Spruce Grove Inn Hotel Banff

... The meadow looked beautiful and peaceful. The mountain was brushed with fresh snow and the pass we were supposed to ascend was shrouded in cloud.













Over hot chocolate and a lengthy potato pancake ...

I was finally fortunate enough to have a nice day on one of my days off, clear blue skies, warm breezes.. fantastic day really. So I decided to get outside and went for a 12km return hike, (with a bruised toe and sore knee I might mention).

I went through a place called the Johnston Canyon, which has waterfall after waterfall ...

... do our grocery shopping it decided to rain, which meant all the views of the mountains were gone, but I didn't mind the rain at all. The only problem with it was when we had to run to catch the greyhound back to Lake Louise. We were in the grocery store half way through doing our shopping when I looked at my watch and realised that we had 15minutes to get out of safeway and get to the bus, luckily we made it on time. :-) Anyways hope you enjoy the photos

... the Cave and Basin it's a National Historic Site of Canada and the birthplace of Canada's national park system. Warm water bubbles up from the ground into pools of water - the thermal springs on the side of Sulpher Mountain. When you walk into the building you immediately smell sulpher, a rotten egg odour permeates the air. Plants, fish and a rare 'Banff ...

... right on to one of the lateral moraines, a narrow snow covered ridge. The moraines are made up of glacial till, an unconsolidated mass of loose rock and regolith, thereofore not very stable. We stopped at the end of the trail as near to the glacier as we could get, high above the valley bottom, where crevases were visible!! We stopped here for a while, a truly awesome expereince, we both stayed silent taking it all in, something I love to do in places of natural beauty. There was silence only ...

... mum and another 2 cubs crossing the road. We did get a photo but from a safe distance. It was so exciting, but nerve-wracking. We cycled on up and over Sinclair Pass (4875ft) and cruised to Kootenay Park Lodge where we spent the night in a real old log cabin. Next day we went over Vermilion Pass (5376ft) and the Continental Divide, for the 2nd time. Had lunch in Banff then back to Castle Mountain and ...

... s in every country I visit). This was one of the best I have tried, so Canada feel proud!!! Woke up to perfect blue sky so off to the mountain we headed. It seems everyone had the same idea as we had to park about 2 km's from the ski lift. The day was superb, blue sky, no clouds, approx 9 degrees and powder. We both preferred the runs here in Sunshine as the green runs are a bit more accommodating for the beginner skier ...

... snow was left behind. Watching it out of the window was fantasic, nice huge flakes dropping to the ground. I tried to take some photos to show which I have uploaded h**e, but it really doesn't give a true picture. Beautiful nonetheless! My skin has really dried out h**e too, so moisturising regularly is a must. I am not alone and even Canadians from oth** provinces who come h**e suff** from dry skin syndrome - head to toe! All in all I am traveling ...

... roadtrip in a few days. Take care and enjoy the end of summer!!! P.S Why if I want to fly from Calgary to say New York or Chigago for instance, do I have to go through Dallas or Houston. I must admit I am not too shabby in the geography department and I can't quite figure this triangular route out in my brain. Also did you know that say flying from Calgary to say Pheonix in say randomly like February, only costs about $330.00 return. Amazing!! Cheers for now!