Day 8: Hanging out in Banff

Hanging out in Banff - No Riding Today

 We took a day to relax in Banff, sleeping in and sightseeing. We headed down to the town of Banff to walk around and enjoy the sights.

Banff has an interesting history.

The area was named Banff in 1884 by George Stephen, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, recalling his birthplace near Banff, Scotland. The Canadian Pacific built a series of grand hotels along the rail line and advertised the Banff Springs Hotel as an international tourist resort.

Here is a pic of the Bow River which cuts right thru Banff:


The Cascades of Time Garden in Banff - beautiful !




Kate:


After a bit of shopping, we hit one of the roof top bars downtown for a refreshing adult beverage (the beer) and some electrolyte hydration (the pink drinks):


In some weird alternative universe, my beer was evaporating faster than Kate's:


In 1885, Canada established a federal reserve of 26 km (10 sq mi) around the Cave and Basin hot springs and began promoting the area as an international resort and spa as a way to support the new railway. In 1887, the reserve area was increased to 673 km (260 sq mi) and named "Rocky Mountain Park". This was the beginning of Canada's National Park system.



We headed back to the hotel to get packed up to head out tomorrow, and grabbed some dinner. Our crispy artichoke appetizer was very tasty,


Tomorrow is our last day in Canada - we are heading to Waterton Lake in Alberta, just north of the Montana border.


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