Wednesday, last day in Banff area

Luke "I refuse to smile"; Lake Louise in background

Did I mention it's been cloudy and/or rainy every day we've been here?  Definitely affected today's activities.  We headed back up the Bow Valley Parkway (I-1, the Trans-Canada Highway would have been faster, but the BVP is so gorgeous) to Lake Louise.

Visited the ski area first for a trip up the mountain on the ski lift to beat the rainy weather obviously heading that way.  We had a choice of closed cabin gondola or open chair - guess who chose the open chair (hint: not Luke).  Good thing we brought along the sweatshirts!  It started sprinkling lightly en route, but just enough to tease. Despite the weather, the vistas were worth the $26 per person fee.  And we were treated to views of a helicopter ferrying supplies via a long rope and net basket from the ski area parking lot to somewhere down (up?) the valley.

Arrived at the top (not the summit, just the top of the ride) in time to find that a grizzly bear had meandered behind a building just down the slope (sorry, we never saw the bear, although park staff were quite focused on keeping aware of its whereabouts!)

From the ski lodge, we drove to Lake Louise.  The area on the eastern of the lake is much more developed than when I visited in 1990 - paved walkways, shopping boutiques, a bridge over the outlet stream and landscaping.  The highest level of visual impact (visual assault!) is from a large canoe rental boathouse and docks.  The rental canoes are bright red, highly visible against the beautiful glacial blue water - so much for the pristine views of the mountains and glaciers visitors once enjoyed!

For pristine mountain and glacier views, one must go to Moraine Lake, easily reached from a side road near Lake Louise.  It also has some development, but it's limited to the northern end of the lake (where the access road ends) and far enough back from the shore that the buildings aren't intrusive in the viewshed.  Luke and I had lunch on the patio - easily the most expensive sandwiches and chips I've ever eaten - and a particularly bold chipmunk actually jumped up onto my lap in search of food.

Once back in Banff, we went back to the cinema to see the third Transformers movie, released today.  Leonard Nimoy provides the voice of the head Transformer!

FYI:  The sun doesn't go down until 11:30 pm or so, according to Ashley, our very nice hostess here in Jasper.

Tuesday in Banff

Today, we headed north on the Bow Valley Parkway, straight up into the heart of the Canadian Rockies.  Scenic vistas abound throughout its length!

Thanks to Bob and Perri's suggestion, Johnston's Creek was today's destination.  A trail leads through the canyon to the Upper and Lower Falls opposite sheer cliffs alternating with equally sheer drop-offs.

We hiked as far as the Lower Falls, 1.1 km or 0.7 miles, a minor challenge for those accustomed to sea level.

Saw a small herd of elk on the return trip  - one was to close it brushed up against the passenger side mirror - Luke maintained his composure BTW.  Photos were taken at actual size, not with zoom!

Quiet evening at the Hi Alpine Center hostel - no wi-fi, so we watched Get Smart, which is loaded on Luke's laptop.

Monday: On To Banff

It's Monday so it must be Banff! First, Google Maps misdirected us off the highway (there's more than one Banff exit), and we ended up on a rather steep mountain road.  Quite serendipitous, however, as we soon saw a female moose not 10 feet from the side of the road!

We turned back, and stopped at a turnout for something called The Hoodoos - didn't we just see Hoodoos yesterday?  A trail head sported a sign warning visitors of carnivorous animal activity in the area, specifically mountain lion.  The park officials were even helpful enough to highlight the area (in yellow hatching) where the mountain lion was likely to be found (!).  Well, the "intrepid" travelers continued on to the viewpoint and were treated to a spectacular view of the Bow River Valley and yes, more Hoodoos.

Staying at the Hi Alpine Center on Hidden Ridge Road - the views from the 3-minute drive out of downtown Banff on Tunnel Mountain Road are staggering!  As are the views off the back porch of the hostel, parking lot, and the window of our room.  The hostel accommodations reminded me of the dorms in undergrad school (SMU, now UMass Dartmouth):  double bunk beds in our private room, with communal his and her bathrooms.

Due to a lack of planning on my part, we arrived in Banff with little idea what to do.  We had lunch at Chili's (yes, the chain; sorry, Kink, we've opted for the familiar in culinary offerings so far, will do better in Jasper), then spent some time meandering around downtown Banff.  Interesting demographic:  besides the mixture of Canadian, American and European visitors, there were a lot of Asian peoples, and folks with a New Zealand/ Aussie accent (sorry, mates, can't tell the difference).  Nice walking path along the Bow River, could easily locate some SMART stations there; took photos just in case, Warren - upstream (see right), crosschannel, downstream.

Happily, we found a cinema and saw The Green Lantern - enjoyed the special effects.

FYI - it's still twilight-ish at midnight.

Drumheller and More!

Enjoyed the Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington, AB - think Dinner For Shmucks, only with gophers instead of mice.  Numerous, well-lit diorama, with costumes and accessories, depicting typical human activities:  hunting, picnicking, dating, courting, and even wedding.  Each has a caption, often poking fun at animal rights enthusiasts and local figures, such as the one below with the slogan G.A.G.S.:  Gophers Against Gopher Stuffing.

Then on through the fields to Drumheller.  First stop: the giant dinosaur! for the price of a $3 admission fee, one can climb up and into its mouth.

Next: the Hoodoos - pillars of sand with a rock on top, which saved the pillar from eroding completely.

Red River Valley from the Hoodoos - storms are visible from miles away!

And finally, the Royal Tyrell Museum, with its ginormous collection of dinosaurs!  My favorite was this prehistoric turtle.

There was also a great exhibit from the Burgess Shale area on in west side of the Canadian Rockies, which is a treasure trove of prehistoric ocean life.  Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation

From Sea Level to Summits!

West Dennis Beach, Massachusetts 17 June 2011 

 

Airlines Procedures Completed?  Check

Rental Vehicle Confirmed?  Check

Lodgings Reservations Confirmed?  Check

Packing Begun?  Negative

60 hours till takeoff, give or take a few

June 22nd:  Guess who hasn't begun packing!  Any suggestions?  Besides "Get going!"