August 20, 2017 - Banff day 2

Hi everyone,  our 2nd day in the Banff area was great.  We actually spent most of the day outside of town getting some exercise and just being tourists.

We started the day by driving a little outside of town to Lake Minnewanka.  It is a lake about 7 miles long that is used for picnicking and boating for the locals.

The mountains in the background were a little cloudy but still beautiful.

 For those more adventuresome people, rentals were available, complete with instructions on how to put on a life jacket.

 There was also a tour of the lake for the picture takers.

 We rode around part of the lake and found a higher viewing spot.

Next we headed for Johnson Canyon where we got in some climbing exercise.  There is one trail that is a bit over a half mile long to the waterfalls and another mile extension to the upper falls.

Before we got there there was a warning sign.

There are 2 kinds of spray that can be used to deter bear attacks.  The first is basically a pepper spray can that is sold as Counter Attack.  For the price, it had better work.

The 2nd type is to apply a popular scent.  With that type, the bear will be able to smell you from a distance.  If you see the bear, it will help you to decide what to do,  If they come towards you, they might just be hungry so run faster than a person near you.  If they are not hungry, then they will probably turn and run away.

The trail all the way to the Upper Falls is paved and generally wide enough for 2 people.  There are some places where there is no place to walk, so walkways have been attached to the rock structures.

Grammie making good time on the lower falls part.

The lower falls were very crowded so we just zoomed in for a picture.

The walkways are attached to the sidewalls with a metal bar that has been bolted into the rock and supported using cement.

The upper falls has 2 viewing areas, the first from below.

This is our first selfie since starting this trip.

The top of the trail.

The Upper Falls from above.

We both made it to the top.

It took a good 40 minutes to walk back down.

On the half mile walk back to the van, we were checking plates to see where people traveled from.

 This neat sign about the Bow Valley Parkway was a good time for a photo op.

We got back to Banff and stopped at the Canada National Park Headquarters. 

On the back side of the building, there is a flower garden that is well maintained.

 

 Tom walked up to a woman taking pictures and asked if he could borrow her camera so he could take a picture of both of them...and of course got ours taken in exchange.

 

We both had a great day  Thanks for checking up on Grammie.

By the way, we met 2 couples from Connecticut who were also on the Bow Valley Parkway who were looking forward to traveling upon retirement.  Welcome to our blog.