Mount Rundle looks like it’s been hit with a frying pan. Pam LeBlanc photo

​Mount Rundle in Banff National Park looks like a giant slab of clay that got whacked with a frying pan, and every time I see it I get shivers.

Thanks to the traveling version of the Banff Film Festival, which comes to the Paramount Theatre in Austin every spring (get your tickets now!), I get to see video of it on a regular basis. But there’s nothing like seeing it in person.

I just wrapped up my fourth trip to Banff, Alberta, which is located inside Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. Ten of my favorite things about this year’s trip?

You have to hike or ski to get to Skoki Lodge. Chris LeBlanc photo

1. The highlight, by far? Trekking 7 miles over two mountain passes and across a frozen lake into Banff National Park to stay two nights at historic Skoki Lodge, built in 1931. You can’t take a vehicle there – in the winter you have to either snow shoe or ski in. (During warmer weather you can hike in.) The lodge has no electricity or running water, but it has a wood-burning stove, outhouses (about 40 yards from the main house) and a chef who cooks gourmet meals. It’s the coziest place I’ve ever visited, even when temperatures dipped to minus 15 F.

2. I’m recovering from ACL surgery so I couldn’t downhill ski this trip, but I’ve skied at all three of the Banff area resorts – Lake Louise, with incredible views of surrounding peaks; Sunshine Village, where you ride a gondola 20 minutes just to get to the base (it’s like a secret world!); and Norquay, an old-school resort with fantastic views of downtown Banff.

Megan Harden, a guide with White Mountain Adventures, enjoys a cup of tea during a snow shoeing tour. Pam LeBlanc photo

3. Snow shoeing across the Continental Divide from Sunshine Village Ski Resort to Sunshine Meadows in British Columbia with White Mountain Adventures. If you’re lucky (I was) you’ll be able to see Mount Assiniboine.

4. Learning about how indigenous people use native plants during a medicine walk with a guide from Mahikan Trails Indigenous Experiences in Banff National Park.

Catch this view while riding the gondola up Sulphur Mountain for the Nightfall ezperience. Pam LeBlanc photo

5. Riding a gondola up Sulphur Mountain as the sun sets to experience Nightrise, the after-dark immersive light show developed in partnership with the Stoney Nakoda Nation. The show borders on cheesy (think dramatic music and swirling lights), but I appreciated the nod to those who came before us. And the views of glittering Banff down below are gorgeous.

6. Renting a retro swimsuit and go for a soak at the Upper Hot Springs in Banff. Don’t schedule much time for this, as it can be crowded with tourists, but it’s a nice place for a quick soak.

Mt. Norquay has the longest tube slide in Alberta. Pam LeBlanc photo

7. Riding an inflatable tube down Alberta’s longest tube lanes at Norquay Tube Park at Mt. Norquay. It’s a surprisingly speedy trip!

8. Eating! Order sushi at Hello Sunshine, a bar and restaurant in downtown Banff with its own private karaoke rooms. Contemplate the huge photograph of a park ranger staring down a bear while you sip cocktails and spoon up a bowl of soup and cornbread at Park Distillery. For a less expensive option, eat like the locals at Ramen Arashi Banff, located in a no-frills space upstairs in Sundance Mall. Wrapthings up with a cinnamon-covered, paddle-shaped pastry from BeaverTails.

9. Notice the overpasses and underpasses along the highway through Banff National Park. They’re specially designed wildlife corridors. Parks Canada officials say the six overpasses and 38 underpasses built since the 1980s have reduced wildlife collisions by 80 percent.

10. Stop by the Banff sign. Everyone gets their photo taken at the Banff sign. If you’re into documenting stuff, swing by 101 Mt. Norquay Road, on the edge of town of Banff. Park in the parking lot of the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre across the road and walk over.

Visitors to Banff Upper Hot Springs can rent a retro-style swimsuit. Chris LeBlanc photo

Ever wonder what it was like to swim in an old-timey swimsuit?

Me too, which is why I took the plunge and rented one for a couple of bucks when I visited the Banff Upper Hot Springs last week. Even better, my husband did, too.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Slipping into a swimsuit that someone else has worn sounds about as sanitary as borrowing a stranger’s underwear. We did it anyway – the suits are laundered after each use.

The hot springs are tucked on a hillside at the edge of Banff, in Alberta, Canada. You can see the steam rising from them from afar on cold winter days. When I disovered the bath house, a designated a federal heritage building, rented suits patterned after those worn in the 1930s, I couldn’t resist. (Learn more about the history of women’s swimwear here.)

We paid the attendant, then ducked into our respective changing rooms. When I emerged in the outdoor pool a few minutes later, I found Chris standing there, a little sheepishly, in a full-body, navy blue suit that buttoned over one shoulder. I sported an identical suit in a smaller size. (They’re unisex. Don’t think too hard, but Chris said his was less than comfortable.)

Not surprisingly, we were the only two of the 50 or so people soaking like dumplings in the hot water that day who were wearing the vintage suits.

We got looks.

Pam LeBlanc somehow talked her husband Chris into renting retro-style swimsuits at Banff Upper Hot Springs. Pam LeBlanc photo

More about the hot springs

Water temperatures hover between 98 and 104F in the pool, which is fed by naturally hot spring water rich in sulfate, calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium, and sodium. (During winter, when flow rates drop, it’s mixed with heated municipal water.)

Banff Upper Hot Springs are the only hot springs in Banff National Park that are open for swimming. The public isn’t allowed to get in other thermal springs, to protect the habitat of the endangered Banff Springs Snail.

We stuck around for about 20 minutes, taking in spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and providing a little entertainment for the other folks soaking.

My ruling? Fun. Not as fun as skinny dipping (what is?), but you can’t do this in public – if you can handle the bemused stares.

The hot springs are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Entry is

$17.50 Canadian (about $13 US) for adults, $15.25 Canadian (about $13.30 US) for ages 3 to 17 and seniors 65 and up, and free for ages 3 and under. The swimsuit rental adds another $2.25 Canadian (about $1.75 US).

The main Barton Springs parking lot will close Feb. 15 for at least a year. Pam LeBlanc photo

Heads up, swimmers.

Crews are preparing to start work on the Barton Springs Bathhouse rehabilitation project, and that means parking is about to get tricky.

The parking lot on the north side of the pool will shut Feb. 15 and remain closed during construction, estimated to take at least a year. William Barton Drive, the road that runs in front of the pool entrance, will be closed except for emergency vehicles, construction deliveries and vehicles that need accessible parking.

The project, which includes access improvements, plumbing upgrades, structural repairs and restoration of the entry rotunda and changing rooms, is expected to finish in spring 2025.

A free Barton Springs shuttle runs weekends during the summer from One Texas Center to the park. Photo courtesy city of Austin

You’ve got options. During summer months, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department operates a free shuttle every 20 minutes on weekends only from One Texas Center parking garage at 505 Barton Springs Road, to the park. You can also park on the north side of the river near Austin High School and walk across the pedestrian bridge beneath Mopac to get to the park.

Or do like I do and pedal your bike.

Also of note? The pool will close Feb. 24 through March 8 for routine maintenance.

Pam LeBlanc, who says parks are one of the best things in her life, sits under the spillway at Blanco State Park. Photo by Chris LeBlanc

Lately, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night a lot, with wild thoughts running through my mind.

I’m trying to tame the money brain – or at least avoid thinking about world problems or things I can’t control. Last night I focused on thinking about the best things in life.

I’m not referring to friends or family, which are a given and make everything better, or the fact that I was born in a place where I don’t have to struggle to survive. I’m talking about things beyond that that make me feel good both physically and mentally.

My list is long. I’ve had amazing opportunities to travel and meet interesting people. But honestly, it almost always comes down to the simplest things that make me happiest. And I get to do the things on my list often.

Here’s my list, in no particular order:

1. Reading books.
2. Coming home after a long trip.
3. Sipping a glass of wine outdoors, as the sun sets. Or tea with cream, as the sun rises.
4. Watching wildlife do its thing in a natural setting.
5. Hiking someplace that takes more than a day to reach.
6. Sleeping in a tent someplace remote.
7. Playing games (especially dominoes at the moment) with friends.
8. Finishing a hard swim practice or long run.
9. Dinner parties.
10. Parks.
11. Skinny dipping.

Jimmy Harvey, Marcy Stellfox and Chris LeBlanc enjoy malts at the soda fountain inside Harrel’s Kingsville Pharmacy. Pam LeBlanc photo

I love an old-fashioned soda fountain, and I found a classic, where I could perch on a bar stool and sip a strawberry milkshake, in downtown Kingsville, Texas.

It didn’t hurt that the milkshake I got at Harrel’s Kingsville Pharmacy cost less than $4, either.

My friends and I wandered into the pharmacy after a visit to the King Ranch Saddle Shop last weekend. As we were piling back into our truck, I noticed a sign for the soda fountain in the window of the pharmacy across the street.

The four of us grabbed seats at the bar in Harrel’s Soda Fountain, located at the back of the pharmacy. When we flipped open the menu, we found prices straight out of the 1980s – $3.75 for a milkshake, a little more for a malt, about $5 for a plate of enchiladas, even less for a hamburger. We watched, amazed, as a server whipped up an enormous banana split that cost just $5.

Read more: Ten things to know if you’re planning a trip to the Maldives Islands

And this after the soda fountain raised prices last year. In January 2023, the shop made the local TV news when it bumped the cost a hamburger from $2.75 to $3.75.

This banana split will set you back just $5 at the soda fountain inside Harrel’s Kingsville Pharmacy. Pam LeBlanc photo

We ordered shakes and malts, and twirled on our seats as we took in the old-school ambiance of the place. Nearly every table was full; the metal malt-mixing machine hardly stopped buzzing.

The history of the Kingsville soda fountain

Nick Harrel Sr. opened the business in 1916 and added a soda fountain – which offered curb service – in the 1920s. Originally it seated just 25 people. Today there’s room for 75. The place wasn’t air conditioned until the 1940s.

Harrel’s grandson, pharmacist Nick Harrel III, recognizable for his handlebar mustache and colorful socks (they’re featured on the pharmacy’s page on Facebook regularly), runs the operation today.

Regulars come to Harrel’s, at 204 E. Kleberg Ave., for the cheap prices and local camaraderie. I loved that. But even more, I loved the blast of nostalgia I got with every slurp of my shake.