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Canada & USA 2026
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  • Ron's Odyssey

Canada & USA 2026

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  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 16: Downtown Banff

    May 20 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    We used today to explore downtown Banff.

    Banff is a special purpose tourist city developed by the government to promote tourism to Banff National Park. Hotels and accommodation are quite expensive in the town hence the reason most tourist stay in Canmore which is 20mins drive away.

    The only free parking in Banff is at the train station so we parked the rental car there and strolled to Banff Avenue which is the main street in town, lined with different shops and bordered on both sends of the street by beautiful snow capped mountains.

    We walked around Banff, visited the cascade garden and took lots of pictures while also gathering information on attractions etc    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 17: Johnson Canyon

    May 21 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Walked the lower and upper falls trail at Johnson Canyon. The hike coupled with my cough and cold was quite stressful, I had to move at a slower pace. It took over an hour to get to the upper falls lookout spot. Coming back down was quicker at 40mins. The hike was worth the sightsRead more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 18: Banff Gondola

    May 22 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Rode the Banff Gondola up to the top of Sulphur mountain which happens to be one of the highest in the surrounding range of mountains.

    The Gondola soars 698 meters (2,29× feet) in 8 minutes, gliding over mountain tops.

    From the summit a boardwalk leads to the Sanson's peak, once the site for a cosmic ray station    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 19: Lake Louise

    May 23 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Drove over an hour to Lake Louise which is one of the popular tourist attraction in Banff. Our initial plan was to book and take the bus but on checking this morning all slots had been taken. So we decided to risk it and drive down with fingers crossed on finding parking but alas the parking lot was full on getting there. We had to drive around until we found a paid parking off the main road in a woody area. Parking was quite expensive at CAD 42 and ended at 7pm.

    Walk down to tge lake from the parking spot was about 20mins.

    Lake Louise is very beautiful. Surrounding by snow capped mountains. The lake was in the process of thawing, some parts were still frozen while some ice was floating.

    There are several trails leading off from and around the lake. I did the lakeshore 2.1km trail which was on a flat gradient while the girls wanted the Lake Amber trail a 3.5km trail. I wasn't cut out for any stressful hike today so we split up. However on Googling their trail there was a warning of unpredictable avalanche from melting snow and going on the trail was strongly discouraged so I told the girls to discontinue their hike and return.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Dinner at The Locals

    May 23 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We decided to have dinner out in Canmore on our return from Lake Louise. The girls chose "The Locals" restaurant. I ordered a pork and rice meals with a local draft beer. I was expecting to see chunks of pork meat but alas it contained shredded pork with cheese or mustard looking source which gave it a soir salty taste. The meal was edible but not fantastic.Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 20: Checkout & Downtown Canmore

    May 24 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    My phone alarm woke me up at 8am. We had to get ready pack and exit the apartment by 11am. The girls were already awake and packed. Had rice and stew before leaving the apartment at 11am.

    Drove to downtown Canmore where google indicated free parking but on getting the parking wasn't free so we paid for 4hrs. The location was beside Canmore main street which is the main tourist street closed off from traffic. The girls spent hours roaming from store to store as we tried to kill time before the drive to CalgaryRead more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    In Calgary Alberta

    May 24 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Arrived in Calgary after a 1hr 30min ride. The highway from Canmore to Calgary was more busy tha when we were going being a sunday a lot of people were returning to Calgary.

    Bought CAD 30 worth of fuel before leaving Canmore this hardly moved the guage by a quarter tank.

    Our Airbnb was located in downtown Calgary in a new apartment building with no street parking, we circled around before we were able to see the entrance to the underground parking. Incidentally someone else was coming in and opened the garage door with his fob while we thought it was our car that activated it.

    From the garage we took the lift to the lobby and called a room number to get access to the lift. Code to the apartment was as stated in the entry instruction. Keys and key fob were on the kitchen counter table as we entered. Apartment was nice and as described online.

    After dropping our stuff we headed out to Walmart to stuck up on breakfast grocery    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 21: Picnic at Edworthy Park

    May 25 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today was a picnic day. We first stopped over at Dollarama to pick up disposable cubs and curtleries and a 6 pack of Dr Pepper. Then we headed off to Nando's according to Google maps but alas there was no Nando's restaurant at the location. So we opted for Hankki a Korean meal before driving off to the Edworthy park.

    We enjoyed our meal and then played a game of Ludo which i won. Imao ongoing was second.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 22: Car return & Shopping

    May 26 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Filled up the rental car tank with CAD 100 at an Esso fuel station and bought two bus ticket booklets at Super Drugs Mart. After which I drove to CF Chinook Mall to drop of the girls. The mall is the largest in Calgary.

    After dropping them off I headed to Calgary International Airport to drop off the rental car which was a 20min drive. With the car gone, I took the bus back to the mall a trip of 1hr 30mins.

    Spent the rest of the day shopping in the mall    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 23: Calgary Public Library

    May 27 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    The bus tour of Calgary was fully booked so we decided to visit the major stops on our own stating with the Calgary Public Library. We left the house about 1pm and walked to the CTrain station. Shortly after our train arrived and we boarded. Just before it got on the way a young man screamed and I turned around to see him taking off his shirt, his face and neck were red and people around him coughing.

    So we decorated and entered the next car but the train failed to move as the police came around and train officials as well so we decided to walk to the library.

    The library is structurally very beautiful inside and outside and is one of the recommended must see building for visitors to Canada.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Dragon City Mall

    May 27 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The walk down to China town from the library took us through some major highways and riverside park. The Chinatown mall hosts numerous Chinese stores selling Chinese and other Asian goods along with restaurants.Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Calgary Tower

    May 27 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    From the Chinatown mall to Calgary Towers was a short walk.

    The Calgary Tower is a 190.8-metre (626 ft) free-standing observation tower in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally called the Husky Tower, it was conceived as a joint venture between Marathon Realty Company Limited and Husky Oil as part of an urban renewal plan and to celebrate Canada's centennial of 1967. The tower was built at a cost of CA$3,500,000 and weighs approximately 10,884 tonnes, of which 60% is below ground. It opened to the public on June 30, 1968, as the tallest structure in Calgary and the tallest in Canada outside Toronto. It was renamed the "Calgary Tower" in 1971.

    From the observation deck one can see across Calgary along with the Rockies Mountains. We spent considerable time in the town and watched a short video on the construction of the tower.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Peace Bridge

    May 27 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Our final stop was the peace bridge.

    Peace Bridge is a bridge that accommodates people walking and cycling across the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The bridge was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and opened on March 24, 2012.

    We rode electric bikes around the peace bridge    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 24: Calgary walks & bus tour

    May 28 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Eno and I went on the Xploring Calgary Bus tour. It was a 3hr bus tour on Calgary's roots and historic sites with a guide running commentaries.
    The tour had lots of stops but wasn't a hope on hop off bus tour.

    XploringCalgary Bus Tour Itinerary covered the following sights:
    * Glenbow Museum
    * Calgary Municipal Building and City Hall
    * Olympic Plaza
    * Peace Bridge
    * East Village
    * Studio Bell
    * Scotsman Hill
    * Stampede Park
    * Shopping Areas
    * Heritage Park Historical Village
    * Winsport/Canada Olympic Park
    * Crescent Hill
    * Downtown Calgary
    * Chinatown
    * Calgary Tower

    I highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Calgary    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 25: Enobong departs & Visit a friend

    May 29 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Took an Uber to the airport to drop Enobong off as she was returning back to the USA. Her suitcase had been overweight so I helped her moved some things into a big Walmart bag which she carried as handluggage.

    After checking in her suitcase, we had breakfast muffins at the airport before she headed off to scanning and her boarding gate.

    I took the bus from the airport back to the apartment. A journey of over 1hr with multiple stops    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Visited Dennis

    May 29 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    At 3pm I hailed an Uber to take me to Dennis house, a former colleague in Shell who left in 2021 and relocated to Canada be with his family.

    He had prepared a feast of Jollof rice which chicken which I enjoyed with white wine. A friend of his Kolapo also joined us and we had a lovely time gisting about current affairs in Nigeria, before I finally called it a day and took an Uber back to the apartment.Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 26: Downtown Calgary

    May 30 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Used the morning hours to walk down to and around Downtown calgary. It was a self guided walking tour of Downtown. It gave me the opportunity to admire and capture the iconic buildings and landmarks in Downtown Calgary. I spent an hour walking around before heading back to the apartment.Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Meetup & Nigerian Restaurant

    May 30 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    My friend Dennis and a former colleague Chief Alex picked me up from the apartment shortly before 5pm and we headed off to a Nigerian restaurant which was far away in one of the suburbs.

    I ordered Afang Soup which was quite good. I had first asked the waiter that I hope it is Afang and not Okazi as the two soups are prepared differently using the same leaves. The food was quite good and we enjoyed the time together catching up and gisting about events that happened during our time together in ShellRead more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 27: Bus trip to Edmonton

    May 31 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Had to checkout of the Airbnb before 10am meanwhile my bus to Edmonton wasn't departing till 12noon. Nevertheless I took an Uber to the bus station which was quite close to where I was staying, after checking out.

    While checking in my bag the bus attendant asked if I had food in the Walmart bag, I told him yea and he responded that there were rats in the bus. I hope he was joking.

    The bus left the station promptly at 12noon and stopped at the airport by 12:30 to pickup additional passengers.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    In Edmonton

    May 31 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    The bus arrived Edmonton at 16:30hrs after 4hrs 30mins after departing Calgary. The journey was smooth although it was raining throughout. My window was also blurred with the painting on the outside of the bus so I couldn't see the country side very well nor make a good video recording of the trip.

    The cleaner of the Airbnb met me at the Red Arrow station which was a 5min wall from the apartment to give me the apartment keys. It was drizzling and very cold as I walked to the apartment.

    The apartment was as advertised on Airbnb but bigger.

    I boiled rice and ate with the left over stew the girls brought from Ottawa.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 28: Super Drugs Mart

    June 1 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    The rains continued till this morning making the entire place wet and cold. I wasn't encouraged to step out of the apartment but jad no choice as I needed to buy water and some other essentials.

    I stepped out to Super Drugs Mart which was very close to the apartment. Got an umbrella in addition to the other stuff. Enquired about bus pass but was told that the train station where I could buy it is underground and across from the store. So I got a bus card and loaded CAD 20 on it. The station was looking very unkempt and worn.Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 29: Royal Alberta Museum

    June 2 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    Visited the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmondton. The Museum is divided into the Human history, Nature, Bugs and a special exhibition section which changes but this time focused on death.

    I spent 3hrs going through the different sections. The Human history section focused on Canada, the 1st Nation indigenes and the settlers and showcased their way of life. From stone tools used by the 1st Nation, to early settlers equipment up to the 60s.

    That Natural history hall focused on prehistoric animals found in Canada with lots of excavated skeletons on display.

    Bugs section was quite small and was mainly on the various insects from across the world.

    The special exhibit on death talked about how nature uses death to give life and recycle nutrients. The most morbid part was on how Japanese monks studied and documented the stages of decomposition of the human body.

    In all it was 3hrs well spent    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Edmonton City Center

    June 2 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    From the museum I walked down to the Edmonton City Centre which is a massive building housing several stores. I had an A&W Buddy burger, which was very tasty and a sprite while relaxing and taking in the views.

    After leaving the centre I took a walk to the near by Sir Winston Churchil Square which had a monument on the various wars Canadians were dragged into.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2026Traveler

    Day 30: Muttart Conservatory

    June 3 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    The Muttart Conservatory is a botanical garden  in the North Saskatchewan River valley, across from the downtown core in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. One of the best-known landmarks of Edmonton, the conservatory consists of four pyramids each dedicated to displaying plants from a different climite. During my visits pyramids were dedicated to: Tropical, Temperate and Arid regions with plants showcasing each of these regions while the fourth pyramid was used for a 50th anniversary special display of flowers. The pyramids were relatively small and I spent less than 20mins in each. There were fish ponds with colourful fish in the Tropical and Temperate pyramids.Read more