Everything needs to come to an end. That applies to a lot of things. It relates to travel as well.
A travel journey that began in August of 1972 ended a few weeks ago. It was a long journey. It's been fifty years. It's true, but it's not easy to believe.
This is a good time to have a little background at this point. My parents traveled a lot when they were young. They preferred states that were either close to the Rocky Mountains or had to travel to get to them. It's no wonder that most summers of my youth featured road trips and vacations to the great American West.
We camped a lot, ate at roadside park tables, and drank from the thermos whenever we wanted. We had a lot of adventures in and around the Rockies, as we always came away with great memories.
During the summer of 1972 my family went all-in with the yearly sabbatical. Two weeks became three, and before we knew it, the theme of the Rocky Mountain was extended into Canada.
It was a long drive from our home in Texas to Jasper. Our trip was not the shortest between points. We traveled through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Salt Lake City, Sun Valley, Idaho, and Glacier National Park.
A series of chapters bound together into a single journal were part of the epic cross-country journey. Ten of us were together for the adventure, including me, my mom, my dad and my sister. Two dogs and two cats were with us.
We crammed into two vehicles, one of which was a travel trailer, and started our grand escape.
The kids and one of the dogs would pull out at dawn to get a head start on the race. We would rely on old-fashioned planning, map reading abilities, common sense, confidence and faith to get us to our destination.
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We wanted to fully experience every location we traveled to. We rode bikes from the Santa Fe campground to downtown and checked out the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City on a Sunday morning.
We crammed a lot into that trip, but by the time we got to the border, most of it was gone.
The Canadian part of our adventure felt incomplete, even though we only spent a few days at Lake Louise. It was as if we were running a marathon, but the last half-mile was never experienced and the finish line was never crossed. We ran out of time and money and were 150 miles short of our final destination.
I have been in limbo ever since I went to Canada. I wondered if I would ever come back to see what we missed. It didn't make sense to never finish what we started because we were so close.
Two years of this. A traveler looks back and forwards.
One day my family would go back and finish the unfinished business. We didn't get to go back to Canada for decades. The emptiness of that unfinished trip lingered even though life cycles began and ended.
In 2020 my wife and I were going to plan and book a trip to Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, which would be the end of the adventure. Our daughter, our son-in-law, and our two granddaughters would be traveling with us. We were supposed to complete the trip, but then something happened. When the coronaviruses came, Canada closed its borders and our time in the holding pattern was extended two times.
The vacation I took with my parents 50 years ago looked a lot different than the one I will take in 2022. We would spend four hours and 15 minutes on United Airlines Flight 2206 to travel from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Iah) in Houston to the airport in Canada.
I was eager to find out what I had missed. I wondered if my vision of the region was inflated by all the anticipation or if it was just as amazing as I had thought. After re-exposing the few places I'd previously visited, it was time to return to the wizard's curtain and find out what we'd been waiting for.
Taking a Canadian dream trip to Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper is the third time it's been done.
Highway 93 is a scenic road that goes from Lake Louise to Jasper. The drive by itself is amazing. Twenty-plus named glaciers can be seen from a distance, and each mountain has an identity and character that makes it stand out.
The mountains were covered with snow and ice from the winter and have been for a long time. Millions of conifers densely filled the valley floors and climbed the mountains as high as the rarified air would allow.
The glaciers and snow-fed lakes were awe-inspiring. You can't help but wonder if the blue-green hue on display could have been invented here.
My dream stay would be at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
There has been human intervention to make the region accessible and comfortable, but it is clear that nature is the chief operating officer here. Privileged observers, we are subject to her decisions.
The highway is one of the most scenic drives in the world and if you want to be a first-timer, it would be a poor choice to take it.
As you travel, keep an eye out for all sorts of animals. On three separate occasions, we saw a black bear walking in the treeline just off the side of the road, as well as an impressive buck lounging in the grass and a bighorn sheep posing for a picture. There are cascading waterfalls so close to the road that you can almost touch them.
There is a reason why you should visit the Fairmont Banff Springs.
One of the three.
The Points Guy is Buddy Smith.
It's a good idea to go off the main road. There are many turnoffs that lead to scenic opportunities. Most are close to the highway and can be reached in a few minutes.
You can visit Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Waterfowl Lake, Columbia Icefield, and Sunwapta Falls if you want.
We loved the way the Crowfoot Glacier came down and kissed the brow of Bow Lake on the Johnston Canyon hike.
The sky blue color of Peyto Lake and the setting of Waterfowl Lake made us giddy with excitement. The grace and dignity of Tangle Creek Falls, as well as the power and force of the Sunwapta and Athabasca waterfalls, made us feel good.
The Canadian Marriott with a Nordic spa is located in the shadow of the mountain.
We found a town that fulfilled the needs of the 21st century while also embracing its past. The feel of the 1950s is present in the life here. It is simple and straightforward, with a calm atmosphere, and beautiful.
Jasper must-dos include Maligne Canyon, Pyramid Lake and Maligne Lake. There is a good view in Jasper National Park. The Dark Sky Preserve has thousands of stars, which was so close you could almost grab one to put into a glass jar like I did when I was a child.
I'm happy that I finally had the chance to answer all the questions I've been asking for years.
Although we won't be able to return to this land of plenty again due to time constraints, we will always remember the grandeur and the glory that it gave us. We received a gift as we headed back to calgary that was so special and unique that we will never forget it.
You were more than worth the wait.
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