Ice, Road, Tucker

Tuesday. (this and adjacent posts are our of order)

Again I was awake around 7 and made sure that the water temp was lower so I did get my spa in this morning. I packed and was ready to take my case to the bus pickup 15 minutes early. The buss drove past me as I walk down the hill to reception.

I had a bit of time to take some pics of the reception building, the view from there of the lake and the golf course.

We packed up the kitchen stuff and headed back to the bus again. The resort and the rooms and cabin were really great and it almost seemed a shame not to have spent more time just being there, rather than taking off all day for sight seeing. The sun was out again today.

We stopped a few times on the way to the icefields where we had a tour booked. The first was just a viewpoint of some of the mountains and a pass through them. The second was another waterfall. There seem to be quite a lot of these about.

A group of us had the buffet at the restaurant in the Icefields facility which was filling but not exactly Haute cuisine.

We then boarded the bus for the icefields trips. This took us to a station on the mountain where we change to the buses that actually go onto the ice. These have wide flat tyres that don't damage the ice and are 6 whjeel drive. Top speed is about 15km. The trips starts with a steep descent, the second steepest unsealed descent in Canada apparently. Then a steady climb to the ice. The ice actually starts before you see it but is covered with rock.

It wasn't too cold on the ice itself, although there were some places where the ice had melted and it was possible to get your foot soaked. I still put on my gloves and later the scarf and beanie, although that was more for show than actually needing it.

The ice was 1000ft thick where we were but the glacier was recewding at about 50 ft per year. More climate change impacts.

After retuirning to the bus we continued south, stopping briefly ast anotehr waterfall alongside the road and then for an extended period at at Bow lake. This was another coloured glacier lake  but alongside the road and there was a red painted lodge there. 

The last stop was Lake Moraine. I'd been there on Friday, when it was sunny, and since it was raining when we got there today, didn't take any pics and didn't stay out of the bus for long.The sun came back out  not long after we left and we finally got to Banff and checked in around 7pm. We are more spread out and there is no common area. No fridge in the rooms either, so I have the left over dips and salads from last night in the bins, covered in ice.  We are right in the middle of downtown, which was a deliberate choice by the planners, over a nicer but more distant alternative. Still my room is large enough with 2 queen beds.

We ate at a nearby pub and I chose the Tuesday special which was a steak burger for $8 instead of $15. This was recommended by the guide, who lives here.