8th day (Golden - Banff - Black Diamond)

Stephanie from Ontario wakes up at 5:30 am, makes our frittatas, and our day begins at 7:30 am with the delicacies that this extraordinary lodge provides for its guests in the morning. Two Germans from Speyer are also up early and recommend to me, along with the Bow Lake Parkway parallel to TC1 where they saw 5 (!) bears yesterday, to drive to the famous Lake Louise early - otherwise it would be chaos. I still have no idea how right they will be.

After the enjoyable meal, we start at 8:30 am and drive the same route that we already covered yesterday. The second time is no less impressive. We reach Lake Louise at 9:30 am and are pleased that we made it relatively early and there are hardly any cars in front of us. The many guides with their yellow vests directing the car tourists are a bit surprising. After 4 km, you reach the top of the mountain and then you are redirected back down again. A joke. The parking lot is already overcrowded, and instead of being directed to one of the lower spaces below, they direct everyone up first, hoping that maybe one will become available, and then you have to drive the 4 km back to the main parking lot, where a shuttle bus will take you up as soon as you have secured a spot. We hope for a miracle and drive up again - the same game. Asking the yellow vests is not allowed, immediately comes a 'move on' through the open side window. And even though the lake is probably the tourist destination of Banff - we've had enough. The prospect of spending several hours waiting here and looking at this piece of nature among crowds of tourists prompts us to cancel Lake Louise and turn directly onto the parkway, which seems pleasantly empty.

On the approximately 40-kilometer long road, you will find some great viewpoints and insights into the fascinating world of Banff, but as soon as you come to one that is a little more well-known, the same picture emerges: crowds of tourists, parking lots full, wild parking on the street, and irritated guides. Lesson of the day, freely adapted from Hape Kerkeling. Avoid Banff during high season and instead visit Jasper, which in my opinion is just as impressive as its big brother but attracts significantly fewer crowds.

After about 90 minutes of driving, we return to the TC Highway and slowly say goodbye to the large mountain massifs, which still provide us with a great spectacle in the rearview mirror for a while. The road now leads through significantly flatter terrain, but still with an infinite expanse to the left and right of the highway towards Calgary, before we turn right onto 22 towards our destination, the small cowboy town of Black Diamond. Forests now alternate with numerous cattle pastures, and a short coffee break in Bragg Creek offers the opportunity to enjoy a hippie treat, an outrageously delicious indulgence made of peanut butter, almonds, honey, rice crispies, and chocolate.

After that, it's only 1 hour until we arrive at the Idle Spurs Bed and Breakfast, our home for one night. The establishment is content-wise an average museum. I have never seen such a mixture of junk, animal taxidermy (all rescued from the trash to honor the animals and not make their death appear meaningless), and historical artifacts. It would take 5 trucks to transport all of this. Bella, our landlady, serves us homemade iced tea and tells us stories about her assorted items - and there are plenty of them. The atmosphere is clearly familial. It would be too stressful for me to stay longer, but for one night, it's fascinating.

In the evening, we have a pho that is very authentic, and then we go to the Westwood and drink Caesar, a Canadian specialty made with tomato juice, clam broth, vodka, ice, and spices. It doesn't taste bad, but it won't be my favorite drink, and I think I'll stick to just one during my stay. The craft beer from Calgary that is consumed afterwards is more to my liking.