Around Alberta County, Canada: Calgary, Jasper, Banff, Edmonton

I enjoyed checking out Canada and the meeting locals

Most Meaningful Experience: I loved the Royal Tyler Dinosaur Museum

Recently I drove around Canada’s cow country. I was in Calgary, Drumheller, Torrington, Youngstown (For a meditation retreat), then drove from Jasper to Banff. Here were some of my highlights and observations.

1. Canada is full of immigrants from all over. I met a Ukrainian pipeline worker, many Indian engineers, Philippino workers, Chinese, and a few Africans. That initial impression solidified when I stayed at an Airbnb in a small neighborhood outside of Edmonton. Kids of all ethnicities were playing in the streets. That is Canada.
2. The Royal Tyrell Dinosaur museum in Drumheller is totally rad. The museum has assembled dinosaurs from excavated bones nearby the museum. This is a cannot miss attraction. Closeby is the Midland Provincial Park with trails to walk around the excavation site and rolling 
3. Torrington is the home of the Gopher museum. It’s the oddest thing I’ve ever seen. No larger than 300 square feet, this museum showcased about 20 different gopher scenes such as two gophers on a motorcycle, getting married, or playing in a band. It was odd but if anything, it shows that people want to see things. If you build it tourists will come.
4. Jasper and Banff. Driving from the Jasper to Banff on the Icefield Highway the green trees surrounding the mountains and beautiful lakes started to turn orange, yellow and reddish. With the change in scenery was also a change in weather – and my confusion – getting colder as I went south where I passed glaciers, more mountains and approached the ski slopes. It was clear that banff caters more to tourists while Jasper – the further up north national park – had other benefits. It was larger, had fewer tourists, more places to mountain bike, and the main town is less commercialized with a lot more local charm. 
5. Calgary seemed like a decent city to hang out in but I only grabbed some Vietnamese food there. I visited the Olympic Park which had skiing areas in the winter that turned into mountain biking trails in the summer.

That’s all I got for now. I’d love to head back to Jasper one day.

Rainbow in Jasper Canada

Royal Tyrrell Museum Canada

Royal Tyrrell Museum Canada

Royal Tyrrell Museum Canada

Royal Tyrrell Museum Canada

Fall Trees in Jasper Canada

Athabasca Glacier in Jasper Canada

Gopher Museum in Torrington Canada

Gopher Museum in Torrington Canada

Gopher Museum in Torrington Canada