Around Banff — Part I

Thursday, October 9, 2014

I guess there's a reason I kept hearing about Banff. It's an incredibly scenic place. Jagged peaks of the Canadian Rocky Mountains protect the town from all sides, and there are endless mountain lakes and hikes and wildlife to discover.

Seeing animals in the wild gives me such a thrill. It's nothing like going to a zoo, where you don't have to work for it. Anytime we spotted an animal while driving, one of us would yell and/or slam on the brakes (like true tourists).  I lived 25 years of my life without seeing a single grizzly bear, then saw three grizzly bears in three days. All were spotted from the side of the road so it wasn't scary. If I bumped into a bear on a hiking trail, I imagine I wouldn't be as excited. We also saw many deer, elk, mountain goats, and closer to Waterton National Park, a red fox. Spotting them in nature really made us into kids again.

Every night we camped somewhere new. Since our car was getting worked on in Calgary, we rented a car and camped in a traditional tent for a bit, taking a break from the rooftop tent. It was really nice to have both options.

We're kicking ourselves for not blogging these photos sooner, but have a lot more we want to share and remember from this trip, so be expecting many more posts from Banff, Waterton, and Glacier.

- Julia

Our first grizzly bear. Spotted on the side of the road just outside of the city!






Fire toasted croissants with Nutella or jam... a must when camping.














30 comments :

  1. It looks like such a great time! I love that grizzly bear photo... great capture!

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  2. oh wow... nice pictures.
    and great choice is books! ha

    all that looks delicious.

    Valentina
    Valentina Duracinsky Blog

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  3. Happy to see more photos from Canada! :) It makes me excited to do a similar trip once we're back living in Canada.

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    1. Janis - I bet you miss it so much!!

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    2. Well, I actually get a little mopey actually thinking about ending our expat life here at the end of this school year. So this actually serves as a good reminder that there will still be plenty of fun stuff to do in Canada! :)

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    3. So you are coming back after this year?! How exciting! You have so much to look forward to. And you can always go back later! I hope we can cross paths when you're back in North America at least...

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  4. I recently started following you on Bloglovin' and your pictures are gorgeous!! I've always wanted to go to Banff, and after seeing pictures of it all over again I am aching to go!

    That grizzly picture is a bit intimidating though... that bear looks HUGE! Were you guys close to it or did you zoom in quite a bit?

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    1. Kate - This was shot with an 85mm fixed lens. So we were pretty close! I think I took this from the car with my window rolled down. He was just munching on grass on the side of the road!

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  5. Your photos are always so beautiful, and a great way to discover new must-see places!

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    1. definingv - Thank you! I love sharing our fave spots with people.

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  6. Ah, so cool. How far away were you from the bear?! Did he do anything when he saw you?

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    1. Deasy - This was shot with a fixed 85mm, so he was pretty close! A few of us pulled over in our cars and watched him and he didn't even seem to notice us. I think someone made a sound so he would look up. Fascinating animal.

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  7. Always been in love with Canada, one day I will get there, I just came back from Tasmania which is the closest thing in/around Australia, besides New Zealand! Wonderful pictures, looking forward to the next.

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    1. Shani - Always wanted to go to Tasmania and do some hiking! Lucky you're nearby.

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  8. Banff looks just gorgeous! My parents went a couple of years back and convinced me it must be the most gorgeous place ever. I'd love to visit!

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  9. Oh my.

    I'm completely new reader and fell in love immediately! The way you write and all the gorgeous pictures... I'm pretty amazed!

    (and so many animals you already saw! geez!)

    http://rantapallo.fi/maripui

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    1. maripui - Thank you!! Writing is not my favorite but I think it's an important part of a travel blog. So glad you found us.

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  10. Wow, this is making me want to go back to Canada! I love Banff, but didn't see a single Grizzly when I visited (plenty of black and brown bears, though), but I can imagine how exhilarating it would feel to see one!

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  11. These photos all look like they're straight out of a catalogue! I love that the bear looked straight at you - I've seen bears in the wild, but they're always minding their own business.

    beck daily

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    1. Jill - There were a few of us that pulled over to watch him, and he didn't mind... kept looking down and munching! I think someone made a sound so he would look up.

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  12. Wow. Just wow. I seriously need to go to Canada. Such beautiful pictures, I've just stumbled upon your blog and I have to say, it's amazing. xx

    Abby / Eärendil

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  13. Always love your shots! You just captured the them with feelings <3

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  14. Holy gorgeousness! What a beautiful place! :) You two always do so well with you pictures and are a gigantic inspiration! Love.

    Amanda- Living in Another Language

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  15. Seeing wild animals out in the nature truly gives us a sense of excitement. I often wish that more people would be able to experience the same thing because some chose to pet endangered animals just because they have no idea how beautiful the animals are in the wild and how rewarding it would be spotting colorful birds and rare animals in their true habitats.

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  16. Oh my goodness these photos are gorgeous! Just makes me want to jump up and take a trip somewhere immediately.

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  17. I love how glamours you look when camping. I never look that good. I never want pictures of me taken when camping I always look so bad. www.eatallovertheworld.weebly.com

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  18. Your work has inspired me to spend even more time outdoors! Im wondering if you could let me know what specific single blade knife Yuriy is using in this post. Thanks so much!

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