Nanton

In the week-end we drove to Nanton, about an hour from Lethbridge. Craig was keen to visit the Lancaster Air Museum and I wanted to check out the Antique and Art walk.



The first thing you see driving into Nanton are the large grain elevators. These are the only wooden ones left.

The candy store at the end of the street has lollies of all kinds in large jars. There are also shelves of sweets we hadn't seen before including a whole section of Willie Wonka candy and chocolate.


We enjoyed looking around the museum and even climbed up inside a Lancaster bomber. There wasn't a lot of room to move in there.

Lancaster FM 159

A simulator from the 1930s.

Birds of Prey

Saturday we visited the Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale. It's only about 10 minutes East of Lethbridge. This center looks after injured birds and releases them back into the wild.

This owl is called a Burrowing Owl.

She is found in Southern Canada and west/central United States, and Central and South America. She lives in abandoned homes (underground holes) made by burrowing animals like prairie dogs and badgers. They can also do a little digging themselves if soil is loose, but more likely to use one already made. Burrowing owls will even nest in buried cars or irrigation pipes. These owls are now endangered. They often hunt along the ditches of gravel roads and are hit by vehicles, and pesticides and insecticides have killed the owls and the grasshoppers they eat.

Her name is Kay and this is actually how big she is.

I had to wear a glove in case she decided to grip hold of my hand and put holes in me.

The Peregrine Falcon (right photo) is the fastest bird on the planet in its hunting dive, it can reach speeds in excess of 200mph (320 km/h) into either wing of its prey, so as not to harm itself on impact. The top speed recorded is 242.3mph (390 km/h).

We watched a flying demonstration by two other falcons.

This one is Harry Houdini who keeps escaping.

This Bald Eagle on the right wasn't impressed with all the attention.

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Sunday the mist closed in around Banff, so we decided to change our plans and check out the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. I thought we had walked into a castle on the Scotish Highlands when the mist rolled in around the hotel and we were greeted by the doorman in a tarten kilt.

Distinquished guests have included Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, the King of Siam, Lassie, and Paul Newman.

The Fairmont has 770 rooms and was styled after a Scottish baronial castle. It was built in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, at the instigation of its President and rebuilt in the 1920s after a fire. Public are allowed in the restaurant, gift shops, ground floor and both mezzanine floors. They didn't mind us taking photos.







The mailbox


This train runs around the ceiling in the Canadian Pacific gift shop on the ground floor.







Before starting the trip home we drove around Tunnel Mountain drive. We stopped at the lookout and hiked part way up Tunnel Mountain. The mist was so thick we could hardly see Banff.

By the time we were half way to Calgary the mist cleared and we had a good trip home.

Banff Gondola

In the afternoon we took a trip up Sulphur Mountain in the gondola at Banff.




In the photo above you can see the Bow River and the town of Banff is on the left If you enlarge the photo you can just see the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel in the middle.




The views on the way up are stunning. At the top of the gondola there are walking tracks that take you to the lookouts. On the way we saw mountain sheep and a brown squirrel. There was a lot of thick deep snow at the summit.

On the observation deck we found out just how far it is from here to NZ.

In the evening it was so light that we hiked along the Bow River. It was so still and glassy. The walking track is along the left bank.

This is the jetty where we put in our canoe during the day.

Banff - Canoe Trip on the Bow River

Saturday morning - As it was such a nice day the canoe hire on the Bow River opened a week early so that's what we decided to do. We spent a couple of hours canoeing on the Bow River and along one of the creeks. It was the first time Craig had been in a canoe, so they put me in the back to steer (and to supervise).

We only had a bit of trouble when we nearly ran
into a tree. Craig was steering and I was taking a photo. It was all good fun and Craig especially enjoyed the experience. It's so peaceful on the water, we saw elk, Canadian ducks and an eagle.

You can see the Mountain peaks surrounding the river in some of these photos.

We also canoed up 40 mile creek and under the railway bridge as a train was crossing it. Their horns sound eerie here as they echo off the mountains.

Banff

Friday we drove to Banff. People in NZ and here in Canada told us we would enjoy it and they were right. The scenery here is spectacular.

We drove up to Calgary then through the Rockies to Canmore.


The Three Sisters at Canmore.

Banff is located in the Banff National Park, nestled in a valley with looming mountain peaks on all sides .

Main street, Banff Avenue. The eclectic mix of shops and boutiques are open till 9pm, so we went shopping and then out for dinner.

The Christmas Shop was our favourite.

On both sides of the shop are alcoves with decorations from different countries and themes.

We bought metal tree decorations

from Russia.

These photos show some of the
villages, some were made from
glass, some lit up and some are mechanical.

While in Banff, Craig tried buffalo and elk.

This is the view from our table and below the view from the restaurant rooftop.

Banff Avenue at night.