A River, a Glacier, and Lakes

An early breakfast and by 7.30am we were on our way to the next destination which was Banff.
The journey took us along the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise and then the last few miles were along the Trans Canada Highway to Banff. The first stop was the Athabasca Falls and then on to the Icefields Centre where we were taken onto the Columbia Icefields in a special vehicle. By this time it had started to snow and it was very cold but the snow had stopped while we were out of the vehicle and in the Glacier.
The next stop was Peyton Lake which is the bluest lake I have ever seen followed by Bow Lake which was larger and almost as blue. These of course are fed by the water from the Glacier and it is this that gives them the blue colour as the minute stone particles in the water help reflect the light giving it the blue effect. We finally headed for Lake Louise which is probably the most famous lake in Canada but by now the cloud was covering the Glaciers and it was snowing so we saw very little of the views at this popular ski resort.
We headed on to Banff and the Banff International Hotel which is the nicest hotel we have been in on this holiday.

A Day on Water

On another good day although a bit cooler than yesterday as we were up at about 6000ft we started the day with a morning trip to Lake Maligne where we had a lovely boat journey to Spirit Island.On the journey up the valley to the lake we saw Elk, Black Bear and Mountain Sheep. In the afternoon we set of for a Raft trip down the fast flowing Athabasca river which is 90% glacial melt water and very cold. Gaye was very apprehensive but once we got going and she realized she was not going to drown she cheered up and by the end was actually enjoying herself. The journey lasted an hour and was just fantastic with wonderful scenery in every direction and as we neared the finish we saw a Black Bear on the bank and it swam across the river just in front of us. This was a perfect end to a perfect day. In the photos below you will see a before and after picture of Gaye looking very apprehensive and then smiling. She did very well and I am very proud of her as she really was scared about doing it but conquered her fears.

Kamloops to Jasper

Day 2 of this fabulous train journey and another glorious sunny day.We headed north now following the North Thomas river and within the first 5 minutes had seen a Beaver swimming towards its lodge as we crossed the bridge out of Kamloops. Soon we were to see our one and only Bear of the trip as a young cub appeared for a minute beside the river. I am told there will be many opportunities to see Bears in the next few days.
The journey to Jasper took us into much higher mountains including a glacier. On the journey we passed a freight train and you will see it coming towards us in one of the photos. It had 186 wagons on it and was 2 miles long.
We arrived in Jasper bang on time and ended the evening with a nice meal in good company but very tired.

The Best Railway Journey in the World

I used to think the West Highland Line was the best railway journey in the world but it is outclassed by the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Kamloops. We started from Vancouver about 9.00am and 9 hours later we reached Kamloops and every mile was spectacular. The food on the train was superb and our host Simon should be on the stage he was so funny. We followed the Fraser River and then the Thomson River and in the second half of the journey we saw Eagles and Ospreys in abundance but no bears yet but that should happen tomorrow when we start climbing even higher up to Jasper following the North Thomson river. We ended the day with an excellent meal in a local restaurant in company with two other couples.

Vancouver Island and Butchart Gardens

We headed to the ferry at 7.30am this morning for a 95 minute ferry journey to Vancouver Island and it's capital Victoria. It is a beautiful city very much based on England and the harbour area is spectacular with the Empress Hotel overlooking it. After a lovely lunch in a Scottish Pub we headed to Butchart Gardens where we were allowed almost 3 hours to look round.
They were just wonderful with the most spectacular being the Sunken Garden set in an old Limestone Quarry.
We headed back to the ferry with the sea like a millpond and the scenery almost as nice as the Western Isles of Scotland. Tomorrow we leave the Hotel at 6.40am to catch the Rocky Mountaineer train to Kamloops with breakfast and lunch on the train for a 5.00pm arrival at our destination.

Vancouver Day Trip

We set off this morning for a 3 hour trip of Vancouver commencing with a view of the city from the Harbour Tower. We then went on through Chinatown to Stanley Park which is a huge area of beautiful parkland on a peninsula.
After a short break for lunch we went in a Cable Car up Grouse Mountain which was one of the venues for the recent Winter Olympics. This took us from just above sea level to over 4000ft in 8 minutes. At the top there was a Lumberjack Show which proved to be very entertaining plus many interesting wild life features including 2 Grizzly Bears. From there we visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge which takes you over the Capilano River at a deep gorge. Gaye was terrified of going over this but with the help of another Scottish lady in the tour she conquered her fear and made it over to much applause and congratulations.

Mount St. Helen's

On our flight to Vancouver we flew past Mt. St. Helen's which had its top blown of in a spectacular volcanic eruption in 1980.