The Road to Banff

Castle Mountain Coffee
Banff. Canada

Grazing lands between rolling hills prelude to the mountain scene in the distance. The road to Banff is like a romance novel, an ever changing scenery of engagement and emotion. The mountains don’t ask your permission to fill your soul, they demand it, taking residence from the moment you see them. Pines begin to line the surrounding landscape, giving elevation the sexy allure of a 5:00 shadow. The anticipation mounts as we get closer and the sky beyond the sky becomes reality. Mountains rise up from the earth like breathing creatures, each playing their own role in the overtaking. The pines reach in admiration towards their powerful, intimidating, but breathtaking Gods. I am just a bystander in this love making. There’s a turning in my stomach as cliffs close in around me and I inhale the thin glacial air with a panic… right as the claustrophobia scares my senses, the mountains open up to a storybook valley. Life runs through my veins viewing the majestic scenery. Crystal blue lakes, cutting terrain… sun reflecting off white peaks that soar into the heavens. I am in love.

After a 6k hike up switchbacks and icy inclines, there was no more satisfying place to have a mocha than 7,000ft above sea level with the most beautiful views in the Canadian Rockies. Castle Mountain Coffee exists at the top of Mount Sulphur, where the Banff Gondola ride reaches it’s climax. A MUST-DO experience.

Banff had a way of inspiring me in a deep and meaningful way. I don’t know if it was the call of adventure, the crisp summit breeze, or having a short break from the world of parenting, but time slowed down and my thoughts were clear.

Above is a crop of our majestic cobblestone hotel nestled in the Rockies. Elk roamed free, rams grazed on hillsides, and we were lucky to see 2 baby bears with their mama on a tour to Lake Louise. Banff was nature at it’s finest!