Suspending Canucks in Gas Town

Saturday we started our day by wandering the streets of Vancouver to head to Gas Town.  Gas Town was Vancouvers first downtown area and was named after a seaman whose nickname was Gassy. The streets of Gas Town are cobble stone and the street lamps still have the aged looked to them.  There is a steam clock at one end of Gas Town which attracts many tourists including us.  The steam clock however was only built in the 1970's and was mainly put where it is (on top of a steam grate) to stop the homeless people sleeping there where it was warm.  For many years the steam clock was actually run by electricity as there was a problem with one of the components and nobody would pay to get it fixed.  Eventually some of the local businesses all chipped in and paid to have the clock fixed and it now runs on steam power from the main steam tunnels that heat many buildings in the downtown area.

Once we had seen the clock and taken some pictures it was time to start heading to the bus depot via China Town to meet Jnr who was coming to stay with us as we had tickets for the hockey the following day.  She arrived off the Greyhound bus just as we arrived so that was lucky.

We then headed to China Town to get some lunch and catch up in the one whole day we hadn't seen each other for.  After lunch we headed back to the hotel via the mall to find Lisa some new winter boots that have lots of grip and don't hurt her feet.  Mission accomplished - she ended up with the same boots as Gordo's.  They were now twins and also the fact they bought the same North Face hoodies.  Very cute!  We dropped off Lisa's stuff in our hotel room (she packs like Toot even for only one night her bag was super heavy!).

We then decided to head over to Granville Island to look around the public
markets, we walked about 10 minutes to the ferry depot and hopped on a cute little ferry that took us to the other side.  The journey only took approximately 5minutes to cross and we were at the markets - very convenient.  The market was a smaller type market than the Adelaide Central Market.  Still lots of fresh local produce - meat, fruit and vegetables and yummy sweets as well as local handmade crafts etc.  We each purchased a little goody bag of lemon tarts, strawberry tart and a local delicacy of "Nanaimo Bar" It consists of a wafer crumb-base layer topped by a layer of custard flavoured butter icing which is covered with melted chocolate.  Lisa reckons these were okay but she's had better!  I guess we'll just take her word for it.

We looked around the market area at all the little shops surrounding the market and eventually stopped at the Granville Brewing Company and had a little taste of their lagers and ales.  There were some caramel flavour beers as well as banana and fruity ones - some were not everyone's tastes but were good to try and have a seat while keeping out of the cold.


After Granville Island, we hopped back on the ferry to take us back and then wondered around trying to work out where to go for some dinner.  Jnr wanted a good chicken parmy and of course when you want something in particular you never find it.  So we walked around aimlessly for what felt like an eternity and finally settled on a busy pub establishment had a look at the menu and decided to eat there.  What a big mistake that was.  Once we were finally seated it took the waitresses at least 10

minutes to come back and take our drink order.  The people who came in after us got their order taken first and served their drinks before we had even ordered.  So when we were finally served to give our drink orders we thought we would order food straight away. However ordering a "kahlua and milk" was just way too out there and they came back 3 times confirming our drinks order!! How incompetent some people really are.  We then had to wait a further 25 minutes for our drinks to arrive.  We could see our drinks on the bar which were sitting there for over 15mins we were going to go pick them up but then thought lets just see how long it does actually takes these idiots to bring them to us! Such poor service it was unbelievable, especially since these people rely on tips as their wage they weren't really doing a lot to help themselves out!  Poor form!  Steam was coming our of Toots ears by the second.  Our food eventually turned up 45 minutes after ordering. It wasn't like it was that hard - they only had to cook up a few skewers of chicken and cook a steak which was meant to be medium but came out well done and cold.  We can only guess the food hung out under the warmers for as long as our drinks did at the bar. GROSS!  Also our appetizer that was meant to come out before the meal came out all at the same time! Argh.  Gordo got 50% off her steak as they asked if she wanted a new one cooking but she said she didn't have another 45mins to wait.  Toot was fuming and Gordo was hangry and Jnr was well Jnr, just taking it all in her stride and we were probably embarrassing her.  So as you can imagine no tip was left and the girl was not impressed when she found out, however it did make Toot feel a little better.

We grumbled all the way back to the hotel, then to top off this evening Toot had to cancel her credit card due to fraudulent activity, it seems that somewhere along the line someone has got her details and decided to go shopping in Riverside, Illinois USA.  Yay so Toot is super impressed to not have her card on her but thankfully it happened now and not at the beginning of the trip. Anyway we all had a good night rest from all the walking we had done that day and had a little sleep in the next day too. 

Sunday was Ice Hockey day....we headed off to Rogers Arena which is about a 30min stroll from our hotel, it was a rainy morning but that didn't dampen our excitement.  Gordo in her Canucks hoodie, map in tow and led the troops to their first game.  Once there we got drinks and headed for our seats which thankfully weren't in the nose bleeds.  We saw the Vancouver Canucks play the Minnesota Wild, unfortunately the Canucks lost but we did see a punch up not even 10mins into the game which was highly entertaining.  None of us know the rules so at some points were dumbfounded when the goals weren't being defended by the goalie?!  One day we should actually really look up the rules properly.  As always the North Americans know how to entertain a crowd, AFL etc really need to step up their game.  Also the game started 30mins early due to the Super Bowl starting at 3:30pm so gave people time to leave the game and go onto their next venue to watch the game. And yes we were notified about this the day before via email from the ticket sales people.  They also said if this was inconvenient then we could return our tickets for them to resell.  That's how easy it should be.

After the game we went to grab some lunch and made our way back to the hotel to pack up Jnr's stuff and slowly made our way back to the bus station as she was on the 7pm bus back to Whistler.  We dropped her off with many a tear and hoped it would be not too long until we see each other again.  Toot is super proud of how independent and what a great young woman she is becoming (far from the annoying little sister she once was)and for leaping out of her comfort zone and living halfway round the world for 13+ months (and counting).  It has been great to catch up and see what she has been up to and meet some of her amazing friends she has made while living over here.  So proud of the you Lisa and thanks for the fun times in Canada eh! Love you lots and I'll see you soon.

Okay so enough of the sobby stuff, we went back to the hotel made some pasta and salad for dinner and went to bed.

This morning we had a long sleep in oops! We're on holidays we're allowed to sleep in...right?!  We headed to Canada Place to catch the free shuttle bus to Capilano Suspension Bridge which was about a 25min ride north of downtown.  Again the weather today has been shit.  Rainy all day but not overly cold thankfully or maybe we're just getting used to it? Nah!  We were there for about 2 hours walking around the rainforest which was still beautiful even in the wet.  We did the treetop walk, the cliff walk and over the suspension bridge.  The bridge is 70m above the Capilano River which of the Statue of Liberty was placed in the river the bridge is at her shoulder height or the equivalent of 4 t-rex stacked on top of each other.  It spans 137m which is the equivalent of 2 x 747 planes wingtip to wingtip.  And can hold more than 90,000kgs or 96 elephants. 

After this we again headed back to the hotel and had some lunch and then took the train out to Burnaby to a shopping mall, yup that's right we love to shop and well we were getting sick of the rain and was nice to be indoors.  Thankfully a relatively cheap shopping trip probably due to Toot's card being out of action sorry CBA please don't hate her.  Once we had walked 3 floors of shops we headed back to the hotel and got some soup on the way for dinner.

Our last day in Canada tomorrow before we start the crappy long journey home - if your all good you might get another post from the airport tomorrow night.  We shall see....until then!

Around the world in 2 Peaks!

We havent really achieved a lot since we last spoke to you.  But it has been awesome to just chill out and do things out our own pace.

Of course there has been shopping, plenty of food and a few activities.  The day after ski school we basically had a sleep in, then a day of shopping in Whistler and then headed up to the tube park with Jnr and Troy. The tube park was epic.  The tube park can basically be explained as sitting in a big rubber tube and being pushed down a big snowy slope.  It is so much fun.  When you arrive at the park you pick up your tube and jump on the magic carpet to take you to the top of the hill.  Once at the top you sit in your tube and the attendant pushes you down and may even spin you on the way. You go flying and as the evening progresses and it gets icier the faster you go. As we did ours at night the place is lit up with mega flood lights and blaring music. Unfortunately because it was rather icy that night they had closed down a few lanes and then closed half an hour early as it was getting dangerous.  We heard later on that a lady had managed to go flying through the barrier at the end earlier in the day.

After our fun at the tube park we headed back to the village for dinner.  This may seem like an easy task but of course when there is a Gordon involved, there is a stack to be had.  While getting out of Jnr and Troys clown car (or in Troys words, bucket of shit) Gordo managed to get her foot caught in the seatbelt and fell flat to the ground. Thankfully Troy was standing right there and broke the fall a little or the scrape on the hand and bruised knee may be more like a broken wrist and no teeth.  Gordo survived skiing and the tube park but not Lot 4!  

We enjoyed a meal at The Old Spaghetti Factory which was actually a pretty decent meal at reasonable prices.  Toot has currently either had a reaction to the washing powder or has heat rash all over her body.  We think its the latter.  I know heat rash in a Canadian winter doesn't seem likely but she has been wearing thermals and getting a little warm. So half way through dinner she's opened up the air vents in her ski pants, unbuttoned her pants and stripped down her top half to just a singlet as she was over heating at a rapid pace and the itching was starting to begin. argh! Is this what she will be like during menopause we hear you ask?!

Our last day in Whistler, we decided to travel up the Whistler Gondola to go up to the top to then jump on the Peak to Peak Gondola that travels between both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains.  The ride just to the top of Whistler Mountain takes a good 20-30minutes and then from there we caught the glass bottom gondola across to Blackcomb. Toot being afraid of heights found the whole journey pretty okay and not once did she have a panic attack - phew for that!  From here was amazing views and again has to be seen to be believed.

After Peak to Peak we decided to head down to the village for lunch as it was such a nice day the mountain was crazy busy.   We manged to find a cute little mexican place that made really nice nachos and burritos and stuffed ourselves stupid there before doing some grocery shopping and heading back to the hotel to chill out a little before catching up with the Rainbow gang (Lisa and her housemates Brit, Troy and Kayde) for dinner. 

Dinner this time was Indian! Around the world in one day. We ate and talked and then it was time to say goodbye to the gang and head back to the hotel to pack our things as we were leaving in the morning.  Once we were back at the hotel it all got too hard and we decided to go to bed early and then get up and pack in the morning.

So, the alarm goes off at 7:30am this morning and Gordo jumps out of bed.  Toot however was still sleeping and managed to score breakfast in bed. Once breakfast was over it was time for showering and a serious amount of packing. All that shopping has to fit somewhere.  We somehow managed to smoosh everything in without having to use the extra bag that will be required to get us home.

Once packed we checked out of the hotel and waited for our bus to take us back to Vancouver.  The bus ride takes about 2 hours and has some magnificent sights along the way.  We "almost" didn't make it as the bus that turned up for other people (which was our bus) didn't have us on his manifest and was going to leave without us however once he looked out our voucher and called back to base he squeezed us into his van. Phew!  They had us on an afternoon transfer not the morning one.  D'oh!

We arrived into Vancouver around lunchtime and dropped directly at our hotel - thank goodness since our bags are feeling very heavy!!  Toot finally lost the 2kgs+ of Jnr's care package and has quite successfully filled them up.

After we settled into our room (which is much bigger than our last room here 1.5 weeks ago) this room has a mini kitchen which is nice and a large fridge and all.  We headed down into Downtown Vancouver to have a look around and see what else we could spend our money on.  Toot got the most fantabulous bargain this afternoon which Gordo is still snippy about.  We went back to Sport Chek to see if they had the same pair of North Face pants that Claire had bought 1.5 weeks ago for which she paid $100 for.  At the time they didn't but we thought while we were in the area we would check again since we had no luck in Banff, Jasper, Victoria and Whistler for the same pair.  We looked in Sport Chek and they had none sitting around anywhere or any hanging up and then Claire decided to check the mannequin, and low and behold it was the last pair on the bloody mannequin and would you believe it was the exact size Toot needed - how awesome was that...but hey its gets better NOT only were they the last pair and the correct size, this pair of pants that were searched for high and low around the west coast of Canada was also on SALE yes that's right was on clearance.  And can you guess what the new price was.....not $80.00..no no no...not $60 nope wrong, guess again........nope not $40... I know Toot was happy to pay $80 since Toot looked so hard for these pants.  Guess again Toot got these pants for $20!!! Yup people you heard correctly for genuine The North Face pants CAD20.00 +tax (BC tax = "bring cash" according to Troy haha). So as you can see why Gordo is very dark with Toot at the moment. However Toot is fist pumping all the way to the bank! Yee hah!

After our epic afternoon, we grabbed some dinner and headed back to the hotel to write the blog for you fine folks and chill out.

We have Jnr arriving into Vancouver tomorrow and staying with us for the night as we have ice hockey tickets for sunday.  Cant wait. Go Canucks!!!

Until next time........

The land of French fries and pizza!

Sorry its been a few days since we spoke.  We have been very busy having lots of fun and also are a little sore from skiing so it was too hard to get to the computer.

Since we spoke we have had a foggy but smooth transfer back from Victoria to Vancouver and headed up to Whistler.

Once we were settled in to our hotel we headed around to the Ski School area and picked up our lift pass and got fitted out for skis, boots, helmets and poles.  We stowed our skis and poles in the free storage and then walked our boots and helmets back to the hotel.

After our first brush with ski equipment we had dinner with Jnr at a place called Furnies (El Furniture Warehouse). They have a $5 menu and the food is pretty good. After dinner we went and caught up with Lisas friends and roommates for the second day of Australia day! Yes they drag it out as much as possible here as there are so many Australians.  Probably more than back home.  Somebody was saying that about 60% of Whistler are Australians.  They all kicked on for a bit and we returned to the hotel to ensure we had a good sleep under our belt and had all the relevant bits and pieces together for a day on the slopes.

So it was time to get up, have some toast for breakfast and get ready for ski school. We padded Toots feet up for the ski boots so that there were no bits of boot rubbing on her leg where there are bits of metal. Once all padded up we headed to the area around the gondolas to put on our ski boots, pick up our skis, dump the crap in a locker and meet up with the other people in our group.  In our group there was us, a guy from Brisbane and a man from Newport Beach, Southern California. Our instructor was a young English guy and it was a great little group of people.  Once we all met up we jumped on the gondola and headed to the mid station on Whistler Mountain to put on our skis for the first time and learn a few things. We learnt about french fries and pizza our basic feet positions to go and stop.  Once we had mastered this we cruised around in circles for a bit on the flat to show that we could manage that and then it was time to head to the magic carpet.

The magic carpet is a travelator type thing that takes you to the top of the bunny run without having to walk it and there is obviously no chair lift for us beginners.  It was a nice break to stand and do nothing for a couple of minutes while it got us there.  We started off by having a basic run down the slope with just getting used to wearing the skis and moving on them while sorting out our balance.  We all did well on this and there was no stacks.  After our first run it was then time to start learning to turn and ski without our poles to learn balance without depending on them. We had to ski around cones to show we could turn and once we mastered all of this it was time for a quick lunch. We started heading back to the gondola and had to go down a bit of a short steep bit and thats when the first stack happened. Poor Tooty took a small tumble after picking up a little too much speed. All is good though and there were no major injuries.

For lunch we headed to the bottom of the mountain where we could sit down and loosen the damn ski boots.  By this time Gordos shin was starting to get a little sore from her boot so it was nice for the break and a bite to eat.  For lunch we ate Beef dip.  It is a strange combination but actually really nice and was recommended by our instructor.  It is a toasted beef baguette with some cheese and horseradish mayo with a side of waffle fries.  But here is the strange part.  To eat the baguette you must dip it in a bowl of beef broth first. A strange concept but delicious. After this it was time to strip a layer and head back up the mountain.

The afternoon session was about sport concepts.  Tom the instructor told us that we were going to play some basketball.  This meant no poles and pretending to dribble a basketball in order for our feet to turn without us thinking about it.  Hard to explain but really worked.  While playing basket ball we also had to do a little jump.  It was scary at first but makes you balance better without thinking about it. We did some Hockey stops which Gordo really didn't master that well and had a couple of tumbles but again no major injuries.  We also did some ledge runs which meant going down another short steeper section and turning while doing this. No stacks here but it might have been a close call.  Tooty tapped out early due to sore feet and knees.  But she did very well  and there was only one stack and that was just before lunch. Her main injury for the day was pulling a lower calf muscle while taking off her boot at the end of the day. *sigh*

After ski school finished we returned our gear and met up with Troy and Jnr, Britt and Kayde (their housemates) and had a coffee.  From here the boys went home to return snowboards and ourselves and Jnr went for a wander around the village and then met up with Troy for dinner for some Mexican.

After dinner it was a small walk around then off to bed to rest our weary bodies.






 

Closed for the Season

You will all be pleased to know that we made the transfer needed to get to Vancouver Island.  We had to unload our own bags off the train on arrival into Vancouver so that it was possible but we did infact make it.  With constant updates from the service manager on the train we realised it was gonna be a close call.

As we were boarding the train the service manager informed us that he had already converted our cabin to the beds for the evening (as it was now 9:30pm) and said there was champagne and canapes down in the dome car (the car with the glass roof).  We settled in and made our way down for some bubbles before bed. Unfortunately due to the cloud cover we couldnt see any stars but we got another view of the train.

Once back in our cabin we got changed into PJ's and drew straws as to who had to have the top bunk (isnt it funny that as a kid you all want is the top bunk) .  Gordo won out in the end as she mentioned there may be a stop or two to the loo overnight (lots to drink during the day or old lady bladder either way?!).

We both had a relatively pleasant sleep with the rocking of the train.  We did notice that we both woke briefly with the stop at a station overnight.  We were also informed in the morning that there had been a 3 foot x 3 foot boulder on the track and we had gone straight over it and thankfully there was no damage and NO delay.

We slept through breakfast and enjoyed our little sleep in while we could.  Once up and changed we went for a wander down to the dome car and had a seat there while our room was converted back to seats instead of bunks.  We returned to our room for a bit and then made our way down to the dining car for lunch. We were seated at the table and joined by a couple of other passengers.  One lady was traveling back from Jasper after staying with her daughter and another gentleman, a British man who had lived in Canada for 15 years was on his way to Vancouver for work. They were both lovely people and we talked about travel and family and was a generally easy conversation with two complete strangers while sharing a meal.

Once lunch was over we headed back to our cabin to pack up our stuff and made our way down to the luggage car (we had to pass the kitchen, staff quarters as well as the economy "sitting seats" so glad we paid for the sleeper cabin as I'm sure we would have had to put up with  Grumpy Toot if we didn't and ain't no body got time for that!) so that we could get our bags and be ready to jump off once we reached Vancouver.

Our next adventure was to make it to the bus in time (thankfully it was in the same station as the train) and check in to ensure that we got the last bus to the ferry for the transfer to Vancouver Island.  If we had waited for the bags to be unloaded from the train we may have not been so lucky. Once we were physically on the bus we had a sigh of relief.  From here it was about 4 hours until we would reach our hotel including the ferry across to the island.

We eventually arrived at Swartz Bay after an uneventful 1.5 hour ferry ride across and it was also dark so we couldn't see anything. However it was a very smooth ride and look forward to being able to see some stuff on the way back tomorrow. From here it was another 45 mins to the hotel.  We got dropped on the corner a few blocks away and walked with our bags from there.  After that it was time to check in, go for a walk to have a nosy and stretch our legs.  Then dinner time and back to the hotel to do some washing, shower and settle in for the evening.


Today we really wanted to see Butchart Gardens however this proved more difficult than you would think.  Everyone claims that they do tours all year round but it is now clear that there are a few weeks in January where nobody runs them.  We were looking at catching the local bus but being a Sunday it was only running late this afternoon and we couldn't justify a $120 round trip taxi fair.  We also looked at hiring a car but that all just got too difficult. So we decided to give it a miss and we will just have to come back again during the summer.

So we went to plan B and decided to go for a wander around Fishermans Wharf which is also closed for the season. We were really looking forward to having some clam chowder on the wharf but it wasn't to be. Fine then we just had to shop and just do lots of walking and looking around.  This was fun and we made a few purchases. We headed to China Town for a look and some lunch.  We both had a delicious dumpling and noodle soup. They were also selling BBQ pork buns and coconut tarts which we couldn't say no to so we got one of them to take away.

After we exhausted ourselves shopping we had some dinner and made our way back to the hotel to pack and get ready for our next ferry ride and the bus trip up to Whistler.  Almost time to catch up with Lisa again.

Next time you here from us we may have sore bums from skiing and missing teeth from the tube park.

In a jam in Jasper

Our day started this morning with an early morning alarm so that we could check out early before our morning tour.

Before heading downstairs we called VIA Rail to check that the train was running on time as we were warned a few days ago that it was running two hours late.  This phone call changed our plans and mood for the rest of the day. We were told that the train was now running 9 hours late. Bummer! The initial 2 hour delay didn't seem so bad now.  Can we have the first option back?

A train delay is fine as long as there are no transfers (bus and ferry) the other end to worry about! But we do....

Anyway, mild panic trying to think of a solution and get ready for our tour and deal with the delay later.  We had booked onto the Maligne Canyon ice walk tour. We were picked up from the hotel and taken to the tour office to gear up with rubber boots and cleats.  The drive to the canyon was about 20 minutes and the scenery along the way is nothing short of spectacular.  Once we arrived at our destination it was time to put on our cleats and head along the bank of the river.  This portion of the river does not freeze as it is constantly being filled with ground water above freezing temperature.  However further up the canyon there is no ground water feeding in so the floor of the canyon is frozen over.  The canyon is 55m deep and widest part being about 10m across.  This canyon is a favourite amongst extremists in the white water kayaking circles. 

We walked for about 4km over 2 hours so there was plenty of time to take photos and even stop to watch some ice climbers propel down and then climb back up over the edge.  We saw some frozen waterfalls ice shelves, fossils and caves that can only be accessed in the winter when the water levels are low and it is just ice.  All in all it was a pretty amazing morning. Also we would like to point out that there was a cougar warning in place for the area.  No sightings, all is good!

Once we returned to town we got dropped off at the train station to see if we could talk to somebody from VIA rail face to face.  This was way more helpful than the people on the phone.  They explained that it was looking more like a 6 hour delay and helped us get information about trying to change our transfers at the other end.  They also gave us dinner vouchers for a local restaurant as we were supposed to be eating dinner on the train.  They informed us that we could check our bags in early and leave any hand luggage with them that we needed on the train but didn't want to cart around town all afternoon.  They were very helpful and pleasant to deal with. Just as we were about to leave the station for a tour of Jasper we looked out onto the tracks and notice a whole pile of elk just walking around like they owned the joint.  They don't seem to be scared of the trains and only jump out of the way at the very last second.

We went for a walk around town and by this stage it was starting to get very chilly.  We were glad that we did the early morning canyon walk as it was sunny and fairly warm (about 5 degrees).  By this afternoon it was close to 0 degrees and starting to rain and a few of the locals were saying it was looking like it was going to snow.  Unfortunately this didn't happen but it certainly rained. 

It seems that a few people from our bus from Banff yesterday had the same idea about catching the train to their next destination.  They all look about as equally pleased as us about the delay.  I just thank our lucky stars that we have each other as they are travelling by themselves and one lady has a little boy with her also. He has been very well behaved though.

Well that is it from us for now.  We will speak to you again from the other end of our 17 hour train journey (yes we have a sleeper cabin) and 4 hour bus and ferry transfer to Vancouver Island (if we make it that is)!

PS Did we mention that Gordo has purchased some new PJ's! Emergency Exit Eh?

Playing in Powder

Again a double whammy for you.  Finally we had some sleep. I would like to think that the jetlag has left us, but I believe that sleep was brought to us by drugs!

Yesterday started out as any other day.  Except while waiting downstairs about to head out the front door of the hotel we spotted a deer just cruising the main street of Banff.  Nature at its best, cars waiting for it to decide what it was doing and bringing traffic to a standstill.  For those who remember the program Northern Exposure we were hoping for a moose but settled for the deer instead.

After our brush with nature we went for a walk around town and bought some souvenirs and just had a bit of  nosy.  Before too long it was time to head back to the hotel to be collected for our snowshoeing adventure.

We were picked up and taken with a small group of people to Kootenay National Park which was about a 45 min drive and just over the border into BC, British Columbia for you folks playing at home.  The area we were hiking in was hit by a wildfire back in 2003 and therefore was not quite as dense with pine trees as some of the surrounding areas were.  This was a good thing so when we got stuck in the powder our guide could find us.  When we arrived at Kootenay we were given some snow shoes to strap to our boots and we were off and racing.  Snow shoeing is one of the fastest growing sports in Canada as it is cheap to get into and all you need is a pair of snow shoes and maybe a pole if wanted. You can get a pair of snow shoes for around $150 and up. Being plastic they were sturdy and lightweight.

Once we started we were walking along a path which was fairly compacted and easy to walk on so that we could get the feel for walking with the snow shoes.  Once we had been doing this for about 20 mins the guide said that we were going off track for some fun in the powder. This is where the fun really began.  We lost Toot multiple times to her own mini avalanche and she fished herself out with bits of tree and all Gordo could do to help was laugh.

After we got to the top the guide had hot chocolate and made some maple taffy for us to try.  It was delicious and just what was needed after multiple stacks in the powder.  Toot still has all her metal work in her ankle and everything stayed in one piece, thankfully.

Once it was time to head back down we decided to change who was wearing the GoPro.  It was soon discovered that the person not wearing it, was prone to stacks.  There were multiple stacks from Gordo on the way down and not so many from Toot this time.  The finale on the way down was the butt toboggan down the last slope.  We decided for safety reasons that we would give the bag with the big camera to the guide so as not to get damaged.  We thought we were so smart.  Gordo toboggans down, Toot sends second backpack down with a slight thud, Toot toboggans down and we make it back to the bus.  It was at this moment that we realised that the camera was indeed in the bag that tobogganed with a thud and not the one that we gave to the guide for safe keeping. Doh!!!  All good though and no damage to either us or the camera.  Phew! Once we completed this it was time to head back to town.

Once back in town we changed and Troy and Lisa picked us up for dinner. We compared our days and it was safe to say that ours was better than theirs.  Long story but all ok.  We headed to the pub for dinner and then Troy and Lisa drove us around a little to see some of the sights at night. Just to add insult to injury for Troy and Jnr's day some of these attractions were closed, what do they think it is, winter? After this we went to see if we could get a Beaver Tail for dessert, this was shut also.  The universe was telling us it was time to go back and try to sleep. Sleep was elusive for Gordo though, jet lag, what a bitch!

Today we packed up and had our last breakfast at the Fox.  Did we mention this place had a make your own waffle station.  Best thing ever, man we will miss this place.  We then headed back into town, no deer today, and walked to the bridge to see the Bow River.  This was beautiful as it wall frozen over and covered in snow.

After our river adventure we started to head back towards the hotel and Gordo finally got her chance to try the Beaver Tail, she couldn't wait for Whistler with Jnr! A Beaver Tail is fried dough pastry stretched into the shape of a beaver tail and then topped with delicious goodies.  Gordos was topped with nutella and rieces pieces, delicious! On completion of Beaver Tail we went back to the hotel and ate lunch in the restaurant there (Chilis) before we were picked up for our journey to Jasper.  We are here for one night so that we can catch the train tomorrow after we go for a walk in the frozen canyon.  Not much to see in Jasper itself but the journey here was worth making for the scenery along the drive alone.  Again we got to see some amazing sights that have to be seen to be believed , words can not do them justice.

We went for a walk tonight to get some supplies for tomorrow nights train journey and get some pizza for dinner.

Next time you here from us we will be blogging from Vancouver Island! Between now and then we have a 4 hour tour tomorrow morning, a 19 hour train journey and a ferry ride.

Until then punks, stay safe and keep on reading!

Banff or Bust

So we didn't get around to writing yesterday as it was a full on day of achieving sweet FA.  Having said that we finally got to catch up with Lisa!

I believe that Toot had been counting down the hours from the moment she woke up and also wondering if Lisa had managed to arrive safely due to car issues and general hate from the universe.

We are pleased to announce that Lisa and her trusty sidekick Troy made it in one piece having left the car half way and hiring another to complete the trip.

So the morning starting with an early wake up to ensure that showering and packing all our crap for our flight to Calgary could occur.  We managed all of this and got to the airport and on the plane with little sleep from both of us and not a fight in sight.  Once in Calgary it was time to locate the bus for the transfer to Banff.

Toot slept for the majority of this trip as we had ample stretch space as there were only 6 of us on a 40 seater bus. This was our first glance of the Canadian Rockies, and neither of us were disappointed. Did we mention there was snow, lots of it, and its really cold.  Who would have thought, Canada in the winter, snow and cold. Glad we spent 5 hours shopping for supplies in Vancouver on the way.

We were dropped off at the Fox Hotel and Suites which is a lovely place with an awesome hot tub grotto just in the courtyard.  You can see down from ground level and would be a lovely place to sit after a long day on the slopes (crap, bathers, didn't bring them)!

Shortly after arriving Toot ran from the room at pace as Lisa and her friend Troy had arrived in one piece in their hire car to see us.  Gordo was expecting big girly screams from both of them as they haven't seen each other for 12 months.  Gordo was disappointed but glad she didn't put money on it.  Instead there was choked back excitement, with tears and hugs all round. From here it was off for a beer.......when in Canada eh!

We went to the pub to shoot the shit and have a beverage and catch up on life over the last 12 months.  We were also lucky enough to meet some the people that have been keeping Jnr in check! Thanks guys!

By this time we were getting tired and the rest were just warming up.  With little sleep on board and an early day to follow we headed back to the hotel to do some washing and get ready for the following day.

Once washed and stuff sorted we went to bed.  After 2.5 hours we both woke up and didn't get back to sleep.  Damn you jet lag! The alarm went off at 6am and it was time to head to brekky and head out for a day in the snow.  We were collected by Lisa and Troy 30 mins after agreed time due to a slight hangover on their behalf. Woops!

We headed out to Lake Louise to do some dog sledding and have a look around at the ice sculptures as well as take in the breathtaking scenery and watch people ice skating on the lake.  Words cant describe how beautiful this place is.

Our original dog sledding tour cancelled a few weeks prior to our departure so we found an alternative option and were certainly not disappointed.  On arrival you get to pat the dogs, meet your guide and sign your life away. At this time of the morning the temperature was -13 degrees celsius and we were all feeling it.  Putting on all possible layers and then getting strapped into our sled.  There are 7 Alaskan huskies which are not the same as the Hollywood huskies.  These dogs are bred purely for running sleds and it shows.  They can run 160kms without stopping, then rest for 4 hours and then do it again.  Rinse and repeat, this ones for you Brett!  They also differ in looks. The running Alaskan huskies are a smaller more athletic build with short hair whereas the Hollywood huskies are bred for long expeditions as they are able to sleep in the snow if needed, this is due to their large thick coat.

The dogs are well looked after!  They each do 3 runs a day, 6 days a week. Each run for their work is 16km.  They are fed soup (meat varieties incl chicken, red meat, salmon) before a run, then on their return are given a snack of frozen chicken or salmon and at dinner times they are fed a mix of kibble and more meat, this can be up to 2.5kg of food depending on the size of the dog and how much they are running.  There are 7 dogs in the team and they all know their place on the rope. All the dogs get very excited and loud just before a run as they seem to thoroughly enjoy their work.  They also have ointment placed on their paws to stop any break down due to the weather conditions and some even have booties and or t-shirts.  Again this is to protect them from the ground conditions and their harnesses.

We each got a chance to jump on the back of the sled with the driver and operate the brakes and see what it is like from that perspective.  This was great fun.  Our trip went from just below Lake Louise to the Great Divide.  This is the border between British Columbia and Alberta. It is a spectacular journey and even though it was freezing it was thoroughly enjoyed.

On completion of dog sledding we went for a wonder near Lake Louise and had a look around the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. It is easy to see why the price is so expensive to stay there. You are paying for the view, and what a view it is.  After all of this we headed to Canmore to check our Lisa and Troys old stomping ground.  While on this drive Toot took the opportunity to have much needed 40 winks.

We got some lunch and for this we were introduced to Poutine. Poutine is a common Quebec dish, originating in Quebec, Canada, made with french fries, topped with a light brown gravy-like sauce and cheese curds. It was surprisingly tasty. After this we headed to see some of the local scenery which included a frozen river we walked on to go and see a frozen waterfall. Unfortunately along the way Toot lost her sunglasses which escaped from her pocket.  We trudged back through the snow and over the ice and under fallen trees to find them.  Thankfully we left our footprints in the snow which made this part fairly easy.  Finding the sunnies was a little more difficult as they had managed to fall into a hole in the snow. Lucky Troy managed to find them and all was good and surprisingly intact given that we had all trudged back and forth looking for them.  After finally finding them we decided to pull stumps on looking at the waterfall as it was now 3:40pm in the afternoon and the sun would be going down soon and didn't want to be caught trying to find our way back in the dark.  So we decided to make snow angels in the powdery snow instead.  

From here we went down to the river bank behind the Pigeon Mountain Motel to see some more views from around the Canmore area.  It is a gorgeous part of the world and we now see why Lisa stayed here for over 9 months.  We also met some more friends of Lisa and Troy's who were all very lovely and it was good to know Lisa was well looked after those 9 months working in Canmore and to have lifelong friendships made as well.

After this verrrrrrry long day we got dropped off back at our hotel in Banff and decided to get room service which was all very delicious but of course we were starving so almost ordered everything off the menu (eyes too big for our stomachs).  We made a good dent though!

We are now off to bed and hopefully have a decent night sleep (here's hoping!).  However we've just found the Aust. Open on TV here so i promise will just watch a few sets and get some shut eye as we both are in dire need of a good nights rest.

Tomorrow afternoon we're off snowshoeing and this doesn't start till after lunch so will be nice not to have to set an alarm too early, Phew!

Until next time.....