We got up a little late and drove straight to Sulfur Mountain, named for the smell of the now closed hot springs that used to be one of the main tourist attractions. There was a $21 gondola to the top but we gained the 2200 ft climb by a grueling switchback trail. The views of Banff valley were well worth it, even if there was a ridiculous ice cream shop and large amount of people. We talked to a friendly park worker from south of Edmonton and immediately spotted three bighorn sheep that seemed oblivious to the dozens of camera clicks and pointing excited children. The mosquitoes were dive bombing, unfortunately. One of the buildings was an abandoned cosmic ray observatory, manned by one park worker for most of its operation. This was before the gondola was built. For him it was a brisk 2200 ft climb to work every day.
Banff Valley
The sun was sweltering by the time we were at the base of the mountain and so we got some lunch before doing some window-shopping. We killed a couple of hours at the Laundromat, followed by an excellent dinner at St. James’ Place Irish Pub. We spent some time before bed cleaning and organizing the car, as the back seat was turning into an incomprehensible pit and the trunk was full of wood chips.
