Calgary, Banff, San Francisco

My visit at the Haskayne School of Business went really well. The people were friendly and welcoming, and seemed to like my presentation. It was a good feeling to have all the official business over on Wednesday afternoon.
Mark and I headed up to Banff to admire the Canadian Rockies up close. We took the 1A, which is not a freeway so that we could stop from time to time to take photos. We admired Lake Minnewanka, while keeping an eye out for bears. The booklet they gave us when we paid to enter the park had instructions on what to do in case of bear attack. The rule is pretty much, don't run!
Banff itself is rather like Queenstown, minus the lake, with lots of tourist shops. The highlights for me were the Banff Springs Hotel, where we had a guided tour by a man who started work there in the early 60's and liked to talk about the celebrities he had met. The building is wonderful, and the views, superb. It was a brilliant day for it as well. We also drove around the golf course, and looked for souvenirs - a jacket for William. Then back to have a dessert near the Motel, at Red River, and then packing.
Our flight left Calgary at 6.45am, so we got up at 3am. We didn't feel like breakfast at that point. My liquids bag got checked for explosives, and Mark and I had to wait in a little room while they checked something to do with his passport. They have this great system that you clear US customs and immigration before getting on the plane, which makes life easier when you arrive in San Francisco. The only problem was there was no real food when we got through so we ended eating Tim Horton's donuts for breakfast. I have no objection to TH donuts per se, but not as a breakfast food.
But let us leap forward to San Francisco. We splashed out for our last accommodation and went to the Marriott near the airport. It was lovely, with a superb bed and sheets, and we were very grateful that they allowed us to check in at 9am. After a second breakfast we set off into town via the hotel shuttle to the airport and then the BART to town. We explored the city and had fun riding on the cable car and in the streetcar. We found the original Swensens ice cream shop and discovered their chocolate malts. Mmmhmm. We mooched around Pier 39 and saw the seal colony. It was a pretty hot day, and lots of fun. Then on Saturday we got a reasonably early start, got into town the same way and hired bicycles on which we biked over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, then caught the 3.00pm ferry back. It was clear on either side of the harbour, but thick fog in the middle. They were excellent bikes, and we really enjoyed the experience. We also found the motel where Mark and his family stayed in December 1966. We're pretty sure it hasn't changed much.
We caught public transport and walked to the Coit tower, the building, back to Swensens and Ghiradelli Square. As we were walking down Hyde St we came across a young woman from Cincinatti who had fallen when running up the hill and wasn't able to get up. Mark called 911 and they arrived very quickly.
And that was about it really. We had a quiet day on Sunday and flew home to New Zealand. The flight seemed much shorter than the one over.It is great to be home, if a little mind-blowing. William had the house looking nice, and Jonathan had stayed home to meet us.
The narrative of our journey is pretty much over, but Mark will continue to add photos, and I may do a bit of commentary - so keep looking!