Farewell to 2021, with tourism and travel continuing to struggle for a second year. With yet another year close to home, would we with a travel blog even have a 2021 top 10 to choose from?
Thankfully living near one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Canadian Rockies, provide a wondrous backyard. With gratitude to you our loyal readers for staying with us.
We wish each of you good health and the ability to find joy in 2022. Sometimes the wonders of life are at our fingertips if we just look closely.
Table of Contents
2021 Top 10 Posts
10) How To Make Turkish Coffee At Home
As dawn breaks, fog encircles the minarets of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. Sipping Turkish coffee, we listen to the calls to prayer reverberating from mosques throughout the city, where Asia and Europe meet. A decade ago we fell in love with Turkey. It is a love of the people, the culture, the food and the rich, bold flavour of Turkish coffee. Returning to Canada, we think surely we can learn how to make Turkish coffee at home.
#10 2021 Top 10 How To Make Turkish Coffee At Home
9) Nordic Walking – Not Just a Walk in the Park
“What’s the difference? Isn’t Nordic walking just walking with hiking poles?”
When I ask friends, “Have you ever tried Nordic walking?” this is the usual response.
I admit it is exactly what I think, when Mandy Johnson, owner of Active By Nature in Canmore, offers to take us Nordic pole walking.
My regular hiking poles are well traveled. From the Inca Trail in Peru to the muddy, root-filled terrain of Canada’s West Coast Trail, the poles are a constant companion. How different can a Nordic walking workout be?
#9 2021 Top 10 Nordic Walking – Not Just a Walk in the Park
8) Saskatchewan Arts on the Honour System – Freba Pottery
It works. It works because a little trust goes a long way.” Marea Olafson’s wide smile and bright eyes await my reaction. Here in her Saskatchewan arts highway store Freba Pottery, I am a mixture of amazement and disbelief.
“You leave the pottery store open 24 hours a day? And no one steals anything?” This once Saskatchewan farm girl, now big city cynic, finds it all hard to believe.
“Would you steal something?” Marea’s question leaves me taken aback.
#8 2021 Top 10 Saskatchewan Arts on the Honour system – Freba Pottery
7) Top Banff View – Banff’s Best Kept Secret
Stunning images of Canadian Rockies hovering over sweeping valleys. In this mountain town, finding the best Banff view is a photography treasure hunt.
Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest protected parkland and is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the Canadian mountain range. It has been beckoning world travelers for over 125 years with its endless green valleys and jaw dropping mountain peaks.
#7 2021 Top 10 Top Banff View – Banff’s Best Kept Secret
6) How To Get To Moraine Lake – Canada’s Turquoise Jewel
The beauty is surreal. Moraine Lake, gleaming in sunlight, as if turquoise gems have dissolved into its glacial lake waters. Tourists and locals alike, find it challenging to pull their eyes from the mesmerizing shades. One of Canada’s most popular destinations, figuring out how to get to Moraine Lake has become a travel puzzle.
The Valley of the Ten Peaks surrounds the jaw-dropping lake in Banff National Park. Moraine Lake Canada, with nearby mountains, waterfalls and rugged rocky shores, is a must see destination. Indeed any visitor to Banff National Park wants to see Moraine.
#6 2021 Top 10 How to Get To Moraine Lake – Canada’s Turquoise Gem
5) Bankhead Ghost Town – Banff’s Abandoned Coal Mine
At the foot of Cascade Mountain lies the remains of one of the key economic engines that spurred the development of Banff National Park. The Bankhead ghost town was once the thriving coal mining community of Bankhead, Alberta. Now the remnants of the abandoned coal mine sit quietly amid one of the most beautiful locations in Canada.
#5 2021 Top 10 Bankhead Ghost Town – Banff’s Abandoned Coal Mine
4) Abandoned Canmore Mines – A Coal to Tourism Evolution
Canmore nestles in the Bow Valley corridor of Alberta, east of the entrance of Canada’s jewel, Banff National Park. Established in 1883 as a railway depot, the town sprang to life in 1887 when coal mining began. For over ninety years, coal and Canmore mines were synonymous.
Today the trendy shops, restaurants and art galleries lining main street, reveal little evidence of the coal mine industry. The community thrives on a vision of environmental sensitivity and economic sustainability.
Not necessarily an easy balance in one of the most beautiful towns in Canada.
#4 2021 Top 10 – Abandoned Canmore Mines – A Coal to Tourism Evolution
3) Chinook Winds – Cool Facts Warming Winter
When in Calgary, Alberta, Canada it is not uncommon to experience the effects of Chinook winds. Chinooks are warm, dry, and typically powerful winds that flow eastward from the Canadian Rockies onto the prairies. A Chinook arch cloud formation is a welcome winter sight.
Pushing typical cold winter air masses away, the chinook weather allows for temperatures to occasionally increase dramatically. And I mean dramatically.
In 1966, strong Chinook winds blew over the southwest Alberta town of Pincher Creek, increasing the air temperature from -23°C (-10°F) to 2°C (36°F). This was a 25°C (46°F) climb in temperature – in one hour!
#3 2021 Top 10 Chinook Winds – Cool Facts Warming Winter
2) Blue-Footed Booby – Who Dreams Up These Names?
Visiting South America and finding the blue-footed booby, one begins to think a group of giggling adolescents was summoned for name assignment duty on the continent.
“Let’s call this big pond Lake Titicaca“.
The 12 year old gang doubles over with laughter and snorts.
“That’s nothing! Over here this one will be Lake PooPo“.
Now the puberty driven hysteria is in full swing. They can no longer stand up they are laughing so hard. Rolling about on the ground they spy birds flying overhead. One, who can manage to speak between fits of giggles, calls out,
“Look! There are boobies in the air!”
#2 2021 Top 10 Blue Footed Booby – Who Dreams Up These Names?
1) 3 Day Banff Itinerary – What To Do In Banff National Park
Wilderness wonderland. Culinary hotspot. Adventure lover playground. Canada’s oldest National Park is its most popular. With 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 square miles) of protected Canadian Rockies, deciding what to do in Banff can be a challenge. From our decades of hiking, cycling and exploring, comes our 3 day Banff itinerary.
With pristine wilderness delivering astonishing vistas at every turn, the UNESCO World Heritage site is a world renowned destination. With over 4 million visitors per year, Banff hotels can book quickly.
#1 2021 Top 10 3 Day Banff Itinerary – What to Do In Banff National Park
We hope to welcome you to Alberta one day soon. Do you have a favourite from our top 10 of 2021?
A Happy New Year to you!
Thank you Pit. All the very best in 2022 to you!
So many beautiful photos as always, guys! It’s hard to choose a favorite. Wishing you and your family good health and prosperity in 2022! Be safe! ❤️🇨🇦
Thank you John. We have always been grateful to live near the Canadian Rockies but not more so than during COVID. We send you our very best for the year ahead and wishes for your good health. always a pleasure to connect here with you John and hopefully one day again in person.
Thank you so much for sharing your lovely post. Happy New year 2022, 2022 will be the best year for travel & Tourism.
We can only hope 2022 will be better for the travel industry. Happy New Year!
A great collection of blog posts. I really enjoyed them all, but my favourite was you 3 day Banff itinerary. It got me dreaming of visiting this gorgeous place.
Happy 2022 for you guys ❤️
Gilda that is wonderful to hear. By far our most popular post of the year so like you others are ready to come and enjoy Banff National Park. We hope to welcome you soon.
What a joy to follow your travels virtually this year. All the best for 2022!
Feliz Año Nuevo y buena salud!
Thank you! All the very best in 2022!
I loved all your posts, guess I’ll have to pick The Blue Footed Booby– made me laugh out loud. I think you guys are amazing for finding so many gems close to home. Wishing you an adventure filled 2022. Sure hope your travels bring you back to California 😉
Wendy for the past two years we have been thinking…this will be the year! Hoping so much to connect in person with you in 2022.
Delighted you had a chuckle from the Blue-footed booby. 🙂
I’m glad to have discovered your site this past year. Keep on enjoying the heck out of life!
Thank you Pete. We are delighted to have you here. We will be doing our best to show off gorgeous Alberta and who knows maybe one day we will get back to our long distance travel adventures.
Happy New Year Sue & Dave. I was lucky enough to spend 5 days in NYC seeing Hamilton on Broadway, going to the museums, special Kusama art exhibition at NY Botanical Gardens, a Banksy art exhibit in lower Manhattan, seeing the street art in Williamsburg and Bushwick. Weather was perfect. All the stars must have aligned right during Oct 18-23 because there sure has been a lot going on with Covid variants, weather craziness, airplane travel and yet I managed a perfect trip. It was the first trip I had taken since March of 2020. Altho it was my 6th time in the city, I always find something new, that’s what I love about it. Just like you and your beautiful Canadian Rockies! It never gets old, does it?
But 2022 is going to be really new for me. I have an appt on Jan 19 at the Spanish Consulate in Los Angeles to apply for my Residency Visa, something I have been wanting for a long time now. I have worked my way thru a ton of paperwork that was notarized, certified, translated, Apostilled, etc etc and still I am hoping I dotted every i and crossed every t correctly so I get approved. I booked a one way ticket to Spain for March 25 and plan to take my whole life in check-in bags only. Selling and donating – 2022 – ready or not here it comes and there I go!
Wow Ginger that is amazing! Good for you to make it happen. I’d love to hear more about how you came to the decision. We wish you every happiness in this new chapter.
I have only had the pleasure of being in NYC once. My daughter and I had an amazing time. I agree that one could go back over and over and find new things to see and do. You really did hit the timing just right. Happy new year Ginger. always a delight to find you here on the blog. Very much looking forward to hearing about your life in Spain.
What a list of wonder and beauty. I’d love to see them all one day! But in the meantime I’m content with my own Aussie backyard. A very happy new year to you!
Your backyard is a beauty to be sure. We have only been to Australia once and loved every minute. Hoping one day to return and keep exploring. Sending our very best wishes for 2022.
I love all the places in Alberta you mentioned! It’s such a joy and privilege to have access to such unspoiled beauty. Here’s hoping travel becomes possible (and enjoyable) again in the coming year. Happy New Year! 🙂
Here’s hoping Diane! I feel a bit like we are in the movie Groundhog Day. We have some mountain exploring ahead this month and really looking forward to that fresh air and nature’s beauty.
You and Dave continue to entice people to your beautiful, mountainous country, Sue, with well written posts and beautiful photos. The CofC should give you a bonus! 🙂 The very best to you in this coming year. And here’s hoping we get a break from the pandemic so Peggy and I can once again visit Canada. –Curt
We are very much hoping to see you in Canada sooner rather than later COVID willing. In full transparency, two of the posts that made our top 10 were in partnership with Banff Lake Louise Tourism. We always include a disclosure in sponsored posts and I’m a stickler for ethics. No matter, we love our Canadian Rockies and are beyond grateful for the escapes to them in these past two years especially.
wishing you and Peggy a very Happy New Year and may 2022 bring us closer to the days of travel we recall.
Wishing you a happy new year.
For a brief time, I thought we might be able to travel to Canada again as we used to [without bureaucratic controls, quarantines, tests, etc. and I am sure you felt the same about travel out of Canada. Well, we can only hope for the best in the future. One thing is certain, you live in one of the most beautiful areas in the world. We loved seeing it in the past and are ready to go back.
Ray oh happy day when we can travel back and forth to each other’s country with some ease. We do count ourselves as extremely fortunate to live next to the Canadian Rockies. They have brought us much needed escape year round and we appreciate our location all the more. Happy New year and may 2022 bring you good health and see travel options begin to open up.
Although travel opportunities in 2021 were still very much limited, I’m glad you still managed to explore those spectacularly beautiful places in your backyard. Of all the stories you wrote last year, one particularly warmed my heart: Saskatchewan Arts on the Honour System. Maybe I’ve been living in a big city for far too long I’ve grown skeptical of things like this. But to know that it can actually work really is encouraging and heartwarming. Happy New Year to you and Dave! I wish you good health and much happiness in 2022 (and hopefully this year will be gentler for all of us).
Bama so many of our readers were touched by the story of trust on the highway. It is remarkable to know that such an honour system is possible, especially to those of us who live in big cities.
We wish you much joy and hopefully more travel in 2022. Your wish for a ‘gentler’ year is such a perfect one. Less intensity would be most welcome.
Happy New Year. It wouldn’t be possible to choose one favourite from your posts as the scenery and stories are all so enjoyable. Best wishes for more travel in 2022.
So kind of you to say. Wishing you much happiness and good health in 2022!
Sue, I don’t know for sure, but you probably have the most humorous posts! With nice images too! Happy New 2022 and may we all be free to travel.
Thank you ever so much Hien. I appreciate your kind words a great deal. I join you in the wish for freedom to travel safely. It is something I vow I will never take forgranted again.
I am soooo hoping to get to your neck of the woods this fall; your posts have always been a huge motivator for me to take that trip. Happy New Year to you!
Oh yay! Well we will cross our fingers and toes that by fall travel to Canada will be easily and safely done. Please be in touch as your plans come together.
Happy New Year Sweet Sue and Dave!
You live in a beautiful part of the world!
Thank you Nance. We are so grateful to live near these Canadian Rockies. Happy New Year to you as well and good health and much happiness are my wishes for you.
Happy New Year, Sue and Dave. Moraine Lake is my pick out of these amazing places. 😍
Sylvia I think you would love it. The turquoise waters are mesmerizing. Wishing you a very good 2022. Big hugs.
These are all great posts. You’ve had me craving Turkish Coffee for quite some time.
Wishing you a happy and healthy year ahead!
Thank you Donna. If you lived
Close by we could make a cup together. All the best in 2022!
Hi Sue and Dave, you’ve done really well considering the lack of travel over the past two years! Hoping 2022 is a better year and you know I can’t wait to visit you in Canada one day!
Debbie we have certainly written less this year but continue to be amazed at what we are uncovering close to home. I join you in the hope that this year will be a better one and look forward to your Canada visit one day.
All great posts! Wishing you and your family a wonderful 2022 full of peace and kindness.
Thank you Darlene and sending our very best wishes to you.
What a fabulous collection.
Happy New Year Sue and Dave. May 2022 be al you could wish for.
💕🥂🥳
Thank you Alison. Sending our best wishes for 2022 to you and Don.
Great pics for 2021….all of them!! Happy New Year!!!! May 2022 bring more travel into your lives!! Hope you holidays were great!! My best to you and your family!
Thank you Kirt! Sending our best wishes your way for 2022.
A wonderful top ten, which proves that there are still many sights and subjects to pick from when remaining (mostly) in Canada! I must have missed the blue-footed boobie one. Checking that one out soon, to make sure! 🙂
Happy New Year, Sue and Dave! May 2022 bring you at least as many adventures as 2021 – close by and internationally this time.
Thank you Liesbet. The Blue Footed Booby was a bit of fun. If we can’t leave Canada we can recall times we did. All the best in 2022.
Wishing you a most lovely New Year! Thanks for trailing along on all my adventures last year.
Thank you and very best wishes for 2022.
I really enjoyed your Top Ten this year, Sue, and with this odd time of travel shutdowns, it was an impressive list. It is times like these that showcase the beauties of our home territory, and you did such a wonderful job highlighting the endless beauties of Banff and the Canadian Rockies. I hope you and Dave and your family and friends enjoy love and good health and beautiful places in 2022.
How lucky you are to live in such a beautiful place.
We are very fortunate indeed.
I am so excited to check out each of these readers’ favs. I have bookmarked this page and plan to pour over the entries with a nice cup of tea.
I think I have already been to a couple and will know once I explore more. 🙂
Peace
Oh dear. Do you think I’m a bit late in responding to your post here? (eye roll) Good news – I’m on vacation and I’m catching up with some of my favorite blogs. I could NEVER tell you my top 10 of your posts because I enjoy them all! Okay, now I’ll catch up on your most recent. By the way, did you all ever make it to Kauai? We had to miss out last year – quarantine wasn’t going to stop us, but every flight being canceled did. But we are there now and melting from NE’s snow and ice winter. Hugs, Pam
So glad you are there Pam! No we never made it unfortunately. This winter a brand new grandson so we will see when we can get there with the whole family. Please enjoy the warm sunshine on my behalf. 🙂