Way back in 2011, I posted this one as the first picture I personally took on here. It is fitting today as it is a shot of Athabasca Falls, which is close to Jasper, Alberta. I haven’t heard anything about the status at the falls yet, but I’m sure we will at some point. It was a terrible day for the people who lived there and a tragedy for the rest of the world. It is iconic, beautiful, and basically irreplaceable.
This year’s adventure to Mazatlán began on December 29 with a stay at the former Wyndham Garden Hotel. Now a Hotel 11. As always, we chose to stay at an airport hotel because the flight departs in the morning. We have stayed at this hotel several times as it has a good restaurant and is in great shape. Since our last stay, Wyndham sold the property to Sonesta Hotels, who have branded it as Hotel 11. A great rate, excellent service and the same great food. Our rate for the night was $151.95, tax in. Had a few vino’s, so supper almost matched the room rate. Our bad. Check them out at the link; it’s recommended.
Hotel 11, MOD Sonesta – Calgary Hotel with Airport Shuttle | Sonesta
The next step is the flight. As usual, we flew in on WestJet. It is pretty much the only game in town from Calgary. There is Sunwing as an alternative, but they are now owned by WestJet and have some limitations that are not good for us. It is cheaper, but one-way travel is not allowed, and changing flights is next to impossible. As we are there for 3 months or so, this restriction is not a good thing. We book as one way in each direction instead of round trips to give us the flexibility to head home earlier or later, especially for urgent personal reasons.
We caught our shuttle and arrived at the airport with a 3-hour window. As we check in online, we ditch the lineups at the counters and proceed directly to the self-check-in kiosks. We generated our bag tags, dumped our luggage at the baggage chute, and headed into security. Security can cause a hiccup or 2, but we sailed through and headed for breakfast. The Tim Hortons and Starbucks are always full, so we use the Vin Room in case we want a mimosa or a nice chardonnay at 8:00 in the morning (You have to love air travel). The buzz in airports is unique. People everywhere around are excited, nervous or bored. Sitting in a restaurant eating breakfast and people-watching is a great way to kill time before boarding. The Vin Room is a Calgary restaurant/wine bar with 3 locations; this (obviously) is the airport location. Food is good and reasonably priced for an airport. The service is excellent as well. Breakfast was around $50.00, with tips and taxes and no wine. Another recommendation to check out if you are flying out of Calgary. Check them out at the link below.
Each year the Calgary Zoo transforms into a sea of Christmas lights. There are over a million lights and 250 figures. It is quite the display as seen in the shots I took. All pictures were taken on my iPhone 13.
Lisette Xavier is an artist I have written of in the past. She has been a fixture on the Calgary music scene for many years now, and I figured it was time to catch up. My last article was in 2014 and is available here, if you are interested.
Her latest work is the featured tune “Rise Up”, with was released in February 2021. Catchy tune, well written and a pretty cool video. I’ve always been impressed with her vocals and she keeps one interested throughout. Nice job!
If you choose to do so, the song, and her past catalogue are available at all the usual places, Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp, Tidal and Google Play.
You can go directly to her sites on her webpage.
Discovered this park in the centre of Calgary and will share a few photos. A beautiful walk in an area surrounded by a million people.
After a rather lengthy hiatus, it is time to get back on the beat. Took a few months off to concentrate on some other things. Had some fun, picked up on skiing again, made some decisions on the future and started to move forward on those plans. One of those plans included a new vehicle, one that can pull a boat or a trailer. Mission accomplished. No trailer or boat, yet, but a very nice, sparkling new Nissan Pathfinder. We intend to make use of it this summer while we work out the next part of our plans.
Making use of it will create a new offering, Travelling Alberta (or Saskatchewan, BC or wherever we end up). The first instalment, a trip to Vulcan, Alberta. Vulcan is a town of 2,000 people, 130 km south-east of Calgary on Hwy 23. Why Vulcan. Let’s think Star Trek. Yes, little Vulcan has one the best Star Trek museums around. Forgot to take a picture of the museum,, no snow the day we were there. The name of this gem, the Vulcan Tourism and Trek Centre.
Inside are many treasures, many donated by past cast members of the various franchises. The town holds an annual event “Spock Days” which highlights appearances by various cast members. This year’s event goes from June 13 to June 15, 2014 and features Nana Visitor (Major Kira Nerys on Deep Space Nine) and Rene Auberjonois (Odo on Deep Space Nine). Tickets for the event are available at this link. A nice road trip for a shakedown cruise. We did manage to remember to take a few pictures.
They know how to be friendly. They have even built a replica of the Enterprise.
Something new, a review. Lori and I were in Banff, Alberta over Christmas. We went for dinner at a place we have frequented in the past, “The Grizzly House”, situated at 207 Banff Ave in the beautiful mountain resort town of Banff.
We have been here a few times in the past, mostly based on our first time there, which was a very entertaining evening. A rowdy crowd, with a local phone system that allows you to call the other tables. Booze, phones and a rowdy atmosphere = great fun.
This time, we were a bit disappointed. Still, a very fun place, just that we noticed some things we had never really paid attention to before. First, the decor. The place needs a makeover. Very old-looking and approaching run down??
The tables, chairs and decorating are very same old. A first time diner might like it, but we are past that. Another view.
Very dark, and not just the lighting.
The food is still passable and the wine list is good. The menu is basically fondue. They drop a granite slab on your table, heated to 600 degrees and you cook your meal. Again, fun. The issue to us on this particular evening was the aura created by tables and tables of years and years of people cooking like this, in an enclosed place. Honestly, the place needs a major airing out. It took a week for the smell to leave our jackets, and I’m only assuming it has, as perhaps we are just not smelling it anymore.
As a reviewer, I must close with the review. The food, 3 of 5 stars. Nothing spectacular and kind of pricey. We enjoyed it, just wasn’t top-notch. The wine list was pretty good, and reasonably priced. The setting, maybe 2 of 5. Renovations and renewal could revitalize the operation. The atmosphere, I would still rate as 4 of 5. It is still a fun place to go, especially with a group. If you are dining as a couple, I highly suggest going elsewhere.
Maligne canyon is a must see sight in Jasper National Park. Jasper Park is situated about 360 KM west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and can be reached via the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16).
I took this shot many years ago (1991?) and is taken looking down into the canyon from the decking that goes through and around the site. Very impressive place, but only one of many in the park. On a personal level, Jasper is Banff without the crowds. In comparison, it is far more natural and focused on preservation. There is a great ski hill (Marmot Basin), and the standard resort amenities, but has unique charm that I enjoy when we visit.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t on this day trip (had to work), but Lori was, along with her brothers and Cec. They caught Mama Bear and Baby Bear on the side of the road at Waterton Lake National Park. Nice shot.
This week we have “Weekly Photo Challenge: One Shot, Two Ways”. An interesting concept. With digital cameras, most pictures we take are multiple shots of the same vista, done in different ways. This makes it very hard to come up with the perfect set. We’ll give it a go though.
I took these shots at Waterton Lake, Alberta in Canada. They are of a 1920’s vintage railway hotel known as the Prince Of Wales Hotel. Quite a stunning site. Waterton is part of the Canadian National Park System. It straddles the Canada-USA border and borders Glacier National Park in Montana. It was created in 1895m as Canada’s 4th national park. It was October when we were there and it was not a classic weekend weatherwise. Added to the photos though.
