Rearview Mirror: Banff to Basics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoMi8aWLDCs

(a tune for your listening pleasure)

As September begins, I’m reminded of past autumn months in my life and the joys they’ve held.  For many people September means getting back to school, and though I am also among those ranks, for me September often swells up feelings of nostalgia.  In the past it has often been a time of new beginnings in my life, but a new beginning cannot occur until the previous chapter has concluded.  For this plaid wearing, adventure seeking, New Brunswick based boy, that previous chapter has many a time taken place in none other than the best and beautiful Banff,Alberta; a small town paradise, in the middle of some huge rocks.    



A common shot of Banff Avenue, with Sulphur Mountain and all it's glory at the end of the street!
Banff, AB, August 2004
 

A much better shot in the winter, which I can't take credit for.
(online photo)

I know I know, for all of us good Canadian folk, Alberta often conjures images of oil sands, arid prairie landscape, and more red necks per capita than any other province… said with love.   In short it's basically Canada’s Texas.  With that in mind it may strike some as odd that this same chunk of real estate also bears some of the country’s most breath taking scenery, epic hiking trails, complete with an utter sense of quaintness, and not to mention some of the coldest damn water I have EVER experienced!

A gorgeous day in July but the water could not have been more than a few degrees.  Gotta love that mountain run off!  It was so cold I had tears in my eyes... #toughguy
Lake Louise, AB, August 2012


I first came to know the love of my life, Banff, in the summer of 1998, when my family planned a day trip out during one of our bi-annual road trips to Calgary.  It started as a simple day drive into the mountains, just to get out of Calgary for awhile... in turn that little jaunt began something which has transformed Banff into more of a journey in my life, as opposed to an actually destination.  Time after time I have found myself asking the question “when can I go back?”   Seriously, that place is like geographical cocaine. 

At the park down by the Bow River in downtown Banff.
Banff, AB, August 2010



And the Bow River itself, on the edge of town.  The water is ALWAYS that blue.
Banff, AB, August 2008  

So why Banff?  If the whole point of these tales are to intrigue and inspire your lust for travel, then what good does it do to keep on repeating how much I love somewhere while not actually talking the details?!  Fair enough!  Both my brother Josh and one of my best friend’s also named Josh, remind me that I have the gift to gab, so you’ll have to forgive me for getting lost in the memories.  I’ll get back on track because currently instead of feeling like one who inspires that said lust for travel, I just feel like Sergeant Lincoln Osiris (played by Kirk Lazarus, played by Robert Downey Jr.) saying “I get excited about my foods man.”

The dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude.

Yes, Banff!  For those unfortunate souls who have been unable to see it themselves, Banff is a mountain haven nestled in the Rocky Mountains, just off the Trans-Canada Highway.  It could be described as one of those oh-so-holy places on earth that really has something for everyone!  The more obvious appeal may initially be to those left winged granola crunching mother truckers, kinda like myself, who enjoy nature and hiking more than the night they lost their virginity.  However they’re only a portion of the equation.  Here you can experience anything from elegant romance at one of the many hotels, lodges, and resorts (most famous of all, the Banff Springs Hotel) to all the R&R one boarder-line comatose body might handle, or even a night out at one of it’s many pubs, bars, or clubs, where you’re sure to make nothing less than the most moral of choices… God knows I’ve never been down that road a time or twelve... *cough*.  Good thing they also have an assortment of epic breakfast joints and cafés to help with any coincidental sickness the next day.  Oh Banff, how you love and nurture us!   

Banff Springs Hotel.  You can get lost in that place... seriously, I did.
(online photo)

My brother and I doing a photo shoot down one of the hall ways at Banff Springs.  We thought we were so cool... turns out we weren't.
Banff, AB, August 2009

Be it the Bow River winding it’s way through town, the classic cottage look that many of the local businesses replicate (or are in fact the real historical deal), hiking trails both short and long, or the fact there is literally a mountain at every turn, the enchanted marriage of Banff’s small town mountain glory mixed with big city appeal has managed to captivate people for over a century, and keeps on bringing them back.  Perhaps I have some odd sense of pride in being one of those many, and perhaps it is a sense of longing I feel as I realize this will have been the first year in a decade where I didn’t make the trip out, and perhaps as summer fades away the annual tradition has officially come to a stand-still… but far from a close.

Ryan and I above some random piece of mountain... or we could have just been standing on a big rock in the park, I really don't remember... a lot happened that week.
Banff, AB, March 2007

There I go again, off on my tangents about all the things in my mind (FOCUS JORDAN!) so let’s sum it up!  The top five reasons I love this town! 

“Hi I am Banff, and I am awesome because:”

* The Scenery!  This is God's country people, and even the biggest of city slickers have to at least say “woah” when they stand on the awe inspiring Bow River Bridge.  In my opinion it’s the best place to really capture Banff and all it’s greatness, in a single spot. 



The Bow River Bridge!  I don't know what it is about this spot, it just gets me!
(online photo)

* Character!  Sure there are cafes, pubs, bars, hotels, stores, and such in every town!  Heck, I’d go as far to say that a lot of those same tourism traps can be found in just about any town of this caliber, but look past all that crap and appreciate it for what it is!  Many of the businesses are built in the coolest of fashion, keeping with it Banff’s style and history.  Not to mention that The Fox has a freaking grotto!  Hugh Hefner eat your heart out… oh wait, he has a grotto. 
 

The Fox!  My favourite hotel in Banff.  The whole place feels like a giant cottage!

 

The grotto at The Fox Hotel.  It'd be in the top three trips I ever did to Banff, but The Fox itself is by far the coolest resort I've ever stayed at there!  More details on that trip later.

* LakeLouise!  Less than half an hour down the road (okay, about a half hour) and worth every mile.  Sure adolescent Jordy may not have thought so, but let me tell you that adult Jordy would punch him in the face, because Lake Louise is amazing!  I’ve been there in every season and have yet to be disappointed.  In addition, Chateau Lake Louise is rated one of the top hotels in Canada, and regardless of stature they treat everyone like a rock star; guest or not.  I’ve arrived in the lounge from a day of spring hiking, looking a little more than haggard, yet am always treated with the same level of service and respect as the Armani wearing millionaire three seats down. 

 Despite the look on my face, I swear I was having an awesome day!  I walked across that frozen lake then climbed the mountain directly behind me; in Chuck Taylors.

Lake Louise, AB, March 2007

* Atmosphere!  Nobody goes to Banff because they have to, they go because they want to!  Sure it’s busy all year, but unlike other semi-crowded small towns (depending on the time of year) it’s full of diversity and people having a good time; maybe too good a time in some cases.  For those of you who have traveled to any tropical resort, you can generally vouch for the fact that more often than not, there is a sense of relaxation and ease in the air.  It’s why these places exist. Now imagine that sensation but throughout the entire town!  Yeah, that happens! 

This is my perma-pose when I'm in Banff!  What can I say, it's my happy place.
Banff, AB, August 2010

* Oh, and did I mention… MOUTAINS!!!  It’s the Rockies; Canada’s Himalayans.  Whether it's Mount Rundle, Sulpher Mountain, Fossil, or Cascade, the location alone offers more than the anyone could hope for, especially if you take a gondola ride to the top of one!  Right from the Calgary boarder to the town of Banff itself, the views both start and finish at legendary proportions.  Check it out!  You won’t be disappointed.

Going down the gondola... amazing!  An absolute must if you're in the neighbourhood.  In a distance you can see Lake Louise between the mountains.
Fossil Mountain, AB, July 2012.

Driving through the Rockies is like a non-stop Kodak moment.
Near Canmore, AB, Spring 2008 

In a certain sense I feel it’s like trying to explain colour to a person who was born blind.  Though I could go on and on about everything that makes Banff great, there are some things you just have to experience to fully understand.  And of course, with all of this said, you could ask “If you like it so much, why don’t you just move there?”  It’s a fair question, one I’ve asked myself many a time in fact, especially when Wild Flour (epic bakery/café... always a must) was looking for a new baker.  That was almost four years ago, but I still keep the business card in my wallet.

If it was legal, I would marry this place.  We're on the exact same page in regards to philosophy and style, and needless to say it hits me in all the right ways!
(online photo)

I suppose to answer your question, or perhaps how I’ve answered my own question over the years, is by asking another question; would Christmas still be special if it happened every day?  One of the great things about travel is the constant experience of both classic destinations and the unbeknown. When the things we call special merely become a part of the status quo then something is lost.  As good as it seems in theory, the lesson of having too much of a good thing is one that I learned from Troy Barnes and his giant cookie.



"How can something that's delicious make me sick?"

Even after having been there twelve or so times, the appeal is still not lost on me however.  I discover something new or amazing every time I go back, and be it your first or hundred and first time to Banff, it will find a way to deliver; again and again.  A colleague of mine recently said that “a trip can change your life”, and though she may have been specifically talking about her honeymoon to Cuba, any trip can be every bit as impacting.  At its core, that is the fundamental beauty of travel!  For some it may be sandy beaches, and others it may be rain forests, or any multitude of things our pale blue dot has to offer, but for me it’ll always be mountains, and in particular one sparkling gem in the middle of them.  So bring on September, and the September after that, and the one after that, because the seasons will keep on coming and going, but as long as Banff exists there will be one satisfied wanderer who always finds his way back. It’s my rock.