Tripping with MikenJudy 2012: Canadian Rockies

Our first stop was hiking Johnston Canyon, which was absolutely gorgeous. We took many pictures and met many nice people along the way. Not only were the lower falls extremely pretty, but to the right of them was a tunnel you could walk through to get closer to the falls. The cat-walks we were on cling to the canyon walls. The upper falls were another mile and a half uphill, so we turned around and took our time walking out of the canyon.

One of our stops on the road was overlooking a small lake. A sign suggested looking on the mountain wall across the parking lot for mountain goats. Mike used the binoculars, didn’t see any goats, but did see something yellow that didn’t belong! He then looked through his camera lens and spotted two people rock climbing. You could barely see them with the naked eye, but that yellow jacket that one of them was wearing sure made it easier.

Next on our agenda was Mount Norquay, where on our last visit we saw mountain goats. We weren’t that lucky this time, but did see a beautiful view of Banff from a high elevation.

Next was Cascade Rock Gardens in downtown Banff. This is where the Banff National Park administrative building is located and it is surrounded by the gardens. It is still as beautiful as we remembered, but all the ponds and streams were dry. They need repair and they have to wait until the monies are available. The gardens are built in a series of rock terraces with beautiful flowers in nice displays. There are rustic bridges, pavilions, gazebos and walkways.

Our next stop was Banff where we walked up and down the main drag, stopping in some of the shops. We met a couple from Germany that told us that the setting reminds them of a European city tucked away in the mountains.

We then went to the Banff Springs Hotel and walked around inside and outside. The décor is castle-like and you have to be royalty to stay there as the prices START at $400 a night! We shared a vegetarian sandwich to spend the remainder of our Canadian cash. The sandwich was good, but the bread was a little soggy since it probably had been sitting all day!

The last stop of the day was fueling up so we can drive back into the United States tomorrow! YAY!

It was sunny for quite a bit of the day, but we also had light showers with many clouds all day long. Judy wore her winter jacket on many of the hikes and was glad she did!

Johnston Canyon Pix