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May 20, 2026: Calgary to Toronto

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Our breakfast at the hotel restaurant wasn't fantastic (and Miles' "gruel" was definitely off-putting) but at least it was free. We had plenty of time in the airport (no wait in the security line at all) and Miles was hoping to use some of that time to pick up some souvenirs for friends, since we'd missed any other opportunities for shopping, but the selection was very limited. It was a smooth ride with barely any turbulence, but we did have to wait an unusually long time before we could deplane (there'd been some issue that backed up flights at Pearson, so we had to wait for a gate to clear). But once we got off, our suitcase was available right away, our taxi ride home was quick since we'd been delayed past rush hour, and we were greeted at home by a very happy Harley dog. Final Thoughts I did more detailed planning for this trip than usual, realizing that one of the things I enjoyed most about our Nahanni and Alps guided trips was that I didn't have...
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May 19, 2026: Radium Hot Springs to Calgary

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We had a quick breakfast in our room again, and then checked in for our whitewater rafting trip with Kootenay River Runners. Miles was still a bit low-energy, but he knew that they were counting on us to ensure enough people for the trip, and that all he'd really need to do was go along for the ride. In the end, they collapsed two separate rafts into one full raft of 11 guests plus our guide, Quentin. We took a ~30-minute ride in a school bus, driven by Russ - he and Quentin kept up a humorous patter en route, and Quentin shared interesting facts about the area along the way. He pointed out where an RV had gone over the fence at a scenic lookout - luckily it stuck on the edge of the precipice and all survived. He also told us about magnesite, which is mined in Kootenay National Park - it has exceptional thermal resistance and has been used for heat shield on space rockets/shuttles. Then we turned off the highway and onto a mining/logging road, where Russ was on a CB radio to notify...
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May 18, 2026: Revelstoke to Radium Hot Springs

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Today would be our longest day of driving, retracing our path through Rogers Pass back to Golden, then south to the village of Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay National Park. We purchased tickets online to the Golden Skybridge, ate a quick breakfast in our room, and set off with clear, sunny skies, much more auspicious than our previous trip over Rogers Pass (which turned out to be fine anyhow). It turned out that purchasing our Skybridge Tickets online gave us a discount, but didn't save us any time standing in line. I can only imagine how busy it must be in the summer! Even at this time of year it seemed like the parking lot was close to full. The two suspension bridges are truly impressive - they are the highest in Canada (130 m/426 ft, and 80 m/262 ft above the Kicking Horse River). You could feel a fair bit of swaying while walking across (which delighted me and Miles, but is really not Mark's favourite thing) and it was a long way down (I hung onto my phone extra carefully ...
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