Hoodoos
Banff Springs Hotel From Sulphur Mountain
It’s been just over 3 weeks since we got back from our trip, and this is the first weekend I’ve had some free time to finish up going through all the photos. I had one week left of holidays near the end of August, and we decided that we wanted to try something different in terms of a vacation. ( Normally, for me, a vacation must include 3 things – hot sun, palm trees, and relaxing. ) We discussed the fact that we live in a beautiful Country, and that maybe it was time to explore more of it, rather than hopping on a plane, and going elsewhere, like we usually do.
So, we took a chance, picked somewhere neither of us at had ever been before – Banff, Alberta – booked a hotel there for a week, and headed out on the road. This was all very out-of-character for me, as I like to pre-plan things well in advance, and prefer to go places I already know I like. I guess this living up here on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast really has mellowed me out a bit …
Gondola at Sulphur Mountain
I have seen the Rocky Mountains from the air many times, ( which is very cool ) but seeing them from the ground is simply astounding. They are utterly magnificent to behold – their sheer size is mind-blowing. It always amazes me on road trips how the terrain changes from place to place – it is one of the things I enjoy the most. I literally take hundreds of pictures while on the highway, to document this transformation of the land.
Rocky Mountains
The night we arrived in Banff, we were tired, so basically just checked into our Hotel, went for Dinner, then headed to bed early. The next morning, we headed up Sulphur Mountain via the Gondola, which afforded us incredible views of the town of Banff, the famous Banff Springs Hotel, and surrounding Lakes and Rivers. We spent several hours climbing as high as we could go, taking many photos at the various stops along the way. I have seen some beautiful things in my life, but the natural beauty visible from atop the mountain truly took my breath away. We felt as though we were on top of the world.
View From Sulphur Mountain
The next day, we started at the Bow River Bridge, hiked along the Bow River, down to the Falls, then up a steep climb to the Banff Springs Hotel. Later in the day, we drove to Two Jack Lake and Lake Minnewanka ( both a beautiful shade of blue/green ) then on the way back, stopped for a hike to see the Hoodoos. We saw our first Caribou there, and on our way back to the hotel, saw a deer close up.
- Falls at Bow River
The following morning, we took a bus tour with Brewster Tours, as we wanted to see a few places, and not waste time trying to find them. It was a half day tour, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. One of the stops was a hike in to Johnston Canyon, where we saw a gorgeous waterfall. Our next stop is one I will never forget – by far, the highlight of our trip – Moraine Lake. Many of us have seen pictures of this lake, and most think that photoshop was involved, because of the surreal look of it – more precisely, the colour of the water, but I can assure you, it is real. Our tour guide giggled when I finally reached the top of the viewing platform, and all I could say was ” WOW !!! “. I had never seen water that colour before, anywhere, in any country, ever. My husband and I agreed that if we ever go back there, we will take more time, and make sure we rent a kayak, and spend a day on that lake. After that, we headed to Lake Louise, walked through the Chateau Lake Louise Hotel, and took some pictures of the lake itself, as well. That was the first bus tour we’d ever taken, and it was well worth it – we saw everything we’d wanted to, and our guide was wonderful – he kept us all laughing the whole time – just a great guy. Interestingly, his Mom used to live up here on the Sunshine Coast of B.C., and he has a cousin that runs a business here.
Waterfall at Johnston Canyon
After several days of hiking, we decided to have a bit of a quieter day after that. We spent the next day at one of the Museums in Banff, followed by a stroll through Cascade Gardens, which reminded us a little of our favourite place to relax in Vancouver – VanDusen Gardens.
We were very lucky during our week in Banff – the weather was hot and sunny the whole time, the hotel was nice, all our meals delicious, and we saw and did everything we had wanted to, and more. It was a very different kind of vacation for us, since we spent most of it hiking and taking pictures, but we are so glad we went. We would definitely go again.
Banff Alberta Canada on the main street
Gorgeous Waters Of Moraine Lake
