Day 5 of 14: Canadian Rockies: Banff and Canmore

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Today's Itinerary: Our plan was to hang around Banff and stay a second night at the Best Western.

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We began our day with a long walk downtown before breakfast.  This was before 7 a.m. The clouds had lifted and stayed that way for a while so we were able to get glimpses of the tall mountains surrounding the town. Stores were not open yet, except for the coffee shops.

Later in the morning

The Bow River flows through one end of town.  Rainfall had been heavy over the preceeding few days, and runoff and erosion accounted for much of the brown color.  But it is also early in the season in this part of Canada, and snowmelt from the high elevations had something to do with height of the water, I am sure.

Banff Spring Hotel is a magnificent structure and a luxury hotel.  Their Web site indicates that the hotel opened in 1888 and was the birthplace of tourism in the Canadian Rockies.  We spend some 45 minutes inside, walking past dozens of shops and learning about the hotel's history.  It was a nice rainy day activity.

A drive up Mount Norquay to the ski area provided a number of lookout points.  On the drive up we could see nothing through the fog.  But on the way down it lifted nicely at one of the bends in the road and we were able to see seven bighorn sheep grazing in a meadow.  We had just enough time to take a few pictures, and the fog closed in again.  We were thrilled with our good fortune and timing.

 

Afternoon

We read nice things about a town called Canmore, just south of Banff.  Best was some time in the sunshine but the clouds were never far away.  Below are a few pictures before the rain (and hail) returned.

Day 4 Part 2: Canadian Rockies: Downtown Banff

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Today's Itinerary: Leaving Fairmont Hot Springs, driving through Kootenay National Park,

and into the city of Banff (within Banff National Park).

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We arrived in Banff and checked into the Best Western.  The hotel is on the outskirts of the town, which makes for an easy walk downtown.  Still overcast, we were disappointed we couldn't see more of the snow peaked  mountains that surround the town.  These photos were all taken about 5:30 on a Tuesday evening.   Where's the "rush hour" traffic?!

Day 4 Part 1: Canadian Rockies: Kootenay National Park

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Today's Itinerary: Leaving Fairmont Hot Springs, driving through Kootenay National Park, and into the city of Banff (within Banff National Park).

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In Kootenay National Park we saw the trip's first grizzly bear, a small one along the side of the road.  Unfortunately the full glory of this park escaped us because of drizzle and low cloud cover all day.  But whenever the clouds lifted I tried to take a photo or two.  I think the clouds and fog added some nice drama in a few of these.

Our first Grizzly Bear siting

Biker's Solitude

Vermilion River

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Inside Kootenay, at Vermilion Crossing we stopped to chat with two bikers – Dan and Cody – who were on their way to Banff to participate in an 18-mile bike race, followed by a 2,800-mile trip down the Continental Divide to the Mexican border. They told us to watch the movie “Ride the Divide” on the topic.

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Lots of rain the prior day or two:

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These bear protected trash barrels are even found in downtown areas.  We would see them everywhere in Banff and Jasper.

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Next time we might want to rent an RV.  CruiseAmerica has pickup and drop off points in 130 locations across American. I see that Spokane (our starting/finishing point for this trip) is one of those spots.  CruiseCanada must be affilitated as the Web site is identical to CruiseAmerica.

Day 3 of 14: Canadian Rockies: Idaho to Canada

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Today's itinerary: On this day we would travel from Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, across the border and on to Fairmont Hot Springs, British Columbia

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Note: Hang in there, all you mountain lovers....

We will be into the Rocky Mountains (via Kootenay National Park, Alberta) on Day #4.

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We checked out of the Best Western at Bonner's Ferry and with an "app" on Laurie's cell phone called "Yelp" we read rave reviews about a breakfast/lunch cafe in Bonner's Ferry called The Badger Den Cafe and Latte.  Yelp was right! We had a wonderful breakfast to start us on our way.

Laurie talking with the owner

First decent view of the Canadian Rockies

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Other than stopping along the road to admire the scenery, the major stop of the day was Fort Steele Heritage Town. The town popped up during the mining boom in the late 1800s (lead, silver, and zinc) but when the railroad passed it by in favor of neighboring Cranbrook, Fort Steele soon became a ghost town. Declared a heritage site in the 1960s, restored and reconstructed buildings now are on display with living-history actors during the summer months.

These are a few of the Heritage Town buildings:

Afternoon sustenance.  I like a treat with my hot coffee.  Laurie goes for the ice coffee

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Fairmont Hot Springs Resort is a 365 day per year resort, with skiing and golf in season.  It has been a destination for its mineral hot springs since the 1880s.  That's Laurie standing next to one of the original hot springs baths.  Today, the hot springs feed into several large swimming pools.

Sunset:  About 9 pm

Hang in there. I'll be getting to the good part soon.

The photos so far of our Canadian Rockies trip aren't even in Canada!  Well, in day #3 we will finally be getting into Canada, on the west side of the Rockies.  I will be posting day #3 this evening. 

And in day #4 we'll then actually be in the mountains, in the beautiful Kootenay National Park. Unfortunately, rain is expected... We'll see.

Canadian Rockies Day 2 of 14: Part 2

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Today's Itinerary: Spokane, WA to Boner's Ferry, Idaho

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Note: Hang in there, all you mountain lovers....

We will be into the Rocky Mountains (via Kootenay National Park, Alberta) on Day #4.

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One of the high points for the day was an unplanned trip to the “floating village” at Bitter End Marina in Bayview, Idaho, along the shore of 42 mile long Lake Pend Oreille. We met the owner of the ornate house prominent in the first photo.  By his invitation we were allowed onto the gated "Main Street” pier to get a closer look.

He told us not to steal any lawn furniture! I think he was being funny, as he had only a single old beaten up plastic lawn chair in front of his house. Maybe all his good stuff had been stolen. When Laurie complimented him on his beautiful floating home, he quipped, “I call this my giant cry for help!”

Bayview is also the home of the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center's Acoustic Research Detachment.  The lake is useful for deep water acoustic testing due to its 1,200 foot depth.

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Our overnight accommodations were at the Bonner's Ferry Best Western.  Also a 24 hour casino, we were nevertheless impressed with the newly renovated rooms that all had balconies facing the Kootenay River.  We actually had a very quiet and restful night.  You would never have known we were in a Casino.

I love these "southwestern" salads