Banff and back to Vancouver and then to NZ

We had a bit of time in Banff this morning and decided to climb Tunnel Mountain. No idea why it is called that as there is no sign of a tunnel anywhere. It was a nice walk up through pines with lots of warnings that we would probably see bears which we didn't. Possibly they were scared away with all the talking and singing!!! Great view from the top. Then it was time to head back to Calgary for our flight to Vancouver. Good bye Rockies till next time. Flight went with out a hitch and so after dropping our bags we wandered round the harbor as the sun set.

So, our last three days with Sharon and Aaron.  They went off to work and we had the luxury of spending more time in Vancouver.  We caught the free shuttle up the Capilano Swing Bridge, and enjoyed the wander along the cliff walk (high above the river) and across the bridge with a lot of other people.  It's a nice place to wander in the cool forests and enjoy the scenery.  Though, we both laughed because we both remembered the very expensive ice creams they sold last time we went, and so we took our own snacks this time.  In the evening, we went and sat in Stanley Park and watched Mary Poppins.  Then it was the international competition of the fireworks.  The show finished late so we didn't get to the beach before they started.  Instead, we stopped by the lagoon, and saw the sky light up in the distance and the reflection in the lagoon.  If that wasn't good enough, two otters and a few ducks decided to come and play in the water.  A very special moment shared with special people.

We also caught the train to the outlet shop and enjoyed sitting up the front of the driverless train like two excited school children on a roller coaster.  As per usual Harry bought some clothes, and I bought nothing - except a couple of pairs of trainers.  I threw my old shoes out as they were holey and had been around a few places in Canada.  That evening we were tired, but decided to go for a barbeque at the beach.  We sat eating salads and sausages on the grass and watched the sun set behind the hills.  The forest fires had spread their ash over the sky which led to a lovely sunset, but not a great view of Vancouver in the distance.

Our last day we wandered up to the shops, buying a few bottles of maple syrup and around False Creek, which reminds me very much of Wellington.  The walk was punctuated with stops for coffee and a walk around Granville Island, and a stop at the Homestore for LED lights for Sharon and Aaron's kitchen.  Then goodbye at the airport, though not before bottomless chips at a cafe and lots and lots of hugs - and tears.

The flight back went reasonably quickly.  I had decided not to try to sleep as it never seems to work for me but just to watch movies.  I nodded off for a bit while Harry snoozed peacefully beside me.  We missed our flight in Auckland due to the poor management of the queues at Customs (it really does encourage New Zealanders to go into the 'non declare' line even if they have things to declare!!).  

On our return the double glazing was almost complete and we could begin to picture our next step - a new deck.  The house needed a vacuum clean and we were both in bed by 6.00 and slept soundly.  

What a fantastic holiday!

Kootenay national park

Breakfast outside looking over the hill. Little birds that could have been chickadees walked up and down vertical tree trunks looking for insects. We have never seen a bird do that but honestly it would have been easier to come join us at the picnic table as the ants scurried around our bowls of muesli. Squirrels ran along the fence and the sun started to warm for another day. Over the valley the smoke from the forest fires rose in great clouds spreading like a thin mist across the sky.

We decided to spend the morning kayaking the wetlands of Lake Windermere. Turtles and beavers live there. We saw their homes but no sign of life. Probably late afternoon might have been a better time. Still we saw thousands of brightly colored dragon flies flitting across the sky and a number of birds and little fish.

Sharon spent the afternoon working and so

the three of us drove around a bit and stopped by the lake further round. Warm water enjoyed by many but little sharp stones meant paddling was limited to a few sandy patches. We stopped at a bar that served the biggest plate of nachos you have ever seen. Our treat was seeing a family of ospreys in their nest perched on a pole high above the road.

More 500 until it got too dark to stay outside.