Golden Times

Little Pleasures

A few months ago, I had a catch-up call with our friends Clive and Alex back home. At the time they were in the midst of planning their civil partnership and honeymoon plans. As fate would have it, they had plans to come to Canada around the same time we would be there. Fast forward a few months and they are now happily partnershipped and are on their way to meet us in the town of Banff!

Alex and I have had an early start (taking a 7am bus from Calgary) so we’re on the hunt for breakfast. I spot a menu that contains “breakfast poutine” and we’re through the door before you can say Banff. We enjoy a hearty breakfast and lots of coffee and before long Clive and Alex walk in to join us for some extra caffeine.

Following brekky, we head across the small town of Banff to visit a local market. We are drawn in by a cider stall, and after a tasting session we figure why not, and buy a few cans to take away. A drink we have not had for a long time, and on this sunny Summer day, it’s impossible to resist.

After we’ve seen a few streets of Banff, we hop in the hire car and Alex Scott drives us up a winding mountain road to a viewpoint that can only be reached by chairlift! Surprisingly, this is the first time Clive and Alex S have ever been on a chairlift, and they mostly enjoy the short and steep ride to the top.

We take in the stunning views and then, after we realise there are no hiking trails up here, decide it’s probably time for lunch. There is a bistro up here (again, only accessible from the chairlift) so we head in to the beautiful restaurant with incredible panoramic views of the area.

Another hearty meal in our bellies means it’s time for an afternoon hike to walk it off. We take the chairlift back down and find a nearby hike with a looping trail.

It’s quite a sweaty hike in the afternoon heat, but we enjoy catching up while walking through a haunting forest trail. Once again nervous about bears eating us for lunch we all keep one eye on any rustling in the undergrowth and once again we avoid a grisly fate.

Ok, next up is a visit to a nearby lake, it’s called Minnewanka (pronounce that how you will). We have a wander around the perimeter and decide to take a dip in the freezing waters to cool off. Well, the boys go all in, the girls sensibly relax on the beach after a quick toe dip.

Time is ticking on and the day is getting late, which is just perfect for us. There is another grand lake nearby called Lake Louise. It’s so popular that parking there is a staggering $38. However, Clive has found an excellent hack. Parking is free after 7pm. We get there just before 7 and faff around near the car pretending to look busy until parking is free (don’t raise your eyebrows, we are poor travellers!). With the car sorted and swimmers on it’s time to see what all of the fuss is about. Although we don’t need to cool off any more it’s too tempting to resist getting in to the glacier meltwater. Alex S bravely leads the charge and in my panicked haste I dive in behind her, soaking her with ice cold lake water (sorry Alex!) Clive and Alex W get in too and we all enjoy epic views of the mountains, trees and turquoise waters.

Alex W and I head back to the car while the other two get changed. As we’re waiting by the car, a young chap asks if we can give him a lift back down the hill as it’s dusk and he’s scared of being attacked by a bear. Of course with all of our recent fears and more importantly recent sighting of a huge bear and her cubs (from the safety of the car) we are more than happy to oblige. He is a very nice lad from Belgium of all places and is super grateful to us for dropping him off near his campsite.

After all of this fun it’s a long drive to the town of Golden where our Airbnb awaits. Alex S drives us the almost two hour journey home, gets us settled into our accomodation and almost immediately gets to work in the kitchen. We feel incredibly spoiled once more. We have a tasty meal of pesto pasta with broccoli and cheese and of course a few cold beers/ciders too. It’s really nice to be amongst good friends again after a long time of just the two of us.

Ok, time for plan B(rewery)

Call us mad but we plan to go and see even more lakes! Today we’ll go and see the majestic sounding Emerald Lakes where Clive and Alex hope to hire a kayak and enjoy the views from on the water. We set off on the one hour drive to the lake. Not far from the turning we get a ping warning on Google Maps that there has been a crash. A few minutes later we join a queue of traffic. We wait a few minutes more and haven’t moved an inch. People get out of their cars to try and figure out what’s going on. An ambulance passes down the empty side of the road where oncoming traffic would usually be. Hmm. After waiting another twenty minutes, Alex W and I get out of the car and walk down the road to get an idea of what’s going on. There are various rumours going around but whatever has happened it’s likely to take a few hours(!) to clear. We abandon our lake idea and have an impromptu picnic at a nice roadside spot.

We have no other choice but to return to the town of Golden. We figure that as we’re practically passing by it anyway that we might as well try out the local brewery, Wolftooth. Named after a nearby mountain. We all try different beers and decide to head back up the mountain for the next round in our apartment.

As amazing as Alex S is in the kitchen, it’s not fair that she should do all of the cooking. Therefore it’s up to the boys to recreate their famous chilli recipe first created in Cornwall on holidays several years earlier.

After a pretty amazing dinner, it’s time to use the hot tub out on the terrace. What other way is there to make a hot tub even better than to drink a scotch whisky or two and chat away until the early hours.

Holding on, in more ways than one

With the whisky still running through my system it’s an early start for a gruelling 5km run with Clive. He expertly guides us up the mountain, under the gondola and chairlift by the giant hotel and round the shed where the piste-bashers are resting for the summer then all the way home again. For some people, running seems to clear their system of a hangover but for me it has the opposite effect and accelerates the suffering!

There’s no time to wallow though as we are off to see the Golden Skybridge. No it’s sadly not a bridge made of gold but it is still very impressive! The first bridge is 130 metres high and 150 metres long, while the second bridge is 80 metres high and 140 metres long! Thanks to Alex S knowing a local here we can even get in for free! Result.

One look at the 140m high bridge dangling across the canyon is enough to put off Alex S who has an intolerance of heights. So it’s up to the three of us to brave the bouncing bridge and cross to the other side. Even for those not afraid of heights it’s quite a daring experience.

We read a few facts about the bridge construction, the canyon and even local folklore before heading back over to rejoin Alex. Here we all embrace our inner child and enjoy a four person see-saw and try our balance on the tightrope walk. It’s fair to say non of us will be joining Cirque de Soleil anytime soon.

After a quick bite to eat back at the flat, it’s time for another first for Clive and Alex S… White water rafting! The aptly named Kicking Horse river that flows through Golden offers grade 3 & 4 rafting experiences and I’m keen for more rafting after Costa Rica. Alex W is going to wait until we do it on the cruise in a few weeks so sits this one out.

The rest of us gather at the meeting point and are given the usual safety briefing, it’s slightly less intense than the YOU WILL DROWN lecture we got in Costa Rica. Before long, we’re boarding an American style school bus and Dakota who works for the company (A Jason Momoa lookalike with “raft daddy” tattoo’d on his chest no less) makes himself known. After we’ve all introduced ourselves, named our spirit animal (wolf for me, owl for Clive, sea lion for Alex) and where we’ve rafted before, we’re at the edge of the river. Another safety brief over with and it’s time to board. In the raft with us are two Aussies and a Kiwi and as chance would have it, the booming voice of Dakota announces he will be our guide.

It’s a short but exhilarating ride down the river, the first splash of water is absolutely freezing but we get used to it and it’s cooling us down as we paddle for our lives. Although at times the rapid’s waves are so high that we end up paddling nothing but air! We make a brief stop to drink water from a fresh glacier-fed waterfall then it’s back in the raft to finish the course. I think it’s fair to say Alex and Clive loved it and will no doubt be back for more somewhere else in the world.

Onto the next one

Alex W is keen to show off our new Ghibli themed pancake pan, so the two of us make breakfast for the group while also packing in a bit of a hurry! There’s just enough time to enjoy some blueberry pancakes with a breakfast spread before checking out laden with bags. Thank God we have a car.

Over to Alex to cover our time in Valemount…

*******************

Adventure – Swimming in many a cold lake. Crossing the skybridge.

Excitement – Being able to visit lake Louise. Alex Scott’s wonderful cooking 👩🏻‍🍳 rafting thrills. Eating poutine in Canada for the first time.

Trauma – Damn mosquitos. Getting stuck in the traffic queue (as far as we know nobody was seriously hurt in the crash 🙏🏻).