Banff Day Three

 I'm not sure I have words to describe the various stunning sights I saw today. Just fabulous. And fun!! 

My morning involved an e-bike tour and hike. The meeting spot was just around the corner from my hotel which was nice. I walked in to Michael and Lauren waiting for me. I was the only participant and Michael was training Lauren so I had two guides! After a brief lesson in how to work an e-bike, we were off! I wasn't too sure but I caught on very quickly and throughly enjoyed the speed without effort! We rode out past the crowds to the Cave and Basin (read Sunday's post for my first trip there). We hopped off and walked up the boardwalk, which I hadn't done on Sunday. Michael is incredibly knowledgeable on all things fauna and flora (he's an avid birder) and Lauren is a history buff. Oh, Michael is from the UK and Lauren is a Canadian (which is actually not as common as you might think). Apparently I took no photos from the boardwalk. We left there and traveled along the bike path toward the trailhead. We stopped once to take in the view. And a view it was...

Canada Geese

attempting to show how clear the water is but the reflection didn't help
the branch is at the bottom

We carried on to the trailhead. The trail up was steep and had several rock step sections but it was worth it! The whole loop was just over 2km. The first half-ish was along the stream/river (seemed too small to call a river but too fast moving to call a stream - guides didn't have an answer), then the second half would back down away from the water and it was so quiet and peaceful. The most excellent part of it all was the lack of people which hasn't been the case anywhere else I've been!

trail on left

orchids

i don't remember its name but its a bug eater

different orchid 
(guide's hand)

i don't remember but it had a story

i don't remember

on the bike path on the way back - a different sort of tour

us!

i didn't fall off!

After the ride/hike, I was famished so I headed to the Rose&Crown, recommended by Lauren. I sat on the rooftop patio and it was lovely. I ate a yummy spinach dip with baguettes. 

the view from the rooftop patio

I went back to my hotel briefly to put my feet up and watch the beginning of the Astros/BlueJays game. It was a nice little respite before heading off to the Canoe Club for my "big canoe tour". It wasn't too far of a walk and it has been a beautiful day (if you couldn't tell from the pics of the morning). I got there early enough to chat with some of the workers and watch folks come and go with their own canoes. Stef was my guide and there were 9 of us joining her. Being solo meant I got to sit at the very front which was great! We did actually have/get to paddle and I tried both sides. The shoulders held up :) We paddled out ~1.5km, turned around and mostly floated back. It was very relaxing! Stef had great stories of the history of the river, mountains, town, etc. She is from Australia! I couldn't stop taking pictures so here are a bunch :)

Funny story! We encountered something "swimming" through the water in front of us. I took lots of videos and photos. We all thought it was a beaver. Until we were just about on top of it. It was a log. Except it was moving, quite quickly, through the water. So we all decided that it was a beaver under the water, out of sight, pulling the log. 

After the tour I went back to the hotel and finished watching the game (crazy!) which went into extras and we WON! Then dinner at 3 Bears Brewery was a Margherita pizza and a very good but different tap root beer. Now to repack the suitcase to travel, via tour bus, to Jasper tomorrow! Everyone has said that I have a very good chance of seeing a moose there :) Oh, so far, I've seen deer (here in town along the river on Sunday and on the drive yesterday), a goat (?? on the drive), and the usual geese, squirrels and various birds (magpie).