Exploring Alberta

Last weekend, Jeff and I went on a random road trip to Alberta. The initial purpose of the trip was to visit a few friends, but our travels quickly took on a life of their own. We only spent two days in Alberta, but filled the time with a variety of activities that allowed us to experience the largeness of Calgary, the beauty of the Rockies, and everything in between.

It’s been two years since I visited Alberta, and I forgot how beautiful the province is. The drive into Calgary alone is gorgeous, and the mountains in the background are a beautiful backdrop to the massive downtown skyline. Since my last visit, a few more high-rise buildings have been erected, and the Calgary Tower is no longer the tallest building.

I experienced a familiar sense of nostalgia as I navigated Deerfoot Trail, a feeling that was only enhanced when I realized that I would be staying with my childhood best friend, Allie, in an area of the city very close to where I used to live. It’s always weird to return to Calgary, because it looks both the same and different from when I used to live there.

On Saturday, we walked the short distance to Anderson Station, and hopped on a C-Train to downtown. Jeff had never ridden a train before, so this was an important experience for him. I miss the convenience of rapid transit, and hope Winnipeg will actually come up with something similar in the future.

We stopped at Victoria Park Stampede Station, glanced at the Saddledome (where I used to work as a vendor when I was a teenager), and headed down 17th Avenue. It’s basically likely Corydon Ave in Winnipeg, if you’re looking for a comparison.
The afternoon was spent driving and wandering around the South end of the city, visiting various guitar shops, and visiting with friends.

Sunday was the day that we drove to the Rockies. We had two destinations: Banff and Lake Louise. Jeff had never been to either, and none of us had been to Lake Louise, so it was definitely going to be an adventure.

Banff was closer to Calgary, so we stopped there first. It is definitely touristy, and there were people walking in all directions with cameras atop tripod stands. We walked up and down the main street, crossed the bridge and went up the hill, stopped at a quaint coffee shop, and played music down by the river.

Lake Louise was next. My first impression was that it looked like somewhere in Switzerland. The chateau, the glacial lake, and the mountains in the background seemed too beautiful to be real. Jeff, Allie and I all stopped and simply stared at the magnificent view, along with a few hundred other tourists. We took tons of pictures with the lake in the background, and toured the interior of Chateau Lake Louise before the drive back to Calgary.

I was also able to spend time bonding and reuniting with two friends, which was important to me. Allie has been my friend since before I knew what a friend was, and we have been through everything together. We’ve battled cliques, falling for the same guy, narcolepsy, and moving, yet we still can sit and talk as if no time has gone by. That’s truly an amazing gift to have, and she’s definitely a soul mate.

P.S. Thanks for letting me stay with you and Linden, A. We really, really, really appreciate it!

The second friend I was able to see was Rachel, and when I mentioned “reuniting,” I was referring to her. Rachel and I seriously disliked (ok, hated) each other for years, and it’s only been recently that we began to speak again. Part of the reason is because of Facebook, part as a result of our blogs, but I think both Rachel and I finally realized that we have too much in common to ignore.

I love when that happens.

It’s been eight years since we saw each other in person, yet we talked nonstop for hours. I really enjoyed our conversation, and when Jeff and I return to Alberta in the winter, I hope we’ll be able to meet again.

And speaking of winter, Jeff and I have decided that we’re going to the Rockies to snowboard this winter. He’s wanted to do this the last four winters, but something would always come up.

Not this time. We’re going.

Below, I've included a few additional photos of our trip. There were too many to post all of them, so I selected some of my favourites...