In Canmore!: Observations

Its time for another post, and this time I am sitting comfortably on a chair, at a glass desk, and glancing out at the mountains that make up the Bow Valley. Last week I made my way to Canmore, Alberta, and have decided to post some of the observations that have made my trip that much more fun.

Un: the women in Canmore seem to be pregnant/just had a baby or are waiting for a baby, this is shocking also because I have noticed many younger women having babies. This may be because I am use to Toronto's 30+ mothers, or maybe the mountain air keeps everyone looking young. Who knows, but its a bit weird....there is even a mountain range that looks like a pregnant lady. Maybe Canmore's new visitor ads should be catered to the many people currently having problem's with fertility. The slogan could be something like this "when elsewhere you can't, in Canmore you can!" (not the best slogan, but you get the idea) :)

Deux: the food here is pricey, take lunch as an example. A salad is about $11, whereas I am use-to lunch hovering just around $10 all included...or less if its just a snack. The only flip on this is Subway Sandwiches, their stuff seems to be cheaper than Toronto. Also, breakfast at Silvertip Golf Resort is well priced, and very cool (about $10). One more buck in the trend is the ever amazing Grizzly Paw pub, with great food, great prices, and home-made beer and ginger-ale (with real ginger!!).

Trois: everyone who lives here seems to be fit, in the sense that the only chubby/fat people I have seen were visitors/tourists. This maybe not be the most scientifically based observation but it seems to hold true whenever I meet locals. I chalk this up the the prominence of hiking/biking/walking among the locals. I think Calgary could learn a thing or two from here.

Quatre: there are a lot of French people here (from Quebec it appears). Also lots of Japanese tourists (Banff mainly) and German adventure ppl. Cool mix to chill with.

there are more, but that's it for now. If I had to recommend a vacation place Canmore would definitely be it with regard to Alberta, with the note that you must like the outdoors, and want to spend a lot of your time out and about in the great-outdoors.

Ps. there are bears, I bumped into one on a mountain trail, but never run, talk to it calmly and slowly back away. Never scream at it, just wave your hands and be gentle. if it starts to follow you, well you are F*k*d, but there are ways to deal with that too. Oh the things you learn from educational videos.
Enjoy the hikes, keep warm, and make sure to be prepared for temperatures ranging from -10 to +20 C in one day !