The Columbia Icefield

The Columbia Icefield is located on the boundary of Banff and Jasper National Parks. It is one of the largest accumulations of ice and snow. We took the one hour and a half tour on the snow coach pictured below out onto the glacier. This company owns 22 of these coaches. Each one costs approximately 1.2 million dollars. Notice the tires; each one costs $5000.We made sure we followed all touring rules. We stepped only where they told us to and went no further. 

The visitor center is closed and boarded up each winter. Our tour guide said last winter the electronic devices registered the temperature inside the building as minus sixty-eight degrees! 

Day 10

Well, today has proven to be another adventure in itself. We arrived at the Vancouver Airport this morning to be greeted by a smiling young lady. We knew something was up when she said, “Good morning, ladies. WERE you going to Dallas/Fort Worth this morning?’

It seems our noon flight had been cancelled due to mechanical problems with the plane. No problem! We certainly didn’t want to find out later during the flight there were issues. All passengers were to be re-routed out on different flights and even different airlines. Fortunately, after waiting patiently in line, we were given alternative arrangements. We eventually flew on Alaskan Airways to Los Angeles. (The LA airport has proven to be a sideshow.) We ate our lunch/dinner meal at Chili’s. It was comped through American. So we splurged and even shared dessert.

 While we were eating, they made an announcement that our flight to Dallas had been delayed!

 So here we sit. We are full, patient, and still smiling! Who knows when we will get back to Dallas.

Day 9

Today we flew from Calgary to Vancouver in a smaller plane that I really prefer to be in. It was a rocky flight for the most part; it seems that flying over mountains tends to make it rougher. Thanks to the motion sickness pill I took though I did not get sick. Woohoo!

We spent the afternoon in Stanley Park. It is the equivalent probably of Central Park in NYC. We walked quite a bit and also had a meal at The Fish House. Here's a couple of the many pictures.

Day 8

Today, we left the beautiful city of Banff. We drove to Calgary which is so totally different from everything else we have seen. We made a few "touristee" stops once we arrived. Tomorrow, we will take a flight from here back to Vancouver rather than drive the 600 miles we have driven since we left there. The weather is still great -- highs of 60!

Day 7

We saw more bears today!!!

Here are a few shots for the day...

Day 6

WE SAW A BEAR!!!!!!!!

This was our goal for the day. Finally, late this evening we saw one. That topped off a great day of site seeing. We have been to Johnston Canyon, Lake Louise, and Moraine Lake. We also toured the Fairmont Banff Springs, and Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotels.

And now for Friday's Fotos....

Day 5

These are some of the beautiful sites we have seen today. We have been to Salmon Arms pier, Crazy Creek, Natural Bridge, and Emerald Lake. We are now at Banff, Alberta for the next 3 days.

Day 4

We began our journey in the rental car this morning. As we traveled out of Vancouver, we went through the USA border into Washington State so we could add another state to those visited. This proved to be an experience in itself! 

Later in the day we visited a hotspot-- "Tickleberry's Ice Cream Shop" in Okanagan Falls.  It was actually much more than that. Great ice cream!

We drove around 300 miles -- beautiful scenery.

Even treated to a rainbow over the mountains after a rain shower.

Day 3

Fudge Cake at Willie's Bakery 

Two of more than 1500 hanging baskets in the 

city of Victoria--each are watered nightly

This is a picture of the world-famous Empress Hotel. The hotel was built in 1908 and has hosted kings, queens, movie stars and other celebrities.  

Across the harbor from the Empress Hotel are the Parliament Buildings. Both the Empress Hotel and the Parliament Buildings were designed by the

architect Francis Rattenbury.

Day 2

We took a very large ferry from Vancouver this morning over to Victoria where we will stay until tomorrow.

Lunch at Fisherman's Wharf

The Victorian Harbor

More of the Harbor

Hey friends and family! We can pool our resources and purchase this 

500 sq. ft. boathouse for $229,000. What do you think?

 

Vancouver Day 1

Pam made us t-shirts for our first day.

Granville Island

View from our balcony

The Traveling Continues...

Tomorrow we will be leaving for Canada. This will be another first in the travel log. I am very excited to be going with a group of women that make it a fun journey from departure to return.

Cheyrl has done a fabulous job as our own travel agent. We each have a personalized daily itinerary. She has been there a couple of times and has planned all routes, accommodations, and points of interest. We will be taking a direct flight into Vancouver. Stops include not only Vancouver but Victoria, Banff, and Lake Louise to name a few. While there, we will be traveling by ferry, rental car, and a hopper flight as well.

In addition to Cheyrl being the tour guide and driver, Marilyn is the official map reader and GPS programmer. Pam is our spokeswoman and will coordinate snack times and breaks along the way. I am the banker. That works for me!