Canmore and Banff

Canmore and Banff are both towns that I'm somewhat familiar with as I've visited them several times during my 7-year stay in Edmonton, usually accompanied by someone I was dating at the time. I think I've been to one or the other with at least 4 different partners, which probably makes me a total slut in some people's eyes, lol.

Both towns are quite touristy and attract large numbers of travelers both in summer and winter. There are lots of trails and hikes as well as climbing, cycling, hot springs, mountains, and many cozy eateries and watering holes. In the winter there is skiing and snowboarding, of course. I remember when I was still in Taiwan some of my students would talk about going to Banff on their holidays, which was the first time I'd heard of this strangely-named town. I think Canmore is less popular with foreigners, but Albertans love it.

This time was my first to visit solo. I parked in the Save-on-Foods overflow parking lot in Canmore, in part because I actually prefer it to Banff (slightly less crowded and also a bit more diverse) but mostly because I would have had to pay for each day I stayed in Banff since it's in a national park, which I didn't want to do.

I drove up from Calgary on Tuesday night and on Wednesday I rode my bike to Banff, where I bought some bananas and set up a slackline.  I had wanted to try a high line to see if I could climb up on it, so I did, and made it all the way up, only to fall backward, landing on my left arm. This left me a bit rattled, but I went on to set up a totally slack line, in the sense that there was no tension in it at all. My friend Johnny in Edmonton walks on a rope with no tension, which is something I've been meaning to practice. I didn't have the temerity to do much after my fall, however, so I packed up and made my way back to Canmore. On the way I must have pulled something in my left knee because I developed a sharp stabbing pain there while pedaling. Needless to say, I was the worse for wear by the time I got back to my camper. I picked up an Iron Maiden beer and ate some supper. Afterward I bought some expensive groceries at Nutters and walked to Elevation Place (that facility is amazing!) and made use of their free wifi for an hour or so.

On Thursday I biked around looking for a spot to set up my slackline, which I ended up doing behind the Civic Centre. I got into a conversation with a young lady named Cheyenne, impressed a few locals, then went and did some bouldering at Elevation Place.

In the evening I was met at Elevation Place (again) by M.A. MacKenzie, who is a Zeitgeister from Banff whom I'd found on Facebook. We chatted for an hour, then I went home.

On Friday morning I went to the Canmore farmers market looking for honey but found none, so I bought two veggie samosas and drove back to Calgary.

I don't know if or when I'll get to see Canmore or Banff again, but these are two of my favorite places in Canada so far, and my memories of them are all fond ones.