1934 Miles-Road Trip Complete!

Last night we made it to Spokane, WA and spent the night downtown. We had never been to Spokane so it was fun to investigate the town. There was a nice park right on the river. Now that I have been to Spokane, though, I see no need to go back. I saw it all. Today we drove to Richland and visited with a friend. We went to their pool house and the girls had 2.5 hours of pool time. They had a great time but definitely did not want to get back in the car afterwards. We made it home around 6:30. Mickey was happy to see us and it was good to be home! We had a great vacation.

Johnston Canyon

It poured all last night and into the morning. On our last day here, it was the last thing we wanted to see. We decided we would go out anyways and chose a hike in Johnston Canyon. It was amazing with one waterfall after another. The creek carved itself through limestone walls. The trail was well-maintained and we were mesmerized by all the sights. By the time we descended, the sun had come out. All was not lost on our last day, after all!

Mountain Biking

Today we went back to the town of Banff. We walked around, had lunch and then walked around some more. It was a beautiful day. We then returned to our condo so that Pearl could take her nap. Once Pearl woke up, we went on a mountain bike ride to a playground and then on a trail along a river in Canmore. Carli rode really well (aka not one complaint or whine!). We ride to an old coal mine. Carli had lots of questions about the entire mining process. I love how inquisitive she is. Tomorrow is our last day here; time goes too fast!

Minnewanka Lake, Mt Norquay ski area

Today we went to Minnewanka Lake for a picnic and small hike. It was incredibly beautiful. Besides hiking, there is fishing and boating but I wanted to see the bighorn sheep. There were no sheep to be found despite every tour book telling us we would.

We also saw Two Jack Lake and then Eric wanted to see the Norquay skiing area, which was close by. Everywhere we went, the views were amazing. And finally at the Norquay ski area we saw some bighorn sheep. We have seen plenty of deer and rabbits but I was really after something a bit "wilder" and today Banff delivered!

Lake Louise, Mirror Lake and Moraine Lake

the drive there
Lake Louise










Moraine Lake



Today we drove about 40 miles from Banff to several lakes. Breathtaking and magnificent do not say enough about how incredible these lakes looked. We first went to Lake Louise and the Victoria Glacier. After we viewed the lake, we hiked the Lake Agnes trail. Pearl walked the entire 2 miles up to an area called Mirror Lake, which was another smaller lake. We ate lunch and then headed back down. By the time we got down the trail, Pearl was pretty tired but we headed to Moraine Lake next. It was another fabulous lake with an even more intense blue color. It was a great day.

More Banff

Today we went into Banff proper. Amazingly, the tourist trap town of Banff is located inside the National Park of Banff. The amount of commercialization kind of ruined it for me. But the scenery surrounding the town is spectacular. Another milky turquoise river flowed through the town with the mountains as a backdrop. It was a little cool and rainy, so we made the trip short. Tomorrow and the rest of the week is supposed to be nice weather so we will be able explore more.

Banff

Well, we arrived in Banff. It took about eight hours to get here from CDA. We had an hour wait at the border, so that didn't help things. By the time we got here, everyone was thrilled to be out of the car. The scenery is stunning. The mountains are magnificent and HUGE! Throughout the drive, we saw mountain after mountain and streams, rivers and lakes. There really is no way to describe how incredible the mountains really are. The pictures do the mountains no justice at all.

Carli and I went to the grocery store. $7 for a box of cereal (and actually more because our money is worth less than the Canadian dollar) was a bit shocking. I guess the views have a price!

We then met some friends for dinner. They live in Montana but happened to be here tonight for business. It was nice to catch up.

Tomorrow we will begin to explore the area.

Few More Pics of CDA