Calgary and Banff – Day 4 can be found here.
Another 8 am wake up – we’re getting spoiled on this trip.
No time for a leisurely morning, however. Instead, it’s time to pack up and head back to Calgary. But first I need to stop by the front desk and return their bear spray, which they so graciously loaned us for our hike up Tunnel Mountain.
(You only need to pay if you use it – at which point I expect it will be a bargain at any price. Though thankfully they only charge $50 if you open it.)
We’ve got packing mostly down to a science at this point, so it isn’t long before the kids are having one last round of hockey before they same goodbye to the game forever – or at least until they get older and realize they can order their own off the internet.
As hinted to earlier, we really liked Banff’s Hidden Ridge Resort and would absolutely stay here again. It’s not quite close enough to easily walk into town, but I think that’s more than offset by the amenities, the reasonable prices, and the closeness to nature.
Back to Calgary. In a reversal to our drive in, the mountains are at first ever present:
But then invisible.
It’s a surreal feeling – though mostly we’re just glad not to be headed into Banff today, as the lines at the gates were long and growing when we departed.
(Speaking of crowds, we would definitely visit Banff over Thanksgiving again – particularly early in the weekend, same as we did this time around.)
90 minutes later, and we arrive at the Winter Club, where we’ll be joining my mother, sister, brother-in-law, and their family for brunch:
Photo Credit – Winter Club Facebook Page
The Winter Club is members-only, so I won’t take too much time to describe it in detail. Suffice it to say that it’s a full-service sports and leisure club with restaurant, pool, rock climbing, children’s activities, and so on.
Our daughter enjoying one of the Winter Club’s rock walls
Our kids particularly enjoyed the bowling and rock climbing, and the brunch was delicious – featuring a wide range of sweet and savoury dishes, including a carving station, omelette bar and a huge selection of desserts.
Winter Club does have reciprocal agreements so worth having a look if you’re already a member of another private club.
Back to my mother’s house, and then out to visit a nearby park:
It was a beautiful day to be outdoors, but we were all pretty tired at this point so we headed back home to order some DoorDash from Raj Palace South Indian Cuisine and watch yet more documentaries:
Early bedtime tonight, as we’re getting up early to visit the Telus Spark Science Centre.
But first – a late-night walk along the ridge of Fish Creek Park:
Continue reading Calgary and Banff – Day 6.