Cowboys Don't Wear Riding-helmets

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My daughter loves horse riding, so it was an extra-special treat to go on a horse riding trail. What a fantastic way to see the Rockies! We did cause a bit of confusion when we asked for some riding helmets. It must be a Brit thing, but then when was the last time you saw a cowboy in a helmet. It wouldn’t exactly go with the hard-man image, so we had to do without. We were a bit worried about our six year old daughter high-up on a full sized horse which she couldn't really control and with no helmet.

Afterwards we went to Johnston Canyon, which is not far from Banff. There are a number of walks to various points in the canyon, including the lower falls, the upper falls and the rainbow pools. We didn’t walk as far as the rainbow pools, so we don’t really know what they were like, but the falls and the canyon itself were worth a walk. The main issue here is that it is very, very busy. Much of the walk was on a raised boardwalk and absolutely rammed with tourists.

Just on the edge of Banff are some rocks known as the Hoodoos. They were a nightmare to find and it took us a couple of attempts. There were some similar Hoodoos near Lake Minnewanka and the guide on the boat tour (see The Lake With The Rude Name) had explained that they are the remains left by a glacier. One of the Hoodoos near the lake has a rock balanced on top of it and the guides have been placing bets on when it's gong to collapse. Apparently it's long overdue.

One message that was constantly pushed whilst we were in the Rockies was “Leave only footprints and take only photographs". A very good point well made we think.

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Photos

Stables
The stables whilst getting ready for our horse riding

Johnston Canyon
The Johnston Canyon upper falls

The Hoodoos
Some Hoodoos near Banff