Post by zeke on Aug 17, 2015 12:36:12 GMT -8
Aug 11, M & I departed the hot humid Tampa area, and visited Banff NP for a few days. M is not up to any walking more than a single set of stairs, or around the block. I knew this was going to be a car touron trip. I will add right here, at the start of the trip, I hate it when I get to book convenient legs of a flight, only to have them changed after I pay up. We had a 5 hour layover that was originally 90 minutes. Two 3 hour legs with a 5 hr layover is soon nice.
Aug 12 found us with a short drive to Banff. We stopped in town to get our bearings, and some info from the VC. We drove up to Lake Minnewanka just outside of town for a little scenery and a nap in the car. (Because of M's disability, she naps twice a day for a couple of hours each, along with her regular night sleeping.) I woke her up after about an hour, because a small herd of Bighorn sheep lambs and ewes were walking right by us. After pictures, and watching them walk off, we went back to the lake for more pics. We had to drive back down the road where the sheep had headed off to, and sure enough they were still traveling the road. More pics.
That night was Wednesday night and the meteor shower was supposed to be peaking, so we drove up to Two jack lake to see them. Nearly ran into 10-12 elk on the road. After that, the meteors were not so spectacular, but we did see 15 or so before she had to go to bed.
On the 13th, we drove up to Jasper NP and the Columbia Ice Fields. We stopped along the way at Lake Louise, but the parking lot was crazy so we did not stop. The drive was nice, and there is a wonderful switchback along a flat river, so you can see the entire valley by the time you get to the top of the hill. Very nice.
The 14th, we explored Yoho NP outside of Field. There were 4 things up in that area we wanted to see, and managed all of them by 5 PM. Emerald Lake was the best lake, IMO. It was overcast and a bit rainy, so maybe the visitors were down, but I liked it. We would've taken a canoe out for a spin, but I can't see $40 an hour. Not even Canadian $.
We also saw the river carving its' way through some rocks, where the sign said Natural Bridge. Then it was off to Takakkaw Falls. Well worth the visit, and we saw more elk along the way.
The 15th we ate breakfast in the lodge at Lake Louise, looked around there some, then off to Moraine Lake. As we left the village at Lake Louise, I picked up a young woman hitch hiking in the rain, to Banff. She was about 20, and need to get to Banff so she could get a solid wifi connection to register for her college courses in Sept. She was studying Geography with an eye on the Hydrology dept. M has a niece working on a MS in Hydrology, and a nephew with a PhD in the same field. We had a short conversation about the field of study before m nodded out. Lunch in Banff village, and headed back to Calgary.
slide show here
Aug 12 found us with a short drive to Banff. We stopped in town to get our bearings, and some info from the VC. We drove up to Lake Minnewanka just outside of town for a little scenery and a nap in the car. (Because of M's disability, she naps twice a day for a couple of hours each, along with her regular night sleeping.) I woke her up after about an hour, because a small herd of Bighorn sheep lambs and ewes were walking right by us. After pictures, and watching them walk off, we went back to the lake for more pics. We had to drive back down the road where the sheep had headed off to, and sure enough they were still traveling the road. More pics.
That night was Wednesday night and the meteor shower was supposed to be peaking, so we drove up to Two jack lake to see them. Nearly ran into 10-12 elk on the road. After that, the meteors were not so spectacular, but we did see 15 or so before she had to go to bed.
On the 13th, we drove up to Jasper NP and the Columbia Ice Fields. We stopped along the way at Lake Louise, but the parking lot was crazy so we did not stop. The drive was nice, and there is a wonderful switchback along a flat river, so you can see the entire valley by the time you get to the top of the hill. Very nice.
The 14th, we explored Yoho NP outside of Field. There were 4 things up in that area we wanted to see, and managed all of them by 5 PM. Emerald Lake was the best lake, IMO. It was overcast and a bit rainy, so maybe the visitors were down, but I liked it. We would've taken a canoe out for a spin, but I can't see $40 an hour. Not even Canadian $.
We also saw the river carving its' way through some rocks, where the sign said Natural Bridge. Then it was off to Takakkaw Falls. Well worth the visit, and we saw more elk along the way.
The 15th we ate breakfast in the lodge at Lake Louise, looked around there some, then off to Moraine Lake. As we left the village at Lake Louise, I picked up a young woman hitch hiking in the rain, to Banff. She was about 20, and need to get to Banff so she could get a solid wifi connection to register for her college courses in Sept. She was studying Geography with an eye on the Hydrology dept. M has a niece working on a MS in Hydrology, and a nephew with a PhD in the same field. We had a short conversation about the field of study before m nodded out. Lunch in Banff village, and headed back to Calgary.
slide show here
