We hung around Calgary to enjoy a nice early lunch with Kay and Joanne near our hotel, before jumping onto 16th Avenue (TCH) to head west. Once clear of the city and into the mountains, we stopped in Canmore for provisions - gas, groceries and beer. I even stumbled across Canmore Brewing, conveniently located in the same parking lot as the grocery store!
From there we carried on into Banff National Park, and skipped the very busy village to forge northward. Even after Labour Day, the throngs crowding into Lake Louise and Moraine Lake made parking an interesting endeavor, usually involving circling until someone else left their spot.
We made it into Lake Louise and hobbled our way down to the turqoise margin. My limp had become more pronounced as my back worsened, so for once Jane could actually keep up with me walking! The smoke was also obscuring some of the views as we fought our way through the selfie sticks to try to get a picture without a dozen strangers in it, before retreating to just take it all in for a few minutes.
From there, a windy road led us down to Moraine Lake, equally stunning and with even less parking. We got lucky and found a spot early, and again hobbled down to the shore for another dose of awe.
Leaving Banff NP, we jogged a little west into British Columbia, and landed the last available campsite at the Monarch Campground in Yoho National Park, just outside Field, BC. After a quick setup, we enjoyed the scenery with a simple dinner, some reading, and some local craft beer.
Across from our site, trains wound up and down the famous Spiral Tunnels across the Kicking Horse Pass. Spirals were tunneled into the mountain to afford a more gradual slope than the direct approach, and with a long enough train, the front end can be coming out of the mountain while the back end is still going in......and at a different elevation!
Supply run in Canmore, Alberta
Smokey Rocky Mountains....not to be confused with the Great Smokey Mountains!
Bridges to allow wildlife to cross the highway
Busy Lake Louise area
Lake Louise panorama
The road into Moraine Lake
More Lake Louise
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Moraine Lake serenity
Setting up at Yoho National Park - train winding up the Spiral Tunnels
Surrounded by mountains for the night!
Juke gets a well-deserved rest
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