During the planning of our trip I had lots of great input from members of the Steve Saunders Goldwing Facts Forum on what areas to visit and where to stay while in Canada. Two members in particular "Dusty Boots" (Ken) and "Hodgy" (Brian Hodgkins) helped set the route for us. Dusty is from eastern Canada and travels extensively in the summers, he has a memory that is amazing for the best routes and places to stay. Hodgy is from the area we are visiting and rides the roads up here on a regular basis. A great big thanks to both of them is deserved as they both did a great service to us.
When we left out of Waterton Park we headed about 100 miles or so north and met up with Hodgy in the small town of Longview, AB. He road with us the rest of the way into Kananaskis Country to the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. What a spectacular road (hwy 40). It was very difficult to keep my eyes on the road given the fantastic scenery.
Entering Kananaskis Country!!
Following Brian (Hodgy) in. Very hard to concentrate on the road!!
We came across a few "Canadian Speed Bumps" during our ride into the Kananaskis. The mountain sheep come out on the roads in the summer looking for salt that gets spread on the road during the winter. The will not move for you at all. Sometimes people actually have to gently bump them with their bumpers to get them to move out of the road.
Canadian Speed Bumps licking the asphalt for the salt.
Sharing a sandwich and some cookies with Brian (Hodgy) at the camp site.
I am somewhat envious of Brian, he lives in a beautiful area and can make the ride through this section any time!!
We drove around the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and was amazed at the views! If you are ever on your way to Banff/Jasper parks and you pass this area up you will be missing out on a phenominal experience. I took a panorama picture of the mountains from the lake but the picture does not do justice to the view.
While wandering around the lake we ran into a total of 8 bears. A female grizzly and her 2 cubs, an immature (teenage) grizzly and finally a black bear and her 3 cubs. This is the height of berry season here and the bears are out in mass eating as many as 150,000 to 200,000 berries a day. (according to the lecture on bears in Waterton). We are definitely practicing "Clean Camping" No food or items with an odor in the tents and everything else back in the car for the night.
An immature grizzly not far from the campgrounds!!
On the morning of the 14th we packed up and headed for Banff and the Johnston Canyon Campground. Banff town is a heavily tourist oriented place. Lots and lots of shops catering to the visitors to the park. Prices for food and necessities are quite high, almost double what you pay at home. After setting up camp we headed into town to do a bit so shopping.
The days are in the upper 80's but the nights get down to almost freezing. We have sleeping bags rated at 20 degrees but Rick and Nancy's bags are not rated for quite those temperatures. They were a bit chilly in the mornings.
On the 15th we made the loop of Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack lakes. Minnewanka is the largest reservoir in the park. From the dam area you can only see less than 1/3 of the lake since most of the lake is hidden behind a mountain where the lake curves to the right.
Two Jack Lake with Mount Rundle in the background. Banff resides at the base of Mount Rundle.
After our tour of the lakes we decided to ride the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulfur Mountain. From the top you get a 360 degree view of the mountains in Banff National Park. To say it is awe inspiring is a bit tame of a description. You get a great view of Banff, the Banff Spring Hotel, Lake Minnewanka, Two Jack Lake and much much more. I took several videos with the iPad and have edited them to show an almost 360 degree view from the top of the mountain.
From inside the Gondola on the way up Sulphur Mountain
Please excuse the video quality, I am in a hotel with a very slow internet connection. I will upload the full 1080p video when I get home and will update the links at that time.
After coming back down we did laundry in town --- ouch $4 to wash a load and almost 3 to dry the same load. It would almost be cheaper to just rebuy the underwear!!
Early to bed and early to rise!! we got up at 5:45 and tried to get to Lake Louise at 7:00 AM before the sunrise. Unfortunately I miscalculated and the sun was already up. We had to wait until the canoeist were off of the lake in order to get a great reflection in the lake.
Early morning around 7:15 AM.
A little while later and the early morning golden light is gone, but the water is smooth as glass.
After coffee and a roll in the lodge we headed out to what I consider the most beautiful lake in the world. Lake Moraine. The Glacial Silt or Rock Flour turns the lake a beautiful shade of light blue. With the high mountains in the background and the glaciers draining into this lake it is hard to find a more stunning view anywhere.
Lake Moraine from atop the "Rock Pile"
We hiked to the far end of this lake and views of the tall peaks and glaciers just gets better and better. On the way I looked up and was astonished to see a set of waterfalls coming from the top of one of the peaks. The glacier that sits atop the mountain is melting and the resulting waterfall is absolutely mesmerizing.
Glacier fed waterfall high up in the mountains above Lake Moraine.
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