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I don't think words can describe the majestic scenery I have seen today around Banff and down the road at Lake Louise. Even for somebody like me who isn't much a nature kind of person, I have been left astounded by the beauty of the Canadian Rockies. The extremely rough terrain also makes me appreciate human resourcefulness, how they managed to build roads, railways and power lines into such a isolated and rugged part of the world is just amazing.
Before leaving Banff this morning, I went past Surprise Corner lookout which gives you a direct view of Banff Fairmont Springs hotel. A huge hotel built in the late 1800's by Canadian Pacific Rail to attract wealthy folk to come out here and holiday while using their trains. It has prime real estate with great views but is rather hideous looking at it from the outside in my opinion. The Bow river falls are just underneath it and they are like a series of rapids, nothing too spectacular there.
Then it was to Lake Louise, and I took the Bow Valley parkway which is definitely a tourist route. Tourist drivers can be dangerous and they just suddenly stop or
pull over whenever they see a good vantage point or wildlife. I can safely say I was not guilty of such offences as I only stopped at signed turn-offs and didn't spot any wildlife (maybe I was going too fast?). There were some great photo opportunities and the 56km from Banff to Lake Louise ended up taking me longer than expected due to the stops but it was all worth it.
Lake Louise was as grand as I had hoped, I was only slightly disappointed in the fact that the lake itself was still frozen so you don't have that lovely turquoise to offset the snow from the mountains but it was still spectacular. It would probably be at least another month of warm weather before the lake is completely melted. I could have sat on a bench overlooking the lake for hours I think as the sun was out and it was just so serene to look at. I'm sure that is why there are so many benches placed on the shoreline just outside the Chateau Lake Louise - another monstrous resort on prime real estate.
On the way back to Banff, I had hoped to visit
Lake Morraine but the road in was still closed. That is picture perfect scenery from all the photos I have seen but couldn't be helped. I took the Lake Minnewanka Loop north of Banff and wasn't sure what to expect but was I pleasantly surprised. Two Jack Lake was in fact melted and it was that beautiful turquoise colour with snow capped mountains as it's backdrop - completely magnificent! The much larger Lake Minnewanka which is only a little further upstream was still pretty much frozen and you can see a jetty stuck in the middle of the ice which would normally be where the tide line stops.
So after a morning of great sights I decided to relax this afternoon, read some local magazines and had read on the internet about the history of Canadian Pacific Rail and the building of the rail link across the Rockies and the issues they faced from too steep gradients, avalanches and changing economic trends. I craved a steak so went to The Keg steakhouse and ordered a beautiiful 12oz prime rib which was cooked just the way I wanted. Very satisfying when accompanied by a Sour Jim Beam cocktail.
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