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.....
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.....
Wicked! Love Annie xoxox
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