Golden vacation - Day 2

Day 2 (Aug 30)

The second day started very, very early for the guys and me over at Rundle Manor. I had gotten up in the night to fill myself with water and turn off lights but the alarm bells came in the form of Kyle’s cell phone just after 7am. From that point thanks to the time zone change my body was pretty much telling me to get up. I showered and took it easy as one by one the other guys awoke.

We had to meet the girls back at the cabin before we headed off to Golden. We all went out for a chilly walk to find coffee and some form of breakfast. Second Cup was the best we could do before packing up the car and saying so long to the Rundle. In case you are ever there I suggest checking out the Banff TV channel for some of the worst programming ever. Kyle and I decided it should of been called the one-take network.

Once at the cabin we all compared notes on the night before and then all did a car shuffle before heading off. I rode with Steve, Mandy and Andrew in the roomie Ford Explorer so I was happy. We did a little tour around Banff before hitting the highway.

We all had some free time before having to be in Golden so we planned to hit Lake Louise and Lake Moraine on the way. I am sure glad we did because they were two of the most breath taking places I have ever seen.

We stopped at the mall/truck stop area at Lake Louise first to get some lunch and meet up with the other group. We ate well and bought some goods and then headed off to the lake. The hotel and the view looked amazing and we did the walk around most of the lake. The air smelled like christmas trees and the water looked like tasty koolaid.

Andrew worked a summer there in his past so he was giving us the inside scoop tour as we walked along. The water was pretty cold and Kyle tested it for us. There were no bears yet be we had entered bear country so it was only a matter of time.

After walking back to the cars we headed to Lake Moraine. It was pretty busy as well with a lot of cars and traffic. The view was amazing and there was a small mountain for the boys to climb. There was even a brokeback moment you should check out. We sat and enjoyed the view standing on the logs and could not believe how amazing the mountains were.

Back into the car and off to Golden, B.C.

The view became even more amazing as we drove through the mountains and started to creep higher and higher. The ears started to pop and we were getting closer and closer.

Along the way Andrew had one of the funniest moments of the trip thanks to some road construction (see below) Other than that it was a relaxing trip and we pulled into Golden just after 4pm.

We had to go another 10 km’s or so to get to the Kicking Horse Resort and then the party was to really start.

We pulled up and saw the others running around and getting set for the wedding rehearsal which was set to start at anytime. Kyle and I had to meet up with the other wedding party members for a dinner afterwards. So that gave me time to shower, have a beer and enjoy the view from our room.

After changing I met up with Katie and we headed over to Corks for the rehearsal dinner which was amazing. I was only there because Katie was in the wedding party but membership sure has it’s privledges. The dinner was salad, lamb and a ice cream dessert. There was wine, toasts and a lot of happy friends catching up. As dinner ended the party was only starting. Peggy’s dad had this cabin he and family were staying in and they hosted a party that went late into the night. The cabin was so big and beautiful and went had so much room. We met up with all the other friends and family and had more to drink and ate more food.

The day certainly caught up with everyone and we all started to filter back to the hotel just after midnight. I slept great but Katie was not so lucky because we had what turned out to be the party suite above us and they went pretty late. It is amazing how voices carry in the mountains and that was the real reason for Katie’s lack of sleep.

Each day kept getting better and the real big day had not even occurred yet.

Here are the pictures

Andrew’s moment of zen

More pictures

Highlights

• Not owning a cell phone
• the muffin I got at Second Cup
• Andrew’ s boobie-trapped door
• The jaw-dropping view at Lake Louise
• The sausage roll I had for lunch
• Hanging out with Katie’s crew
• The first time I saw the view from our room
• Finally getting to see Katie
• The cousins dance
• The chocolate truffles at the party
• Getting to sleep in a bed

Read all about Day 1