Banff, Canada
51° 10' N 115° 33' W
Jul 23, 2010 12:51
Distance 258km

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The Real ROCKY Mountains

If would be almost redundant and pointless to try to describe in text the Rocky Mountains as it an entirely visual experience. Enjoy the photos.

 If you like to admire nature, visiting the Rockies is a must see/do.  Hundreds of thousands of visitors do it annual, but the site is big enough that you are unlikely to feel crowded.  If you wnat to be alone with nature, a mere five minute wlak of one of the countless trails are there is no one around.

so glad I got to show and share this uniquely Canadiana with Jane and you.

Photos / videos of "The Real ROCKY Mountains":

The famous Lake Louse, without all the hundreds of other tourists fighting for this picture perfect scene. View from the top of Lake Louse mountain and ski resort.  Below is the ski slope. At the foot of the distant mountain is the small town of Lake Louse and the famous lake further behind again. One of the many turquos lake between Banff and Jasper. Different lake and mountain.  Unfortunatley the weather was unsettled and occassionally overcast or raining. Bold mountain with a name I am sure rather near to Banff.  The weather did improve for our second day in and around Banff. The scale and immenseness of the Rocky Mountains is awesome.  You can just feel the glacier carving this mountain side when you look at it. Mountain valley.  All rivers on the Alberta side of the Rockies drain into either the Alantic Ocean (via Great Lakes), Hudson Bay or Gulf of Mexico (via Mississippi River) but not into the Paciifc.  If it drains into the Pacific Ocean you are in BC. Deer, elk or mouse (do not know the difference, but I am sure there is) grazing in Jasper National Park. Columbia Ice Field (Glacier) which is midway between Jasper and Banff.  This glacier is seriously disappearing due to climate change (which in this case is global warming). More water, mountain and snow. Exampe of the continious view along the Banff/Jasper highway. Where the Rockies end and the prairies start.  On the Alberta (east) side of the Rockies is instantly becomes rolling plains or foorhills and the locals call them.  Flat for the next 2,000 K until you hit the Candian Shield Bridge over the highway so animals can cross over. Along much of the highway there is a fence to keep the wlldlife off the road.  Animals apparently do cross over this bridges (there are three or four of them near Banff. Large mouse on the side of the road.  To see animals one should taek the old road between Banff and Lake Louse. It takes longer, is single lane either directions but if there are animals to be seen, it will be along this road (no fences) that you will see them. Apparently the more points the antler has the older the mouse. But a few miles further along we came across a herd of long horn sheep minding their own business. Cute little chipmonk on one of the trails we walked along.  Not particuarly frightened of us. Awesome, and rather nicely framed I might add.  Not sure if it was Jane or I that took the photo.  Two cameras is a lot better than one. More of the same. Lake Louse, along with a few canoests on it.  Canoes were like $20 or $30 per hour, monopolist pricing. A real brown bear.  It it almost guaranteed that if you take the air lift up Lake Louse ski mountain you will see a bear or two and we saw three.  Worth the tarrif just to see and say your saw a real bear in the wilds. Similar view to an earlier one from the top of Lake Louse mountain. Another brown bear. The top of these mountains are over 3,000 metres. More of .............................. The road between Jasper and Banff is a few hundred kilometres.  If one were keen to just do the trip it would take three or four hours.  However every 20 or 30 K there is a view point, trail to some special lake or sight.  WE stopped at almost every opportunity and it took 1 1/2 days Rigt off the highway.  There are many viewing/parking areas along the parkway. Mountains X and Y (no idea their real name). Glacial lake about 30 minutes outside of Banff. Snow and sun Glacier in the backgound.  Had to do a 20 minute hike to get to this site.  The map/guide the park officals give you has excellent advice as to what to see, expect, how long the hke and background info. Ignore the materials from the travel agentsa s it can easily overwhelm you with too much detai The famous and charming Banff Springs Hotel.  For the ultra rich or vistors from afar who want to say they stayed there. Younger deer about a blokc from the Banff Spring Hotel. An area which was burnt down by a forest fire a few years earlier.  What you learn is that forest fires are an essential part of the cycle of the forests and wildlife.  If one does not allow fires the forests become over-mature and less productive/healthy (and more prone to larger fires later on Last photo of this series.  The Rockies are a MUST SEE experience.  Allow at least three days.
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