The Province of Alberta has been the destination in Canada for a few trips now, the last being May/June 2004. My very first trip was a family trip in 1988, flying into Calgary we went off to visit our Canadian family. Arriving in Canada felt like going home, I suppose that was the Canadian blood in me knowing where it was going. Granum* was the first port of call, this was the home of my Canadian grandmother. I remember standing at the bottom of the road and being able to see the Rocky Mountains, what a sight! Our Canadian journey then included Lethbridge, Claresholm and up to Drumheller. Lots of places have been visited and I have even done a spot of camping up at Banff/Jasper.
Return visits to Canada to visit my family have always been hard as I have know that in a couple of weeks I would have to make the journey back to the UK, each time I go coming home has been harder and harder.
Some of the great places to visit are:
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is the world's oldest, largest and best preserved buffalo jump that is known to exist and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
Banff - there is a lot to see in Banff, as well as the splendid hotel, there is Sulphur Mountain, the Radium Hot Springs and Lake Louise. If you have the opportunity to go to Wild Bill's Restaurant, we had a great meal there in 2004.
Jasper National Park - Jasper is the largest wilderness park in the Canadian Rockies. A must is the visit to the Athabaska Glacier at the Columbia Icefields.
Waterton Lakes - Located in northwestern Montana on the Canada/USA border. You just have to travel on the "Going-to-the-Sun-Road". This 50 mile long road bisects the heart of the Glacier and follows the shores of the park's two largest lakes, hugging the cliffs below the Continental Divide as it traverses Logan Pass. A fantastic journey!
Calgary - Places to visit here are the Calgary Tower, Glenbow museum western Canada's larges museum, if you are in Calgary in July don't forget the Calgary Stampede, Heritage Park is a must.... Calgary Zoo....Kananaskis Country.... The Olympic Park... the list goes on, oh and don't forget this is the home of Scrapbook Sally which I had the pleasure of visiting in 2004!
Drumheller - This is where I first saw a "Hoodoo". These are natural rock formations and they have a hard rock cap on top of sandstone, they look like mushrooms and umbrellas! Other places to see are the Atlas Coal Mines, Crowsnest Pass, Horseshoe Canyon, the Swinging Suspension Bridge at Rosedale (which now has sides!) and of course the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Lethbridge - Lethbridge is twinned with Saint-Laurent, Quebec.
Fort McLeod - founded in 1874 this was the first outpost of the Mounties.
*Granum used to be called Leavings and was changed to Granum 1 October 1907. It was called Leavings as it was the point where the Macleod-Calgary trail left Willow Creek. Granum, which is Latin for Grain, was suggested by Malcolm McKenzie, MP