Canadian Rockies Trip - Day 3 (Tuesday, September 26, 2006)
- Lake Louise -
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| One of the dramatic mountains seen along the Bow Valley Parkway. (Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada) |
We had a relatively relaxed morning, knowing we did not have to start really early. Still, we got ready fairly quickly and drove to Castle Mountain Junction to finish the rest of the scenic drive up the Bow Valley Parkway. The weather started out rather cloudy, making for some interesting views of clouds hugging mountains. We first stopped at Castle Mountain to look upon its imposing face. One stop on the parkway had a monument to the Ukranians who stayed in an internment camp in that area during World War I.
At the end of the parkway, we reached the Lake Louise area and proceeded to Chateau Lake Louise. We went inside to wander around, checking out the artistic pieces such as stained glass windows of local fauna. At the Lakeview Lounge, we found our first good look at the lovely Lake Louise and Victoria Glacier. Soon, we headed outside for a closer view of the lake and made a stop at the car to prepare for our hike of the day.
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| The Big Beehive and Mirror Lake. (Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada) |
The trail started at Lake Louise, then steadily climbed uphill though the trees. At a sharp switchback, we got a beautiful glimpse of the turqoise lake with a snowy ridge above it. Then, we reached Mirror Lake, which reflected the massive Big Beehive peak. From there, we continued climbing until we reached a waterfall and stairs that led to Lake Agnes and its teahouse. At this point, it became quite chilly, so we quickly entered the small teahouse.
After securing a table by a window, we relaxed and had some Chamomile Tea. We then went outside to eat the lunches we brought, but stayed under the eaves during a light spell of rain. The weather quickly warmed up again and we took pictures of Lake Agnes in its dramatic mountain setting, then headed back down the trail. After spending just a little more time at admiring Lake Louise, we got in the car and headed to Moraine Lake.
We listened to a hand crank powered recording about the lake then started up the Moraine Rock Pile Trail. At the top, we saw great views of Moraine Lake and the peaks surrounding it. One of the interpretive signs compared the view with its representation on one of Canada's previous versions of its $20 bill. We made a stop at the Moraine Lake Lodge's gift shop before leaving for the Lake Louise Sightseeing Gondola. It turned out that we did not have sufficient time to take the gondola before it closed for the day - not a big deal.
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| Moraine Lake and its surrounding mountains. (Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada) |
Upon returning to Banff, we parked just below the Banff Springs Hotel to look at Bow Falls, which also had a good view of Tunnel Mountain. Still having extra time, we then drove the Lake Minnewanka Loop to see that lake plus Two Jacks and Johnson Lake. We returned to the condo earlier than expected. Peggy decided to rest while Arlene and I walked around the complex to check out the pool, racquetball court, exercise room and tennis courts. Margaret joined us later.
We had dinner at the condo, then went back to downtown Banff to explore the shops. Arlene bought some ice wine at the Banff Wine Store and the others picked up souvenirs elsewhere. We did a bit more shopping for groceries before returning to the condo, where we packed for tomorrow's only night away from the condo on the trip. I took some time to write postcards as well before going to sleep.
Contact me if you have any questions or comments about this trip.
| Document last modified January 06, 2009. Copyright © 1995-2009 Andrew Sawadisavi. All rights reserved. |
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