Banff sunset from our hotel room.
Fog hung over Lake Louise as we braved the chilly morning and walked the trail along the lake, hoping to see some wildlife. Nothing, not even a bird. Back at the hotel, an excited man ran past us shouting, “Grizzly.” We learned later that he had indeed seen a grizzly and the hotel staff had ushered everyone on the walking path back to the hotel grounds. We had missed the sighting by minutes.
Fencing to protect drivers and wildlife.
A friend who is a frequent visitor to Canada, especially in August to escape the Texas heat, recommended the spiral tunnels as a must-see, so on our third day in Lake Louise we drove to Yoho National Park, BC. “Yoho” in the Cree language is an expression of awe and wonder. read more…
Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station
We had a lot on our agenda for day two in Lake Louise, so we were on the road early, driving to the Banff Gondola for a cableway ride to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. As far as picture taking went, I was a bit concerned about the overcast morning, but we were really after the experience more than a photo op. Michael, from the Rocky Mountaineer crew, had suggested that we take the gondola ride, so we had squeezed this event into our original schedule, which made the day a bit hectic but well worth the adventure.
Not long after we hopped off the gondola and made our way to the rooftop observation deck, the weather cleared considerably and we spent well over an hour snapping photos—from there and from the wooden boardwalks that led to the mountain summit. On the walk back to catch our gondola down the mountain, it began to snow, but even as we dangled on the cable and swayed in a stiff breeze, I was able to take a few shots through the glass bottom of our gondola car. Read more: https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/banff-gondola/webcams/#/0
I called the day “my adrenaline rush,” for after the gondola ride, we drove to the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre to board a bus to the Glacier Skywalk, a glass-floored observation platform 918 feet over the Sunwapta Valley—a knee-quivering experience, but with fabulous views.
Before our return trip to Lake Louise, we stopped at Weeping Wall, a waterfall fed by a spring high in the mountains. In winter, the entire cliff face freezes to form a wall of blue ice.
Having had only a light breakfast and skipping lunch altogether, we were famished. We had reservations at the Post Hotel Lake Louise. A shade early for dinner, we enjoyed a glass of wine in the Sir Norman Lounge.
For starters, we shared an order of the Sautéed Deep Sea Scallops with Chef’s Asian Sauce and an order of the Atlantic Lobster Risotto with Salsify. For my main, I chose the Pan-Seared Miso Marinated Fillet of BC Black Cod with a ginger white wine sauce, Chinese broccoli, and roasted fingerling potatoes. David ordered the Whole Roasted Northwest Territories Caribou Striploin with Saskatoon berry cream sauce, creamy savoy cabbage, and Schupfnoodles. Pleasantly full, we ordered light desserts—homemade vanilla and rum raisin ice cream. Overall, a five-star dining experience.