Cape Cod gal tours the West and falls in love with CochraneCOFFEE WITH WARREN, with Warren Harbeck |
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Eva Hoffman recently paid her first visit to Cochrane and the Canadian West. Travelling from Vancouver Island to the Alberta foothills (top to bottom, left to right) by ferry, rail and car, the Cape Cod gal took in gardens, mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and hoodoos. But of all the places she visited, she agrees with her new furry friend that Cochrane’s the best. Photos by Eva Hoffman Fifty-five years ago last Friday Eva Hoffman was bridesmaid at Mary Anna’s and my wedding in a small country church in western New York State. For 53 of those years she’s put up with our boasting about the beauty and friendliness of our new home here in Western Canada – and in particular, here in the Bow Valley between Cochrane and Morley. Well, the Cape Cod, Mass., gal finally did something about it. She began summer by taking her first trip to the Canadian Rockies, making Cochrane the hub of her journey. Flying from Boston to the West Coast, Eva took in the sights around Victoria and Vancouver before boarding the Rocky Mountaineer for Alberta and that long-overdue visit with us in Cochrane. Here, Mary Anna and Eva were joined by Mary Anna’s sister, Rhoda, for a three-day girls-only drive through Banff, the Icefields, Jasper, Edmonton, the Drumheller Badlands, and then back to Cochrane. And yes, Eva took lots of photos along the way. She’s even given me the privilege of sharing some of them with you this week. But one place stands out above the rest for Eva. Once back in Cochrane, she took Mary Anna and me to Portofino Ristorante for a great anniversary dinner, and the next day she toured several of our shops, including Tony’s Western Wear. Everyone she met left her convinced of what she said to me on the way to the airport before heading back to Cape Cod: “This whole trip’s been really great,” she said, “but Cochrane has absolutely been the best part.”
© 2018 Warren Harbeck |