Rockies


		Canada with Andrew Columbia Icefields and Canadian Rockies June 29 to July 1, 2008


	©2002-2008 D-C Enterprises


	Sunday we drove an hour and a half west, into the Canadian Rockies, to Banff. we actually stayed the night in Canmore, half an hour east of Banff. There was a huge fire just south of us, which smoked the skies the first afternoon, but the next day was crystal clear. We ate dinner at the A&W. Andrew had never had their amazing rootbeer floats, and since they were out of ice cream, he still didn't. However, we ordered rootbeer shakes with our burgers. I'd never heard of rootbeer shakes, and so I guess we both got to try something new. We ended up pouring rootbeer into our shakes to create a different kind of float, but it still tasted wonderful. Oh, and the view from our table was nice, too..


	In Banff, we soaked for awhile in the hot springs our first night. The next day we rode up the mountain in the gondola and hiked along the ridge to the viewpoint. click any photo for enlargement


	The Canadian Rockies are amazing! Having lived in and near mountains much of my life, I am not easily impressed by mountains, but God paid special attention to this area. The drive from Banff to Jasper can be done in about three hours, but we made it in only twelve. We stopped many places along the way to savor the sights and sounds. We were in no hurry. This is our vacation! We took the scenic routes part of the route, rather than the main highway. We stopped frequently to get out of the car for photos. I found it funny that wherever we stopped, though no one else was stopped when we arrived, before we left, we usually had others also stopping for pictures.


	We were fortunate enough to see some wildlife along the way, also. We saw elk and a bear right at the edge of the road. They showed no fear whatever. Though this particular bear is NOT the real one we saw on the road, Andrew was happy to see it up very close, something I suggested he not do with the real one.


	I enjoyed hiking to the top of a small hill at Lake Morraine and enjoying the view from up there. And, yes, the water actually IS that gorgeous greenish-blue color. (I took several photos with different exposures to get the color to match the reality, no editing at all.) We also hiked up to and onto a glacier.


	At Honeymoon Lake, we found this little bench actually out IN the water. What a nice view it had. It was fun wading out to it. This is one romantic lake, which is probably why it received its name.



		As we drove, we experinced several "sunsets" as the we moved up and down and along the mountains and valleys. The day finally got full dark a bit after 10 pm, the latest I've ever experienced true dusk. But we were rather far north, which makes the days last longer.


	Our last stop before we arrived at our hostel in Jasper was at the Athabasca Falls and Gorge. This was a wonderful place to stop, amazing for the way the waters carved the canyon, as well as for other reasons. Good memories here. For that matter, there were amazing memories all along this trip.


	Our bunks were numbers 61 and 62, two of sixteen in a mixed dorm. This was the first true, multi occupant dorm I've stayed. Arriving at midnight, we got our first real view of the place only after the lights automatically turned on at 8:00 the next morning. Most people packed up and departed almost immediately, but we lingered for awhile.




	We surprised ourselves when the last day we realized how little we had eaten during this trip. It seeemd we just weren't all that hungry. Our dinner Monday night was actually right at midnight in the hostel, and consisted of half an apple and a bit of sandwich each. Breakfast the next morning, however, was heartier. We sat at a sidewalk cafe and watch the crowds grow for the Canada Day Parade.




				When we finally did join the world again on Tuesday, we were both rather surprised at the number of flags being flown. They were literally EVERYWHERE: on cars, in hats and hair and store windows, as well as on dogs and faces. Yeah, we got a bit carried away ourselves as we enjoyed the Canada Day celebration in Jasper.


	Just outside of Jasper, we hiked up a canyon with many side creeks coming right out of the rock face. It was a beautiful hike and very popular.


	can you spot Andrew in the photo to the left? (brave man)

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