Right smack dab in the middle of the town of Radium Hot Springs what do we see? A beautiful big horn sheep looking for berries:
It was evident that he knew exactly where he was going...I think he's been here before!
The locals didn't seem to give him much notice. I reckon for them seeing this guy was as mundane as alligators are in Florida.
The Banff Gondola is a must do when visiting there. It's an eight minute ride up to a summit at 7486 feet. There is a trail you can hike if you're so inclined, but at a 2292 feet elevation change, not many people take it on.
It's quite a view, both on the ride...
That's Banff down there. The mountain is Cascade Mountain...the peak you see when you look down Banff's main street. I took photos from all directions while at the top, but the pictures just don't adequately capture the magnificence of feeling the cold wind and the grandeur of it all.
We decided to take the two laned road that parallels the main highway on our drive back to Banff. It was the original road, before they had to build the four-laner to accommodate the droves of people that come to visit during season. It was a lovely drive. About half way back we stopped for lunch at a wayside table at the base of Castle Mountain.
Our picnic table looked over the Bow River and a set of railroad tracks that I imagine are the ones taken when traveling on the scenic train ride you hear so much about.
After seeing the Vermilion Lakes, we headed north to Lake Louise, named after the Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, and the wife of John Campbell who was the Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883.
To the left is Mt. Lefroy. Mt. Victoria is in the center obscured by clouds, and to the right is Mt. Whyte. In the nook of the mountains is Upper Victoria Glacier...what's left of it.
The water was almost turquoise. The photos don't really convey just how beautiful it is. You have to feel it. The air was cool. As you can see, I had on a shirt, a vest, a fleece parka and a rain jacket...and oh yeah...gloves.
This is the view from inside the hotel lounge...quite the view to relax by. I tried to imagine it with snow...a wonderland of wonderland!
Near Lake Louise is another beautiful glacier-fed lake: Moraine Lake. It's situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, all towering over 10,000 feet. One is over 11,000 feet. The photo of the lake only shows six of them, but below is a picture of them in all their glory.
On the first full day in the Canadian Rockies, we toured the area. Jasper and the Columbia Ice Fields were a bit far for us to fit in, but I did get to see the Vermillion Lakes, Lake Louise, and Castle Mountain.
First was the Vermilion Lakes...a series of lakes located immediately west of Banff. The three lakes are formed by the Bow River valley in Banff National Park at the foot of Mt. Norquay. But that's not Mt. Norquay you see in the picture. It's Mt. Rundle.
These lakes are a refuge for numerous waterfowl. Ornithologists come here to observe bald eagles, osprey and Canada geese. With a little luck beavers and elk may also be spotted. Unfortunately, we saw nothing except for a few ducks. Still, the view was beautiful.
One day I decided to take a few hours and head up the coast from Bar Harbor...which means I went Down East. My goal: to get to the West Quoddy Lighthouse in Lubec...which happens to be the easternmost town in the United States...and I did it.
This is the West Quoddy Light built in 1808. Tat land mass in the background is Grand Manan - Canada.
And while I was up there, and since I had my passport with me, I drove through town and over a bridge into Canada to see the Mulholland Point Lighthouse on Campobello Island.
There's another lighthouse on the other end of the island...East Quoddy Light, but I didn't go. It was getting late and I still had to make the drive back.
I know it's only February, but when planning a summer trip to a summer hot spot like Bar Harbor, February isn't too soon to book lodging. This trip has been a work in progress, but it's gotten down to this:
While not absolutely certain, it's likely I'll be starting with a week on Grand Manan Island 20 miles off the coast of New Brunswick.
I'll be there on yet another Elderhostel (now known as Exploritas) program. This will be my third: first Utah in 2008; then the Tetons last year; and now this. Hotel accommodations will be at the Marathon Inn where it looks like everything's nearby.
I say I'm not absolutely sure because there's a chance that I may get involved with an organization called Wanderwoman. I found them on the internet and have contacted them for details about their Maine outing. They're still in the planning stages, but we'll see. For now, it's Elderhostel.
Going ahead with that plan...once that week is over, I'll ferry back to the mainland and drive down to the Bar Harbor area where I plan to spend three days seeing at least some of the sights, including Acadia National Park. I'm sure I could spend two weeks in this area and not see it all...I'm sure I could plop myself down for two weeks and be very happy. In fact, that was the original plan. But when my travel buddy had to beg off, I chose to sacrifice doing this for having a week shared with others vs spending two weeks alone.
Now that plans are firming up, I'm starting to get excited. I've found a quaint little roadside motel just outside of town and just a couple of miles from the entrance to Acadia National Park. There's a free shuttle running to and from town, so I'll be able to get to town without worrying about traffic or parking and then get back to a tranquil setting. Sounds perfect to me!
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