Day 263: Banff
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Thursday April 28th
This morning I was insistent on finally hiring a mountain bike and going for a ride. I left the others at the hotel at about 10:30 and walked into the village to the bike hire store. The lady there gave me a trail map and recommended a few good rides, so I put on my helmet, hopped on the bike, and started riding.
Riding a bike on the road was a good headstart for driving in Canada, as it got me familiar with driving on the right hand side of the road. I didn't stay too long in town though, heading out to Vermillion Lakes as had been recommended to me. The trails weren't in any condition to ride on, being still covered in snow, so I kept on the (empty) road for the 5.7km ride out. It was beautiful - icy lakes against a back-drop of snow-capped mountains.
Next, I decided to ride to the other side of town and over the bridge, first turning right and riding past the museum, which was constructed from sharpened logs. I started to head towards the hot springs when it was started snowing. These weren't the normal snowflakes which fell delicately like works of art; this was more like being pelted with heavy bean-bag balls! It was almost painful to be riding around in the snow, but after taking refuge in a tunnel for awhile I decided to continue on - hey, it's another experience, right?
This time I headed down to the Bow Falls, a small waterfall and rapids system with an outlook of the Fairmont Banff Springs. I must have looked so idiotic to all the tourists who had pulled up in their fancy cars, chauffered from the Fairmont to take a snap from the warmth of their car. I was dirty and saturated, riding a bike out in a snowstorm in a jumper and thermals, taking photos of the waterfalls. Stupid Australian!!
After a couple of hours riding, I returned the bike and spent an hour shopping in town. A few people commented on my attire - "Have you been riding a bike?", I was asked. I purchased a new travel towel (a luxurious material that I hadn't found in Australia) and a few souvenir items, including a Canadian Rockies snowdome and an inukshuk pendant (inukshuks are believed to keep you safe on your travels - something I need!). On my way to get some lunch, I ran into the others so we grabbed some Subway for lunch before returning to the hotel.
The others decided to go to the hot springs, but not being a water baby I stayed and watched The Social Network on my laptop instead, and caught up on my blogs. Once they'd returned and showered, we headed out to Boston Pizza for dinner and to watch the Canucks match. I headed home after the second period of the hockey, as I needed to get some sleep before my 2:30am wake-up call to watch the royal wedding. The others continued on for a few hours, and then the boys continued on even longer at the nearby hostel, coming in shortly before I woke up the next morning.
This morning I was insistent on finally hiring a mountain bike and going for a ride. I left the others at the hotel at about 10:30 and walked into the village to the bike hire store. The lady there gave me a trail map and recommended a few good rides, so I put on my helmet, hopped on the bike, and started riding.
Riding a bike on the road was a good headstart for driving in Canada, as it got me familiar with driving on the right hand side of the road. I didn't stay too long in town though, heading out to Vermillion Lakes as had been recommended to me. The trails weren't in any condition to ride on, being still covered in snow, so I kept on the (empty) road for the 5.7km ride out. It was beautiful - icy lakes against a back-drop of snow-capped mountains.
Next, I decided to ride to the other side of town and over the bridge, first turning right and riding past the museum, which was constructed from sharpened logs. I started to head towards the hot springs when it was started snowing. These weren't the normal snowflakes which fell delicately like works of art; this was more like being pelted with heavy bean-bag balls! It was almost painful to be riding around in the snow, but after taking refuge in a tunnel for awhile I decided to continue on - hey, it's another experience, right?
This time I headed down to the Bow Falls, a small waterfall and rapids system with an outlook of the Fairmont Banff Springs. I must have looked so idiotic to all the tourists who had pulled up in their fancy cars, chauffered from the Fairmont to take a snap from the warmth of their car. I was dirty and saturated, riding a bike out in a snowstorm in a jumper and thermals, taking photos of the waterfalls. Stupid Australian!!
After a couple of hours riding, I returned the bike and spent an hour shopping in town. A few people commented on my attire - "Have you been riding a bike?", I was asked. I purchased a new travel towel (a luxurious material that I hadn't found in Australia) and a few souvenir items, including a Canadian Rockies snowdome and an inukshuk pendant (inukshuks are believed to keep you safe on your travels - something I need!). On my way to get some lunch, I ran into the others so we grabbed some Subway for lunch before returning to the hotel.
The others decided to go to the hot springs, but not being a water baby I stayed and watched The Social Network on my laptop instead, and caught up on my blogs. Once they'd returned and showered, we headed out to Boston Pizza for dinner and to watch the Canucks match. I headed home after the second period of the hockey, as I needed to get some sleep before my 2:30am wake-up call to watch the royal wedding. The others continued on for a few hours, and then the boys continued on even longer at the nearby hostel, coming in shortly before I woke up the next morning.
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