Rockin' in the Rockies- It's Not Oz, But Pure Awe!

We left Calgary, AB on our way to Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies. We were in the Rockies only about 1½ hours out of Calgary and were immediately impressed. We had been to the Grand Tetons and Glacier Nation Park in the U.S. on our motorcycle trip, but this was mind boggling. Since we had a few hours to kill before we checked into our motel, we decided to drive up to Lake Louise and check it out, before heading back to Banff for the night.

Goofing off with the bear

We arrived at Lake Louise, after seeing some awesome mountain displays along the way, and headed for Lake Louise Village so Jane could do her thing at the various shops.

Jane, phone home!

We first went to the visitor’s center (pronounced CENTRE!) and viewed the exhibits about the formation of the Canadian Rockies. We wanted to watch the movie about the park, but it was in French and we would have to wait too long to hear the English version. Never understood why a united country would choose to be bilingual. We left, the centre and moseyed through the village shops so Jane could drop off some more USD’s on stuff she thought was “cute.”

Lake Louise in the rain

By now it was lightly raining, but we went to Lake Louise because this is what you do when you’re up here. Even on an overcast, rainy day Lake Louise may have been the most beautiful sight we’ve ever seen.

At Lake Moraine

The sky, mountains, snow, trees, and lake water were indescribable. We took so many pictures here that our hands got tire handling the cameras. We liked this so much that we decided to go view Lake Moraine, a 20 minute drive away.

Happy to be here

Like Lake Louise, the view at Lake Moraine was absolutely stunning. The rain was a little more persistent so we took our pictures, grabbed some hot coffee (it was 46°) and had some sandwiches in the car. We drove back to Banff and found a lodge overlooking the Bow River for the night.

Lawn furniture still under snow

We felt we needed some exercise so we walked through the Banff business district (mostly through the shops Jane wanted to see) for a couple of hours.

Downtown Banff

We visited the Whyte museum which featured the paintings of an artistic couple that were prominent in the area and community history and focused on the area’s development.  We then found a pasta restaurant that looked good and had dinner, before retreating to our room for the night.

The next day we headed for Jasper, AB. The rain and cloudiness had stopped and the skies were beautiful.

At Bow River Falls

On the way to Jasper we passed Lake Louise again, and because the viewing conditions were so much better than the day before, we decided to stop and see it again.

Breathtaking scenery

It was even more breathtaking than the day before. We took our pictures then headed for Jasper through some of the most awe inspiring vistas we had ever seen. It is really had to describe the grandeur of these mountains.

Finally, we photograph a bear

We stopped at several places along the 200+ mile drive for photo opportunities, but every shot was worth it. The trouble is, when we arrived in Jasper and reviewed our photos, we were slightly disappointed. We left with a brand spanking new camera that we were still trying to learn the intricacies of.

Ice still on Hector Lake

We’ve been snapping a huge number of shots ad different settings, hoping to have everything figured out by the time we arrive in Alaska. So if some of these posted shots aren’t quite up to snuff, that’s the reason. Along the way we were able to catch to special moments. We saw our first black bear foraging along the roadside and watched him/her for about 10 minutes. He seemed oblivious to our presence.

She's mine, asshole!

The next wildlife encounter was with a herd of 6 Dall sheep that were right beside the road. As we approached and started to shoot some pictures, two of them reared back and started to butt heads in a fighting gesture. We were so close that we thought this might possibly spill into our car, so we quickly drove away to avoid any damage. We checked into the Malinge Lodge in Jasper and were upgraded to a suite, since we were staying for two nights.

Columbia Icefield

We had a bedroom, a full kitchen, bath, and sitting room with fireplace for about the same price as a single room. We were really happy with this outcome.

Nature calls at the pit toilet!

We needed some exercise, so we put on our tennis shoes and walked through town so Jane could find the places to go tomorrow to spend our (really the kid’s) money. We came back to the lodge, had happy hour by the indoor pool our room overlooks, and a great dinner. It was an awesome day.