Rocky Mountaineer Canada Trip 2019 - Day 7, Part 2: End Of The Line

Our 2 1/2 hour ride to the airport was uneventful, but others weren't so lucky based on the 10 or so cars we saw on the way that had spun out in the median.

The Banff National Park Administration Building

Crossing over the Bow River

Playing with filters/crops.  Which one do you like best?

Visibility is low, but our driver knew what he was doing

Coming down out of the mountains and into farmland

We made it to the airport at noon and passed through customs before finding something for lunch.  Most of the group went to The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, but Todd, Mom and I wanted less of a commitment so we ate at a place called Spolumbo's.  I had a Buon Giorno Brioche breakfast sandwich with maple pork sausage, egg, ham and cheese on a brioche bun.  Not bad.

Afterward we went to Starbucks for a cardamom latte which was just ok (so it was a disappointment), followed by a stop in Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory where I bought a piece of maple walnut fudge.  The fudge was good but, no surprise, take-your-breath-away sweet, so I ate it in small bites that I washed down with disappointing coffee.

After that we found a place in the terminal to camp out and wait for our 2:30pm flight.

Yep, still snowing

The incoming flight before ours was behind schedule so our flight was delayed to 2:45.  After boarding we had to wait for de-icing and then anti-icing prior to takeoff.

By this point the snow was blowing sideways, or horizontally, if you're fancy

Todd's huge peanut butter cup

De-ice

Anti-ice

Au revoir Canada

I passed the time by watching Arrival and part of Orlando.

Hello America

We touched down at 8:00pm CST.  Everyone was eager to get home so we didn't linger - we got our luggage, said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

It had been a fantastic trip!  I highly recommend the Rocky Mountaineer experience, though it's expensive.  Knowing what I know now, if possible I would choose to spend at least a day more at each location except Kamloops.  The views/hotels/things to do would definitely be worth it.  Another option would be to road trip it - skip the train, rent a car and make my own itinerary.

Of course, another option would be to just skip everything and move permanently into the Chateau Lake Louise or Banff Springs Hotel.  I think I could happily spend the rest of my days in either location.

Maybe the rest of my days and beyond.