Exploring Northwest US and Canada: Week 1, Day 7, Lake Louise

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7/17Neither of us slept well having been up since 5am because of smoke permeating the room and Dave's sick cough from hiking in the smoky air. We came down for an early breakfast in the hotel because I had planned to go back into town for lunch and a walk making the most of our stay in Banff but decided to stay in the Banff Caribou Lodge where it was warm and less smoky. People are coming in with warm jackets and the cold breeze blew into the lobby with them where, after checking out at 11am, we sat reading, sleeping, and trying to keep warm while waiting for our bus to Lake Louise. Leaving Banff felt like leaving Australia or New Zealand or even London as most of the workers here are from these regions, and many of the tourists are from all three places, likely due to the free entrance to Canada’s national parks in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday.



We left for Lake Louise on the Bow Valley Parkway. Straight tall clumps of Larch or Lodgepole, used by Indians for tipis and lodges, lined this spectacular highway. Aspens added a deciduous texture. We were told the aspens have a sap that can be used as an SPF 15 sunscreen. Very helpful as we were closer to the sun. The aspen bark can be used as a tea like aspirin. The rose hips from the rosa rugosa lining the highway produce seeds, high in vitamin C, that when needed could be rubbed to remove a fuzz called “itch butt” (I didn't ask). The brilliant spiky wild fireweed flower abundant along the roadside has it’s health properties as it is high in zinc. The Bow Valley Parkway is a veritable pharmacy!



We stopped on the Bow Valley Parkway to photograph the famous Morant Curve along the Bow River. We spotted the tracks for the Rocky Mountaineer RR that followed the river’s edge and consequently much of the Bow River Parkway. Daisies, yarrow, fireweed, Indian paintbrush and roses were prolific here.



By the time we reached Lake Louise, the highest permanent settlement in Canada, where the skies were clear (to us) but the hotel staff said it was still hazy from the BC fires. After the smoke in Banff, the fact that we could finally breathe and even see the mountains was a treat. We checked into our beautiful room in the Chateau overlooking the lake before going down for a stroll to enjoy the spectacular scenery. Canoeists were gliding on the turquoise blue lake in bright red canoes. I later found out those charming boats cruising the lake were $119 for an hour, $95 for a half hour. There was a brisk breeze with a chill off the water but not enough to make boating a challenge but for us tired travelers, I think I enjoyed watching them from the shore more than I would have had I been paddling out there.



The views from the open patio and benches outside of Chateau Lake Louise were spectacular with the glaciers and mountains reflected in the turquoise waters surrounded by a variety of tall evergreens. It all seemed magical. The first chalet was built here in 1890 to attract wealthy clientele who would use the transcontinental railway that opened in 1855. The Rattenbury Wing and the concrete Painter Wing are the oldest surviving sections of today’s chateau. In 1902 this area became part of Canada’s first national park. We walked around the lake for awhile and then sat by the hotel taking it all in. An icy breeze came off the lake so we went back to our beautiful room-with-a-view to celebrate our anniversary with a complementary bottle of Prosecco and enjoy our amazing view.



I made dinner reservations for 8pm at Lago Italian Kitchen at the Chateau Lake Louise. They know how to do Italian! There are many wonderful restaurant options at the hotel such as the Walliser Stube that serves Swiss and German dishes but we thought that by going to the Italian restaurant we wouldn’t have such a heavy meal. We were wrong. We did have a marvelous dinner served by thoughtful and attentive staff but beware, the portions are very generous. At the table we were given another complementary bottle of Prosecco for another anniversary toast! (Had I known I would have saved the bottle in our room for later.) We had the best Caesar salad I have ever eaten and for my main course I had fresh trout with fresh green beans over risotto and shrimp. Beautifully done but I was stuffed. It was good but after the drinks, bread and olives I had eaten too well. Dave had veal Parmigiana which was very good but also too much food. We even had to turn down dessert, not a common practice!





After dinner we went for a walk inside the hotel (it was in the 40s outside) peeking in the many shops where I bought a lovely gray jay Christmas ornament for my travel collection. It doesn’t get dark until late at night but we were so exhausted from our activities over the past week that we decided to retire around 10pm, however since I rarely “retire” early, I spent some time taking pictures from the window of our beautiful room of the changing light outside.

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