AstroGypsies

The ever changing shades of green

Water cascading from the mountains

Thunderstorms just before Golden, BC

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
― John Muir

Gray day and wonderful reflections-Trans Canada 1

The mountains seem to have conquered us long before we set foot on them, and they will remain long after our brief existence. This indomitable force of the mountains gives us humans a blank canvas on which to paint the drive of discovery and, in the process, test the limits of human performance. Conrad Anker

Waterfalls at every corner, it seemed!

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” ― John Muir

It is hard to describe that feeling of immenseness, is that a word (?) if not, it is now;) that comes over you with peak after peak of snow-covered majesty. I feel small, not in a bad way, but in a way that makes me realize time and time again we are just a blink of an eye in these mountains lives:) I thought I might not see any of the tops with the clouds blowing in and periods of rain filled our day on the road to the Rockies. Provincial Park after Provincial Park, National Park after National Park, Revelstoke, Glacier and finally Yoho and Banff, where Lake Louise is located. Mind boggling scenery that requires quiet and awe, and lots of OMG’s…;) Ha! I was so excited the sun came out so we could see the peaks at times and also worried as there was not a single campsite available in Banff and Lake Louise Campground is first come, first serve so I thought it might be full too! I’d wanted to stay in Yoho National Park but every campground we passed had been closed due to the rains, snow melt and extreme flooding weeks before so we motored on fingers crossed. You could see the road damage as we wound our way up from the flooding.

Campground at last! A Beautiful spot!

Furry neighbour

Bow River right behind the campground

We were also running out of diesel so Mike was stressing a bit, all that uphill pulling, Hagrid had been working hard;) We filled up in Lake Louise, whew, made it, and then went to wait in line at the campground…I was biting my nails…but we got a spot and I sighed with relief! The idea of passing this area by and not spending some time here would have been heartbreaking for me!

Lake Louise Parking lot

The view from the Lookout trail back at the Lake. Named Lake of the Little Fishes by the Stoney Nakota First Nations people, is a glacial lake within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada

Lake Louise Creek flows into the Bow River behind the campground.

In the morning we hiked along the river before heading up to the Lake Louise parking area and Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel. Filled full of rental RV’s, along the trail up to the Fairview Lookout we heard German, Italian, Spanish and English being spoken , love that! That water colour…it just is so beautiful. The emerald colour of the water comes from rock flour carried into the lake by melt-water from the Lefroy Glacier that overlooks the lake. We decided to have lunch at the Chateau, at the Fairview Lounge, one of 7 restaurants in the hotel…0_0…a nice treat and we enjoyed the company of the fattest chipmunk I have ever seen, apparently he eats VERY well here, and a Clark’s Nutcracker who popped in for some crumbs:)

View from Lakeview Lounge

To sit here and eat lunch was incredible

Clark’s Nutcracker stopping by for a visit

Help yourself buddy:)

While the food took forever,  the view was spectacular, the visiting animals amusing and the Scottish waiter apologetic for the slow kitchen so I received a free glass of wine while we sat waiting, through a bit of a rain shower and then back to some sun! An enormous boom and rumble woke us up as it thundered in the distance for what seemed like an awfully long time for a thunder-clap, “Oh, that was an avalanche” our waiter proclaimed in his Scottish brogue” A large sounding one at that, they happen quite frequently this time of year when the sun hits the glaciers”…oh my! Isn’t that special!

We were so glad to just have had the opportunity to see this UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Wildflowers

Dark Throat Shooting Star-wildflower along the Bow River

BlueBell (?)

Wildflowers

Bow River behind the campground

Behind the campground the Bow River trails were full of wildflowers, so many new to me, I’ll figure them out little by little! No bears, Mike was worried as I headed off to try some long exposures,”I’ll keep my eyes open, don’t worry” as I set up my tripod in part of the dry riverbed, in the sand, large bear tracks…gulp….but other than a large squirrel I was perfectly safe;) Word on the campground, try and get a spot as close to the river as you can. All are large double pull throughs but that puts you the farthest from the railroad tracks, not horrible where we were but there are sites a stones through from them and I’m sure your trailer would shake as they passed;)

Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books. John Lubbock

Stay tuned until tomorrow for Lake Moraine amigos, possibly one of the most beautiful places on Earth!

“You are not in the mountains. The mountains are in you.”  -John Muir