August 22, 2017 - Lake Louise

We finally ended up in Lake Louise where Grammie's parents went about 40 years ago.  I guess you could say it has been on the bucket list for years.
Lake Louise is located about 40 minutes above the city of Banff and the area is engulfed by the Canadian Rockies.  There is beauty in the mountains everywhere. We actually got to Lake Louise the day before, but hit the lake before sunup today for more pictures.

 There are canoes available to rent by the half, or full hour.  They are Old Town canoes.  If you bought one and rented it out, you could easily have it paid off in one day.  There are probably a dozen canoes out on the lake at any time.  This morning there were at least 6 out on the pond by sunup.  There is usually a line to rent one.

A look up the Lake from the front of the Fairmont Chateau.  The glacier Victoria can be seen in the background.

 Sunrise in the mountains just before 7.

 Victoria glacier

 The front of the Fairmont Chateau is well adorned with flowers.

  The outlet of the lake even has it's own beauty.

 The GOPRO man.

 The lake has a green coloration.  The glaciers have ground the rock into what is known as rock flour.  This powder is washed into the lake.  The light is absorbed into the lake except the turquoise and blue colors, which are reflected back to our eyes.

 It is unbelievable how many people show up at the lake to take pictures.  Tom had a great time helping couples with a picture instead of them taking their partners picture and then switching places.

One woman was happy with the pic that Tom took and was a little fussy taking our picture.

The Fairmont Chateau

The Deer Lodge where we stayed  is just up the street from Lake Louise.

This town is small but it is quite busy during the season.  There are traffic people at the intersections and parking lots to keep traffic moving.  The parking lots are usually full by 10 am so getting up early like we did is the best move.

We left Lake Louise and headed for Golden where we stayed the night.  While on the way, we made 3 stops to see some more beautiful places.

The first of the places was Emerald Lake.  As with other glacier fed lakes, the water is very pretty.

 There are cabins along the lake to rent and is as beautiful as Lake Louise.

 A walk around lake would get you closer to the wildflowers.  With temperatures in the high 80's, an ice cream bar was what was needed more.

 Lake Moraine is another pretty area.  It is about 8 miles off the main road and the parking lot was like the others.  A couple of drives around and you might fine a space.

The Takakkaw Falls was another great view and the short hike in got you close enough to catch some of the mist from the falls.

 In one spot near the top, the water hit some rock and was pushed back up.

 Takakkaw Falls

 This spot was called the Natural Bridge.  One could walk over the water without having to jump over.  The path was from the upper right, down to front center, then back up towards the water...

...and then looking from the other side, towards the tree.  Eventually, the water will erode the rock away.

Thanks for keeping an eye out for Grammie, she enjoyed the day.

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.

August 19, 2017 - Banff

We arrived in Banff around 1 pm and the place was very busy.  The parking lots were full, the crosswalks were lined with people waiting for the light to change and the average time for 100 yards in a car was about 5 minutes.
The visitor's center was as you would expect.  We left with a  map with lines and arrows drawn all over it.

We first drove up to Mount Norquay overlook, which is near a ski area

 The town of Banff has about 8000 residents...or homeowners who are self made innkeepers or BNB people.  It is a lot more prosperous that way, especially right now during the busy season.

 We visited the Cave and Basin National Historic Site which became the beginnings of Canada's National Park system.  This year, 2017, entrance to the parks is free as they are celebrating the 150th year.

 The Cave

 ...and the Basin

 The Cave and Basin produce water with a high content of Sulphur which makes it quite smelly.  The water comes out of the ground warmer and is labeled a thermal spring.  Because of that, the water in this picture does not freeze in the Winter.

 The front of the Cave and Basin site.

 Banff is nicely secured between the mountains...

 on both sides.

  Towards dusk, the view of the mountains from our room.

Tomorrow, we become tourists.  If you were wondering whether we are fluent in French...the tourist dollar rules.