The cold weather might be one of the reasons that Banff is not crowded today. On the contrary, it caused Good Earth Café to be quite busy.

Sitting beside the busiest street in downtown, the café attracts stiff shoulders and craving stomachs to enter its cozy and golden lit premise.

As the sun started to slowly sink behind the enormous Rockies, the sky’s color shifted to a darker shade of blue. Soon, the street is illuminated by streetlamps and headlights while people seem to be on their way home.

This scene outside the window is layered over by the smoke coming out of a cup of creamy coffee. The noise is muffled by the soothing music in the background.

As you enter the premise, you would see a busy, yet hospitable crew. They would ask for your order and speak in a way as if they know you.

Written in the chalkboards are greetings from the recent Canada day, as well as an assortment of coffee and other drinks that they offer. Hearing these words inside your head, blended by the aroma that has taken over the room, one can only be tempted to order.

Other than the music, people’s chatter can also be heard. Some of them are catching up in each other’s lives, just letting the time pass by or simply craving for a cup of coffee.

Their gestures tell that some of them are strangers to each other, but the smile that they give while talking is just one of the Canadian things that you could see.

On the other hand, some are alone, doing their own business. Whatever is the purpose that they are doing or working on, their faces show that they are relaxed and in the right place.
            Amidst all these going on, there is an adorable couple with their map and tablet and laptop on the table. They seem to be planning their trip to some place.

It turns out that this couple, Ted and Jackie, has more than just plans, but a story to tell brimming with love and inspiration.

They lived as a couple in Denver, Colorado and just got married last June. Before their wedding, they quit their professional jobs and afterwards, spent time with their friends and families before going on a venture that only a few people would do nowadays – to leave everything behind and go on a very long journey and enjoy life.

“We had this thought – we could wait around talking about this trip forever or let’s do it, and we decided to do it.” said Jackie.

They first headed to Calgary, then to Banff. They both find this part of the Rockies to have more character and be more dramatic.

Jackie enjoyed riding the bike from campground to downtown with the beautiful scenery as the backdrop.

Ted had fun in their three hikes in the Rockies which for him was a different experience. “In Colorado, we have to work really hard for a 20-mile hike, but here, you just open the door.” he said.

Their decision to go on this long trip was brought by experiences that made them realize what they could miss in life. Jackie shared that Ted saved the life of a co-worker after having a heart attack.

Then she told another story when Ted went into a backpack trip in Utah with his friends where a boulder fell on the arm of one of them. Ted brought him two hours into the hospital.

Again, Ted saved another person’s life. “You never know what’s going to happen.” he said, and it gave them more reason to go on with their plan.

Ted and Jackie still miss home, especially because they are only more than a week into the trip. Beside their allotted budget, they are also planning to be pet sitters under an online program for people who are going out of town and in return, they get to stay at the house for free.

Jackie said, “However this trip turns out, it’s a cool thing to test your comfort zone. If we can do this, we know how it feels to make big decisions and it’s better for life” while Ted added, “and marriage.”

One day, they will go back to Colorado with new stories to tell. But for now, lucky are those people who get to meet them along the way.