Day 5 - Banff/Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

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What a day! We decided last evening to sleep in a little later and catch the bus to downtown Banff at 9:00. The regional bus stops at the campground every 40 minutes and is only $1.00 for seniors. Diane and I spent the morning checking out the downtown while Ray and John went to a coffee shop so that Ray could input yesterday's blog, as there is no internet at the campground. This may be an issue as we go along as some sites do not have internet. Jan and Bud took the Banff gondola ride and thoroughly enjoyed it. The rest of us had already ridden it on a previous visit here. We then met atthe Fairmont Hotel and soaked in all of the spectacular views from their terrace. We bused back to the campsite, had a quick lunch and piled into one of the RV's and headed to Lake Louise. Lake Louise, what can I say. You never tire of looking at the unbelievable view. It was different from our last visit however, with the ice still on the lake, and much more snow in the mountains. The drive between Banff and Lake Louise on Route 1 is fantastic, with incredible snow covered mountain vistas, pristine streams, and gin-clear ponds. We also saw our first bear along this route. Upon returning to the campsite, we took a short nap and had cocktails before heading to town for our first dinner out. Excitement was in the air. Diane was quivering as she entered the door of the restaurant. Not only did the place have good food, but it had internet. Everyoae was fixated on their phones, catching up with emails. After dinner we picked up supplies at the local market and stopped at the liquor store for sticker shock. The cheapest wine in the place was $20. Almost made us think about not drinking.... We immediately came to our senses, stocked up and headed for the bus. Walking back to our site with bear bells attached, we sounded like Santa's sleigh. I think the bears like the bells, as they know where we are at all times. Tomorrow we head up the Ice Field Highway to the Columbia Icefields and Jasper, Alberta.

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Comments

[Mary Lou Maley]

Wow
Sure am enjoying the updates we have been there and loved it also-- what a fabulous trip!!!

[anonymous]

Sounds like a great trip. Spectacular scenery. We probably should have bought the Murphys' ticket. Why does everybody need a cat herder?

[Raymond]

Sounds like you are all having a great time! The pics of Lake Louise look incredible! What a beautiful spot. Glad you are all having fun, stay well and give our best to everyone!

[Vicky Mason]

Loving this
Will be doing some of this in July so really enjoying your blog.