Banff Continues to Beckon

Monday, July 23, 2018, we drove toward Lake Louise, the iconic Banff destination.  We were not the only ones with that idea, and to accommodate the summer crowds, a shuttle bus was necessary.  It sprinkled off and on while we walked around the lake and had a picnic on the hillside, but we scored some pretty good photos, nonetheless.

 

Next on our radar were Vermilion Lakes, where we stopped to spend some time on the inflatable paddle board and canoe which Bobby had brought with him.  The mountain setting could not have been any more dramatic.  It was a very pleasant afternoon and the shallow lakes were perfect for scooping up small fish and testing our balance.  Apparently, somebody's balance was showing it's age, because Grandma ended up in the lake!  Thankfully the water was not very cold (as was expected). In fact, the lakes are fed by hot springs.

That evening, we did a little shopping in Banff and enjoyed a well-deserved hardy dinner in town.

And guess who received a cool birthday gift from Bobby and Jill?  It's the best one in Bob's mask collection to date!

Tuesday was an another awesome adventure in "Sunshine Meadows" - the most highly rated family day-hike in the area.  The weather cooperated beautifully and we were fortunate to be there during the peak of wildflower season.  On our way there, we had to stop for a flock of rams.

 A combination of bus and chairlift took us to the trail head.  Nearby, a scenic overlook showcased the three lakes that could be reached on the 7.4 mile round-trip trail.

 I don't think I have ever seen such funny "Dr. Seuss" looking flower puffs in my life.  And the gorgeous colorful flowers and animated wildlife had me feeling like we were in one of his illustrated storybooks.

I even saw my very first marmot!

We all made it to the first lake - the one with a little island in the middle. Then Bobby's family decided to return and Bob and I continued on to the next lake.  We met up with our kids at the lodge and found them happily riding the chair lift up and down the mountain.

I have to back up and give a little background to this next section.  The day that we visited Lake Louise, we had also attempted to visit Lake Moraine, the smaller and yet most beautiful (so I had read) of the lakes in Banff.  Because of the crowds, the road to the lake was blocked off, and a vehicle would be admitted only as one left.  There was no waiting in line permitted, so you had to just happen to arrive precisely at the right time.  After several attempts, we arrived just as a vehicle was leaving; however, we were on the wrong side of the road, and although there was no oncoming traffic, when we attempted to turn and cross the road to gain entrance, we were stopped by the rangers.  To make things even more frustrating, while we were being stopped, another car turned and bolted right past the rangers.  Angrily, we gave up and left, but my heart was still set upon seeing Lake Moraine.   So after dinner Tuesday night, Bobby and I decided to make a final attempt and drove back at about 8:00 p.m. with just one hour until dark.  As we left our condo in Canmore, we saw a herd of deer wandering through the middle of town.

Bobby and I arrived at the turn off to Moraine and were able to enter without hesitation.  It was a beautiful drive.

Lake Moraine was more exquisite than we could have imagined! We arrived at the perfect time of day, and the glacial lake was the most perfect "Gatorade" liquid blue I have ever seen.  We climbed across a log-jammed river and scrambled up the tumbled rock mountain next to the lake to find our best views.  It nearly took our breath away!  (The photos are not enhanced!)

 I was completely satisfied!  It didn't matter what we would do the next day, I had come and seen and done everything I had hoped for.  But our last day in Banff would not be wasted.  We left our condo on Wednesday morning and drove the short distance to Grassi Lakes hiking trail.

After lunch, we went to Lake Minnewanka, the second longest lake in the Canadian Rockies.  This was another fun spot for water sports and relaxing in the sun.

For our final act, we took the family to Banff Hot Springs Pool for a warm relaxing soak - no splashing allowed!  (Sorry, no photos were taken except this one showing the view from the pool.)

We didn't spend as much time at our condo as the kids may have liked, but we sure got to see a lot of God's handiwork in the amazing Banff National Park.  Thanks, Bobby, Jill, Linley, Max and Elynor, for joining us and making this dream vacation such a fun and memorable one!