine, snowboarding in Australia will never be the same again!
Our last run of the day was one we would rather forget. Whilst coming down a run through the trees, Ryan and John collided. Johns snowboard went across Ryans legs and he ended up with a laceration on each knee. It felt like an eternity waiting for ski patrol in the snow and wind. I have never been so cold in my life. The next few hours were spent in the infirmary, filling out paperwork and watching Ryan get 9 stitches, 6 in the left leg and 3 in the right. The doctor warned us that we would get charged a ridiculous amount to get the stitches taken out in the States and suggested that we should take them out ourselves. Since Rhiannon is the closest to being a trained nurse, the doctor gave her a quick lesson on how to remove stitches and we were on our way. That night, we thawed out in the Banff Hot Spring, which was really just a pool heated to 40C.
Ryan getting stitches at Sunshine
On our last day in Banff, snowboarding was now out of the question so we decided to have a look around the area before heading back to Calgary. When we were leaving Sunshine, we were stopped by the park ranger as they were carrying out avalanche clearing on the main road. To prevent avalanches occurring in the winter months, explosives are fired into the mountain, causing an avalanche. The snow is then cleared from the road. Whilst sitting in the car for 30 minutes, waiting for the road to reopen, we could hear the noise of the explosives. Next we ventured over to Lake Louise to see the lake and Fairmount Chateau. In winter, the lake is frozen and open for visitors to ice skate on. It was snowing pretty heavily, which made it hard to see anything.
Frozen Lake Louise
When we got back into Calgary, I caught up with Jarvis, a mate from Canada that I had meet when we were both on teaching rounds at Melbourne Grammar School. We went to an Irish pub with his roommate Shaun and Shaun's girlfriend Gemma to eat wings, drink steins of beer and watch the American College Football Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama. It was nice to be surrounded by the Canadian company, as for most of the trip, I have really only talked to Aussies.
Beer steins and American football with Jarvis
The next morning we were up at 4.30am for an early flight and a day of traveling to Toronto. On our first and only full day in Toronto, we headed off to explore the city, successfully navigating our first subway system and rode a streetcar (that's a tram for any Melbournians reading this). Jarvis and Shaun suggested the Steam Whistler Brewery tour so that was our first stop. Yep another brewery which meant more beer tasters. I think we have tried almost every Canadian beer by now. We sampled beer that was only 4 minutes old, straight off the production line and heard stories about the origins of the brewery, which was originally a loading bay for old steam trains. They definitely love their beer at the Steam Whistle. Each employee is allowed 3 beers after each shift and can have another 12 bottles to take home for the week. I must admit, by the end of the tour we were feeling a little bit pissed. If you are visiting Toronto, I highly recommend it!
4 minute old beer at the Steam Whistle Brewery, Toronto
That night, we saw our first live NBA game at the Air Canada Centre between Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers. The game seemed to lack the intensity that is usually evident in an NBA game, maybe possibly due to the fact the Sixers were playing their fourth set of back-to-back games, with most of those on the road. It was pretty close most of the game but the Raptors pulled away in the last few minutes and came away with a 90-72 win.
NBA Raptors v 76ers
We used our last day in Canada to road trip to Niagara Falls. Although not as big as I thought they would be, the falls were still very impressive. We went on the Journey behind the Falls which was a walk through a tunnel system to closer look outs and viewpoints that stood behind the falls itself. The town of Niagara Falls was disappointing and not what I imagined it to be. I had envisioned a small, older style town. Instead we were greeted with what looked to be a giant amusement park or a town trying too hard to be like Las Vegas. It was tacky and really took away from the experience and beauty of the falls.
Niagara Falls
Canada you have been amazing and I am sad to be leaving, but am excited to see what the US of A has to offer us. Next stop: New York City!
Things I have learnt about Canada so far...
- In Alberta, cars only have one number plate on the back of their car. No front number plate.
- Canadians love their Starbucks. You don't have to look far for a place to buy coffee.
- Lemonade in Canada is lemon soft drink. If you want a lemonade, you have to order a Sprite.
- Fries come standard with pretty much every meal.
- The Canadian 5c coin is actually bigger than the 10c coin.
- In Canada, two forms of government ID are required to drink at pubs, bats and clubs.
- Quebec is the only provence in Canada who has its only form of government and where French is the sole official language.
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