A trip to the UK and Canada (VA, SQ A380 suites, and AC 787 business)

[RooFlyer]

Any update @Sludge321 ?

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Any update @Sludge321 ?

Ah yes - sorry for the delay! Some other travel and busy work means I've been slack with my photo sorting. I'll try and get back to it this week!

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Sunshine Meadows

Part of the Banff Sunshine Valley ski resort is open as a hiking area during the summer season. I made an early start, and drove in to Banff National Park, to the ski resort base station, where I purchased my ticket, a coffee, and a bagel. Unfortunately the gondola to Sunshine Village wasn't in operation on this particular day, so had to take the replacement shuttle bus up the windy unsealed road.

Upon arrival at the resort, the bus was welcomed by a staff member who gave us a warning that a few bears had been sighted in the last couple of days. Unsurprisingly during this low season, the resort is very quiet with only a few facilities open (hotel, cafe, restaurants).

Impressive mountain peaks surround the resort:


Another coffee later (it was a bit chilly), and I made my way to the Standish Chairlift, which ascends Mount Standish and takes you to the Sunshine Meadows hiking area.



There is a short path across the summit to the Standish viewing deck, where the real trails begin.




Apparently the first snowfall of the not-yet winter season had happened the previous night. There was still some small patches lurking at the base of the viewing deck.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Sunshine Meadows

The viewing deck provided one of the best vistas I've seen - truly breathtaking. The patchy cloud cover and sunlight added an other-worldly touch.



I then set off walking the available trails.

Rock Isle Lake:





Grizzly Lake:



Simpson viewpoint (more evidence of wildfires):



Laryx Lake:


Monarch Viewpoint trail:



Meadow Park trail:



I arrived back down at the resort village mid-afternoon, and had a late lunch at Trapper's Bar/Restaurant, before hopping on the shuttle bus back to the base station and my car.

 

[kermatu]

Just catching up with this, and enjoying it.

Desperately keen to see more of this part of Canada. Got close (Whistler) a couple of months back but no time for more.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Banff Town

I spent a day at Banff Town, with a moderately early start (but probably the latest I departed whilst staying in Canmore). I parked at Banff Springs Hotel, a couple of kilometres outside of town, and picked up a nice bacon egg roll and coffee from the hotel cafe.




I walked down to the nearby Bow Falls viewpoint, and then along the river to the town centre.







I stopped for a quick coffee at Wild Flour cafe (thanks for the tip @RooFlyer), before walking to Tunnel Mountain via the visitor centre, and then up the Tunnel Mountain Summit trail - some fantastic views across Banff and the Bow River / Bow Valley.

Apparently "rutting" season had started today, and Bull Elk warning signs had been added to the notices at trailheads:


Fairmont Banff springs can be seen here on the left from this viewpoint:







I then had a very tasty late lunch on the rooftop decking at Elk & Oarsman - more great views. An interesting burger topped with pulled Elk, accompanied with a local beer.





I then made the leisurely walk back to Banff Springs Hotel via the Central Park market.

 

[RooFlyer]

In all the years I drove past and through Banff for my work (going from Calgary to Golden, 2 hrs more west), I never did the gondola or Tunnel Mountain! I did go horse riding once though and had many a coffee and pastry at the Wild Flour Cafe!

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Lake Louise

Another early start and a 1h drive to Lake Louise, which apparently has lots of congestion and parking problems if you don't arrive first thing. I grabbed a coffee and pastry from the Fairmont Lake Louse hotel cafe, before heading to the beautiful lakeshore.



I then walked the Lake Agnes trail, up to Lake Agnes Tea House - more fantastic vistas all the way up.







The Tea House has no electricity, and serves soup and tea from a gas stove. According to the menu, supplies are flown up by helicopter once a year - so I guess I got lucky when I witnessed several trips made by a helicopter making drops.



I went in to the Tea House for tea and soup.







I followed the trail around Lake Agnes a little further:

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Lake Louise

On the return walk, with the sun higher in the sky, Lake Louise had become the turquoise colour it's famous for.



Upon arriving back at Lake Louise the crowds were very overbearing, and the car parks had been closed, with traffic backed up along the road.

I was planning on driving further to Peto Lake, but after seeing the parking problems and crowds here I wasn't prepared to drive a further 40 minutes (each direction) to just find another closed car park. So instead I headed back for a relaxed afternoon in Camore, and walked the boardwalk in to town.





I had a great late lunch and beer at The Grizzly Paw Pub & Brewing Company, before handing in my bear spray at firehouse.

 

[craven morehead]

Lake Louise

Another early start and a 1h drive to Lake Louise, which apparently has lots of congestion and parking problems if you don't arrive first thing. I grabbed a coffee and pastry from the Fairmont Lake Louse hotel cafe, before heading to the beautiful lakeshore.

View attachment 143819

I then walked the Lake Agnes trail, up to Lake Agnes Tea House - more fantastic vistas all the way up.

View attachment 143820

View attachment 143821

View attachment 143822

The Tea House has no electricity, and serves soup and tea from a gas stove. According to the menu, supplies are flown up by helicopter once a year - so I guess I got lucky when I witnessed several trips made by a helicopter making drops.

View attachment 143824

I went in to the Tea House for tea and soup.

View attachment 143827

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I followed the trail around Lake Agnes a little further:

View attachment 143823

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Simply stunning scenery !!

 

[JohnM]

Been to most of those places summer and winter but your pics are something else.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

The drive back to Calgary Airport was much more pleasant that the outbound drive - I could actually see the surrounding landscapes! Only had one minor panic when I took a wrong turn trying to get to a petrol station just before the airport; the road layout was new and not correct on my GPS - but I managed to pull in to an office car park and drive around the building and luckily get to where I wanted to be (otherwise I'd have been heading off on a freeway somewhere else). Rental return was quick and easy, and I was soon checked-in and waiting for my flight to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.



YYC-YCD

Flight: AC8275
Aircraft: Q400 (C-GGCI)
Seat: 12C (Y)
Departed: YYC 31/08/2018 16:30 (on time) MDT
Arrived: YCD 31/08/2018 17:17 (2 mins late) PDT
Duration: 1h 47m



Just a short economy flight on a Dash-8 for this leg. I purchased this flight and also the following YCD-YVR flight using my AMEX Explorer $400 travel credit.

Only complaint on this leg was that the air conditioning wasn't working, and the cabin was incredibly warm and uncomfortable throughout the whole flight. Although there were overhead air nozzles, they weren't working either. The flight crew were friendly, and I welcomed the ginger ale with ice when the complimentary drinks service started.

Rookie error: Shouldn't have provided my KrisFlyer number for these flights - as they didn't earn anything with SQ.

On arrival at Nanaimo/Cassidy airport, I was pleased to find that my Hertz "compact" booking had been upgraded to a tank (well a Jeep Wrangler) - unlike my "compact" booking at Calgary, which had stayed as compact despite the supposed guaranteed one-class upgrade that Hertz President's Circle members receive.



It took a little while to get used to driving this thing after being in a Hyundai Accent for the previous week!


Best Western Northgate Inn, Nanaimo

After a much busier and hectic drive than I was expecting, I arrived at the Best Western Northgate Inn in Nanaimo for a quick overnight stop before starting the real journey towards Tofino and the Pacific Rim National Park the following day. I was warmly welcomed, and thanks to a status match offer, received a welcome gift bag of snacks+water and also a room upgrade. I grabbed a pizza from a small take-away across the road, and had a comfy nights sleep.



The included breakfast the next morning wasn't too great - but it filled me up ready to start the drive across the island.

 

[Cossie]

I hope you had a Nanaimo bar in Nanaimo! Nanaimo bar - Wikipedia

 

[HeavyElectricity]

I planned to make a day of the drive from Nanaimo to Tofino, which otherwise would have taken around 3 hours if completed non-stop.


Coombs

I left Nanaimo mid-morning, and made my first stop in the small town of Coombs, at the "Goats on a Roof" market. It lived up to its name!





There were some great items for sale here, and I stocked up on snacks for the days ahead, and for a picnic lunch at my next stop: nectarines, plumbs, some packs of trail mix, and a smoked turkey sandwich from the deli.


Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park

The short walk alongside the Little Qualicum River and Falls was very pleasant, and I had my lunch here too.






MacMillan Provincial Park: Cathedral Grove

This area of ancient giant Douglas Fir trees as well as Red Cedar trees is impressive, and the short walks are another welcome break from driving.

The scenery was becoming more spectacular, with tree-covered mountains rising high above the lakes and rivers.





The largest giant Douglas Fir measures over 9m in circumference at the base:




Port Alberni to Pacific Rim National Park

This section of the drive is absolutely spectacular, and also fairly challenging with how twisty/narrow it is in some places accompanied by many blind corners. So unfortunately it was not possible to take photos. But it is beautiful, and probably the best drive I've ever done! I did stop off at one location - Wally Creek.


Wally Creek

Wally Creek is a popular stop to stretch the legs, or even go for a swim. More tree-covered mountains surround the valley. The river cuts through the rock forming steep cliffs, before the the rock/banks flatten out a little further on.







My final stop was at the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre where I picked up a map. From here the landscape flattens out much more, and it's an easy drive towards Tofino.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

I hope you had a Nanaimo bar in Nanaimo! Nanaimo bar - Wikipedia

I didn't! I didn't even know about those! Doh!

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Best Western Tin Wis Resort, Tofino

My chosen accommodation was a short drive from Tofino itself, situated on MacKenzie Beach. It was very nice, but the bathroom could really do with a renovation.



The view from the balcony to the beach:



After settling in, I went to the bar for a light dinner and decided to try the local beer (yum):



I then explored the beach as the sun set:

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Later that evening when looking for something in my wallet, I noticed for the first time what the goat in the "Goats on a Roof" logo printed on the receipt was doing

 

[clipped_wings]

Can't get enough of this trip report, your photos are breathtaking!

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Tofino

I spent a day exploring Tofino, and the nearby Tonquin Trail and beaches. I love all the small tree-covered islands in the area of Clayquot Sound.




View from Tonquin Beach over the Templar Channel to Wickaninnish Island:


Looking along Tonquin Beach:



The trail along Third Beach passes several picturesque coves:






The occasional seaplane would pass overhead:




The trail ended at Middle Beach, where I stopped to relax for awhile and enjoy a tasty sandwich I'd picked up at a local bakery earlier:




The clouds / fog / (maybe smoke) started to envelop the islands off the beach, so I decided to head back:




In the evening at the resort, I enjoyed a beer I'd picked up from the Brewery that morning, a long with a tasting board/box from a local shop "Picnic Charcuterie" - yum!

 

[drron]

Some great photos.Brings back a lot of good memories.