Scott Merryfield
Senior HTF Member
My wife and I just returned from a nine day trip through the Canadian Rockies. We've spent a lot of time in eastern Canada, but this was our first extended stay in western Canada (we've spent a night in Vancouver and made a day trip to Waterton in southern Alberta from Glacier National Park in Montana). Anyway, I was curious about a few things:
1. I ordered iced tea in two different restaurants (one in Jasper, one in Banff) and received sweetened tea both times. Each time I was told that they did not have unsweetened tea, and the waitress at the 2nd place said that unsweetened tea was not common in Canada. I do not remember this being the case in eastern Canada, and at least in the southern states you get the choice of unsweetened or "sweet tea". Is unsweetened ice tea really unheard of in western CA?
2. I was surprised that Highway 1 in Calgary became a regular four lane road with stop lights at every corner. Trying to get from the airport to Banff (and the return trip) was a royal pain going through downtown Calgary. Did I miss a restricted access highway bypass that would have taken me west of the city? I mapped my route both with an online AAA trip tick and my Garmin GPS software.
3. We drove past Olympic Park in Calgary and could see the ski jumps and bobsled/luge runs used in the Calgary Winter Olympics. However, when in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper we never saw any mention of where the alpine events were held. Which area(s) held the downhill events?
4. I had a hard time finding one of my favorite Canadian beers -- Molson Export. I only found one pub/restaurant that we went to that had it (bottled, not draught). The waiter in the pub said they were the only place in Banff that carried it. Is Molson Ex that uncommon in this area?
FYI, we absolutely loved the Canadian Rockies area. The region is simply stunning. We spent four nights in Banff, one in Lake Louise, three in Jasper, and the final night in Calgary -- we just stayed near the airport there to catch a morning flight home, so we didn't really experience Calgary except for the drive across town in and out. We also made a day side trip to Yoho.
1. I ordered iced tea in two different restaurants (one in Jasper, one in Banff) and received sweetened tea both times. Each time I was told that they did not have unsweetened tea, and the waitress at the 2nd place said that unsweetened tea was not common in Canada. I do not remember this being the case in eastern Canada, and at least in the southern states you get the choice of unsweetened or "sweet tea". Is unsweetened ice tea really unheard of in western CA?
2. I was surprised that Highway 1 in Calgary became a regular four lane road with stop lights at every corner. Trying to get from the airport to Banff (and the return trip) was a royal pain going through downtown Calgary. Did I miss a restricted access highway bypass that would have taken me west of the city? I mapped my route both with an online AAA trip tick and my Garmin GPS software.
3. We drove past Olympic Park in Calgary and could see the ski jumps and bobsled/luge runs used in the Calgary Winter Olympics. However, when in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper we never saw any mention of where the alpine events were held. Which area(s) held the downhill events?
4. I had a hard time finding one of my favorite Canadian beers -- Molson Export. I only found one pub/restaurant that we went to that had it (bottled, not draught). The waiter in the pub said they were the only place in Banff that carried it. Is Molson Ex that uncommon in this area?
FYI, we absolutely loved the Canadian Rockies area. The region is simply stunning. We spent four nights in Banff, one in Lake Louise, three in Jasper, and the final night in Calgary -- we just stayed near the airport there to catch a morning flight home, so we didn't really experience Calgary except for the drive across town in and out. We also made a day side trip to Yoho.
