We're back in Ralston after our first trip the Rockies. We were staying a 4 hour drive from home at the Baker Creek chalets near Lake Louise.We had a wonderful one bedroom log cabin by a river with a wood burning stove, a kitchenette and a loft with two extra beds in it.
Our friends Kirsty & Mark joined us for Friday & Saturday night and on Sunday we met up with
my sister and her family who had flown into Vancouver 10 days earlier and were taking a road trip down to meet us in Ralston.On Saturday we visited the Columbian icefield, a large glacier which you can take a "snobus" trip to. It was -10c on the glacier which gave us our first suggestion of how cold -40c might feel over the winter! I wish I could say it wasn't that bad, but actually it's made me go out and buy some snow boots and a new ski jacket!
The most impressive bit of our visit to the icefield was the buses you travel in, along with their enormous tyres which cost $5,000 each.
Lake Louise itself was stunning, but as we had been told by so many people, it is just the lake and a big hotel and that's it! We got a chance to take some good photos though and had a nice walk round the lake.We had a wonderful three course Thanksgiving dinner at Baker Creek's bistro on Sunday night. Butternut squash soup, roast turkey and apple cobbler for $40. The bad news is that the chef is moving in 10 days, the good news is he's heading to a restaurant called Crazy Weed in Canmore, so we'll be checking that out when we next visit.
On Monday night my sister and her family cancelled their stay at a hotel in Calgary and moved to a chalet at Baker Creek.Jim introduced my nephew Archie and neice Millie to toasted marshmallows round a campfire outside our cabin, which they loved - of course!
Back in Ralston, the kids got ticks in all the boxes for the full Canadian experience, by trying out ice skating, making a scrapbook about their trip and getting kitted out in authentic cowboy and cowgirl outfits. 5 year-old Millie had to have everything in pink of course!
26/10 - Thought I'd add a bit of video of Millie and my sister Jane skating in Ralston. Millie looks a lot like her Uncle Jim on the ice!
i dont think i can express my excitement/guttedness at this fabulously arranged blog. It is amazing how brilliant some peoples lives turn out and how hard others try but ultimatley fail to get themselves on the road to happiness. Well done Mrs Mansell. I hope you still remember those less exciting days in Brighton. all the best.
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