Now feeling like a real vacation we had a free hotel breakfast. Two – four cups of tea we enjoyed with just the press of a button. And someone else to wash the cups. It’s interesting to think about the differences from camping to hotels. It seems like most things end up being about the same as far as timing is concerned, but everything, of course, requires a lot more effort in camping. If you are used to or are willing to endure the effort, then camping does turn out to be quite a nice vacation. The packing up of the tent trailer is a major time hog compared to a hotel and this is what makes an on-the-road trip rather inefficient over time. Even with an RV trailer there is the issue of filling water, cleaning out tanks and putting away all the jacks and blocks associated with parking. It seems like the tent trailer will be retired, we’ll see!
Enough of that talk. We went on a tour of the cave and hot springs basin. Canada put together the most interactive ranger show we have ever seen, complete with period costumes! The kids got to hold limestone (which did not provided any treasures for making-it-rich prospectors), coal (which did create a money making industry) and an arrow head. We learned about the discovery and use of the cave and hot springs. Then we went to an area where we actually got to go in a hot spring which was more like a gigantic hot pool. It did smell a little like sulfur, so maybe those minerals did do something for our health? After the refreshment we toured Lake Minnewanka (a.k.a waters of the great spirit storm). There was an incredibly horrible storm last spring on the lake which we could see the effects of just the wind on the hills. There was a resident bald eagle perched in lodgepole pine who allowed us to see her posed and ready for catching fish. A little lake drive and walk on the Bow River allowed us to see some elk and walk almost too close to them. Another “American” meal at the Spaghetti Factory ended the night! Alan also found an app to locate your position through GPS and give a dialogue about the surroundings. Another thing hotel wifi can do for you! We’ll see how it works tomorrow! We are going to try a large hike to a tea house tomorrow. We’ll see how we do with the distance and weather. It has been raining!!