Banff, Lake Louise, and Yoho National Park

Thursday, July 10^th 2014 – Day 41

Jasper was another spot that I hated to leave.  There was enough to see and do to last another week, but regretfully, it was time to move on. 

We drove several hours south, enjoying the incredible Canadian Rockies including the Icefields Parkway from the opposite direction. 

Miles upon miles of Canola Fields.  Many ranchers could not make a go of it anymore without the last resort
of converting to Genetically modified, Round-up ready canola.  They realize they are
ruining both our health and environment, but it they want to feed their families, they have no choice.
Very disheartening. 

We arrived at Tunnel Mountain Campground in Banff National Park where we had a fabulous site that was level, flat,private and looked directly at a huge mountain.

Pulling into Tunnel Mountain Campground, Banff Alberta

Now this is a nice site!

A little relaxation on a knoll overlooking a mountain

The town of Banff, Alberta is a lovely little town nestled in the valley between huge, snow capped mountains.  The very busy streets are lined with plenty of high-end restaurants, boutique’s and gift shops.  The streets are all named after animals. Beaver, Moose, Caribou, Bear, etc. quite cute.

After setting up, we went to the Visitor’s Center and checked various restaurants’ menus for a nice restaurant since we hadn’t eaten any meal out for nearly a month.

Our meal at Beaujolais Restaurant, Banff
The "white glove" service was very lovely.

We decided on Beaujolais Restaurant because of their “Chef’s Surprise” menu.  Boy, it was a surprise alright! Almost everything was raw, or nearly raw.  Tuna tartar, something-or-other ceviche, foie gras (goose liver).  Now Norm’s foie gras was in a lovely ravioli. Yes, “a” as in one.  Since I was avoiding gluten, they gave me plain, tiny goose livers.  When I bit into one, it exploded in my mouth like a large, steamed clam belly. There was a whole flock of geese sacrificed on my plate.  Gross!  They put that message “raw or under-cooked meat can cause serious illness” on the menu for a reason. I take heed. Norm, on the other hand, loves it.

Thankfully, the main dish was pretty normal – Alberta beef with baby carrot, and a single, baby potato shaped in an interesting fashion.  It was all paired with lovely wines, so for a small fortune we had our dinner out.

Friday, June 11^th

Bear Warning.  Minimum 4 people BY LAW!
We watched two young adult girls just march right past this
sign.  Are they crazy, too?  There are bears here! Really!

 The bear problem here is a little more serious than at Jasper, so the trails were few that we allowed to hike.  We drove toward Johnston Canyon, but the distance was much farther than it appeared on the map, and our gas was quite low, so we decided to head back into town, get some gas, and find a closer hike. 

While looking for a place to picnic, we stumbled upon Caves and Basin National Historic Site. This is where the National Parks of Canada first began.  There was a lovely cave where people used to come from all over to heal in the medicinal waters that flowed from Sulpher Mountain nearby. It still smells heavily of eggs.

About 3PM, we decided to head back and relax and take some time to catch up on the blog.

Sat. July 12, 2014  - Day 43

We learned Yoho National Park is gorgeous, so we decided to drive back north to check it out. 

Natural Bride, Yoho National Park with really stupid
mother where she should not be! She also allowed
her 8 year old son to play in the water!  What an idiot!
We will probably see her in Yellowstone chasing a bear for a picture, too!

After stopping at the Visitor’s Center, we had a plan.  The Natural Bridge, then hike around Emerald Lake to Yoho Pass. Perhaps as far as Takakkaw Falls.

Dining area near the lodge at Emerald Lake.
I love the colors of the Oriental Poppies!

When we arrived at the parking lot of Emerald Lake, we caught a glimpse of the gorgeous turquoise color, and the hundreds of people arriving from plane, train, buses, RV’s and auto’s. What a horde of humanity!  We donned our hiking gear and anti-bear wear, and headed down the trail.  By the time we were several hundred feet away from the head of the lake, we were alone.

Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, British Columbia - my personal favorite to date

We followed the heavily worn trail for several miles until it forked off toward the mountains.  The trail led us over stream-beds so clear you would never tell there was water in them, if not for the sound.

That is not a path to my left,
but a pretty deep stream

As we headed into the treed area, we got really nervous about the bears.  We saw a grizzly while we were driving, so we know they were around.  Norm may not admit it, but he must have been a little nervous because he joined me in singing various songs and yelling “hey bear!” as we went along.  To tell the truth, we felt like idiots singing Newfoundland shanties, Yellow

Wonderful hike along Emerald Lake.  Boy, was this pretty!

Submarine from the Beatles, and Jinglebells as we walked along.

The views of Emerald Lake, and the snow capped mountain behind was beautiful.  We decided not to hike the entire way to the Takakkaw Falls due to the heat, (and the fact we could actually drive there) and turned back.  We hiked about 5 miles, and we were tired by the time we returned to the car.  We had lots of humanity sightings, but no animals.

Boy, this picture does not begin to do it justice!  There was so much force and
spray it soaked us 100 yards back!

On the way back, we stopped at Takakkaw Falls, which is the second highest waterfall in western Canada, with its height of 1,260 feet.  As our tired legs hiked about a mile more to the waterfall, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and the cold mist soaked our clothes. The water shot off the mountain, hit a ledge below and leapt again with a giant roar!  What a sight!

At this point we were more than ready to drive back down the windy road and about an hour back to the campground.

Sunday July 13^th, 2014 – Day 44

We really hated to drive another hour back to the North again, but we just didn't have time yesterday to see the famous Lake Louise – a must see spot we were told. 

Moraine Lake, Banff National Park

It was very commercialized, accompanied by a mob of people.  The Fairmont hotel dominates the area.  Yes, it overlooked a beautiful lake with the snow behind, but frankly, after the views we have witnessed, it paled in comparison.  I saw postcards where the lighting was perfect, and the lake calm so the reflection of the mountain on the water was amazing, but since there were forest fires nearby causing a smokey haze, it was not the view we were hoping for.  Can’t win them all.

The most perfect table in the entire Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise!  Score!

We did, however, get lucky enough to be seated in the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel dining room at the best seat in the house! Dead center in the middle of the room, with large windows overlooking the lake!  Could not have been better! 

The always recommended Lake Louise.  Too popular for our taste.
After the other beautiful lakes, we were not overly impressed.

We each had buffalo Ruben sandwiches ( mine on a marvelous gluten-free bread ) and Norm had a local beer with his.  At a mere $70 including tip, it was the most expensive, yet most scenic lunch we ever had! At that cost, no wonder we have packed picnics nearly every day!

Monday, July 14^th, 2014- Day 45

Well, the hills are too steep for biking and the trails too inhabited by bears, so we chose to go downtown to do our own veritable “mountain” of laundry! 

This place was the most harrowing of experiences.  To start,the closest parking space was a couple of blocks away.  Not just “available” space. The closest if you are lucky.  We had to carry several large baskets through a mall and down the escalator to the backside.

   

Cascade Coin Laundry, Banff.  A very busy place.
You not only get your clothes clean, but they clean
out your wallet, as well!  

 The worst part was  the price.  $4.00 per washer load, and 25 cents each 3 minutes of dry time!  Holy Moley! The owner told Norm his rent is $10,000 per month.  I can’t imagine! 

This place was so busy with people doing their own laundry along with those with tour groups who were dropping theirs off; we were tripping all over each other. Norm kept getting more money, while I fed coins in the machines like I was playing the slot machines in Las Vegas!   With 6 loads, I was really hopping!  Thank goodness Norm was there to help with the folding and the carrying!  Boy, this town is very expensive!

After lunch and a nap, we headed back downtown so I could shop, and Norm could sample the local brews.  I found a little purse, and Norm found he likes the beer here!

Back home for dinner, we ended the night with another episode of Downton Abbey which we brought with us (we have become addicted to this series) and we called it a day, ready to head south in the morning.

Only wild animal of the day

These beautiful bridges were build to allow the animals to safely cross the road
There are miles of tall fence running alongside the highway to protect both
people and wildlife. They say it is working extremely well.

The Spiral Tunnels in Yoho National Park.
It is a National Historic Site in British Colombia, an engineering marvel to improve the safety of trains
going through Kicking Horse Pass.  It is a figure eight going in and out of the mountains, back and forth under the Trans Canada  Highway. Very hard to both see and explain.  But the models displayed allow one to
appreciate the ingenuity.