Thursday, November 18, 2004
Three Days in Banff
Well, we're back.
We've had a great few days off from normal life, between Banff and Tofino and we got to see the sea again after a long time without it("I see the sea and the sea sees me!"). We got back late on Monday night, we've now been back at work for a whole 2 days and (worst of all) I'm on call tonight - when is the weekend coming?
Banff was nice, 3 days in the Rockies for free. The Jeep held up well, no break-downs on the road, and we got there in one piece. The conference centre was lovely, like a mid-price hotel, lots of big logs and exposed wood and loads of great walks in the forests on the slopes of Tunnel Mountain. The conference dining room was very grand, and provided all together too much food - you could eat all day long if you liked!
The Banff Centre
The Professional Development Centre (where we stayed)
All-Day Free Food Hall
Conference Hall
The conference itself was OK, but it was a bit too molecular for our interests - everyone was talking about this gene or that protein, which is a bit too 'labby' for us. My poster generated next to no interest, but this was pretty much what I expected, as it was to do with patients, not cells in a dish, and I only put it in so I could have an excuse to go with P! I skipped one of the totally-gened-up sessions to go for an afternoon walk in the woods. Tunnel Mountain drive is now closed for the winter, so the woods are really empty and quiet... I wondered what I would do if I happened across a bear which had come down to the road looking for food now that all the cars were gone...
It was also _very_ dark at night - we walked out of the centre a bit and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The only light was from the Christmas trees which were everywhere:
P's talk was on the last morning (Wednesday) and was well-attended. She gave a great presentation and created a lot of discussion. Several people came up to congratulate her at the end of the session, including one who said that the talk was an 'unexpected pleasure'! What a star!
So, anyway, not a total waste of time as we got to meet some of the research movers-and-shakers in the Cancer Board and get a grip on what sort of research is going on here. Just a pity there weren't more actual doctors there - less than 6 of us in an audience of over 200.
We headed back home on the Trans-Canada via Canmore. We've been past Canmore a lot of times to date, but this was the first time we stopped in. We had lunch in Murietta's West Coast Grill, highly recommended. Canmore itself is lovely, a small town set with the Rockies all around, towered over by the Three Sisters Mountains. We'll be spending some more time in Canmore from now on, that's for sure.
And next... off to Tofino...
We've had a great few days off from normal life, between Banff and Tofino and we got to see the sea again after a long time without it("I see the sea and the sea sees me!"). We got back late on Monday night, we've now been back at work for a whole 2 days and (worst of all) I'm on call tonight - when is the weekend coming?
Banff was nice, 3 days in the Rockies for free. The Jeep held up well, no break-downs on the road, and we got there in one piece. The conference centre was lovely, like a mid-price hotel, lots of big logs and exposed wood and loads of great walks in the forests on the slopes of Tunnel Mountain. The conference dining room was very grand, and provided all together too much food - you could eat all day long if you liked!
The Banff Centre
The Professional Development Centre (where we stayed)
All-Day Free Food Hall
Conference Hall
The conference itself was OK, but it was a bit too molecular for our interests - everyone was talking about this gene or that protein, which is a bit too 'labby' for us. My poster generated next to no interest, but this was pretty much what I expected, as it was to do with patients, not cells in a dish, and I only put it in so I could have an excuse to go with P! I skipped one of the totally-gened-up sessions to go for an afternoon walk in the woods. Tunnel Mountain drive is now closed for the winter, so the woods are really empty and quiet... I wondered what I would do if I happened across a bear which had come down to the road looking for food now that all the cars were gone...
It was also _very_ dark at night - we walked out of the centre a bit and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The only light was from the Christmas trees which were everywhere:
P's talk was on the last morning (Wednesday) and was well-attended. She gave a great presentation and created a lot of discussion. Several people came up to congratulate her at the end of the session, including one who said that the talk was an 'unexpected pleasure'! What a star!
So, anyway, not a total waste of time as we got to meet some of the research movers-and-shakers in the Cancer Board and get a grip on what sort of research is going on here. Just a pity there weren't more actual doctors there - less than 6 of us in an audience of over 200.
We headed back home on the Trans-Canada via Canmore. We've been past Canmore a lot of times to date, but this was the first time we stopped in. We had lunch in Murietta's West Coast Grill, highly recommended. Canmore itself is lovely, a small town set with the Rockies all around, towered over by the Three Sisters Mountains. We'll be spending some more time in Canmore from now on, that's for sure.
And next... off to Tofino...
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