A Big Day and Big Horns!

Day 30 – Friday, July 12

It was another big day, as we experienced Part 2 of the adventure--a Lake Cruise on Lake Minnewannka.  This is the largest lake in Banff National Park-- an area carved out by a glacier, and later filled in by a dam built in the 1940’s.  This lake provides power to Banff, Lake Louise, and the ski lodges during the winter.  It is 100 ft deep, and a a 3 ft. layer of ice forms on top of the lake in the winter. We learned a lot about the surrounding mountains, vegetation, and animal life. It was a beautiful day, and We enjoyed the relaxing cruise and narrated tour. 

We were entertained by a mountain goat playing on the shore, and a group of big horn sheep greeted us on the shore as we returned.  They blocked the road, and as we drove by, they seemed to pose for pictures.

Another mountain goat jumped out on the road right beside us, so we had to keep an eye out for wildlife!

On the way back, we took the Bow Valley Parkway, a scenic route that parallels the Trans-Canada highway.  We stopped at Johnston Canyon and took a 3 mile round trip hike to view the canyon and the upper and lower falls. WOW!!!  Again, it was more than worth the hike to see the incredible sights.  You could hear the falls before you could see them.  And, we crawled through a little cave with an opening on the other side to get close enough to the lower falls to feel the spray and see it up close and personal. 

 

 

We thought we’d seen the “best” with the lower falls, but hiked another mile to the Upper Falls, and saw the breathtaking falls cascading from high above.  Wow…what a rush (literally!)

We also saw some interesting athletes that must have been staying in condition for skiing.  They had funny little skis on their feet with wheels, and they were going up and down the hilly roads, using ski poles to keep their balance.  It was almost like roller-blading, but a little bit different.

We have also seen a lot of cyclists, and wonder if they are out of their mind to be riding up and down these hills!

This is our last day in the Banff/Lake Louise area.  It is a very historic and interesting area.  The Lake Louise Fairmont is a Grand Hotel, started by the Canadian Pacific Railway.  The railroads are big in Canada, and the tracks are adjacent to the campground, so we have seen and heard the trains pass by daily.  The first railway station (circa 1910) in Lake Louise Village has been renovated and is now a restaurant with dining cars.

We leave tomorrow and will travel the Icefield Parkway again, with our destination Hinton,   It will be our last stop before our REAL adventure to Alaska begins!!!