Oh CANADA! Golden, Jasper, Banff and more....

Saturday, we crossed the border into Canada.  Everyone hears horror stories of being stopped at the border and delayed there by some authority obsessed young guy who takes delight in searching through all your personal belongings.  We had originally hoped to take the RV up into Canada, but no guns are allowed across the border and they are VERY strict about that. We had gotten advice from numerous people ranging from “just do it – it’s unlikely you’ll get caught” to “don’t even think about it. They find a gun, you will go to jail immediately and could be held up for 2-3 days!” So we didn’t want to risk it, although it bugged us.  However it could not have been a smoother process.  He looked at our passports, asked if we had any firewood or firearms, how long we’d be in Canada, etc. and breezed us on through. It was a cool rainy day. It never got above 46 today and drizzled rain ALL DAY LONG!!!  I’m not used to that.  I like the Florida rain that lasts about 15 min and the sun can shine all the while!  We got to our hotel and checked in, rested a little while and then went to dinner.

We checked out Trip Advisor and on their recommendation, went to The Turning Point. Just excellent!  We had the Canadian Trio, which was bison short ribs, beef tenderloin and maple glazed bacon wrapped scallop.  Fresh veggies and a yummy Caesar salad.  Just delicious!!! Rather shocking though to get your bill of $60 and we shared the meal! And had water to drink! So lucky we weren’t ravenously hungry and each got our dinner.  We eat out a lot, but not used to paying quite this much even in very nice restaurants. It was perfectly prepared though, and thoroughly enjoyable.

 Sunday, Sept 6^th – Jasper!!!   We woke up to a cold crisp morning but so thankful there was absolutely no wind!  The wind is what makes me hate cold weather.  I could handle today anytime, even though it was only in the mid 30’s.  Really crisp and invigorating and lovely.  Started out a slight rainy drizzle, but soon cleared up and oh the sights we saw!  If any of our friends are planning trips to the Canadian Rockies, prepare to be awed!  I took 160 pictures today!! In Canada, it takes some getting used to when you see everything is measured in kilometers and liters, etc.  Shortly after crossing the border, I saw the speed limit sign at 100 km and I was thinking whoa, that’s awesome, when Earl said that’s actually a little over 62 MPH.  

 Again, we pulled up to get gas and it’s $1.29 per liter, which means almost $5 a gallon in Amerian gallons - and you fill up when we’re only half empty (as we didn’t know if there’d be gas available in the national parks) – half a tank was over $50!!  So imagine it costing $100 every time you fill your car!  Food is also outrageous here!  It’s average to pay $16-$20 for a hamburger!  A side salad is about $16,entrees from $25 on up -  that gives you an idea.  So I hope salaries are much higher up here as just like in America, restaurants are always full so people adjust to those prices I guess.

As soon as we got gas, we went straight to Tim Horton's - in Canada, that's like Starbucks in the states. I'm not a coffee drinker, so it didn't mean anything to me, but Earl couldn't wait for his Tim Horton coffee.  We had been told by several people to be sure and get their famous donuts, so we got our coffee and hot chocolate and ordered 2 donuts to go.  Hmmmm I think Tim Horton should go take lessons from Krispy Kreme on how to make donuts.  Ok, I guess, but not worth the calories.  We won't be getting donuts again while we're here.  haha

And get a load of this money!  Wow, it feels weird, silky like and it's so pretty! And notice there are parts of it that are clear.  Interesting! Wonder if America will ever go to colored money? And EVERYthing is is both English and French up here!  Every grocery item, every road sign, everything, feels like we're back in Europe, almost.

The Columbia Icefields are really something to see too! You drive through the heart of the Canadian Rockies and the parkway winds through ancient glaciers, dramatic rock spires, emerald lakes and broad sweeping valleys. We drove past 100 glaciers, sparkling waterfalls and turquoise lakes on the way to Jasper.  Athabasca Glacier was a magical area, but we were told not to walk on the glacier, as crevasses and other hazards can be deadly. A total area of 200 km, the Columbia Icefield is the largest mass of glacial ice in the Canadian Rockies. It feeds several large glaciers, including the Athabasca, the Columbia and the Saskatchewan.  Glaciers form where more snow falls in winter than melts each summer. As the snow gets thicker and heavier, it compacts into dense glacial ice that slowly flows downhill, like a river of taffy.

We were incredibly excited to see snow!!!!  Just beautiful!!!  Light snow covering the magnificent fir treese and probably 4-6 inches on the ground in certain parts!

You know you're in the far north when you see these kinds of signs.  LOL

We stayed in the quaint little town of Golden, which was the perfect hub for us to visit all the National Parks and see the sights.

If we don't stop eating all this wonderful food, this is going to be Earl and me when we get home.  LOL  I unobtrusively took this photo in a restaurant and told Earl we'd better start watching our weight.

Monday, Sept. 7^th – Banff! 

We drove through Yoho National Park to go to Banff today.  What beauty all around us! I wonder if people who live here get complacent about the beauty or does it just astound them every day like it does us? The grandeur of the Rockies must be seen to be believed!  I am continually frustrated that the photos don’t do it justice, you just don’t get the depth and details that your eyesight gives you, and then we start talking again about what a GIFT our eyesight is!  Oh I’m so grateful to be able to have seen this incredible place! The natural beauty of Banff and Lake Louise and the surrounding lakes are just staggering.

Downtown Banff.... 

 The weather was cold and very cloudy so the photos don't show as well as I'd have liked.  I hope you can still see what beautiful sights these were!

It’s interesting to learn that water flows to three different oceans from this area, known as a hydrological apex.  On the British Columbia side, meltwater flows into the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean.  On the Alberta side, the North Sascatchewan and Athabasca rivers feed into the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, respectively. These rivers provide fresh drinking water to millions of people and provide crucial watering of agriculture. That’s why they are protected in a national park.

We were continually told to watch out for grizzly bears, but unfortunately we didn’t see a single one! We were startled to see an elk just grazing right out in someones yard in a condominium type building….he seemed totally unintimidated by our presence, not at all skittish, just looked at us, like we were looking at him and continued to amble across the road into another wooded area.

On another ride, we noticed traffic in the oncoming lane just backed up and we wondered if there had been an accident, but as we got there, we saw 3-4 large big horn sheep on the side of the road.  We were unable to even snap a photo as we were already going by and the traffic was pretty solid on the other side of the road, but at least we glimpsed these magnificent animals. 

Four of the mountain national parks – Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay are recognized as part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, for the benefit and enjoyment of all nations. There is just outstanding natural beauty in the snow capped mountains, the beautiful waters of Lake Louise, Morraine Lake, the Columbia Icefield and the Burgess Shale.

We did go on to Two Jacks lake and lo and behold we found swimmers in the water!  Whaaaat?  Are they crazy??? I got out just to take a picture of these crazy people swimming in bitter cold waters, and we struck up conversations with these guys – all in wet suits of course, but still teeth chattering and body shaking almost uncontrollably as they got out! They’re training for a triathlon event there next weekend!  Yikes, now that takes some commitment.  Nicest guys though – we talked a lot about the Clermont, FL triathlete events as my nephew is involved in those on occasion.

This guy was shivering and shaking, and easy to see why!

Lake Louise is just breathtaking – the emerald waters with the mountain backdrop is just lovely. It is probably the most photographed location in the Rockies. This spectacular alpine setting is the hub for iconic hikes, canoeing, horseback riding, climbing and just awe-inspiring scenery.

 Our friends, Lloyd Heilman and Nancy Hays had urged us to not miss seeing Moraine Lake, so we got there only to find cars lined up for literally miles! We decided to drive on up to the entrance to see what was happening, and the road was completely blocked and a policeman was there stopping everyone and giving passes to go up 3 miles to get on a shuttle bus to come back – no more cars were allowed in at all!  Our time was limited so we decided to pass on that, which was disappointing.  I’ll have to enjoy Lloyd’s photos of this place.

Lake Minnewanka and Johnson Lakes are 2 more beautiful lakes, all of which have that mesmerizing green water.  We discovered the color is due to mineral particles washing down from the glaciers, and the water is incredibly clear!  

Then we went over to Natural Bridge - oh my, this was one of my favorites~

On our way back to Idaho, we passed the most beautiful valley....

Approaching the border.....

Home sweet home, but still dreaming about the Canadian Rockies.....