Circle Routes - Hot Springs (Southern British Columbia) - 11 Nov 2010

Canadian Rockies Seen From The Deerfoot Trail, South of Calgary

These travels took us through the remotest corners of Southern British Columbia - aromatic brooks, small hamlets, enchanting forests, enticing meadows, slithering mountain bends, 18th century dated townships, local cultures remnant of the olden days, cuisines and markets all so old, communities....... Read on.....

Preface -

This blog has been long due as I have been unable to dedicate time to my writing likes for a quite some time now. This story goes back to Nov 11, 2010 which was a Canadian Holiday for Remembrance Day. It fell on a Thursday, so we decided to take Friday off and thus amassed 4 days of vacation to our benefit. It was not our complete gang this time, just Avneesh, Piyush and myself. So instead of the full-size SUVs we rent each time, we went for a 3.5 Litre Nissan Maxima. It was Piyush's last trip with us here in Canada as he was to leave for India in the next 8 days. The car was rented from the 10th Ave National Rental Agency on the evening of 10th. The agent Nigel Mealie there has known me long enough and gives me the best-in-range cars available in the slot. After renting the car, we used the rest of the evening on the 10th to shop for our trip.

Overall Tour Map

Day 1 - 11th Nov 2010

Calgary - Waterton - Cranbrook

The tour would span the two big states of Canada - Alberta and British Columbia. We started at 10 AM towards Waterton, AB. Waterton is 300 kilometers from Calgary and takes about 3 and a 1/2 hours by road. The but-obvious event to mark the commencement of the trip was us taking pictures in the back alley of Garden Towers.

Back Alley of Garden Towers - 9.50 AM

You have to take the Deerfoot Trail (HWY-2 South) to go to Waterton. As beautiful the highway is during summers when it is painted yellow with Canola flowers, that much picturesque it turns in winters when the Canadian Rockies that dote the highway on the western side gleam with snow, offering breathtaking views. We stopped at many such spots en route to take equally wonderful photographs.

Stopped By On HWY-2 South - In The Snap Avneesh and Myself

We kept riding steady, stopping in between for coffee and fuel. After a while the GPS somehow put us onto gravel laden township roads. Though they cut down on our speed, they nevertheless offered us spectacular country sights that we would have missed had we been riding on the highway.

Stopped By At This Town For Coffee

On A Township Road, North of Waterton

The Land Of Windmills, North Of Waterton

About 45 minutes before reaching Edmonton the land is a teeming ground full of windmills, thousands of them. And this is no surprise. The cross winds are so strong here that during my last trip to Waterton (Jan 2011), I saw as many as fifteen 60-feet trucks overturned and swept away by the winds. The cross winds are so powerful that you feel them turning your car's steering haywire when they flow through the wheelbase. We reached Waterton at 3 PM, weaving slowly through the township roads.

Waterton was too very windy and cold. It was getting difficult for us to stride around the place. We first stopped at the Visitor Centre to see if we could pick up any information. Unfortunately it was closed but we managed to pick up some leaflets that were posted on the information stands outside. Waterton is a lovely place and offers water rides to the United States in summers. These are done on the vast Waterton Lake which enclaves into the US. There is also plenty of wildlife in the surrounding Waterton Lakes Parks. The wind was almost knocking us off when we stood taking snaps of the place. 

The Prince Of Wales Hotel - Snap Taken From Visitors' Center

There is a small hill that stands atop the vast expanse of the lake overlooking the miniature town of Waterton. This one catches the eye, not to leave it. The attraction on the hill is the Prince Of Wales Hotel, which is a prominent landmark in Waterton.

Waterton Lake, The Temperature That Time -17 Degree C

We then drove into town which wore a deserted look. All businesses were closed. Infact most of the restaurants had their windows sealed with wood lest they rupture in the ice cold weather with the added abrasion of the high velocity winds. We parked our car in the Visitors' Parking Lot and walked around the lake shore. It was -7 degree C and with wind chill it went down till -17. The ice cold wind was biting into the flesh but we were enjoying the landscape, it looked like a painting on canvas - high waves tormenting the shores and the depths of the lake alike. We spent some time in town and then drove up to Cameron Lake. We could not reach it as the road had been closed due to winter.

The Town of Waterton As Seen From The Prince of Wales Hotel

A Side View of The Hotel

The last part of our visit here saw us driving up to the lovely Prince of Wales Hotel. This hotel is nestled aloft the hill overlooking the lake and the town. It would indeed be a pleasurable experience to stay in this wonderful marvel - sipping on wine at night while sitting in the mezzanine and then waking up in the morning to gaze at the lake through the dew drops clinging conspicuously on your window pane. We took some rather shaky snaps here - the wind coupled with the chill would not allow us to keep our hands out for more than a few seconds. My dear friend Piyush was slightly upset that he was not photographed properly by either Avneesh or me. He had been waiting in front of the hotel's entrance for a long time and when we did not notice him, that was the last time he ever wanted to be photographed again (albeit just for that day).

By the time we finished this leg of our journey, the clock had struck 6. It gets dark quite early here in the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and our next destination was a place called Cranbrook in the province of British Columbia. I was feeling pretty exhausted and was low on sleep so I took a power nap of 15 minutes in the car outside of Waterton. Soon after we stopped for gas and coffee. The drive to Cranbrook was a good one - 268 kilometers, about 3 and a half hours from Waterton if done nonstop. We had a lovely dinner at Boston Pizza in Fernie (BC) and then drove non stop to check in at a Hotel in Cranbrook by 11.30 PM.

Day 2 - Nov 12, 2010

Cranbrook - US Border - Creston - Ainsworth - Nelson

The Hotel Where We Put Up In Cranbrook, BC

Avneesh, In Front Of The Hotel In Cranbrook

Cranbrook is in the province of British Columbia. It is covered with mountains on the Eastern side and has got one of the best sights in the world along with many National Parks. Attractions in the town were closed for winter so we did not have much to do in the town and left the hotel by 10.30 AM for a place called Creston in BC. The route took us on HWY-3. The total distance is about 106 KM and takes about an hour and a half. This road takes you through the beautiful winding curves of mountainous British Columbia. 

When we were about to reach Curzon, a decision was made to visit the US Border. So we took a left on HWY-95 and drove down 20 KM to the US Border. This is adjacent the state of Idaho in the US. It is a free border for US and Canadian citizens.

A Lovely Hamlet North of Idaho on HWY-95

We spent quite some time taking snaps on the border. This might have arisen some suspicion in the minds of the Government Agencies there on both sides and we were asked promptly but politely to leave and thus had to go through the Canadian Immigration official's questionnaire. 

The US Side Of The Border

On The Very Line That Divides (Rather Unites)

We reached Creston at noon. This is one of those small BC towns which has something special about it. The specialty of this little hill town is its Apple Orchards and The Columbia Brewery, known for it Kokanee (Ale) and Kooteney (Lager) Beer. We spent some time at the information centre there picking up cues to 'what places to visit'. The first one on the list was Columbia Brewery. 

The Small And Neat Creston Downtown

Entrance To The Brewery - Water Source Is From The Neighbouring Columbia Glacier

The first part of the tour here was spent taking snaps. We are a group of people who have an abnormally vivid hunger for snaps you see, and with a splendid location like this, what more could we ask for!

Outside The Brewery's Store. There Is A Famous Legend Of a Sasquatch Picking Up Beer Crates

After all the drama executed at taking photographs we finally set foot into the Brewery's Gift Store. The good thing about these small places is the culture - you love soaking it up just like you would love the sun at the North Pole. Though the actual manufacturing facility is open to public, it was closed that day on account of the holiday. The lady at the store however was kind and resourceful enough to show us around the store, tell us some history of the unit and show us a movie on how the unit manufactures beer. I was also allowed to select and sip a small quantity of their home grown liquid-of-the-hops (beer in short).

L-R Avneesh, Piyush, Rahul

This place was turning out to be amazing, and equally amazing was the short movie we saw on how the brewery brews beer. There are four major brands that come out of this factory to flood the Canadian markets which are varieties of lager, ale and drought. We also went around the store and saw many diagrams on the wall which explained varied processes employed by the plant. I also picked up some souvenirs.

4 Famous Varieties Of Home Grown Canadian Beer From Kootenay

The next best part of the trip was yet to come - the ride on the Kootenay Lake Ferry from Crawford Bay to Procter. There are only fixed departures for this and we had to be on time for that. So we went back to the town centre and picked a really old and magnificent street facing restaurant to have our food. The cuisine was mouth watering and the Victorian styled architecture added to the gleam. As per our calculation we just had 40 minutes of time to take lunch but we overran it and cursed ourselves as we would miss the ferry. 

The Kootenay Lake Ferry - Route

Apple Orchards In Creston - On The Way To Crawford

Kootenay Lake - Snap Picked On The Way - BC HWY-3N

Another On Of Those Windings - Tests Your Driving Skills When On The Faster Side Of The Odo

The Ferry leaves Crawford Bay at 2 PM, so we just had about 45 minutes to cover 80 kilometers (Creston - Crawford on BC HWY-3N). The road is very narrow but very fine and beautiful as it winds through some spectacular lakes and mountains needled with pine forests. The speed limit on this stretch is 80 but I was pushing hard. Even knowing that attaining an average speed for this almost impossible feat would be 120 KMPH, and that would be hard to maintain, I still was pushing and by our watch when we finally reached Crawford Terminal it was 3:05 PM. We were 5 minutes late and we thought we would have to wait another 2 hours to get the next ferry. But what we discovered made us spring with excitement, the clock changes ZONE here from Mountain Time to Pacific Time, thereby yielding an hour. Which meant we were there at 2:05 PM local time. And lo, what more? We started photographing again.

Crawford Bay Ferry Terminal

Snaps Taken At Crawford While Waiting For The Ferry

There are two ferries that roam these waters from either terminal - MV Osprey 2000 and the MV Balfour. We got a chance to ride on the Osprey. This ride is about 8 kilometers and takes around 35 minutes on the Ferry. You get to load your vehicles on this - about 80  cars can come at a time. 

Boarding The Ferry Would Begin After These Guys Disembark

About 80 Vehicles Can Be Loaded At A Time On The Ospree

The Restaurant In The Ferry. In The Background - Ice Chill Waters Of The Kootenay Lake

The Ferry anchored in with its sirens aloud at the scheduled time. All of us got back into our cars. The ferryman signaled and one by one all cars went onboard the ferry. It was about 16 degrees below zero and the wind was chilly. We took our weight out of the car after parking it in the lot onboard and strolled towards the prow. It felt good seeing the muscular ways flexing at various angles to the streamline bottom of the ferry. We also went into the restaurant atop the ferry and were pretty amused with it. Soon the announcement came in to board our cars as the Balfour Terminal had arrived.

The Choice Is Yours - Ainsworth or Nelson

We got into our car and revved the engine while the ferry was still slowing down to anchor. When you get out of the ferry there are two ways you can go - North towards Ainsworth, which is by HWY-31 or South-West towards Nelson which is by HWY-3A. We headed towards Ainsworth, which is about 29 KM from this spot and takes about 45 minutes. Ainsworth is a small village on the Northern arm of the Kootenay Lake. It is famous for its Hot Springs - and specially so because they are within caves.

Ainsworth Hot Springs

The Hot Water Pool At Ainsworth

The Caves - Origination Of Hot Water

We reached Ainsworth by 5:30 PM and were in the pool by 6. We spent a good deal of time (about 2 and a half hours) shifting between the larger pool outside and the serenity of the caves. The temperature of the outside pools is maintained at 36 degrees and in the caves it is as high as 42 - 43.

Dinner At Ainsworth Resort

And after our tryst with the pools was over we went into the Restaurant atop the resort building. It was an expensive one but offered lovely cuisine. After all was over we drove down to Nelson. This is about 50 KMS from Ainsworth. You go back the same way - HWY 31S to Balfour and then HWY-3A West to Nelson. We found a good hotel just as we were entering Nelson and were ready to sleep by midnight.

Day 3 - Nov 13, 2010

Nelson - Kaslo - Nakusp

We were struggling to get up early in the morning. It must have been quite chilly outside and we could feel it inside the room from the mere sight outside although it was well over 27 degrees inside the confines of our room. We got up around 8 AM (Pacific Time). My friend Piyush is well known for his antiques and the best known among them is spending hours under the shower. And this day was no different so we allowed him to have his time.

Kootenay Lake - Early Morning From Our Balcony - Snap Taken At 8 AM

The complete town of Nelson is built in a way that it overlooks the Kootenay Lake, and the hotel we stayed in was no different. The hotel was a very old one, a characteristic of most buildings in Nelson. I particularly am an ardent admirer of old architecture. Staying in such a hotel, when I opened the curtains of our room from our 2nd floor balcony, I was greeted by a lovely scene, the kind which you see in movies - chilly air outside coupled with a tinge of fog and the sun sleeping an extra hour in the winter, thereby bereaving the milieu of light. All this made the lake outside look gorgeous.

North Motor Inn, Nelson

Breakfast was complimentary in the hotel and after munching on it we spent some time training our cameras on the surroundings. Finally we stepped into our car and rode into Nelson. This town is definitely recommended by me to any visitor - it is that typical old fashioned laid back hill station. To start with, we found a parking outside the town - free parking. And then we decided to walk around the whole town as per our plan. I had been to Nelson before in a trip made in April 2010 but that one was a cursory visit for a few hours but this time it was much more detailed. Also, this time, we entered Nelson from the Eastern end, unlike the previous time when we had entered from the West.

Entry Into Nelson From The Eastern End, We Parked Our Car Here

Another One Taken While Walking Into Nelson Town - 11.34 AM MST (10.34 Local Time)

It was freezing outside - must have been -17 degrees (probably -24 with the windchill) if I remember correctly and it was making it increasingly difficult to shoot snaps with open hands. But that did not dampen our spirits. The walk into town was also equally enchanting. I was simply loving the town and I wished I could have lived there.

Nelson Visitor Center

The Beginning Of Baker Street

An Erstwhile Church In The Backdrop, Baker Street

We started with Baker Street. This is one of the oldest streets in Nelson and has much historical value to it. There are nice old buildings all along the street and we admired them a lot while strolling down towards the other end.

An Old Building On Baker Street - The W Block

In The Coffee Shop - Jigsaws Coffee Company

Hand Made Coffee - On Baker Street

As it was cold we decided to have some coffee and yet again it was in an old shop - The Jigsaws Coffee Company. Coffee is made with hands and not machines here - the filter coffee. This was the first time that I had coffee here in the West which was made the way we make it in India. We sat in the shop chatting and enjoying the premises for a while after which we bid adieu to our lady host and started further down Baker Street.

More Snaps On Baker Street

Piyush

The House On The Hill - Taken From The Other End Of Baker Street

We were reaching the end of Baker Street which was far less active than the end at which had begun. This one had old buildings too, but lots of empty space between the buildings. Towards the end of the street we saw a lovely hotel. I wished that I could spend another day there and in that hotel. There were some lovely houses on top of the adjacent hill, all covered with fog. I really start thinking about Ranikhet when I see such places.

The End Of Baker Street - Liked That House Too Much

After this, we took what is called the Historical Tour. I had been reading up on Nelson on the internet for some time and I had stumbled upon this information on the Historical Tour. It actually consists of bus tours of the various parts of the town with tour guides. But as it was a holiday, the tours were closed and we decided to cover this on foot. So we walked uphill from Baker Street and covered each street and alley that came in the way. The charm that the olden architecture cast on us was simply mesmerizing. And to top it all my camera also seemed to enjoy the plethora of captures it could make on that day.

A European Styled Church From The 1800s - Snap Taken On The Historical Tour

A Typical Street In Upper Nelson

Another Of My Pics That I Love To See

We walked up and down the streets and covered almost everything that the historical tour would have. And I believe with a little more training I could easily start to earn my living in the historical town of Nelson as a tour guide. We then started to move towards the end of the town that touches Kootenay Lake. 

Splendid Creation - Snap Taken While Walking Towards Kootenay Lake

Civil Court Of The Town Of Nelson

We reached the part of town which is quite busy, not only in terms of homosapien but also vehicular activity. There are a lot more buildings here that have historic importance. The first one recognizable by me was the Civil Court. By then I had started to map my cerebral activity to the previous trip here, made during the spring of 2010. I am the son of an Army Man and the phenomenon of charting down the directions of a coordinate from a local as well as global perspective, though as not profound in my immediate lineage (my father), are strong enough to rage a debate in my brain against my own instincts. And by virtue of the same phenomenon, I was straining my stem cells hard to make myself understand the sense of direction with respect to my last visit when I saw the Civil Court. Things became much clearer when I strode down the street and saw the place where we had parked our Jeep Liberty, the last time we visited this place.

The Same Civil Court - This Time Captured By Piyush From Another Angle

The trip was definitely getting more fun with every moment that passed. As they say - 'The Place Shalt Groweth Upon Thou', this town seemed to captivate us all, equally, in large proportions. Now that we had finished the famous Historical Tour, albeit on foot and thus been able to generate our own rendition of it - 'The Historical Walk', we proceeded for the Kootenay Lake. 

I admire Piyush for his sense of photography. Not only does his thinking align with mine but also the creativity which he applies in taking snaps is conversational. And I particularly like the snap of the Civil Court that Piyush took and that has been embedded above.

Another Snap Taken By Piyush On The Way To Kootenay Lake

We then reached the Lake Shore. There is a small Railway Track that runs around the lake. It is solely for tourist purposes and open only in summers. We walked down that track for quite some distance and on our way back stopped in at some of the stores. We wanted to buy an extra battery for my Sony DSC H7 which had already drained off all the battery due to exhaustive usage in Upper Nelson. We walked all the way back till we reached the little dock - the place where all private boats are anchored.

Railway Tracks That Run Around The Lake - Operational Only In Summer

Kootenay Lake - My Second Time In The Same Snap, Last One - Apr 2010

Kootenay Lake Docks

On the lakefront we were greeted by a producer cum director. He had taken a few months to build his boat all by hand and he showed it to us from atop. He also disclosed his plans of a documentary movie that he was shooting in the lake. We finally walked towards the place where our car was parked. We then drove North upto a place called Kaslo in BC. It is 70 KM North of Nelson and it takes about an hour to get there. The route was the same that we had driven upon before - East to Balfour on 3A and then North to Kaslo on 31, and quite obviously we passed Ainsworth on our way.

The S.S. Moyie - Kaslo, British Columbia

The S.S. Moyie Again, On The Shores Of Kootenay Lake

Kootenay Lake - Snap Taken From The Village Of Kaslo

We had reached Kaslo by 5 PM. Kaslo is famous for the S.S. Moyie - a Sternwheeler (a kind of ship) used in the late 1800s until 1957. The Moyie used to sail the waters of the Kootenay from North to South in those years. It has now become part of the historic ancestry of Canada and is being preserved.

Snap Taken In The Village Of Kaslo - By Avneesh

Walking Down The Street In Kaslo, British Columbia - 5.34 PM, Nov 13, 2010

The Coffee Shop - Notice The Live Fireplace, There Is No Central Heating

There was another attraction in between Nelson and Kaslo that we had wanted to cover, but unfortunately we were not able to find it. So we spent some time in Kaslo - walking down the lake shore, strolling the streets and finally stopping in for coffee at a local coffee shop. The walk on the streets was liked by all. For those among us who had been to Europe, this was bringing back a nostalgia and for those who hadn't it was growing on like a full moon casting its spell on a placid serene lake.

We then left for a place called Nakusp (also in British Columbia). Our plan was to find the natural hot water pools there for the next morning and find a place to stay for that evening. Nakusp is about 95 kilometers from Kaslo and you have to drive through complete uninhabited land. The drive takes about 1 and a half hour. It was completely dark with almost zero traffic and due to the start of winter it was covered with ice at many parts. I am used to driving large SUVs in Canada and it does not perturb me much in ice and snow as  I use the 4WD Low option (4 wheel drive low mode). But this terrain was putting my driving skills to test as the car did not have 4 WD, and I was liking it.

Hotel Leland, Celebrating 185 Years - Oldest Hotel in British Columbia

There was quite some confusion following the road signs to the village of Naksup. There was initially some debate on the place to put up for the night. Being the very small place it is, we had very few choices at hand. Me and Piyush were inclined towards a newer, better looking place, but Avneesh had already set his mind on an older looking one - The Leland Hotel. When we checked into the hotel, I was very skeptical, one reason being I sensed it to be a redneck area. But as things turned out later it was the best decision we had made that day. The hotel is the oldest hotel operating in the province of British Columbia. The usual room charges are 285 dollars per night, but we got a celebration offer of CDN 85 per night. We moved in our luggage into the hotel and then had dinner at a nearby restaurant after realizing the buffet in Leland did not suit our tastes. 

There was a local band that had come in to play for celebrating the 185 years of operation. They were really good and were playing all our old time rock favourites from college - The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and the likes. They also played a bit of metal - Metallica and Black Sabbath. It looked like the entire village of Nakusp had turned up at the celebrations. We sang late until 2.30 AM with the local folks and then went off to sleep.

Day 4 - 14 Nov 2010

Nakusp - Halcyon Hot Springs - Revelstoke - Banff - Calgary

We woke up pretty late in the morning due to the previous night's bravado of waking up late into the night. I had noticed, but not so much the previous night - the sheer expanse of the room's territory and even of the bathrooms. These were like the old 1850 made British houses in Imperial India. And this room too, like the one in Nelson's Motor Inn was overlooking the lake (The Arrow Lake). 

Morning View Of The Arrow Lake From Our Hotel Room - 11.30 AM

The Arrow Lake - Snap Taken From The Leland Hotel, 12:01 PM

Another Snap Captured With The DSC-H7, Nakusp (British Columbia)

Hotel Leland, Celebrating 185 Years Of Continuous Operation

In Font Of Hotel Leland, Beside The Arrow Lake

We wanted to look around the place, so after loading in our luggage in the car's boot, we went around for some fancy photo shoots. I always operate my camera in the manual mode which makes it take some of the best snaps that I have ever taken. After taking a wide range of photos we thought it made sense to sip on some local coffee before proceeding. So we barged into the hotel's dining room where the stage was still being set for afternoon dinner. We were soon acquainted with the hotel's owner who was a woman from BC. She was quite fascinated to hear about India and soon the coffee became on the house. The lady offered (actually was forced by Avneesh) to take a group snap and was quite good at it. It turned out that she had been to India before and wanted to make more visits.

Late Morning Coffee, Hotel Leland - 12.25 PM (11.25 AM Local Time)

A Snap Of The Summer Sitout, Taken From The Dining Room- Hotel Leland

After saying good bye to the host, we drove to the Halcyon Hot Springs. This place is about 20 minutes by drive from Nakusp. I would rate the Halcyon the top among all the hot springs I have visited in Canada, even more than the Ainsworth Springs, as this place has a an aura of itself. These pools overlook the Upper Arrow Lake and are less crowded compared to the other pools I have visited in Canada. This exotic location has words to speak for itself. We must have reached this place by 2 PM (PST) and spent quite some time in the pools.

Avneesh was liberal enough (as always) to engage in talk with one traveling Canadian from south BC and then involve him in friendly (err beastly) discussion. It must have been that old man's good luck that we spotted him strangled with Avneesh and then went on to rescue him (by calling Avneesh into the other pool with us). After our activity in the pools was over, we proceeded for lunch. We had spent quite some amount of energy in the pools and were hungry enough to devour anything that came our way.

The Cuisine At Halcyon Hot Springs - This Is Pure Vegetarian

Dessert Time

The Halcyon Hot Springs - A One Way Ticket To Paradise

Three Of The Four Sulphur Pools At Halcyon

I liked the location at which this resort is built. You can enjoy the hot water pools whilst being in the mist laden chilly air with the Arrow Lake in the proximity. Also the resort has been built in an exotic fashion. After spending some time over lunch and then over photography we left for Revelstoke.  Revelstoke is about 104 KM from Nakusp on the BC-23 N highway and usually takes about 2 hours. This includes a ferry ride across the Upper Arrow Lake. The ferry route is about 5 kilometers and joins Galena Bay on the Eastern shore of the lake to Shelter Bay on the Western side. There was an hours time for us to wait for the Ferry. I decided to take a nap in the car while Piyush and Avneesh toured the place. The ferry chugged into the terminal at 6:24 PM (5:24 PM Local Time). We had to wait for some time before the operator signaled us to board.

The Upper Arrow Lakes Ferry Chugging Onshore At Galena Bay

The ride on the ferry to Shelter Bay took about 20 minutes. After disembarking the ferry, we continued further North on BC-23 N and reached Revelstoke at 8:00 PM. There was nothing much to do there. Avneesh wanted to take some snaps of the place so we shunted our car in the streets for some time.

Downtown Revelstoke - Snap Taken By Avneesh In The Freezing Cold

We left Revelstoke and headed towards Banff, which is about 290 KM and takes around 3 hours and 45 minutes. The roads were laden with fresh thick layers of snow and there were layers of black ice too. This made the journey painfully slow. Had it been an SUV, I would not have hesitated to speed up, but taking such a risk in a car which does not have a 4 WD is asking for punishment from the devil himself. It was relief when we finally hit the Trans-Canada HWY-1 and even more when we entered Banff. One fuel pump was still open and we fueled up and then went for dinner. And then it was the same familiar ride back home on HWY-1. I do not recollect but it must have been 1.30 at night when we hit Calgary. Nevertheless, it was one more splendid trip, a plan beautifully executed.