Today our planner is empty, we have no scheduled destination or places to visit. There will be a lot of case sorting and packing at the end of the day, but until then it will be time for relaxation and some last minute shopping.
On the way to Canmore town centre we stop at a Safeway supermarket, with the intention of stocking up on maple syrup. A few other goodies are purchased though.
In the town, the first stop is a handmade soap shop. My companion enters the shop with the intention of buying a couple of soaps. By the time I have intervened however we have a dozen small soaps, some lip balm, shaving soap, scented candles and a model birch bark canoe to put some of the soaps in. The young lady behind the counter seems overjoyed with our purchases, and offers to wrap everything free of charge. Whilst this is welcome, she is meticulous and takes a good deal of time to arrange the purchases to her satisfaction. My companion leaves me in the shop until the task is completed and walks around the corner to an art exhibition on the green. On the way she spots a restored police barracks, a log cabin built for the NWMP, the predecessors of the Mounties in the 1890’s.
We meet up again, and go to the barracks. Inside the cabin there is a collection of ephemera from the period. I note the difference in the construction of the cabin, and in particular the method of jointing, to the log cabins built recently. I think I detect my fellow travellers eyes glaze over at this point.
On the side of the road we spot a bicycle service station. A collection of tools are available for a cyclist’s use, on chains to prevent theft, a pump and a stand on which to place the bike for servicing.
Continuing on we get to the shop which we discovered when researching for material and quilts before we left home. The Sugar Pine is a treasure trove for needle workers, knitters and quilters. There are quilt patterns, quilt kits and completed quilts around the shop. Unfortunately not many are for sale. Those that are for sale are priced above our budget, so my fellow traveller settles on two lengths of geometrically patterned material instead and a few other small bits and pieces.
We leave Canmore and make the short journey up to Banff. We divert to Vermillion Lakes, nothing to compare to the other lakes we have seen on our journey. We walk two short trails, one into the woods where we capture pictures of some cute small animals, and a second from a car park to the lake itself. We do not linger here. The mosquitos are ravenous, buzzing around and biting despite us applying copious amounts of Off bug spray.
To Banff Town now and lunch at the excellent Saltlik restaurant. After we tour the shops and purchase a bag in case of suitcase overflow. A few other bits and pieces are also purchased, we have more space now.
Back to the hotel with the intention of chilling out in the pool. Unfortunately this plan is scuppered by a family with a screaming child, anything but relaxing. We return to the room and start packing, my fellow traveller with the suitcases, me with the technical equipment, camera gear and planning material. I finish much later in the evening than my companion. We snack sitting on the balcony with the sun illuminating the peaks of the mountains with an orange glow. Tomorrow it is off to Calgary, the airport and the journey home.