Friday 21 July

We are now in Canmore, just south of Banff. We have seen so many majestic and magnificently rugged mountains. We have walked footpaths or trails, seen lakes of various stunning colours, and trees in their millions. We even saw a small forest fire. We have been amused by the antics of chipmunks, and heeded warnings of bears in the vicinity and abandoned walks we had planned because of them. We have gazed at spectacular waterfalls, some short, some so long you can’t see them all at once. Everything here is so large and so grand.

The weather has been mixed. As we got further away from Jasper things got clearer and we started to see distant peaks as well as the closer ones. It has been cloudy with some spells of bright sunshine, and today it was so cold we were back in jeans and sweatshirts. Then the sun came out and we baked! A good excuse for an icecream in Banff though!

It is all very busy here, and we wonder if anyone is left in China, as they all seem to be here with their selfie sticks. In theory there is plenty of room for everyone in this vast area, but parking and footpaths are limited. We think that late spring would be the best time to see the Rockies, the peaks would still be snow capped and there wouldn’t be quite so many tourists! But we are glad to have been here even in peak season. What we wouldn’t do is return to this area to ski. They don’t seem to go in for doorstep skiing, and it all involves long coach journeys from resorts to ski lifts. We made enquiries…

Some photos:

Distant peak in Yoho National Park

Glaciers seen from Icefields Parkway

Sunwapta Falls

Peyto Lake

Athabaska Falls

Mountains seen from Trans Canada Highway

Stunningly beautiful Lake Louise where we walked for miles

Glaciers above Lake Louise

Looking back to the famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise where my husband took me for lunch because he couldn’t afford a night there!

Johnson Lake near Banff which we couldn’t walk round because of the bears

Too much splendour all at once.

    Matthew and Jennifer Locke

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