Lake Moraine. July 1993
you can never go back
Before we started our big Alaska Adventure [see: Alaska and Yukon - planes, ferries, buses, and trains], we made a detour through the Canadian Rockies. I had been across Canada the summer before and went on and on about Banff and Jasper National Parks, so Brian became interested. Additionally, his sister Adrianne and her partner had time off, so we agreed to meet up. That led to the creation of a classic line from Brian that makes me chuckle to this day. Adrianne wanted us to go camping with them and Brian and I balked. We both were of the mind that travel was about exploration and experiencing new places, not about sleeping outside if more comfortable options were available. Brian told his sister, "We will not be camping. If it is required, we will pay others to do it for us." For two guys who had slept in a manger in Nepal, that was a pretty strong statement.
We flew to Vancouver from JFK and then took the train from Vancouver to Banff. I explained to Brian that he HAD TO experience at least part of the journey by train. The trip was lovely, but Brian was unimpressed - I think I had built it up too much. Arriving in the Rockies by rail after the vast prairies of Canada is such a different experience from taking the train out of Vancouver. We finally arrived in Banff and immediately rented a car - then Brian was happy. (I was, too. It is the best way to see those two parks). We visited Lake Louise and Lake Moraine in overcast weather. Lake Moraine is in my top five beautiful places on the planet. Unfortunately, in cloudy damp weather it really doesn't look like much of anything but a normal mountain lake. We did have some beautiful weather break through the clouds occasionally - the visit was not a total bust - it just did not nearly meet the expectations I had built up. My first visit had been during a string of stunning, sunny days. Brian and I had a lot of clouds and rain. I don't think he was as disappointed as I was. Therein lies the danger: promising someone to repeat an experience from your own past - simply not realistic. The disappointment is two-fold, both for promiser and the promisee. Talk about a roll of the dice!
We dropped the car in Jasper and rode the rails again on the famous "Rupert Rocket" all the way to Prince Rupert on the Pacific Coast. We then directly caught the Alaska State Ferry for the start of our adventure.
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