Canadian Rockies: Flying into flooded Calgary, Lake Louise in the rain, saloon dinner - June 29, 2013

Trip Index

• Canadian Rockies: Flying into flooded Calgary, Lake Louise in the rain, saloon dinner
• Sunday brunch at Banff Springs, upgrade to Fairmont Gold floor, hiking, fondue dinner
• Gold lounge breakfast, afternoon tea at Rundle Lounge, town of Banff on Canada Day
• Jasper National Park and Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
• Hiking Cavell Meadows, Athabasca Falls, Wilcox Pass, staying at Crossing Resort
• Athabasca Glacier Ice Walk, Fairmont Lake Louise Gold, dinner at Fairview Dining Room
• Gold lounge breakfast, Lake Louise canoeing, Marcus the Dog, Tea House hike
• C-Level Cirque, Lake Moraine, Calgary Stampede, landing next to Asiana flight 214

***

Our next trip was visiting Banff and Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies.  We were really looking forward to hiking in the majestic surroundings, though I must admit that I was drawn here after watching The Bachelor Season 17 (Sean Lowe) episode at Lake Louise, with the Fairmont hotel perfectly situated on the shore amidst glacier-blue waters.  Since we were flying in, it wasn't practical to bring our camping gear anyway, so we had to stay at the hotel... ;)

To plan the itinerary for the trip, I had to decide which airport to fly into.  There were forums online discussing whether Edmonton or Calgary was best, or fly into one and depart from the other.  I read a comment about how boring the drive supposedly was between Jasper and Edmonton, so I decided to fly roundtrip Calgary nonstop on United from San Francisco.  This meant we would drive the Icefields Parkway twice between Jasper and Lake Louise, but the scenery would make up for it.  I ended up reserving hotel rooms for three nights in Banff/Lake Louise, then two nights in Jasper, one night back along the Icefields Parkway, followed by another two nights in Lake Louise, with the last night in Calgary as we had an early morning return flight.

Nine days before the trip, my friend Alice's boyfriend Rob (now fiance...I can't seem to get my blog entries published before major life events happen) had alerted us about massive flooding in Calgary and near Banff.  Parts of central Calgary were underwater and one of the bridges on the main road into Banff National Park (Trans-Canada Highway) was washed out!  The area around the airport was not closed, but tourists were forced to take a five-hour detour to get into Banff.  I researched the detour and kept tabs on TripAdvisor forums discussing the highway closure as well as "liked" Banff National Park on Facebook to get the latest developments.  As the Trans-Canada Highway was a major artery linking western and eastern Canada, it was highly likely that the road would be fixed soon.  Sure enough, the Thursday before our trip, Banff National Park posted on Facebook that the highway was reopened all the way from Calgary through Banff to Lake Louise.  I also got an email from the Fairmont hotel in Lake Louise informing of the road re-opening.  Only a week to repair the road and replace a washed-out bridge?!  Truly amazing!  Thanks to the workers who made it happen, and thanks to Rob for the info on the flooding so we could be prepared just in case.

At San Francisco airport, I found out what the "TSA Pre-Check" notation meant on my boarding pass.  Kaleb and I checked our bags at the United domestic counter and headed towards the "Premier" security line on the left side.  The agent looked at my boarding pass and directed me to a TSA Pre-Check line, while Kaleb went to another checkpoint since he did not have the notation.  I was about to take off my shoes when the TSA security agent told me to keep them on, that he knew that there wasn't any metal in it.  I shrugged, thinking it was odd to be able to keep my shoes on.   After I made it through security, it finally dawned on me that Pre-Check was a faster screening process - I read later that you didn't have to take off shoes, light jackets, or take out laptops and quart-size baggie of liquids out of your carry-on...sweet!  Too bad not every airport has a TSA Pre-Check line as I get the notation printed on my boarding passes often.  I don't remember opting into this program, so it must be an opt-out.

Our nonstop flight to Calgary on a United Express jet was uneventful, but we couldn't find an ATM at the airport to get Canadian money.  I hadn't checked a map of Calgary airport beforehand, since usually I would find cash machines right outside customs or near the exit doors.  I just checked as I am writing this, that the ATMs were at the extreme opposite ends of the arrivals hall, not where you'd think they'd be.  In the end, we ended up exchanging US dollars at the hotel since I couldn't find a bank conveniently on the road.  We didn't get a great exchange rate, but we didn't need to change too much cash as I was carrying a credit card with no foreign transaction fees.

I found a great deal on a four-door compact rental using a discount code listed on the Alamo Flyertalk forum.   The car could barely hold two 25" checked baggage in the trunk.  Since it was just us, we threw the rest of our belongings in the back seat.  If we had more people on the trip, a full-size or mini-van would have been necessary.

how to close the trunk?  we had to loosen down one of the rear seats

It wasn't too bad getting out of Calgary and onto the main freeway; the floods didn't affect our route.  We passed a Costco situated right off the highway, handy for folks who need to stock up.  I read that at times, Costco sold Fairmont hotel gift certificates at a discount, which would have been useful for this trip, but it was usually during winter-time. 

With hardly much traffic on the road, we made good time on the Trans-Canada Highway.  It was almost hard to tell where the highway was washed out as the road crew did such a good job installing the temporary bridge and patching up the asphalt.  There were wildlife crossings along the highway, overpasses made of concrete, nicely decorated and landscaped so they blended in with the surroundings.  When we crossed the boundary into Banff National Park, there were entrance stations checking for park passes.  You needed a park pass to continue on the highway, even if you were just passing through.  Parks Canada charges $19.60 CAD per day per car!  (in comparison, a 7-day car pass into Yosemite is $20 at the time of this writing)  Since we were going to be in the parks for 8 days, it was cost-effective to buy the family Annual Discovery Pass, valid at most Parks Canada sites.

Our home for tonight was at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.  I had hoped to get three straight nights at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and save staying at Lake Louise until the end of the week, but the lowest category room at Banff was sold out for June 29 and it was less expensive to stay in a standard room at Lake Louise.  Lake Louise was about 40 minutes away from Banff so it wasn't too far a detour.

It started to rain heavily when we got into Lake Louise.  We stopped at the guard station and were let through after telling him we were checking in.  I pulled up to the front of the hotel and a valet parking attendant took our car after we unloaded the luggage.  It cost $35 CAD a day for valet, $30 CAD for self-parking.  The self-parking lot was not exactly adjacent to the hotel and since it was raining, I splurged the extra $5 for valet.  (it is possible to park your car "for free", if you utilize the Parks Canada lot about five minutes' walk from the hotel, do so at your own risk)

The check-in counter was empty and we had no problems.  We even got upgraded from a standard room (view of the hotel grounds and hillside) to a lakeview room!  Room 231 was on the second floor so I didn't have high hopes on what I'd see out the window, but it certainly exceeded my expectations.

very alpine, hand-painted door

rainy, but still awesome

The room was very comfortable, with boutique toiletries and high-end amenities.  If you are a member of the Fairmont's President's Club (free enrollment), you get lots of benefits including internet access, local calls, and discounts at the spa.

triple-sheeted

big closet and TV

K-cup coffee and electric tea kettle

complete glassware

bar refrigerator with a little space for your own items

in-room safe and his-and-hers slippers

marble bathroom

Le Labo toiletries

I didn't make any reservations for dinner tonight so we went to a casual eatery on-site called the Glacier Saloon.  There were a lot of people in the restaurant but they were able to seat us pretty quickly.  Kaleb ordered a huge tankard of beer; a little kid at an adjacent table pointed at it and exclaimed "Whoa!"  The menu prices were pretty high (we spent $85 for appetizer, soup, sandwich, beer, tax and tip) but the food was just meh; I wouldn't eat here again except to have a beer.  I would recommend going to the Chateau Deli for a quick bite to eat instead.

big beer

mushy calamari

vegetable soup of the day

chicken and bacon cibatta with mushy fries

Since it was still daylight after dinner, we walked around the hotel and the lakeshore before heading back to the hotel room.  A section of the grounds was cordoned off, with equipment and stage being set up for a live broadcast of the Australian version of the "Today Show" at 1pm Sunday. (which would be Monday morning in Australia!)

we're here!

setting up for Australian "Today Show"

can't get enough pictures here

other vantage point

taken at 9:30pm out our hotel window...still so bright!

The next day, the sun came out and hardly a cloud in the sky.  The lake looked so magnificent out the window.  I couldn't wait to take a canoe out on the glassy waters during our second stay at the end of the week.

wee little canoe out there

We checked out of the hotel and headed back to Banff to check in at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and continue our culinary and hiking adventures there...stay tuned!