After lunch, we spent a good hour or more slowly ambling along Banff Ave. where we crossed paths with a number of other dogs, enjoyed the sunshine and watched other tourists. Hobbes and I waited outside of Welch’s candy shop while Allie and Sidney spent money inside the shop. The grandparents didn’t buy anything.

We had four rooms at the Banff Springs Hotel. Not cheap even in the off season. While Bob and Nancy had an afternoon nap, the rest of us walked the golf course and enjoyed the mountain scenery.

Hobbes had a good romp and we managed to keep him from sampling all the deer doo. The only wildlife we saw were squirrels. On our return, we walked near Bow Falls which still had quite a bit of snow and ice on it although the water was roaring down the sides. You can see there was still icy snow along the banks of the Spray River as well.

My 82 year old mother managed the hour long walk including the steady uphill bit back to the hotel. By the time we were back in our room, we were ready to enjoy some pre-dinner libations with our entire group including Bob and Nancy refreshed from their nap.

Surprisingly, the Banff Springs Hotel allows dogs in the rooms as long as they’re not left unattended. After so much excitement and exercise, Hobbes was happy to recline and behave himself. We put him into the vehicle in his crate while we had dinner. He slept in the two girls’ room — or rather, on Allie’s bed, more or less on top of Allie. Another reason not to trust the cleanliness of hotel linens.

Dinner was at Castello Ristorante which is located in the newer wing of the hotel. It seemed like a bit of an excursion to get from the original building to the newer wing along the mezzanine level.

A view from the hotel as we walked to dinner:

Roasted garlic with foccacia bread:

Pappardelle and veal cheeks:

No exciting after dinner activities. The next morning, after a big breakfast, it was back into the vehicles and the return drive home.