Sylvan Lake - 18-Jun-2011

The Light House At Sylvan Lake, Alberta

After going on a shopping spree yet another time, this time again at the Crossiron Mills Mall, Rocky View, on the 17th of Jun, our vehicle was idle on the 18th. We pulled out our search results on the internet and decided to go to Sylvan Lake, Alberta. This place is 170 KM North of Calgary on The Deerfoot Trail. It is near the town of Red Deer. However, instead of taking the exit to Red Deer, you take the exit to Stettler/Rocky Mountain House. You then keep going West on AB-11 instead of going East to Stettler.

The Tour Map - Calgary (A) and Sylvan Lake (B)

The drive was a very rewarding one for me, kind courtesy the vehicle we had rented. It was a Chevy Traverse, a bull, which I had tamed an year ago during our Vancouver Trip. The weather was partly cloudy when we started but later on, on the highway, it started to drizzle. There is a word of caution which I would like to give to people who take the Deerfoot Trail North, which is, if you have to have coffee, better have it at Airdrie. Because after that, though markers on the exits prompt you to take the ramp, you will hardly find a coffee shop nearby, and would have to take longer detours to offshoot places. I have learnt it the hard way and now I ask the group, for their coffee needs, well before we reach Airdrie, and if anyone demands a stop after Airdrie, I do not oblige until we reach Red Deer. 

One such moral learning lesson occurred during this trip as well, and I swore to myself, that I would stick to my plan of either Airdrie or Red Deer as coffee exits, on all of my future trips that would use HWY-2N. And while I was still taking my last lesson on one of those bluff exits during this trip, we passed by some lovely looking fields, where we stopped. It was worth stopping because I liked the photos that we took there.

Stopped By For Some Snaps At This Place Enroute

Rahul and Soumya - Green Fields In The Background

Me (L) and Soumya (R)

Rahul (Squared) - I Am On The Right

Our Rented Vehicle - A Chevrolet Traverse

Though the weather was not exactly what we had wanted it to be, nevertheless, it complimented the landscape and added a blend of exoticism to the overall picture. The next stop was somewhere in Red Deer, and it had to be a coffee stop. Many among us try to cut down our calorie intake each day, but all that effort is thwarted when you get into a coffee shop. What was being ordered - big cups of French Vanilla, Calorie-Laden Ice Coffee, Tim Bits among others. But it was a much refreshing stop.

Tim Horton's Coffee Shop In Red Deer, Alberta

When we came out of Tim Horton's, it started to rain cats and dogs. The rain splashing on the windshield was so thick that visibility was a major issue. We reached Sylvan Lake in about 30 minutes. What a beautiful town it is. Majority of the buildings in this town are based on the waterfront. The little coffee houses, the lovely restaurants and the houses, all line up cozily along the narrow road that snakes through the small town, and this makes for a perfect view. 

We drove on the road all along the lakeside for some time. It would have been an even better experience, had the rain not played spoil sport. The lighthouse on the far end of the town looked very cute amid the various boats that were anchored inside the pier. We parked the vehicle in the parking lot that enclosed the pier. And though it was pouring from the skies like anything, we managed to sneak out of the car. I hate that feeling of rain trying to blot inside my clothes, it is pathetic, and that's what I was feeling at that time. And to top it all, I had to specially train my hands on the camera lens, lest I wanted it to be spoiled. There were quite a few snaps taken on the boardwalk and then some near the lighthouse. 

On The Boardwalk

Monojit, Rahul and Soumya

Monojit, Rahul, Avneesh and Me

With The Boats

Anand

Me And The Lighthouse

It Was Tough To click Photos While Shielding The Lens From The Rain

Soumya

Probably A Speed Boat

Monojit (dada)

Rahul

Shot This On Our Way Back

We wanted to hunt down a coffee shop on the lakefront and spend some time there. In our group, Avneesh and myself, we both are staunch fans of the different culture that is associated with the different types of coffee shops. We have visited some very old shops in British Columbia during one of our trips there in November, 2010. What could have been a better experience than to have coffee on a wooden sitout on the lake. But the shops seemed to be closed at the moment for one, and for the other, we would have easily missed any open shop due to poor visibility. So the only option with us was to take coffee from a gas station when we stopped to fuel up. The streaks of disappointment could easily be seen on our faces

Though this trip was a little too short, chances are, that we shall be visiting this place again, soon, and it might as well be a night halt.