The one sunny day sure shows why so
many people come to Banff. What a fantastic view of the mountains
looking down Banff Avenue.
The wildlife was everywhere and any
time we ventured out we saw wild animals. Top corners are (left) an
elk bull and (right) a mule deer buck with their antlers still in
velvet. Middle is a Clark Nuthatch. Bottom is a coyote and couple
of ground squirrels and part of a herd of elk cows and their young.
One rainy morning the elk tried to bed down right across from our
rig, but a coyote would give them no peace and ran them off. Seeing
animals in the wild is always a neat experience.
This is typical of what the weather
looked like, but it also is typical of how spectacular the scenery is
when you can see the mountains in Banff. These four shots were taken
standing in one spot in the campground and looking in four different
directions. I really do hate to say it, but the snow really did add
to the beauty of the mountains. I just wish there had been blue sky behind them.
This is the famous Banff Hot Springs
Hotel which overlooks the Bow River Falls that where at more than
twice their normal flow. The hotel is one of several that were built
by the Canadian Pacific Railroad to entice people to travel. One of
the rainy days we went and checked out the hotel and shops so we
could see how the 1% lives.
Maybe it is a good thing the weather
was so bad on the drive in, as it was really hard to keep your mind
on the road with beautiful mountain scenes everywhere you looked for
well over 200 miles. A unique feature of this section of the Trans
Canadian Highway is these overpasses that are built so wildlife can
safely cross the road. They are used by several species of large
mammals, including deer, elk and bears.
We took advantage of that one nice day
and drove to Lake Louise, one of the most famous and beautiful
glacial lakes in the park. The color of the water and the soaring
mountains topped with glaciers makes for a wonderful view. There
were also a few natives - Canadian Geese.
We hiked along the lake and enjoyed the
beautiful scene. Blue sky sure improved the view and the attitude.
The color of the water is like nothing
we have seen before. It is caused by the silt from the melting
glaciers, which they call glacial flour because it is ground so fine.
Lake Louise, with the famous hotel and
ski slopes in the background. You can see the brown silty water
coming into the lake and the beautiful blue-green water as the mud
settles.
Here I am standing on a huge chunk of
ice that had recently fallen from the ice falls on the right. We crossed several avalanche runs on our hike beyond the lake.
Somewhat dangerous, but rewarding.
What fabulous mountains. The rounded
bottoms of the valleys are from the glaciers and the piles of rocks
are the moraines they leave behind. The mountain is still capped
with a glacier.
We did not opt for the canoe trip, but
it sure looked like it would be fun to get out on the water – on a
warmer day.
We will take a table for two with a
view. We did not, but the view lived up to all our expectations.
Moraine Lake is near Lake Louise, but
higher so it still had a lot of ice on it. The area is know as the
Valley of Ten Peaks and was once pictured on the 20 dollar bill.
Just one more wonderful view. Did I
mention how sunny skies make all the difference in the world?
This is what we awoke to on our last
day in Banff. Not what we had in mind when we started this follow
the sun lifestyle. Bad roads, snow, wild animals and beautiful
mountains, all things we have experienced this “summer” without
going to Alaska.
5 comments:
Great scenery but Brrrrrr. Warmer here in Buxton.
Fabulous pictures! Even the ones with the white "Oobleck"!
Nice post, knew you would enjoy the place.
Wonderful shots that brought back memories from our trip to the Canadian Rockies. I have many of the same shots, including "table for two". If you are headed to Calgary you should be getting close to Stampede time
Wow, spectacular scenery. I'm adding it to our "must do" list.
Post a Comment