Stan:
Yesterday was Lake Louise day, and it was worth the trip. I took some photos, and a few weren’t to bad. It was overcast but not so dark that the exposer was totally out of wack.
The Lake
Lake Louise is an upscale resort, although I don’t think I would stay there and fight the tourists.
Snak Time
On the way back from Lake Louise, we ran into a traffic jam caused by two male elks eating dandelions along the road side. These guys were having a good snack, sublimely unmindful of the commotion they were causing. I’m sure that many accidents are caused by people stopping to look and take photos. The wide shoulders on Canadian highways make it easy to pull over and jump out of your vehicle to take pictures of the wilde life.
Johnna: June 7-8, 2005
Still raining. Went to breakfast at the Inn located at the entrance to the Going to the Sun Road. Their sourdough pancakes were pretty good. Went back to the rv park with the hope that the rain would stop. It didn’t. Entertained ourselves with reading and computer games.
The next day the clouds had lifted a little. Decided to see how far up the Going to the Sun Road we could go. Before we got to Logan Pass the road was closed due to snow on the pass. However the scenic views of the St. Mary Lake and surrounding mountains were worth our little trip. Saw deer, a wolverine and a lynx. Stopped at the visitors center to find out if they knew when the road might be opened. Their guess was about 2:00 pm. Didn’t happen.
Johnna: June 9, 2005
Woke up to more rain, so decided to forget about Glacier, skip Waterton and go on to Canmore. US-89/AB-2 is a better way to approach St. Mary rather than US-89 from Browning. On the way to Calgary, water was standing in the fields, due to all the rain. Flocks, or is it gaggles, of geese seemed to be guiding us on our way north. Missed the turn off to Hwy. 22x which we had planned to take in order to bypass Calgary. Instead, we got to take a tour of the western side of the city by following the highway signs to Canada Hwy. One. By the time we got to Canmore the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds. After getting settled in at the rv park, enjoyed setting outside in the sun for a while. The Spring Creek Mountain Village (aka Restwell Trailer Park) is a large well maintained facility of over 250 sites with full hook ups. Drove around the little town of Canmore to get a feel for the place. There are lots of vacation type accommodations and condos. The town is laid-back with a small town atmosphere; not as glitzy and congested as Banff. The town’s elevation is 4300 feet and is surrounded by snow capped mountains. Prominent is the Three Sisters Mountain to the south of town. The skyline of this mountain is the logo for the community.
Johnna: June 10, 2005
It was still overcast but decided to explore the Banff and Lake Louise areas. Drove the Tunnel Mountain Road into Banff which has several views of the Bow River Valley. There is a great view of the impressive old Banff Springs Hotel. Did not bother with downtown Banff as we do not care for crowded touristy places. Took the Bow Valley Parkway from Banff to Lake Louise. Saw a bull elk and a few deer. The clouds began to lift and the sun would peak out ever so often. Lake Louise is surely one of the most picturesque places in North America. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel located on the lake shore would be a nice place to spend a few days. The crowds would be a little off putting through.
On the way back from Lake Louise, highway traffic almost came to a stand still where people had pulled over to gawk at two bull elk eating dandelions by the road side. Of course, we did the same. They had tags on their ears just like agricultural live stock. Local people and truck drivers were not to happy about the traffic hold up and tried to get the elk to move away from the highway by honking horns.
Johnna: June 11, 2005
Started out to take in the art festival which was scheduled for this week end. Did not find much activity in town, so decided to drive south on Hwy. 40 to Kananaskis where the Nordic events where held during the Calgary Olympics. This is an attractive recreation area with several campgrounds and lots of hiking trails. Intermittent showers did not deter our enjoyment of this excursion. On our way back to the rv park, stopped at the Ammonite Factory. Stan decided that I just had to have a lovely pendent I had been admiring made from the ammonite gem stone. It’s really lovely.
