Unfortunately, this last day in the Rockies was a whole lot of driving. We had almost 500 miles to cover to get from Valemount to Victoria. 

Hardly able to enjoy the wonderful town of Banff, I was up at the crack of dawn!

It's tough to chose my favourite day from the trip but it might be this one...

This entire trip wouldn't be possible if not for the International Students Association at UVic and the fantastic Club ESL! This trip was one of the best weekends I've ever had and I'm truly mourning the fact that it's ended. 

After waking at 6am, foraging for breakfast, and trawling my comically large suitcase on to the bus, I joined our sleep deprived group at UVic. We were picked up by a coach at 7:30, where we met our tour guide, an enthusiastic Dutchman named Roel, and Bud, our long-suffering, stetson-wearing driver. It sounds like the start of a joke - a Canadian cowboy and a Dutchman are driving a bus...

We left Victoria and drove up-island to Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Obviously not the most picturesque photo to be starting things off with but this was our view from the ferry as we left Victoria. Mist is common along the coast during October as hot air meets the cold air on the ocean.