a peek inside the fishbowl

I told my family that there was NO TIME TO REST during this holiday. As if to prove my point, right after our amazing dinner we decided to pay a visit to Moraine Lake. We were not about to rest on our laurels (or watch Netflix in our hotel room)!

Moraine Lake is famous for its blue colour and fantastic views. In fact, it’s SO FAMOUS that the parking lot fills up at 5 a.m. and stays full, all day. I wish I was kidding. The only way to get there and see the lake is to (a) set your alarm and get there really early or (b) take a shuttle bus. And guess what? The shuttle stops running at 6 p.m. Sigh.

We drove up the road to try our luck. Unfortunately, the “lot full” sign was up so we drove past, dejectedly turned around at Chateau Lake Louise, and drove back down the way we came. Strangely there was no “lot full” sign when we approached from that direction! We saw a car pull in so we decided to follow it and see. (Note that at this point it’s an 11km drive to the parking lot at Moraine Lake.) Thankfully, there were a few parking spots available by the time we got there at 8:45 p.m. Victory was ours!

We parked and dashed over to the water. It was getting chilly, and it was dim and smokey due to the setting sun and the wild fires, but it was still a pretty sweet view. I’m glad we took the chance. There’s a lesson in here somewhere, about taking chances and holidays and happy memories.

In my previous post about our travels out west I wrote about the gorgeous and awful horse ride we took to the Plain to Six Glaciers.

If you’ve ever been to Lake Louise you know it’s not a very big place. In some respects it’s a waystation – a place to stop on your way to somewhere else. Lake Louise is pretty much an intersection of backpackers, a small strip mall, and a bunch of hotels, but there is one standout here (other than the gorgeous nature, trails and views of course): It’s called the Station Restaurant and you MUST GO THERE.

Twenty years ago, on our honeymoon, we stayed in Lake Louise for two nights and ate dinner at this restaurant twice… THAT is how good it was. So of course, since we were visiting the area again with our kids we had to go there again. And I’m so glad we did.

First of all, it’s a great setting for a restaurant. It’s off the beaten path a bit – not far from the aforementioned intersection – and it’s an actual old railway station that’s been thoughtfully restored and preserved. The food was just as good as I remembered. It’s not a lengthy menu, but I believe there’s something for everyone. It’s the kind of place where the cooking is sort of like what you might make at home if you had the time and energy, but way better. (Here’s a peek at the current menu if you’d like to see what they’re serving up.)

Mark and the youngest daughter enjoyed a bison burger, and the eldest and I opted for mac & cheese with pulled pork. It was excellent. Piping hot, super cheesy, and just the right amount of pulled pork to make it meaty without making us feel like we were going overboard.

Reservations are strongly recommended. This place was full of people!

So this is me, 20 years ago at the Station Restaurant…

… and this is Mark.

This is us now!

Before you head back to your hotel, make sure you take a minute to peek at the old rail cars that are on the property. Maybe if you’re really lucky, a real train will pass by while you’re there! It passes right behind the restaurant. We waved at the engineer and he gave us a big honk. It was the icing on the cake on a really great family dinner.

i noticed there was a blank wall at mcdonald’s so i decided to make this fake poster of me and my friend. It’s now been 51 days since i hung it up. pic.twitter.com/5OTf5aR4vm

— J?VH M (@Jevholution) September 3, 2018

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On the nightstand: The Drowning (Patrik Hedstrom and Erica Falck, Book 6)