John and his wife Frances recently returned home from a two week Western Canada Vacation; their journey began with some time in Vancouver before heading to Jasper onboard Rocky Mountaineer. After a couple nights & sightseeing in Jasper they headed down the Icefields Parkway with a stop at the Columbia Icefields. A night in Banff with a trip up the Banff Gondola and it was off to Lake Louise before hoping on the Brewster Mountain Quest back to Vancouver to spend a few days in Victoria before heading home.
"Our trip included the Jasper- Banff - Lake Louise - Lac Le Jeune -Vancouver (Mountain Quest) itinerary including organized trips using Brewster’s. We had a really enjoyable holiday which was particularly helped by smooth transfers, comfortable hotels and in particular friendly and knowledgeable drivers. Both Jim in Jasper and Jay in Lake Louise were brilliant. Please pass on our compliments and best wishes to them. We would love to come to Canada again and will look to Brewster’s as an excellent company to travel with. Best wishes to all and good luck for the future.'
The World Famous Calgary Stampede got under way July 9-18th, 2010 in Calgary, Alberta Canada. I was ready for non-stop action, so I started things off at the Calgary Stampede Rodeo - rodeo's richest, roughest ride - riders attend by invitation only so these are the world’s best rodeo athletes and are some of the toughest in the world. The Rodeo highlights 6 major events; Bareback, Bull Riding, Barrel Racing, Saddle Bronc, Steer Wrestling, and Tie-Down Roping. I enjoyed watching the Novice & Junior events as well as wild pony races for the youngsters.
The GMC Rangeland Derby offers some of the fastest& quarter mile of racing found anywhere. As 9 heats of four wagons, 32 horses and 128 thundering hooves roar by the over 17,000 screaming fans, it's tough not to be on your feet cheering. Following the Chuckwagon races, the Grandstand Show 'World Party' gets under way featuring the very talented Young Canadians, Eva Availa, Tim Nutt (Comedian), Calgary Stampede Extreme Dream Team (Motocross) and the Toupe Barre Russe (acrobatic performers). Finally the day is capped off with a fantastic display from TransAlta’s ‘Light up the Night’ fireworks lighting up the night sky over the Calgary Stampede grounds.
We have a lot to celebrate this year and especially last week with birthdays for both Canada and Banff National Park, Canada's first and oldest national park. A few clouds didn’t scare anyone away from celebrating our country’s 143rd birthday and Banff was alive with visitors ready to kick off the long weekend. Canada day festivities were fantastic starting off with a pancake breakfast, live music, dancing, the Canada Day parade and finally, an amazing fireworks display. Parks Canada celebrated Banff's 125th birthday with one of many exciting events; Performance in the Park featuring Matthew Barber, Hawksley Workman & Spirit of the West. The Canadian Rockies provided the backdrop while visitors relaxed in beautiful Cascade Gardens listening to some great Canadian music. Visit Banff125.com for more birthday celebration events coming to Banff this summer.
What a fantastic display of nerves and determination this past weekend in Banff as the 3rd annual Banff National Park Bike Fest got under way. Banff & Lake Louise were filled with over 400 cyclists competing in five challenging road races over four days as well as two family-friendly events held on Saturday. The road races included the Surprise Corner Prologue, 1A Sprint, Individual Time Trials, Criterium, and Tunnel Mountain Road Race, proving to be one of the most challenging and spectacular cycling events held in Alberta this summer.
Saturday was the highlight of the weekend, as the Criterium got underway around Banff Ave shortly after the family-friendly races, and what a sight! The fast action race was full of excitement for both the competitors and spectators as racers completed multiple laps of the short one kilometer loop through the streets of downtown Banff. The racers had to compete in a 1 km loop starting on Banff Ave - hairpin turn at Elk Street - Wolf Street - Bear Street - Caribou Street - Banff Ave, taking the racers just over a minute to complete the loop. They were going so fast that as the racers passed by you could feel the air rushing past your face.
Visit our friends at Banff Lake Louise Tourism for Banff Bike Fest race results - Congrats on a fantastic event!
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The ice is gone and we launched the Minnewanka II just this past Sunday, the Sandralynne is also in the water and ready for the start of the 2010 Minnewanka Lake Cruise season. We have several longtime Captains that are looking forward to sharing with our passengers their intimate knowledge of the lake along with fascinating tales of local folklore. Join us on this magnificent one hour interpretive lake cruise around Minnewanka and the scenic Canadian Rockies. The Lake Minnewanka valley offers some of the most spectacular scenery found nowhere else in the Canadian Rockies.
Lake Minnewanka is also home to a large population of rocky mountain wildlife, including bald eagles, ospreys, elk, mountain sheep and deer. Remember this is nature’s wild playground, so don't forget your camera! You can also rent a boat if you're looking to explore Lake Minnewanka on your own or let an experienced fishing guide take you on a guided fishing trip in the Canadian Rockies. Our fishing guides know all the hot-spots on Lake Minnewanka!
Lake Cruisers depart hourly on the hour between 10am and 6pm (last departure - evening wildlife cruise). Find rates and hours here for Minnewanka Lake Cruises.
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Our ExploreRockies.com Sales Representative, Tyler, took a trip out to Kananaskis and met up with Kananaskis Heli Tours. He joined them for an unforgettable 30 minute Canadian Rockies Heli Tour high above the mountains of Alberta. Among some of the most breathtaking scenery they saw Nakiska Resort, the village of Kananaskis, and the famous Three Sisters near Canmore Alberta as well as Mount Yamnuska and the Stoney Nakoda Reserve. "The staff were all very friendly and accommodating, they helped to make this an experience to remember." Click here to see more amazing photo opportunities on Canadian Rockies heli-tours and sightseeing tours.
