David had an executive conference in Banff, Canada. With it being only five hours north from his mom, we coordinated our trip to make this happen for all of us!
The border crossing could not have been easier. Totally a difference experience from the busy Vancouver and Victoria crossings.
As a fun treat for the boys, I set up a Canadian food scavenger hunt, and made a checklist of food items only available in Canada. An item on the list…Canadian candy
This area is insanely gorgeous. Photos do not do it justice. AT. ALL.
We stayed at the magnificent Banff Springs Hotel. A bucket list place for sure. The beauty, the decor, the food, the service. All impeccable.
Our pups were little celebrities everywhere we went in Banff. It took us twice as long to go anywhere because we would be stopped and people would cuddle and take photos. Banff is a true international hot spot and we visited with people from all over the world. This lovely front desk agent fell in love with Allie.
This is a photo of the flooring throughout the property. It is from a nearby quarry and you can see fossils everywhere.
A property this old has its fair share of ghost stories. There is the story of a bride who caught her dress on fire on channel situate on the stairwell. She fell down the stairs and died. They have the ghost story printed at the bottom of the staircase. By the way, the staff is not allowed to talk about any of the ghost stories, and there are many mentioned via the internet.
This is an ooky story. Along this hallway, there is a space where a door would be to one of the rooms. Many years ago, a family checked in. The husband killed his wife and daughter, then killed himself in the room. The room was completely cleaned and redecorated, but guests staying in the room would complain of weird occurrences. So, the hotel paved over the door and removed the room from their roster. The room numbers skip over this room number. The boys were listening where the door used to be.
This waterfall is located just below the hotel. A view of the hotel from the falls.
It was sprinkling a little and Allie started shivering, so into David’s jacket she went! The trail connecting the hotel to the falls.
Another Canadian food item…the Kinder Surprise. This treat is actually illegal in the USA because it contains a little toy inside that can be a chocking hazard. 
Another Canadian treat. Hickory Sticks. They are shoestring BBQ potatoes.
Nothing extraordinary about this photo…except that it was taken at 10:30PM without a flash!
Canadian treat… Maple Candy. Pretty much that’s what it is. Solidified maple syrup.
Amazing harpist who played in the lobby everyday we were there…
We were told we had to go to Tim Hortons. So, we did. the boys liked it, but we were not impressed. I discovered later it is their coffee that is famous. OK, next time…
Elk were all over. Gorgeous!
Canadian treat… Ruffles ‘All Dressed’ chips. Heavily seasoned that tasted kind of like the cheddar/sour cream chips we have here.
Date night for my dearest and I. We went to a Bavarian style restaurant at the hotel. Fondue as our first course. While we were eating, the waitress mentioned there were some elk on the field. We walked on to the patio and saw this…
These final three treat items, we had to go into town for. The first is ‘poutine’….french fries and cheese curds with gravy. Delicious! I can see why this is so popular with the late night drinking/hungover crowd. The restaurant we went to had this with elk on it. ‘A’ wanted to taste the poutine in it’s purest form, so we had the elk served on the side. After a few bites without the elk, we added it, and it was so good.
The beavertail. Our favorite treat of them all. A made to order hot baked kind of like a doughnut, with nutella, bananas, and powdered sugar on top. I am glad there was a line, because if there wasn’t, I would have gone back for another one. Next time, we are not sharing one!
The boys went into a clothing store (named Rude Boys) to ask directions. The clerk enjoyed talking to them and gave them these stickers for free. 
And last but not least of the Canadian treats…the Nanaimo bar. A little too sweet for my taste, but we completed our list!
