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We have been lucky enough to spend the last two weeks in the province of Alberta which has been AMAZING! We landed in Edmonton after a four hour flight where I chatted most of the flight away with a 90 year old WW2 veteran pilot. He had travelled extensively and had much advice to give.
The hostel we had found seemed like a halfway house, so we hung out at Starbucks using their Internet and heaters til we could sneak back in undetected from some of the odd characters living there.
We were very lucky to be picked up and looked after by Erin, whom we met in Lima. We spent the first day together exploring the town. Edmonton is a beautiful city surrounded by accessible forest. There are plenty of treks and reserves that can be used in the summer and winter, to do anything from mountain biking to cross country skiing, all in the city! Erin took us to an import shop and we picked up a jar of vegemite ( for $10CAD!) We tried to find KJ some Little Creatures Pale Ale but the shop had run out.
The next day we headed out to Jasper, a beautiful town located in the Canadian Rockies. We did an ice canyon walk on the first evening and explored the surrounding forest. The next day we skied at Marmot Basin which was great. Jasper had over 2.5mt of snow by that point. I hadn't skied since I was 3 and there were no lessons available. I was petrified, especially after Kevin was taken out by the chairlift as he tried to waddle up to the starting point! Erin and Kevin accidentally found themselves on some blue runs and near some diamond runs but survived. Kevin channeled his skills from a school skiing trip he went on at 14.
Very much wishing that we caught me on camera careering into the roped off section (twice)!
From there we took the bus to Calgary which is another nice city. Very similar to Perth, aside from the snow and freezing conditions (not too big, great new buildings and in the process of a mining boom). We then headed to Banff where we have spent the last week. First highlight was dog sledding with Canadian huskies. Have never met a happier group of dogs that are just so eager to go for a run. The companies in Banff are rigorously monitored so we promise that the dogs are well looked after and they truly love going on runs. One of our dogs had been rescued. He was living on Victoria Island in Vancouver. He has since been loved and rehabilitated and now spends his days doing what he loves. Was very nice to see. At the end, they bought out a husky puppy that was happy to be held and hugged.
We skied twice at Sunshine Village which was truly fantastic. I had lessons thank goodness. I did almost fly into a tree after getting 'speed wobbles' and have two black bruises on my behind. I also fell off a fast moving chair lift from height and slid down the landing area. The dude ran to push the emergency stop button and everyone held back laughter as they tried to help me, all tangled up on the floor. Unfortunately, also missed by the camera.
We visited Lake Louise and pretended to walk around like we were staying in the Fairmont Chateau. We could barely afford the food in the poor people's section! We did like the ice sculptures though. We took the local gondola up the mountain in Banff for some great views. I deliberately popped off and gassed kevin why we were in there. Lucky he could cleanse himself afterwards in the hot springs ... :-)
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Windy Sounds great guys. Super Kev, I hoped you did what you could for your young ladies bruises? Keep the reports coming!