Rocky Mountain High: All Good Things Must End: The Drive to Calgary for Our Flight Home to Connecticut

All Good Things Must End: The Drive to Calgary for Our Flight Home to Connecticut
October 15-16, 2018
Monday, October 15, 2018

After a brilliant day yesterday, we were in no hurry to leave Tunnel Mountain this morning.  Even so, we were packed and ready to go shortly after 10 a.m. and we headed toward Calgary.

Along the road out of Banff we passed a few big horn sheep nibbling at something along the roadside.


I was amazed at how quickly the landscape changed from mountains to prairie and then to the city limits of Calgary.  

Prairie Between Banff and Calgary

Prairie Between Banff and Calgary

Calgary

Calgary Skyline

Calgary skyline

By lunchtime we arrived at the Residence Inn Calgary Airport, checked in, and then headed next door to the Courtyard, where we had a nice lunch.  Jeff and Peter took the car back to the rental agency and Betty Lou is having a nap.  I finished my second glass of wine and am now in our room.  Jeff plans to take a swim in the hotel pool when he gets back.

Bright and early (5 a.m.) tomorrow morning we leave for the airport and the all day trip back to Connecticut.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

4:30 a.m. comes early!  But, we arrived safely at Calgary Airport (YYC), got through security, and breezed through US Customs/Immigration.  Of course, I was one of the randomly chosen passengers to have thorough bag inspection, which meant removing the covers from both my laptop and my Kindle.  With the help of the security person, I managed to get them off and then back on, and we were back on our way.


Calgary Airport is truly lovely - well lighted, modern, and comfortable.  We go from here to Minneapolis, and then, after a couple of hours layover, we will travel on to Connecticut.  

Our flight to Minneapolis was uneventful and on time -- who could ask for more than that?  We had quite a long layover, so we walked from one terminal to another, and did some reading/emailing/etc.  Then we decided to have lunch.  The airport has many tables each equipped with iPads on which you can order food and drink, have it delivered, and pay for it using your credit card.


It was confusing for some folks, for sure.  We strolled over to what appeared to be a restaurant, but even there we were confronted with the iPad ordering system.  A very nice waitress helped us figure it out, lunch was ordered, delivered, and enjoyed.  

After much more waiting, we boarded our plane for Bradley, and again had an uneventful flight.  We arrived early, and much to our surprise our bags were waiting for us when we got to baggage claim.  Jeff and I pulled all four of them and were waiting for Peter and Betty Lou with bags in hand.  Out the door, across the street, and a short wait before Patty Jo arrived with Betty Lou's car.  We were back at home just before 8 p.m.

And so ... the three week (22 days, to be exact) journey ends, as all good things must.  It has been an adventure of many, many highs.  Images of grandeur and beauty are burned into my mind and soul: sunlight flashing on the tall buildings of our Chicago architectural tour; midwestern fields and farms, whizzing past to the sounds of the clickety-clack and occasional whistles of the California Zephyr; the grain silo (all 14 hours of it) at Fort Morgan, Colorado; the salt fields of Utah with mountains in the distance.  Cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf, and the naked man in San Francisco; seeing dolphins along the coast of California and the beauty of the Cascade Mountains; Chihuli and the Space Needle in Seattle; and the stunning ride from Seattle to Vancouver along Puget Sound!  Granville Island and the walk along False Creek on a bright sunny day and then the journey across Canada to Jasper and then to Banff.  Majestic mountains, swirling, crashing waterfalls, elk grazing in the woods, sunrises and sunsets.  How fitting it has been, then to rise before the sun, and get home just after sunset.  

There is nothing better than a grand adventure filled with beautiful things to see, lots of good food, shared with the best of friends.


Comments

  1. ebOctober 17, 2018 at 8:03 AM

    I'm glad you've had such a great trip! Thank you for keeping us all engaged with the posts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LindaOctober 17, 2018 at 9:19 AM

      It was nice to know that somebody was reading!

      Delete

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