8:45 AM - 5 PM
Thank you, Lord, list:
another bear
beautiful places to enjoy without having to pay the hotel bill
warm grilled vegetable salad with balsamic reduction and goat cheese
hot tub that looks out on mountain views
good health for all three of us
comfortable beds almost every night
Great weather almost every day of this trip
We didn't exactly hang out in Banff today. We returned to Lake Louise, the most photographed spot in Canada, and I threw out the dark, dreary pictures of yesterday in exchange for this:
Lots of foreign languages and accents in this iconic place and all over this part of Canada. I met a couple from Durban yesterday on the Glacier Walk because they recognized my Ekhuruleni Libraries ball cap. (Ekhuruleni is the post-apartheid name for our part of Johannesburg.) We have been surprised at the number of waiters, tour guides and hotel workers with Aussie accents. Easy visas one told Steve and a beautiful place to work.
We checked out Moraine Lake, another turquoise jewel and then drove west on Route 1. It was marked scenic on our map and lived up to its designation as our lunch spot at the Visitor's Center for Yoho National Park at Field, BC, shows. I asked what Yoho means. Evidently it is Cree for "Wow!" Appropriately named.
The guy at the Visitors Center recommended the Natural Bridge where a waterfall has eaten out the rock beneath so that it goes under the stone bridge. A short walk for Mom.
He also recommended Emerald Lake. It had that gorgeous turquoise water surrounded by mountains and not nearly as many people as Lake Louise. The wildflowers were mostly past their peak, but the scent remained strong. I fantasized celebrating my birthday at this lodge next year until Steve went on-line and discovered it cost $350 per night withOUT breakfast.
At the town of Golden we turned south on Rt. 95. Rt. 95 was NOT marked scenic on the map. Mom concluded the lack of scenic designation just means they don't provide turnouts for gaping at the view. Or taking pictures. This "non-scenic" area includes the headwaters of the Columbia River, route to the Pacific for early explorers. This view was behind a rest stop. I had to climb through the woods and along a railroad track to get it. It should not be considered scenic because there were no little dots along the road on the map.
At Radium Hot Springs (scary name if you ask me!) we turned back northeast on officially scenic Rt. 3. We could see the hot springs pool from the road. It looked like a YMCA. Liard River was way better! We were now in Kootenay National Park. As the guide book said, it has a pretty dramatic entry. The road is built OVER a waterfall where it passes through a narrow gorge.
The upper part of this route was devastated by fire in 2003. For forty days it burned! The dead trees cover 170 acres. So sad to see.
We saw a bear in the morning on Rt 1, the only wildlife we spotted all day. This whole area is national park. Jasper and Banff and several over towns are located inside the parks. I thought these flyovers for wildlife were a great idea.
Tomorrow we start home in earnest. We have gotten only a taste of the Canadian Rockies, but it is a taste like dark chocolate or Alpha Morning Sun five-year-aged cheddar from Burnett Dairy--something to be savored. I am thrilled that Steve is talking "when we come back," not "if we come back."
Afghan update: I actually did four rows on that "not-scenic" part of our day. The valley was broad enough that the view wasn't changing every hundred yards. But I didn't take a picture. This Red Carpet Inn is remarkably blah for such a spectacular setting. Don't ask me about the housekeeping.
No comments:
Post a Comment