A mountain get-a-way

We finally made our way to Banff and Lake Louise this past weekend. We've been wanting to go since we moved here, but are only just now getting around to it.

We started our trip in Fernie, British Columbia, where Dayven had a golf outing. It's a cute little mountain town that we visited last summer. On the drive to Fernie, you pass this area called "Frank's Slide". In 1903, the side of Turtle Mountain basically collapsed, causing the greatest landslide in North American history. It covered the town of Frank, a small mining town. Now it's just a sea of boulders with a highway running right smack through the center. It's pretty surreal actually, the pictures don't do it justice. In Fernie, Wyatt and I explored town while Dayven golfed, then we spent the night there before continuing our journey the next day.

We took the scenic route to Banff, which wound us all the way along the western side of the Canadian Rockies, then back into Alberta and into the National Park. The drive is full of mountain views, bubbling rivers that run alongside the road and rock tunnels. We saw moose, elk and deer along the way.

Banff is probably one of the most well known tourist spots in Alberta. The population is only 7,500 but it attracts roughly 4 million visitors each year. It was a bit like the United Nations with practically every nationality in representation. As we walked along the streets, it seemed we heard almost every language being spoken. At 4,537 feet, it's the highest town in Canada. As a comparison, Denver is 5,280 feet (which is why it's known as the Mile High City, obviously). Banff gets it's name from Banffshire, a borough in Scotland, the birthplace of the two men who founded the Canadian Pacific Railway. It reminds me a bit of a Colorado mountain town with some Swiss-style buildings sprinkled throughout. It has a charming downtown with all sorts of fun shops, restaurants and pubs. The longest days of the year are in June and light can still be seen in the sky up until midnight. We're used to this since it's just the same at home and like our house, the hotels have room darkening shades to help you sleep.

We strolled through downtown, wandering in and out of shops and picked up a couple of treasures. We explored, dined out and even enjoyed an after-dinner treat at "Cow's" said to have Canada's best ice cream. Since I consider myself quite an ice cream connoisseur, I had to check it out. It did not disappoint.

Banff was every bit as gorgeous as the pictures we've seen. We stayed in a beautiful hotel, The Fox. It was built on top of a hot spring and the cavernous springs on the ground level are reminiscent of the grotto at the Playboy Mansion. Since the temps were around 105 degrees F, neither Wyatt nor I could go for a dip, but there was plenty else to do. Although Banff is a popular ski destination, there are loads of summer activities as well.

We hiked along the river bank to see the Bow Falls, where the pounding water creates a powerful rapids. Wyatt found a discarded piece of rope on the shore and had a ball playing with it. Here we are experiencing some of the most amazing sights Canada has to offer and he's obsessed with a rope. Kids! Go figure. At least Dayven and I appreciated the scenery.

We had fun roaming the halls of Banff's flagship hotel, the Fairmont Banff Springs. It's a gorgeous old turn of the century hotel that looks like a castle. I really love architecture and enjoyed seeing the mahogany spiral staircases, arched ceilings and the detailed stonework.

We rode the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain for some incredible views. I must admit I wasn't wild about the ride. For some reason, gondola cars just freak me out. What exactly is preventing them from just slipping right off the cable and plummeting down the mountain? Anyway, I tried to put on a brave face for Wyatt and just did some deep breathing exercises on the way up. Dayven was incredibly sympathetic, slipping in a few comments about me being a "weenie" and threatening to rock the gondola car. Wyatt must have been picking up on my nervous energy because he was a bit restless in the car and once at the top, he stayed pretty close to the building and didn't seem to want to wander out to the edge. Although the ride wasn't my favorite, it was worth the view at the top. You can take in a 360 degree view of all the mountain peaks in the area.

We made the 50km trek up the TransCanada Highway to see Lake Louise. With its blue-green water set against the backdrop of Victoria Glacier, it's probably the most photographed scene in the Canadian Rockies. The water is the most amazing shade of turquoise and icy cold. It gets it's color from the melting glacier silt, which is what keeps it at a frosty temp as well. Chateau Lake Louise is the famous old hotel situated on the shoreline of Lake Louise. If it looks familiar, it's because it's often seen on postcards and in tourism books. Although it was built in the late 1800's it has been renovated to a more modernized look, so it's lost a bit of it's charm in my opinion. The inside is much more beautiful than the outside, so we wandered through the hotel and strolled along the shoreline, just taking it all in. I'm not sure if it was because we were there on a Saturday, but Lake Louise had a much more touristy feel to me. We found ourselves among the throngs of people let off by tour buses to take in the famous scene. There wasn't any sort of town to speak of, so you are really just going to take in the views and then head on to your next stop. We also stopped by to check out Lake Moraine, another gorgeous lake with a beautiful mountain backdrop.

Wyatt was the self-appointed social greeter of the trip. He wasn't shy and marched right up to everyone he saw and in his little garbled voice, exclaimed "Hi! What ya doin' ta-day!?" A few people looked around startled, then looked down "oh hi, little fella!" He loves talking to kids and calls anyone older than him "big boy" or "big girl" since he doesn't know their name. Of course, he asked their plans for the day too. A couple of people answered for their kids when they gave him a blank stare, "He/she doesn't speak English". It was pretty silly and made us laugh every time.

We decided to forgo the Columbia Icefield this trip. It's the largest accumulation of ice in the Canadian Rockies and it's frozen year round. It's quite a bit farther north of Lake Louise and at least a half day is recommended to see it properly. It gets smaller every year due to global warming so we hope to see them eventually, but with so much to see and do, we just had to prioritize.

Every where you turn, there's one breathtaking view after the next. After a while, you almost become a bit desensitized by the beauty. It's not unlike traveling in Europe - oh look, there's another church...cool. It's all indescribably beautiful, you just come to expect that each time you turn a corner, you'll be met with another majestic mountain peak, turquoise lake or bubbling waterfall. Still, it was gorgeous and I'm so glad we had a chance to see it. Dayven and I both agreed we would have done a bit more had I not been 8 months pregnant and had a two year old in tow. Maybe we'll have a chance to visit in the winter and hit the slopes.

Here are a few highlights of the trip...