Yoho National Park

We slept with the windows and curtain open.  It got down to 49 degrees last night and after the heat wave in the US it was fabulous to burrow under the covers.  We left the curtains open because we wanted to wake up for the sunrise over Lake Louise.  We woke up too late but there were no clouds in the sky and an awesome sunrise requires clouds.    I enjoyed watching the sun hit the mountains above Lake Louise.

At 8 am. all the bus tour buses began to arrive with their back-up beepers.

Gayle had paid for breakfast with our room at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.  We could go down to the main floor for a breakfast buffet or have in-room dining  We were so enjoying the view from our room so we ordered room service.  The person who delivered it set us up at a table looking out our window to the lake.  

We checked out of the hotel, put our bags in the car and then sat outside and enjoyed Lake Louise a little longer.  The lake was already alive with canoes.  

We had reservations to have afternoon tea in the main restaurant of the hotel.  

We had a nice array of tea choices.  Gayle ordered Jasmine and I ordered mint.  When it was delivered we were given a timer and the amount of time to steep our tea choices.  

We both loved the salmon sandwich and the lobster sandwich.  The scones were delicious.  Gayle is a huge fan of lemon curd and they fed her love.  

The final "course" was an incredible dessert buffet.  We could choose from macarons, macaroons, Madeleines, dark chocolate mousse tarts, lavender honey shortbread, and raspberry lemon tarts...just to name a few.  We did not overeat but we agreed we don't think we will need anything sweet for awhile.  

We finished our tea and stopped in Lake Louise Village to buy some groceries before we head to the cabin we have reserved for tonight, which is only a little over an hour from Lake Louise.  But we have plans to explore Yoho National Park.  Kootenay, Banff, Jasper and Yoho are contiguous National Parks in Canada. Today we were headed for Yoho, which is the Cree word for "awe". 

Our first stop was the spiral tunnel viewpoint.  In order to deal with a steep decline on the train line they created a spiral tunnel.  The train enters an upper tunnel and runs in a circular direction.  When it emerges form the lower tunnel it has doubled back upon itself 50 ft. lower.

Our next stop was Takakkaw Falls, the second tallest waterfall in Canada at a drop of 1,224 ft.  To get there you drive up a road with some intense switchbacks which, at one point, only allows one car to turn the corner at a time. The parking lot was packed.  We luckily found a parking spot.  We hiked towards the falls.  Gayle found a bench to watch two Saint Bernards down by the river.  

I hiked towards the falls but realized I would get pretty wet if I went any closer.  It was impressive without hiking all the way.

Next we stopped at the Confluence of the Yoho and Kicking Horse Rivers.  The Yoho is more white and less turbulent.  The Kicking Horse is more glacial blue and more wild, thus the name. I tried to hike down for a view but it was way too steep.  I tried to find an opening in the trees but it was difficult to see.

Natural Bridge is a great example of the power of water.  Even stone cannot survive water.

Gayle and I had seen photos of Emerald Lake.  We both wanted to see this jade-colored lake.  The parking lot was completely full and there were cars parked along the side of the road for a long way.  I drove into the parking lot and Gayle got out and I circled around.  She took a quick look at the scenery and brought me back a photo. We had no desire to fight the crowds for a parking space.

We headed towards our cabin for the night, which is the first exit when we left Yoho National Park.  

It is a lovely cabin but without an air conditioning or fans.  It was 90 degrees when we arrived.  This is not an area of Canada used to heat.  We sat on the front porch and ate sandwiches we had purchased back in Lake Louise Village.  I convinced Gayle to try the hammock seat.  She looked so blissful.  Another beautiful day in a beautiful place.

 

From Heli to Heaven

Gayle and I both woke up a bit frantic.  We had each done some research individually and realized that the journey to the heliport was a bit longer than we were thinking.  We weren't sad to leave the Fairmont Jasper....

...but we were looking forward to not rushing around.  We decided we didn't want to eat breakfast at this "hotel" and so we loaded our things and drove into the village of Jasper.  We found something to eat for breakfast and ordered sandwiches to go at the Patricia Street Deli. We were their first customers of the day.  One of the co-owners waited on us but before he made my sandwich he asked about our trip.  I told him I was on a 6-week retirement road trip.  He asked me what I did.  "I was a pastor," I said.  His eyes lit up with delight and he gave me an elbow bump.  This is such a different reaction than I have gotten from other people I have met along this journey.  

It isn't that I walk up to everyone and say, "Hi! I'm a retired pastor on a six-week road trip."  That would be just a tad bit creepy. But I have found that people in service jobs in Canada all engage us with questions like: "What are your plans for today?" or "What did you do today?"  When we tell them what is on our itinerary for the day the next question is always: "Where are you from?"  We explain that we are from Kansas and California.  That seems odd to them that we are from different places so I follow up with something about being on a sisters' road trip in honor of my retirement.  The inevitable next question is:  "What did you do before you retired?"  I don't hesitate to tell them I was a pastor.  The usual reactions are very unlike the one from the co-owner of the deli.  The female bellhop at Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton had a follow up question:  "What denomination?"  I said: "Church of the Brethren." She laughed and said: "A female pastor in a church called Brethren.  Now that's funny." Tonight our waiter had the very same conversation with us only when I said I was a pastor he said:  "I could make fun of you for spending your life doing that."

With our bellies full and our sandwiches in the cooler we headed to Rockies Heli for a 30 minute helicopter tour to view the Columbia Icefield.  We traveled back down the same road we traveled north on yesterday.  We marveled at how different and just as beautiful the journey south was from the journey north.  We made several stops along the way to take photos but we stayed on task.  We didn't want to be late for our ride.  

We arrived a half hour earlier than our designated arrival time so we pulled out our sandwiches and ate them at one of their picnic tables until it began to rain.  We went inside to use the restroom before it was our turn.  We both took photos of the sign above the toilet.

Our pilot was a 30ish person named Kyle.  We got our safety instructions and got into the copter for our 30 minute ride.  

We were the only passengers on the helicopter and we both sat in the front.  Gayle insisted I sit by the door because I would get to see through the side window and the front window and she has been on a couple helicopter rides before.  The beauty around us was amazing.  There is a lake right next to the heliport that is human made and is the color of a glacial lake.  It is the reservoir that provides water for all of Alberta.  

We flew right next to amazing glaciers.

Kyle, in the most calm and steady voice, gave us an explanation of how these mountains were formed; how they are different from each other; for whom they were each named; the age of the glaciers we were seeing; how Banff National Park used to bring all their "pissed off" grizzly bears and relocate them to a certain valley; how tall the waterfall was; and why a certain lake was lime green instead of glacial blue.  

I was terrified the whole time.  When I am truly frightened I get quiet because I am having a conversation inside my head trying to talk myself out of my fear.  I remember very little of his descriptions but the steadiness of his voice assured me that he was not frightened by how windy it is as your fly over ice covered mountains. 

But we safely made it back to base camp.  We thanked Kyle for the good ride and got in our car to head for Lake Louise .  We are spending the night at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.  A night in this hotel is Gayle's retirement gift to me.  We are on the fourth floor with a view of the lake.  I have always, always wanted to stay here.

We got dressed up for dinner in the hotel's Lago Restaurant.  We didn't need to dress up.  We could have worn shorts. It was the best meal we have had so far on this trip.  We had a grilled watermelon and feta salad.  When we asked our waiter (the one who thought my vocation was hilarious) about this salad he said, "You can't really grill water but it is delicious."  It was.  We also had a mushroom ravioli that was so good I wanted to lick my plate but refrained because I had a dress on.  

After dinner we walked around the hotel to get a better understanding of the lay of the land.  

There is a nice garden out front where only registered guests can sit.  There is live music.  

The lakefront was stunning.  

We took photos of each other and laughed hysterically about how not photogenic we are.

I got a great one of Gayle.

We walked along the rest of the lakefront so my sister, who is a licensed contractor, could understand how this hotel was constructed.  But the rest of the lakefront just required more photos.

Then we passed back into the registered guest only section.  

It was an odd feeling to have this boundary.  It reminded me of a time I traveled with my son Matt after I had gotten global entry and he didn't have it.  I went through the pre-check line at TSA and then waited a half hour for him to get through.  He said, "I was in the peasants' line. Now I will go wait at my gate until they call group 6 and when I get on the plane the rest of the passengers will throw rotten tomatoes at me and yell, 'peasant'".  

Back in our room we watched the sunset from our "exclusive" room.

Jasper

We ate a big breakfast in Banff because there are such limited services on the Columbia Icefield Parkway.  We have said we need to try poutine while we are in Canada.  We had the breakfast poutine.  We decided that this was not really poutine and we would have to try it again.  We were on the road by 10:30.  

The route between Banff and Jasper, without stops takes about 3 1/2 hours.  Gayle had researched the route and made a list of those things that we would like to see and would have the energy to enjoy.  Our first stop was Herbert Lake.

We had both read that Peyto (pea-toe) Lake was a must see.  It was an amazing turquoise color.

Mistaya Canyon was too much of a hike for Gayle's back.  I headed down a steep hill to find the canyon.  Every woman my age that I passed I asked if the hike was worth it.  They all agreed it was.

Tangle Falls was right beside the road.  You can't see too many waterfalls.

So we stopped to see Sunwapta Falls.

And Athabasca Falls.

We didn't stop to see the Columbia Icefields because if all goes well with the weather we are taking a helicopter ride over them tomorrow.  We made it to Jasper six hours after we left Banff.  We were very excited to arrive at our hotel.  We were tired and hungry and we had booked a room in the Fairmont Jasper.  We had seen the Fairmont Banff Springs and we were expecting something similar.  It isn't similar.  It reminds me a bit of the Kellerman Resort in the Catskills from the movie Dirty Dancing.  There is no air conditioning and Jasper is having a heat wave.  The buildings are spread over 700 acres.  Our room is nothing special.  We are quite a ways from the main lodge.  We called for help to get to dinner and we were picked up in a golf cart. We sat outside with a lovely view of Lake Beauvort and had a delicious dinner. 

We got a golf cart ride home and watched the movie Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.  I had seen it before but it is the kind of movie you have to watch a second time, a third time and in every universe.

Luuuucy's Lazy Day

We woke up later than usual today.  Thank goodness!  We took our time getting around and then realized if we actually wanted to eat breakfast we needed to move a little faster. We went across the street to a mediocre breakfast buffet.  We came back to our room and realized we should make reservations for our meals at Lake Louise and Jasper.  We assumed that since we are hotel guests we would have first priority.  Not true.  We will not eat in the nicest restaurants with the best views.  Those reservations are all taken.  It won't matter.  We will have great views all around us.

Gayle needs to rest her back today.  I did some laundry and poked around Banff a bit.  It is a tourist town with lots of gift shops that sell t-shirts and postcards next to high-end art galleries.  Every place you look there are the most beautiful flowers.  It is a very well-maintained little town with everything you need from a pharmacy to a grocery store to an Asian market to an urgent care to a ski rental to a liquor store to a realtor to a wedding planner to a cannabis dispensary -- all neatly packed in a two block radius. I went into every bakery to see if Brett would approve.  None of them appeared to bake their own pastries....so he wouldn't approve.    

I can tell that Banff is surrounded by mountains but I can't really take them in because of all the hotels and restaurants with rooftop bars.  Perhaps if we were on a higher floor we might have a view.  So while Gayle took a nap I decided to walk the Bow River Trail near our hotel and on the way back get some stamps to mail letters back to the US.  I thought I might get a better view of the surrounding mountains.  I also got an incredible view of the Bow River. 

So I decided to go a little further....

and a little further...

The trail along the river is filled with public art to remind you of the beauty of nature.

Then I saw a sign pointing ahead to the Bow Falls Viewpoint. Just this morning I had told Gayle I thought a rest day was a good idea.  "After all," I said, "I've already seen a lot of waterfalls on this trip."  As I stood there debating whether to turn back to our hotel room or go forward, I thought about a woman I knew who went to Alaska.  When she returned I asked her about her trip.  She said, "It wasn't that great."  I was surprised.  "Why not?" I asked.  "There were just too many trees," she said. I don't want to be that woman.  So I thought, "Oh hell, why not?"  As I got close enough to the falls to hear the roaring, the mosquitos started eating me alive and I realized that however far I went ahead I would have to travel coming back.  I trudged on, even though I heard Bryan's voice in my head.  Whenever I bit off more than my body could handle, he would chastise me with his best Desi Arnaz impersonation: "Luuucccy!"  The falls were beautiful and you really can't see too many waterfalls.

I also got to see the top of Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel that opened in 1888.  A room with a view of Mount Rundle in this hotel costs around $1500 a night when you add taxes and parking.

I headed back but I thought if I didn't go next to the river there would be less mosquitos.  So I took off down a trail next to the road.  There was no one on it and I started thinking about how Gayle and I saw a grizzly bear run past a crowd of tourists at the St. Mary's Lake boat dock in Glacier.  I decided I needed to be bear aware and let the bear (if there was one) know I was there.   So I just started singing, "Hello, bear" over and over again as I walked.  I felt silly but I preferred feeling silly over the fate of death by bear.  

I finally made it back to the pedestrian bridge that crosses the river.  My feet were aching and I had not thought to bring water when I headed out for what I intended to be a brief jaunt.

I stopped at the first convenience store I found and bought two bottles of water.  I downed the first one in the store and drank the other one as I limped home past the most beautiful flowers.  I arrived back at the hotel with sore feet, an aching knee and a beet red face.  

We made a reservation for 5 p.m. for a sushi restaurant because of how many tourists are crammed into a few blocks.  We got there a few minutes early and found out they had certain rolls half price until 5 p.m.  We ordered quickly to get one of them half price.  I think it was the best sushi of my limited experience.  (I always said I hated sushi until I tried it for the first time at the age of 58.)  We paid full price for a roll they called Hello Lobster.  It was amazing.  If I am ever in Banff again I want to remember to go to Hello Sunshine Sushi.

We had made reservations to go up to the top of Sulphur Mountain via the Banff Gondola.  We took public transportation, which is free if you have a gondola reservation.  It takes eight minutes to go from the lower terminal to the upper terminal.  We got a car to ourselves.  

We wanted to see the sunset from Sulphur Mountain so we took our time exploring. 

 The first level has a large outdoor deck that allows you a beautiful panorama of the surrounding mountains and to look down towards the town of Banff.

There were Bighorn Sheep walking all around, as if they were posing for us.

The second level has a great film that makes you feel like you are flying over Banff National Park.  There are all kinds of educational displays.  The third level holds two restaurants with incredible views.  The fourth floor is the top so that you can sit outside, drink a glass of wine and be surrounded in the beauty.  The park warden was providing live music, playing his guitar and singing.  He was excellent.  

Just before the sun went down he finished his set and we all moved to the edge and snapped photos.

I had a hard time leaving.  I always think if I wait one more minute it will get even more beautiful.

There was a long line to get a gondola car back down the mountain.  The mosquitos came out in full force and it looked like we were all dancing as people tried desperately to beat them off.  Gayle took the most hilarious video.   Once again we got a gondola car to ourselves and took the 8 minute ride to the bottom, in search of pubic transportation back to Banff.  We waited about 40 minutes as the mosquitos feasted on our flesh.  We got back to our room around 11:30 p.m.