Day 18 Banff to Drumheller Tuesday 5th May 2015
It’s becoming a repeating feature: Another difficult leaving. Farewell to Robyn, Rob, and crew at Rocky Mountain B & B. Felt like leaving family, so hugs all round. Or maybe we are just so lovable!
Headed off early to catch our first ever Greyhound bus. It was on time, pleasant driver, comfy seats, clean and allayed all Chris’s fears of murder and plunder on a Greyhound bus!
Waiting to board watched a young man alight with a bounce in his stride.On his back a small canvas army disposal backpack, the ones with endless loops and pockets, and a ukelele. A beanie on top of a side-swept dark hair. Free travelling spirit, travelling light, I think to myself.
Then I found a brand new red ocker strap on the ground and look around to find my young traveller with a bright red super large chock full backpack, shiny red helmet and skateboard attached to it – plus the army pack and ukelele. Transfixed I was. Wanted to strike up conversation but the bus was not going to wait so handed over the ocker strap and boarded still wondering.
Off at the other end we got lost trying to find the river path from Greyhound to Budget. A few tense moments solved by seeing a young man wizz by on the opposite side heading towards the skyscrapers. A quick dash across a highway entrance and onto our street.
Stopped in at café for brekky, forgetting then remembering my new found way (find something on any menu) I found Portuguese tarts the “healthiest” and most brekky thing!!
Fantastic customer service person Lucia at Budget. Another Yaris that grew this time into a large sedan. We nervously navigated out of Calgary – Chris then confessed he had worried 2 days about not having his new drivers licence, and about getting out of Calgary, – neither an issue – both went without a hitch.
Once past Calgary –miles and miles of flat wheat land and long long long straight roads through the Prairies.
My ever favourite freight trains rolled past us.
On a whim diverted into Irricana (Irrigation-Canal) a town selling itself madly. Lots of encouraging advertising to move here and its emblem is the white picket fence of which a garden display has been made as you enter the town. Lunch was not a happening thing so we kept going. The next town Beiseker “Crossroads to the Future” we did not visit – it seemed a similar story – then found out later it’s mascot is a giant skunk!!!!
Finally after 100 s of kilometres of flat prairie the land suddenly dips and – Yeahhhh we are in the Badlands. A very different landscape. Hoodoos I saw Hoodoos!
Into Drumheller via the usual endless soulless chain store highway – which was a surprise given we thought we were coming to a small sweet town!
Began at the Visitors centre which is easily found as it has a giant dinosaur out front – the biggest in the world we were told. One you can climb up the middle of – which we did.
We met a Canadian journalist in the mouth of the T Rex and stopped for a bit of a chat. He was about to begin a new job with Al Jazeera, after also applying to the ABC in Oz. Strange discussing politics while you are surrounded by the teeth of a T Rex!
Next lunch- Bernie and the Boys. What a treat – a delicious burger with free entertainment .The latter provided by 6 young men who had driven from Calgary to partake in the Mammoth burger – 1.5kg burger with a 680gram beef pattie on an 8 inch bun. 5 between 6 of them, mayhem on the table and groans all round. Also available was the Megasaurus – a pizza with the lot weighing in at around 3.5kg and 16 inches diameter!!!!!
Checked in – bit of a shock as I discovered I had not done the usual homework and instead of the expected apartment it was a room – a large room with ensuite but not the self contained everything I had expected. Still the owners were lovely, it was in the centre of town and the bed was comfy. There was a slight hiccup – no shower only a bath and a Kiwi fixit person had been in there I suspect – instead of a tap there was a spanner which of course fell off when the tap was open!
Walk around town and a forgettable dinner at Evan’s – boguns and hypochondriacs surrounded us tho I did have to wait till the end of the health history of the woman sitting behind before I could leave.
