Canada Trip to Banff and Jasper

August 30 - September 15

Our September Trip this year was to Canada

We visited Banff and Jasper National Parks

We always go with Jan and Doug and this year

Walt's brothers and wives, 

Don, Mickie, Tom, and Sherry, came along

 Our first stop was Moses Lake, WA

 None of the pools on the trip were heated,  brrrrr

 Athol, ID

 Right outside of Silverwood Amusement Park

Fort Steele, British Columbia

 The weather got worse as we went north

But on toward Banff the scenery got better and better
The water started changing colors
These pictures were taken going thru
Kootney Nat'l Park in British Columbia

 The hills got higher

and more wildlife

Glacier up on the left of the highest hill

Alberta, Canada
Once we drove into Alberta we crossed into Banff Nat'l Park

 They build these overpasses for the wildlife to
cross the road to keep them and people safe

Lots of trains

 We camped in Banff Nat'l Park right outside of town
This is the view we woke up to every morning, bummer :o)

 Interesting setup all the sites are pull thru and fairly big

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

An old railroad lodge now taken over and run

by the Fairmont Hotel chain

 Don and Mickie on the grand staircase

 Views from the back decks

 Tom and Sherry

View of the Hotel from the Bow River Falls

Bow River Falls

 with the glacial waters

 Downtown Banff

 Rundle Mountain in the background

 Other mountains at the end of Banff Avenue

Camp meals were eaten in Jan and Doug's RV
it was too cold to sit outside -- 34 deg. mornings 54 deg. evenings

Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mtn

Banff Spring Hotel from the gondola

 Banff from the gondola with Bow River around it
and Lake Minnewanka northeast of town

on the side of this mountain you can see the
Boardwalk Trail to the top

It was definitely 32 degrees up there 

Nice trail with great views

 The trail looking back at the gondola landing

 The Group -- Doug Jan Tom Sherry Don Mickie Me and Walt

 Banff Spring Hotel

Victoria Glacier

Canoe rentals on the lake

Another old railroad hotel taken over by the Fairmont
Chateau Lake Louise

View of the lake from the hotel

 Moraine Lake

Walked up Rockpile Trail for a spectacular view of the lake

 The color was spectacular too

I can only imagine what is hiding under those low clouds

 Not this

 Oh, this is it!!

Wow

 Dinner out the last night in Banff
Jan and Doug

 Yikes

Don and Mickie

Tom and Sherry

Good food

Just sayin'

The Canadian Rockies between Banff and Jasper Nat'l Parks

if only the clouds would lift

Glaciers along the way

Icefields from Icefield Centre

The Icefields are at the Southern tip of Jasper Nat'l Park

No Way!

Jan rode in one of these 50+ years ago when her family
came up to the Icefields.  Now they have big bus
looking things that take you out onto the ice fields

 And so we arrive in Jasper and set up camp and what
comes walking in??

Beautiful

Sunwapta Falls

Athabasca Falls

Glacial water

Jan, Doug, Walt, and I went up on the Jasper SkyTram
and on to Mt. Edith Cavell while Don, Mickie,
Tom, and Sherry went into town

SkyTram overlooks the town

That's a long train

Little Pica

 The town of Jasper is laid out in the shape of a 'J'

The leaves were getting ready to change

This would be the perfect tree for Walt's Christmas tree
he likes them skinny so they just fit in the corner we have

Mount Edith Cavell with Angel, Ghost,

& Edith Cavell Glaciers

The Canadians call this a ground squirrel
I call it a chipmunk

Edith Cavell lake

This is actually a trail leading down to the lake

 When we were around camp a neighbor said there were
elk in the field along the road so the guys went over to
check it out

The next morning
Don, Mickie, Tom, and Sherry ditched us for warmer weather
so we moved our trailer over next to Doug and Jan
Yes, that is 'nest to'... big spaces

Jasper Park Lodge
Another Fairmont owned hotel

 view from the lodge

this was in town

Railroad station right in town

Walt saw this in town and thought it was unique

The next morning we woke to 29 degrees
but it got up to 65 in the afternoon
(dinners were eaten outside the rest of the trip)
Good day to go to Maligne (Ma.leen) Lake

 Maligne Canyon Trail
Along the Maligne River you cross
5 bridges going down the trail
this is Bridge #1

 Bridge #2
Deep canyon

 Bridge #3

 another view of #3

 Bridge #4

 There are a lot of spots water runs off the mountains,
thru the ground (an aquafer) into the
canyon and down into Medicine Lake.  This time
of year this is the only aquafer we saw

 Bridge #5
There is a #6 but it was a long way down river and not
much elevation to the trail so no waterfalls we didn't venture on

The snow melt runs down into Medicine Lake, also
known as Disappearing Lake because when the snow
stops melting the lake dries up.  It was pretty low and should
disappear in another two weeks

 An excelsior fire from July 2015
Extremely dry conditions caused the lightening
strike caused fire to smolder underground for 9 days

 Lake Maligne

This elk was along the road on our way back up to
Maligne Lake to take a boat tour on the lake

 It was a beautiful day for the boat ride

 The mountain range runs up the lake and circles
around Spirit Island shaped like a cane

Great day for a boat ride.  The boat captain said they
had 26 days of rain in July so they were hoping the
rest of September was going to be nice

 Miette Hot Springs had a few goats hanging around

There's Walt on the left.  It only cost $5 to get in
and you could stay as long as you want

 Back at camp

 Still cooling down in the evenings

 makes for a beautiful sunset

Heading home, our last view on the way out of the campground

and down the road

 Fog settled in the valley

Kamloops had a huge ballpark, two four plexes
and a train running down the side.  By the time I
got my camera out I was mostly past it

 Kamloops

Mount Baker just before the border at Abbotsford

Dry camping at Tulalip Casino

pretty night

and sunset

Back to Reality

Gorgeous Trip!!

Wildlife:  We saw lots of elk, a couple black bear, two
of us saw moose, I saw a wolf.  Every night in Jasper at 8:00
a murder of crows came thru camp.  We also saw squirrels, a pica,
and mountain goats.  If I didn't post a picture of it it's because we
saw it driving somewhere and I couldn't find it in the camera lens
fast enouigh