Time for getaway 3 of 5

I have run out of time here in the valley. My summer has been a good one as it is my last one. Getaway number three was meant to be a cycle trip from Banff to Canmore, staying at the Alpine Club Clubhouse (HI). I never got to do it. But I did last year and what a wonderful trip. The only draw back is the ride along the highway. I never had the courage to cycle the Spray river trail, not with all my bike bags on. Really it was more laziness than courage. But part of the idea of the getaways is to promote activities for people to do without using vehicle transportation. To be self-propelled.

The Canmore Alpine Club Clubhouse is in a gorgeous location. It's on the far edge of Canmore, up on a hill over looking the valley. And yet secluded from the urban sprawl that is occuring in Canmore. When I did the trip last year I rode into town, grabbed some food at the grocery store and went up to the hostel. A BBQ dinner was the evening meal. I topped it off with a walk in the surrounding benchland. I used to walk in that same area with my friend and her dogs. So it was nice to reminise of days gone by. What I enjoyed most, was the feeling that, although only a thirty minute drive or one hour bike, I felt as if I was on a vacation. Like I was at a cottage in the countryside.

The next day I spent a little time in Canmore, running a few errands, packed up a healthy lunch and headed home via the highway again. I stopped off to the old town site of Anthracite to eat my lunch among the aspens by the creek. Just thinking about it now creates a relaxed sensation in my body. Just think, if the residents and visitors of Banff were to jump on a bicycle for a one or two hour ride to a hostel, hut or cabin. They would actually be doing something more like a vacation than just hanging around the Town of Banff. Afterall the ToB is just a town in a very large and beautiful National Park.