Dynasty Inn Banff

Just remembered a few things i forgot in my first blog! there are 3 more guys coming in to our flat but they are not here till december. I pulled the short straw and am going to be the one sharing with a randomer, im sure ill live though. however, this has meant that until he arrives me being the genius i am, i have pushed the two beds together to make a double bed (which mum never allowed me to have at home ...

... Spruce and Lodge-Pole Pine) to glacier fed Boom Lake; well worth the uphill climb for a great picnic.<br><br>On the road again -- more stories from Waterton National Park soon...<br><br>Tidbits:<br>- Haven&#8217;t seen a real sunset since June; NWT due to no darkness and Alberta because of the mountains.<br>- Rant: Fire permits in Alberta National Parks are a rip-off and cause people to waste &#8220;free&#8221; wood.

... was a gruelling 25 hour Greyhound bus trip from San Francisco (urgh!!) I made it without too much hassle, and spent the first night in Vancouver getting drunk and partying - I met my first Canadian that night - The bartender Alex :) The next day I pretty much slept it away, the following day I went on a hop on hop off tour of Vancouver - it's a really beautiful city with pretty much everything you'd want. From Vancouver I went on a Moose tour which first of all went to ...

... where it is. <br>On our way there we took pictures of the rain coming to Banff through the mountains. and we saw an Elk on the side of the street. Seeing that animal walking freely I was so happy I had tears in my eyes. It's good to see them outside of the Zoo. <br><br><br>We are all tired, but the first day here was a success. Beautiful weather, most beautiful scenery, hotel is good.... and we are happy. <br><br>Just can't wait for the next day to come.

... spaced out than I originally thought, but its still very much a small country town. Turns out the population here is 500... I think my high school was bigger than that! I haven't had a chance to check out the Lake yet, it's a bit of a walk from here and I think I need to get some decent walking shoes before I attempt it. But I have been to the snow hill, and even though a lot of it has melted away its still a great sight. A little too steep for my toboggan hehe.

... I walked around downtown through the shops, and on my way here I decided that there wasn't a better time or place to get my 3rd tattoo - the Canadian Maple Leaf, in honor of my time spent here and my birthplace. So 5:30 I sat in the chair! And yes mom I watched them spray everything down and get a new needle! 20 mins later the red maple leaf was complete and I and my wrist had a brand new tattoo. I then decided I should go ...

... in the Rockies), glacially-fed lakes and 5 of the 12 icefields (large upland glaciers) that flank the route. Although the road goes to 2088m above sea level it was a good wide road and at no time did it feel high as the valley that it goes through is extremely wide. There are pulloffs along the road with information about the viewing areas. We stopped at Hector Lake, Bow Lake, Bow Glacier where the meltwaters cascade down ...

... we hiked up to two others, first Mirror Lake and then Lake Agnes, which boasts a charming teahouse from which to enjoy its magnificent view at an altitude of about 7000 feet. In the evening we capped it all off with a delicious dinner at Chateau Lake Louise, overlooking the lake. I took my final picture of Lake Louise at 10:45 pm, in the beautiful northern-summer twilight.

... had a very amusing fall in the carpark.The gondola ride was only a few minutes to the top but the views were stunning. We could see right across the town and to the mountains all around. From the top of the gondola there was a short walk along a boarded platform to another peak where there was a cosmic ray station. Norman Sanson climbed the mountain without the aide of the gondola for 30 years, almost every day for scientific study. We had some amazing views as you ...

... ridiculously cold temperature, a lot of the water was freezing as it went down the falls. This made for amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations all over the falls. The river itself was something to see with steam rising above the running water, caused by the difference in temperature between the water and the surrounding air. Most of the surface water had frozen, but we could hear the loud noise of the water running below the surface ...