In Banff

Thought we would get some petrol before heading off today. They take self serve to the nth degree in Canada. I couldn’t work the card reader at the pump so we booked up $60 work in the shop, filled the car and then got a $20 refund for the used amount - crazy and frustrating.

Off again on the highway - today is Saturday and I expected lots of holiday makers. The road was busy but quite manageable. There are lots of trucks again with bikes, jet ski’s and of course motor homes. The speed limit is 110km/hr which is what I did- I just let the faster ones go for it, as a result most people passed me!

Mary wanted to see Humming birds. I had looked them up the night before and found a place on the way might be best. This place Canmore is not was rigid as Banff where they frown on bird feeders, after all it is a National Park and they don’t want the moose eating the Humming bird feeders - mainly bowls with sugar water. This was a lovely little town with good walks and parks and a fast flowing Bow river, but virtually no flowers and so no Humming Birds. Mary bought a $30 sun hat - nice.

Off to Banff and like elsewhere in the National Park - free parking. England won their World Cup match against Sweden last night but I was able to call into a British Bar to watch the end of the Croatia v Russia game. I left before it finished and so missed the exciting penalty kicks.

Time for walking around Banff - we decided to go to the Cascade Gardens - sounded like home. Lovely garden, lots of flowers but no Humming Birds. We went to the museum, plenty of stuffed animals there, including Humming Birds - maybe we will see some in Toronto?

Tomorrow its an early start so we can get to the airport in good time and drop the hire car off etc. so an early night was planned. Still I watched the Geelong V Frankson VFL game [streaming on my Mac] from midnight to 2 am - we won!

Tomorrow we are off by plane to Toronto and the Niagara Falls. Should be great,

Cheers,Read more