... try and find us

As we are now temporarily guest-free, it is time to reconnect with our fellow Canmorons.  We have added to our list of things to do and it is time to start crossing things off that list. Proof that we were there. The Wishing Well - this funky art installation was originally located in northeast Calgary but stored away after the first few days of display (its amplified solar reflection was dangerous ) then was relocated to a shadier spot in Bridgeland.  Finding it was part of the adventure, then hearing the otherworldly sounds inside the spheres added to the experience.  Because of its highly reflective surface, the observers become part of the display. Hikes galore. The origin of Healy Creek Can you spot the little fella? Sunshine Meadows - although we have been before, purchasing a summer pass to the gondola means that we can use Sunshine Village as a 2300 metre-high starting point for a number of interesting hikes.  We have found a few ways down through Simpson P...

Driving up Highway 1A to go hiking with friends, we came across two cars stopped in the middle of the road. We stopped behind them scanning the verges and bushes for animals as animal sightings are the usual reason cars stop in the middle of the road.  And there, lumbering through the flowers and brush was the biggest grizzly I've ever seen.  And not just any grizzly but the infamous Bear #136 - Split Lip.  Instantly recognizable by the large scar, Split Lip is one of the two dominant male grizzlies in The Valley. He is about 18 years-old and enormous. It was such a privilege to see him up close - and from our car rather than from the saddle of a bike! Split Lip  Photo Credit: John E. Marriott He was in his element, completely comfortable and literally at home.  The fact that the road cut through his domain seemed irrelevant to him.  Rather than try to capture the essence of the moment with a camera, we both immersed ourselves in the experience of seeing th...

Sometimes when we challenge people to "try and find us," they are successful! After returning from France, we had a few weeks to reacquaint ourselves with Canmore, settle into our lives ... and ready the guest rooms!  Florence and Lou had made plans to come to Canada (for Lou's FIRST trip away from Europe) at the end of her school year.  We couldn't wait to show them around the Rocky Mountains. Jet-lagged and fresh from the airport, they have no idea what they are in for! The day after picking Florence and Lou up from the Calgary Airport and giving them a night's rest, the Canadian Experience began.  They met the Pettigrew family, bringing together two important parts of our world.   Megan, Ali and Lou got along famously, as did the rest of us.  Having the girls together helped Lou's already-excellent English get even better.  Along with the expected Canmore activities, we also made a trip into Calgary and to the Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum in Drumhe...