Northern Montana and the Canadian Rockies, August 2015
- Thread starter wreckdiver1321
- Start date
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Our first morning in Banff, we woke up fairly early and got the chance to check out our campsite. We were in a fairly quiet area that had plenty of amenities. There were bathrooms and running water, and free firewood. Not the most remote or wild place, but it was a nice, secure spot that was close to all the places we wanted to go. Unfortunately, there's almost no backcountry dispersed camping near Banff. It's very similar to camping in a US national park. But we weren't complaining now that we had the opportunity to be near all that good stuff for around $20/night.
We ate a light breakfast of some fruit and a couple granola bars before setting off to gas up in Banff. At the gas station, I had a chat about the stuff to see nearby from a really nice local in a Chevy pickup. That was the third "eh?' I had heard on the Canada portion of the trip.
We hit the road again and went up the Trans Canada Highway to the exit at Lake Louise. From there, we took a side road to the one view in Canada that I had been most excited to see, Moraine Lake. This one lake was one of the photos I looked at most when I was preparing my route through Alberta. We were grinning with excitement as we drove up the winding mountain road towards the lake. Then we ran into the huge line of cars waiting to park. Very slowly we crept towards a parking spot, and eventually found a decent place to leave the truck in the long line on the side of the road. Then we made the short walk to Moraine Lake.
This view is one of the most impressive I've seen in my life. The emerald waters of the lake reflect the grayish purple spires of the Valley of the Ten Peaks, which provide a beautiful frame for the swiftly moving clouds above. These mountains, which were originally named by explorer Samuel Allen after the numerals 1-10 in the language of the aboriginal Stoney Indians, all have summits breaching 10,000 feet. These peaks are set behind a very impressive alpine lake that is the most impressive shade of turquoise I've seen in nature. With the surface of the lake at 6,181 feet, the walls of rock that make up the mountains behind the lake rise 4,000 feet. The lake itself is fed by glacial meltwater. We learned that day from a tour guide that as the glaciers above the lake carve their way through the mountains, they scrape off large chunks of rock and pummel them into a very fine powder, known as rock flour. This rock flour becomes part of the ice until it melts. As the glacier melt flows down into the lakes and rivers, the rock flour gets stirred up into the water, creating the powdery blue color. Anyway, without further rambling, here is the unmatched Lake Moraine in all its glory.
From the photos, it's difficult to get a sense of the scale of the place. This shot gives it some perspective.
Shortly after forcing our gaping mouths closed, we made our way down and around the lake. There is a trail that works its way along the shore. As you approach the end of the lake, the mountains rise up imposingly in front of you, to the point you have to crane your neck to see the tops of the mountains. It's a fantastic sight. We rounded a corner and caught a glimpse of the lake as the trees opened up. I rarely see a shot from the shore of the lake or near the surface, so I took the opportunity to grab a unique photo. I waded into the freezing cold water and waited for the light to be just right.
After getting the shots and warming my feet back up, we walked into the Moraine Lake Lodge to snoop around their gift shop a bit and check out the restaurant. The menu looked fantastic, if a bit pricey. Finally, we managed to tear ourselves away from this fantastic place.
We ate a light breakfast of some fruit and a couple granola bars before setting off to gas up in Banff. At the gas station, I had a chat about the stuff to see nearby from a really nice local in a Chevy pickup. That was the third "eh?' I had heard on the Canada portion of the trip.
We hit the road again and went up the Trans Canada Highway to the exit at Lake Louise. From there, we took a side road to the one view in Canada that I had been most excited to see, Moraine Lake. This one lake was one of the photos I looked at most when I was preparing my route through Alberta. We were grinning with excitement as we drove up the winding mountain road towards the lake. Then we ran into the huge line of cars waiting to park. Very slowly we crept towards a parking spot, and eventually found a decent place to leave the truck in the long line on the side of the road. Then we made the short walk to Moraine Lake.This view is one of the most impressive I've seen in my life. The emerald waters of the lake reflect the grayish purple spires of the Valley of the Ten Peaks, which provide a beautiful frame for the swiftly moving clouds above. These mountains, which were originally named by explorer Samuel Allen after the numerals 1-10 in the language of the aboriginal Stoney Indians, all have summits breaching 10,000 feet. These peaks are set behind a very impressive alpine lake that is the most impressive shade of turquoise I've seen in nature. With the surface of the lake at 6,181 feet, the walls of rock that make up the mountains behind the lake rise 4,000 feet. The lake itself is fed by glacial meltwater. We learned that day from a tour guide that as the glaciers above the lake carve their way through the mountains, they scrape off large chunks of rock and pummel them into a very fine powder, known as rock flour. This rock flour becomes part of the ice until it melts. As the glacier melt flows down into the lakes and rivers, the rock flour gets stirred up into the water, creating the powdery blue color. Anyway, without further rambling, here is the unmatched Lake Moraine in all its glory.
From the photos, it's difficult to get a sense of the scale of the place. This shot gives it some perspective.
Shortly after forcing our gaping mouths closed, we made our way down and around the lake. There is a trail that works its way along the shore. As you approach the end of the lake, the mountains rise up imposingly in front of you, to the point you have to crane your neck to see the tops of the mountains. It's a fantastic sight. We rounded a corner and caught a glimpse of the lake as the trees opened up. I rarely see a shot from the shore of the lake or near the surface, so I took the opportunity to grab a unique photo. I waded into the freezing cold water and waited for the light to be just right.
After getting the shots and warming my feet back up, we walked into the Moraine Lake Lodge to snoop around their gift shop a bit and check out the restaurant. The menu looked fantastic, if a bit pricey. Finally, we managed to tear ourselves away from this fantastic place.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
After the awe we had felt from watching the mountains light up through the clouds at Moraine Lake, we stopped and had lunch at the truck. The weather was pleasant and warm, and we still had a lot of daylight to kill. From the village at Lake Louise, where I stopped to fuel up, we hit the road once again and headed north. We turned off the Trans Canada Highway and hopped on the unbelievably beautiful Icefields Parkway. This is a route we would fall in love with in a few days time.
We made terrible time up this road, and I think a lot of that was due to the sights like this.
This is Hector Lake. High above this beautiful lake is the very aptly named Crowfoot Glacier, which we had to stop at and take in the sights.
Shortly afterwards, we stopped at the roadside to take in yet another fantastic view, this time at Bow Lake. Here, we met a group of guys on motorcycles coming south. Lo and behold, they were from Montana! As all people from Montana do when they meet one another in a strange place, we stopped and chatted for a good while. We talked about home and our time on the road. It was a lot of fun to get to know some people so far away from where we both call home.
And then there was Bow Lake.
What an amazing place. Everything is so different from home. Even the rock formations are different. We were quickly learning that Alberta was the most beautiful and wonderful place we had ever been.
We jumped back on the road and headed a little farther north, to another place I had looked into before leaving home. Peyto Lake was supposed to be one of the most fantastic places to see. I knew there was a fairly short hike to get to the overlook, where you can see the mountains and the lake from up high. That was about all I knew about it, other than that it was a beautiful place I wanted to visit. We turned off the road and into the parking area before long. And I spied another Delica across the parking lot!
This one was for sale. In great shape, with good tires. they wanted something like $8000 Canadian for it. With a whopping 55,000 kilometers on the clock. What a deal. Sadly, it was a 1997, so my thoughts of bringing something like that home with me were dashed in an instant.
We made our way to the Peyto Lake trail and started hiking. Well, it's more like walking. The "trail" is a paved path about four feet wide. It ascends fairly quickly to the vantage point, which is more than worth the elevation gain. What you are greeted with is this.
What a spectacular thing to see firsthand! It is a truly massive place. The mountain rising behind it is Caldron Peak, standing proud at 9,551 feet. The formations of this mountain are really impressive. They look like a ripped piece of continental crust protruding from the earth at an angle. Which is probably what they are. Either way, they are breathtaking.
On the other side of the lake, you can see Peyto Creek draining it's rock-flour filled glacial meltwater into the lake.
You can also see the formations of Peyto Peak just to the left of center. Next to that is the enormous and powerful Peyto Glacier.
What a cool place to stand and drink in. It was a truly humbling experience for both of us. Banff was certainly not disappointing. And there were even more wonders to be seen.
We made terrible time up this road, and I think a lot of that was due to the sights like this.
This is Hector Lake. High above this beautiful lake is the very aptly named Crowfoot Glacier, which we had to stop at and take in the sights.
Shortly afterwards, we stopped at the roadside to take in yet another fantastic view, this time at Bow Lake. Here, we met a group of guys on motorcycles coming south. Lo and behold, they were from Montana! As all people from Montana do when they meet one another in a strange place, we stopped and chatted for a good while. We talked about home and our time on the road. It was a lot of fun to get to know some people so far away from where we both call home.
And then there was Bow Lake.
What an amazing place. Everything is so different from home. Even the rock formations are different. We were quickly learning that Alberta was the most beautiful and wonderful place we had ever been.
We jumped back on the road and headed a little farther north, to another place I had looked into before leaving home. Peyto Lake was supposed to be one of the most fantastic places to see. I knew there was a fairly short hike to get to the overlook, where you can see the mountains and the lake from up high. That was about all I knew about it, other than that it was a beautiful place I wanted to visit. We turned off the road and into the parking area before long. And I spied another Delica across the parking lot!
This one was for sale. In great shape, with good tires. they wanted something like $8000 Canadian for it. With a whopping 55,000 kilometers on the clock. What a deal. Sadly, it was a 1997, so my thoughts of bringing something like that home with me were dashed in an instant.
We made our way to the Peyto Lake trail and started hiking. Well, it's more like walking. The "trail" is a paved path about four feet wide. It ascends fairly quickly to the vantage point, which is more than worth the elevation gain. What you are greeted with is this.
What a spectacular thing to see firsthand! It is a truly massive place. The mountain rising behind it is Caldron Peak, standing proud at 9,551 feet. The formations of this mountain are really impressive. They look like a ripped piece of continental crust protruding from the earth at an angle. Which is probably what they are. Either way, they are breathtaking.
On the other side of the lake, you can see Peyto Creek draining it's rock-flour filled glacial meltwater into the lake.
You can also see the formations of Peyto Peak just to the left of center. Next to that is the enormous and powerful Peyto Glacier.
What a cool place to stand and drink in. It was a truly humbling experience for both of us. Banff was certainly not disappointing. And there were even more wonders to be seen.
Wonderful write up and photos. I was in many of those areas of BC and Alberta for Christmas a few years ago but haven't been during the summer months. Your trip is now leaving the areas I've visited as the ice fields parkway was closed during the winter. I can't wait to see what I missed.
Having lived in that area for 5 or 6 years, I got to see all of that so many times that I stopped paying attention to it all and it just became an unappreciated blur after awhile. This thread reminded me of how beautiful that area of the country is and it is also reminding me to slow down some and smell the flowers and live life, versus working it all away which is what myself and so many others I believe tend to do. We get so wrapped up in the day to day hustle with work, kids, drama, BS and everything else we have going on and forget to stop and take some time to really look around at where we are and appreciate it.
Thanks, for putting up this thread and reminding to take some down time in my life!
Steve
Thanks, for putting up this thread and reminding to take some down time in my life!
Steve
Mighty Dodge Ram
Explorer
Beautiful shots, thanks for sharing. Takes me back to 1975 when I lived in Calgary for 6 months. My buddy and I canoed Lake Louise (in a storm...DUMB!) and actually scrambled across the moraine at the end of Moraine Lake. Nothing like walking across an ice field with water running underneath. :Wow1: You really picked a great trip. Thanks again for the nostalgia. :sombrero:
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks for reading! The Canadian Rockies are amazing. Don't miss them.
I can imagine they are stunning in the winter. I'd love to see the mountains covered in snow.
Unfortunately, there isn't much along the Parkway we got the chance to see. You'll see why shortly.
Thank you for reading Steve! I totally agree with you. One of the things civilized society has done to us is make us forget just how amazing some of the things in our world are. I guess that's one of the things about overlanding or just traveling in general helps us realize. The world is a fantastic place and we shouldn't forget that.
Thanks man! Thank you for reading, more on the way, I promise!
Haha sounds like a blast to me! We popped in to Clagary briefly. Very nice city. Thanks for reading, more to come.
Tekno! You made it over to ExPo! Welcome to the posh side. We're not as rowdy here as CF is.
Usually.Thanks Tim, glad to have you along!
Agreed! Banff and Jasper are absolutely breathtaking.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
After coming back down from the viewpoint over Peyto Lake, we decided to add another park to our list. Not far from Banff, and just across the border in British Columbia, lies Yoho National Park. I was told it was a really cool place to be and I shouldn't miss it. So we turned Lola towards BC as the rain clouds started moving closer.
On the road into Yoho, we made a stop at a viewpoint to check out the historic Spiral Tunnels. These tunnels were the ingenious solution to a problematic hill along the Canadian Pacific Railway's route through the Canadian Rockies. The rail line had to climb from the town of Field, at 4,267 feet, to the top of the Continental Divide at 5,340 feet in the space of 10 miles. The steep valleys meant there were limited places to lay a rail line. To complete the line as quickly as possible, the Railway simply built a line above the ground, causing this section of track to have a very steep grade of 4.5%, which was more than double the preferred 2.2% grade. As such, this section became known as The Big Hill. This ridiculous grade required a lot of caution to traverse, and it required specially built locomotives with enough power to make it up this hill. As such, the town of Field was built for the purpose of storing these massively powerful locomotives. The Big Hill remained a monumental and dangerous challenge until 1909, when the Spiral Tunnels were built.
Image via Google
The Spiral Tunnels were a stroke of genius. The trains enter at the bottom of the valley and complete a series of quarter circles on the way up. Once past these, they enter a large, climbing circle that actually passes over itself before emerging from under the mountain. The train then enters another tunnel where it again circles over itself before coming back out and continuing on it's way. This process allowed the railroad to significantly extend the length of the track while staying within the available space. This little engineering marvel turned the Big Hill from a 4.5% grade to a 2.5% grade, which was significantly safer.
Once we were finished looking at this cool piece of engineering, we set off towards the middle of Yoho. A few kilometers before the town of Field, there is a turn off that takes you toward the center of the park. The road narrows and crosses a few bridges before climbing up to a series of tight switchbacks that actually had one tour bus backing up on the way up. After this little obstacle, we spied a large waterfall above the trees. Intrigued, we parked the truck and hopped out at a hiking trail leading to the falls. As I exited the truck, my shorts caught on an adjustment knob on the side of my seat. I heard and felt a large ripping sound, and to my dismay, my only pair of shorts I had packed on this trip had an enormous rip in the rear end.
That was rather irritating, but I shook it off, changed into some hiking pants, and we hit the trail. It's a very short and easy trail. A plaque along the way identifies the waterfall as Takkakaw Falls. When loosely translated from the native Cree, Takkakaw means something close to "it is magnificent", which is apt in my opinion.
These falls are fed by Daly Glacier, and plummet 991 feet from top to bottom. The water falls about 140 feet from the river above, then hits a shelf where it is catapulted off the cliff side and down a further 850 feet to it's base. It is quite the sight to behold, especially from the provided red Parks Canada adirondack chairs.
Beret and I pulled on our rain jackets and moved in closer to the falls.
What you can't see in the photos is the effect the water has on the plants. On all of the vegetation within about 150 feet from the waterfall, there are no limbs on the side facing the water. The spray and constant dampness seemed to have stopped them from growing on that one side. It's actually pretty cool.
Satisfied with this tower of water, we hiked back towards the truck as the rain started coming down even more.
Now that the weather was coming in again, we decided to forego the other sightseeing we had planned for the day and headed back to Banff. I needed something to replace my shorts, and I needed a pair of gloves for the coming night of rain. As you can imagine, shorts were impossible to find this late in the season in Canada, so I got myself a pair of jeans. We stopped in at Abominable Sports and picked up some nice gloves, then hit Safeway for a couple small groceries we needed.
Once we made it back to the camp, we set up the awning and began the task of making some dinner as the rain came down even harder still. Our fare for the night was one of my favorites, campfire pizzas. We loaded down some crusts with our favorite toppings, wrapped them in foil, and set them over a crackling fire. Dinner that night was tasty, and we went to bed with happy stomachs.
These kinds of adventures are what we live for. Here we were, in a foreign country, camping in the cold rain after a day of exploring some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life. We had Lola, we had the scenery. This is overlanding bliss.
On the road into Yoho, we made a stop at a viewpoint to check out the historic Spiral Tunnels. These tunnels were the ingenious solution to a problematic hill along the Canadian Pacific Railway's route through the Canadian Rockies. The rail line had to climb from the town of Field, at 4,267 feet, to the top of the Continental Divide at 5,340 feet in the space of 10 miles. The steep valleys meant there were limited places to lay a rail line. To complete the line as quickly as possible, the Railway simply built a line above the ground, causing this section of track to have a very steep grade of 4.5%, which was more than double the preferred 2.2% grade. As such, this section became known as The Big Hill. This ridiculous grade required a lot of caution to traverse, and it required specially built locomotives with enough power to make it up this hill. As such, the town of Field was built for the purpose of storing these massively powerful locomotives. The Big Hill remained a monumental and dangerous challenge until 1909, when the Spiral Tunnels were built.
Image via Google
The Spiral Tunnels were a stroke of genius. The trains enter at the bottom of the valley and complete a series of quarter circles on the way up. Once past these, they enter a large, climbing circle that actually passes over itself before emerging from under the mountain. The train then enters another tunnel where it again circles over itself before coming back out and continuing on it's way. This process allowed the railroad to significantly extend the length of the track while staying within the available space. This little engineering marvel turned the Big Hill from a 4.5% grade to a 2.5% grade, which was significantly safer.
Once we were finished looking at this cool piece of engineering, we set off towards the middle of Yoho. A few kilometers before the town of Field, there is a turn off that takes you toward the center of the park. The road narrows and crosses a few bridges before climbing up to a series of tight switchbacks that actually had one tour bus backing up on the way up. After this little obstacle, we spied a large waterfall above the trees. Intrigued, we parked the truck and hopped out at a hiking trail leading to the falls. As I exited the truck, my shorts caught on an adjustment knob on the side of my seat. I heard and felt a large ripping sound, and to my dismay, my only pair of shorts I had packed on this trip had an enormous rip in the rear end.
That was rather irritating, but I shook it off, changed into some hiking pants, and we hit the trail. It's a very short and easy trail. A plaque along the way identifies the waterfall as Takkakaw Falls. When loosely translated from the native Cree, Takkakaw means something close to "it is magnificent", which is apt in my opinion.
These falls are fed by Daly Glacier, and plummet 991 feet from top to bottom. The water falls about 140 feet from the river above, then hits a shelf where it is catapulted off the cliff side and down a further 850 feet to it's base. It is quite the sight to behold, especially from the provided red Parks Canada adirondack chairs.
Beret and I pulled on our rain jackets and moved in closer to the falls.
What you can't see in the photos is the effect the water has on the plants. On all of the vegetation within about 150 feet from the waterfall, there are no limbs on the side facing the water. The spray and constant dampness seemed to have stopped them from growing on that one side. It's actually pretty cool.
Satisfied with this tower of water, we hiked back towards the truck as the rain started coming down even more.
Now that the weather was coming in again, we decided to forego the other sightseeing we had planned for the day and headed back to Banff. I needed something to replace my shorts, and I needed a pair of gloves for the coming night of rain. As you can imagine, shorts were impossible to find this late in the season in Canada, so I got myself a pair of jeans. We stopped in at Abominable Sports and picked up some nice gloves, then hit Safeway for a couple small groceries we needed.
Once we made it back to the camp, we set up the awning and began the task of making some dinner as the rain came down even harder still. Our fare for the night was one of my favorites, campfire pizzas. We loaded down some crusts with our favorite toppings, wrapped them in foil, and set them over a crackling fire. Dinner that night was tasty, and we went to bed with happy stomachs.
These kinds of adventures are what we live for. Here we were, in a foreign country, camping in the cold rain after a day of exploring some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life. We had Lola, we had the scenery. This is overlanding bliss.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
I woke up earlier and colder than I would have liked to. The rain continued through the night and into the following morning. Originally, we had planned to go to Bugaboo and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Parks, as well as Glacier National Park. Unfortunately, the weather was hanging over the Rockies without a hint of moving. Our backup plan was to hit Banff Upper Hot Springs and then do some things in town. We woke up that morning, sat up, looked outside, and decided it was time for plan B. We lazily got ready for the day and made our way into Banff to eat a wonderful breakfast at Skoki's Waffles and Frozen Yogurt. This awesome local place serves fresh crepes and waffles with genuine Canadian maple syrup. Not to mention some really killer hot chocolate! We ordered up some waffles, with strips of bacon cooked inside, and ate a delicious breakfast.
After breakfast, we headed to the Upper Hot Springs for a soak. Banff Upper Hot Springs usually have a beautiful view, but it was currently socked in with clouds and rain. These hot springs are really cool. The water is heated by the local hydrothermal activity and fills a large pool area to relax in. Luckily, it was the middle of the week, so there was a relatively low number of tourists and we were able to relax in a corner by ourselves. This was the first opportunity we had in days to kick back and relax. After about five days of nonstop travel, it was nice to just sit in something that wasn't moving. The mist, 50* temperatures, cold rain, and hot water worked together to create an awesome experience. We relaxed for a good hour before going back into the locker rooms and having our first shower in many days.
Now fresh and clean, we climbed back into the truck and discussed what to do next. Originally, we had planned to head into Banff and hit the museums and galleries. Then we thought about the fact that we were only a short drive from Calgary, which was feeling more and more interesting after spending this time in Alberta. We gassed up and hit the road, which was a surprisingly dreary drive thanks to the heavy cloud cover. Before long, we made our way into Calgary past the Olympic Stadium. We ogled at the beautiful city as we drove towards downtown. It was at about this point I realized we had no cell reception and no maps of the area, so we stopped at a mall and found a map to buy. We got back in the truck and made our way into downtown Calgary. It really is a beautiful city, but we quickly realized we were in over our heads. We would have loved to spend more time in the city, but with minimal navigation aids and very limited time, we were in a little deeper than we would have liked. So we headed back into the mountains as the clouds started to clear up.
The rains that had been dumping for the past 24 hours were starting to clear, but as the clouds parted, they revealed that the clouds had dumped snow higher up on the mountains. This turned the Rockies into a whole different animal.
The snow on the mountains was beautiful. As it turned out, the weather had even dropped snow in downtown Calgary! As we rolled back into Banff, we talked about it and decided that we needed to take a tour around Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake, since the views there are fantastic as it is, but with the weather, they promised to be unforgettable.
We headed up the road towards Lake Minnewanka and literally gasped at the sight.
I still can't come up with words to describe the sight.
We headed up the road and rounded the corner towards Lake Minnewanka. And the views got even better!
We stopped at this cool little spot too, where there is actually a marker for a place to scuba dive. Man, the Canadians are really good at marking their recreation spots. We read the little plaque near the beach and found out Lake Minnewanka has been artificially raised twice, which has caused some of the old buildings to become submerged. Hence the scuba diving attraction. Plus, it's a beautiful place.
After stopping a couple times along the lake, we went around the corner and saw the view over Two Jack Lake, which was phenomenal with the mountains and clouds. It was awesome.
We drove around for a good 90 minutes just watching the mountains. Around dinner time, we went back into Banff. The plan was to hit a local pub for dinner and enjoy a night out together. Thanks to a dining guide Beret had picked up in town, we had been able to pick out a restaurant before heading in. We found the Elk & Oarsman along the main drag, went upstairs, and sat down for dinner. Our Australian waiter walked us through the menu and gave us a great recommendation on some local beer, which went great with my elk burger and Beret's steak sandwich. Easily the best meal I've had in a long time.
After filling up on the magnificent dinner, we walked over to a local chocolate shop and bought some fudge for dessert. As we walked, we talked about what was becoming our favorite topic of this trip: we are seriously considering living in Alberta at some point in our lives. We love the feel of the whole place. It certainly bears some looking into, even if it's just what we want to do for retirement.
With that great night out on the town behind us, we crawled into the tent for our final night in Banff and fell fast asleep.
After breakfast, we headed to the Upper Hot Springs for a soak. Banff Upper Hot Springs usually have a beautiful view, but it was currently socked in with clouds and rain. These hot springs are really cool. The water is heated by the local hydrothermal activity and fills a large pool area to relax in. Luckily, it was the middle of the week, so there was a relatively low number of tourists and we were able to relax in a corner by ourselves. This was the first opportunity we had in days to kick back and relax. After about five days of nonstop travel, it was nice to just sit in something that wasn't moving. The mist, 50* temperatures, cold rain, and hot water worked together to create an awesome experience. We relaxed for a good hour before going back into the locker rooms and having our first shower in many days.
Now fresh and clean, we climbed back into the truck and discussed what to do next. Originally, we had planned to head into Banff and hit the museums and galleries. Then we thought about the fact that we were only a short drive from Calgary, which was feeling more and more interesting after spending this time in Alberta. We gassed up and hit the road, which was a surprisingly dreary drive thanks to the heavy cloud cover. Before long, we made our way into Calgary past the Olympic Stadium. We ogled at the beautiful city as we drove towards downtown. It was at about this point I realized we had no cell reception and no maps of the area, so we stopped at a mall and found a map to buy. We got back in the truck and made our way into downtown Calgary. It really is a beautiful city, but we quickly realized we were in over our heads. We would have loved to spend more time in the city, but with minimal navigation aids and very limited time, we were in a little deeper than we would have liked. So we headed back into the mountains as the clouds started to clear up.
The rains that had been dumping for the past 24 hours were starting to clear, but as the clouds parted, they revealed that the clouds had dumped snow higher up on the mountains. This turned the Rockies into a whole different animal.
The snow on the mountains was beautiful. As it turned out, the weather had even dropped snow in downtown Calgary! As we rolled back into Banff, we talked about it and decided that we needed to take a tour around Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake, since the views there are fantastic as it is, but with the weather, they promised to be unforgettable.
We headed up the road towards Lake Minnewanka and literally gasped at the sight.
I still can't come up with words to describe the sight.
We headed up the road and rounded the corner towards Lake Minnewanka. And the views got even better!
We stopped at this cool little spot too, where there is actually a marker for a place to scuba dive. Man, the Canadians are really good at marking their recreation spots. We read the little plaque near the beach and found out Lake Minnewanka has been artificially raised twice, which has caused some of the old buildings to become submerged. Hence the scuba diving attraction. Plus, it's a beautiful place.
After stopping a couple times along the lake, we went around the corner and saw the view over Two Jack Lake, which was phenomenal with the mountains and clouds. It was awesome.
We drove around for a good 90 minutes just watching the mountains. Around dinner time, we went back into Banff. The plan was to hit a local pub for dinner and enjoy a night out together. Thanks to a dining guide Beret had picked up in town, we had been able to pick out a restaurant before heading in. We found the Elk & Oarsman along the main drag, went upstairs, and sat down for dinner. Our Australian waiter walked us through the menu and gave us a great recommendation on some local beer, which went great with my elk burger and Beret's steak sandwich. Easily the best meal I've had in a long time.
After filling up on the magnificent dinner, we walked over to a local chocolate shop and bought some fudge for dessert. As we walked, we talked about what was becoming our favorite topic of this trip: we are seriously considering living in Alberta at some point in our lives. We love the feel of the whole place. It certainly bears some looking into, even if it's just what we want to do for retirement.
With that great night out on the town behind us, we crawled into the tent for our final night in Banff and fell fast asleep.
Dr. Cornwallis
Adventurer
Awesome pictures man! You got me wanting to go see Banff. I want to say I've heard of it before but certainly never thought anything of it. That lake is ridiculous! What kind of camera do you shoot with?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks!
Do it! Alberta is amazing. You will not regret it. The area around Banff is so stunning, and the city itself is fantastic. It's quite the place. We really can't wait to go back.
I shoot with a Nikon D610 and a 24-120 f/4 lens. It's a pretty great combo, but I'll be getting a 16-35 f/4 to compliment it and get some wider angle shots, which I've been lacking. It's a great setup, but spendy.