Alberta - June 2019

Some Background

KC and Jon were planning a trip out west last summer and asked John and me to join them.  We booked all accommodation on a hot August evening at the cottage, sometimes despairing about the trip given the perceived lack of affordable accommodation.  KC cut back on the days we were away, and we trimmed back what we would do.  Having said that, we accomplished a heck of a lot!

Here's what I learned from travelling with KC and Jon.

• She is a planner (comes by it naturally).  She had a list of what she wanted to do/see from reading guidebooks and talking with a colleague of Jon's.  I then reviewed the list and found information about each item (including restaurants), and KC finalized the list.
• KC pre-booked a parking reservation in the Valet garage at the Toronto airport.  I'd investigated that in the past, but it had seemed more challenging than it turned out.  It's a slick process.
• The Calgary airport baggage claim area is quite wonderful.  There were white-Stetson-wearing volunteers everywhere; the washrooms were nearby and large.  By comparison, Toronto's baggage area feels like a vast warehouse and not inviting (although I did notice this time that there was seating provided between carousels - by CIBC).  But I saw only one person on the return trip who was there to answer questions.
• On the other hand, the departure area in Toronto is better than in Calgary - there was only one small shop selling some food items and magazines.  BUT there was a shuttle service that ran from the various departure lounges to shops and food courts, so that could be a more efficient way of doing things than having many shops spaced out all over.
• Pre-planning where to eat in Alberta took a lot of on-the-spot decision-making out of the mix.  It saved us a lot of time and made life so much easier.  Not to say that we couldn't/didn't change some plans but knowing where we were going and when did make things run smoothly.  Particularly good for groups of four or more!

Unlike other travel journals I have written, I'm going to ditch the chronological approach and recall our adventures in three parts: Activities, Meals, and Accommodations.

Activities

•   
• Upon arrival in Calgary, it was apparent that the smoke from the northern forest fires had moved south.  Airport workers wore masks; visibility was low, and it smelled like a giant campfire.  We had received warnings about the air quality in Jasper, so we were not totally surprised (although our nature guide in Jasper said they did not have any air quality alerts at all).
• As we drove west the skies gradually cleared, although now we could see the thunderstorm clouds forming!  So, for our week in the Rockies, the forest fires did not bother us, although we felt guilty if we moaned that it was raining sometimes because the province so desperately needed rain
• our first stop was the Visitor Centre in Banff, which gave us some details about road closures (i.e., the Bow Valley Parkway), to help us get to Johnston's Canyon).
• We parked in the downtown parking lot nearby and it became our 'go-to' parking spot for the next few days.
• Since we were downtown, we explored Banff Avenue - a giant but interesting tourist trap.  
• After dinner Friday, we were intrigued by the fact that it was still daylight after 10 p.m.  We walked up the street, crossed the bridge over the Bow River and walked through the
  
  Cascade Gardens.  Extensive renovations were going on and there were no plants yet, but it had an incredible view looking north into the Rockies (I'm still getting my head around the directions - it so felt like I was looking south).  There were these lovely structures throughout the gardens; on Saturday there were at least two wedding parties being photographed in the gardens.
  
  
• Our first planned activity on Saturday morning was the Banff Gondola. The parking lot was empty when we arrived. Still, within an hour or so at the top of the mountain, it was apparent that this was a busy destination point (although as I'm looking at the website, I see a notice that there is limited parking available from May 21 to June 17 because of parking lot improvements*).  The weather was stunning; we were prepared for wintry weather but were taking off layers as we walked around.  What I hadn't been prepared for was the number of staircases needed to get to the summit where the weather
  
  station was!  Later, it was fascinating to see, from afar, the top of Sulphur Mountain, where the gondola 'landed' and the distance between it and the weather station.  We had not realized the distance we had covered.  The elevation at the summit was 7,486 feet.  
• There was so much to see inside the summit building, but after some quick glances, we started our trek up to Sanson's Peak.  Before we left the Gondola Summit area, we saw mountain goats licking the rocks beneath the building.  More than one of our information sources described these animals as 'stupid'!
• * Re: the parking - there are many suggestions to leave the car at home and use the free shuttles.  I see how that would be the case in the summer and it was the case on the weekend at Lake Louise. (2023 edit - Moraine Lake will have the same parking restrictions). Because of road construction on the way up to the Gondola and at the Hot Springs, the parking lots were already full Saturday morning.
• We spent more than the recommended 80 minutes up on the summit and saw a couple of interactions - one was an engagement photography scenario, with the bride in a red dress (Pakistani?) and groom in a matching tunic and pants; the other was a young woman who had obviously sprained or broken her ankle.  She was being attended to as we arrived back at the Gondola station, and the
  n she was lifted up the stairs in a wheelchair and loaded on to the gondola for her descent.
• We did check out the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel and it was opulent, but there were few opportunities for 'walk-in' traffic.  However, we found a parking spot in the above-surface garage for $10!  After a walk-around in and out, we left.  The image below shows the size of the hotel, but also Bow Falls in the background.  
  

The hotel is owned by Oxford Properties. Wholly owned by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System since 2003, the company is headquartered in Toronto. The organization has 2,200 employees and approximately $50 billion of real assets. Some of its most recognized assets include Hudson Yards, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Olympic Tower and Sony Center. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Properties

• Cave and Basin Historic Site was a lot of fun.  No problems with parking! But we were there longer than the 2 hours suggested because we poked around learning about the place (it's where the original Hot Springs were 'found' and which have since been moved up the mountain).  There was also information about the internment camps built near here during the first world war - the men built the infrastructure for the Western Parks system.  The camp held citizens of countries with which Canada was at war at the time and had a significant Ukrainian contingent.
• We walked around the Marsh boardwalk and later learned that it's an excellent spot for moose - so great, in fact, that we didn't see any!
• The Cave and Basin is the lowest component of nine sulphurous hot springs clustered in three groups on the northeast flank of Sulphur Mountain. All are located along the Sulphur Mountain Thrust Fault below Devonian limestones. The water is heated geothermally from an estimated depth of three kilometres. The Cave and Basin is the only cavern large enough to comfortably accommodate groups of people. In 1886 an artificial tunnel was driven into the Cave and Basin to aid visitation. In 1912 bottled water from the Cave and Basin site was sold for its alleged curative powers. In 1914 a naturally heated swimming pool was opened to the public and continued to operate until 1994.
• We had scheduled various drives around Banff, but we chose Tunnel Mountain Road, listening to Chuck (or Carl) on the GyPSy program that Cindy gave KC and Jon for Christmas.  We drove past the largest campground in North America - hundreds of campsites, but oh so many warnings about keeping the place 'bear-free'!

• We got a glimpse of the Hoodoos - like the ones we saw when John and I drove into Kamloops - they hug a cliff (and are not free standing as in Drumheller or in Dinosaur Provincial Park).  Hoodoos are sedimentary rock covered by a harder rock that is difficult to erode. Once softer sediment erodes, a rock needle, or tower-like natural structure, is left.
• On our way up Tunnel Mountain Road, we stopped at Surprise Corner, looking over the Bow River to the Banff Springs hotel.  KC and Jon walked down to the bank looking over the Bow Falls.  On our return to Banff on Wednesday, we stopped at the Falls on the south side to get a better look.  
• Our evening entertainment was a small-group Nature tour - the Banff Evening Wildlife Safari tour.  There were about twenty of us on the small bus and Nicole drove us out to Vermillion Lakes first because a colleague of the driver had just seen a moose.  No moose for us but we did see: a cinnamon bear ambling down the road (and Nicole had to phone in a report about it because there were so many people about); nesting loons; mule deer; some mountain sheep; ground squirrels and at least one bald eagle.  Our tour took us up to Lake Minnewanka (driving over a dam was a surprise; a resort village was submerged when the dam was built.). We stopped in an abandoned airfield (although it still had the windsock) along the highway, to learn how Parks Canada was building overpasses and underpasses to keep the animals off the roads and from being killed.  The project has been quite successful.  
• Here's a link to a story about the project. The guide passed around some photos taken of animals crossing the overpass.  I laughed at the one of the moose or wolf that looked like a deer caught in the headlamps of a car.  There was another funny reaction from other animals.  

• According to Dr. Tony Clevenger of the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University, some animals learn how to use the crossings much quicker than others. Coyotes, black bears and cougars are fastest, followed by deer, elk, and moose. Grizzly bears and wolves take the longest to figure out how to use them, and it is believed (though not confirmed) that lynx and wolverines are fairly delayed in using them. These carnivores might be slower to adapt because they are more capable and determined at working their way through the highway fences.

• Sunday morning, we headed up to Johnston Canyon - the portion of the Bow River Parkway from Banff to the canyon was closed for animal protection and repairs, so we drove up Hwy 1 and then backtracked on the Parkway.  John and I had been here in 2011 with Mike and Brenda; the track had been so icy and treacherous that we turned back before we saw any magnificent views.  There was a fair bit of traffic this time, but people were courteous and stepped aside (only a couple of people waving their walking poles around - I wasn't one of them!). We went only to the Lower Falls, but the 'coolest' photo spot was looking out over the falls from a small open-ended cave.  (Slippery with all the water charging through but quite beautiful).  There were so many awesome spots to check out.
• Lake Louise Gondola - The parking lot was empty and there were no crowds waiting
  
  to go up the lift and no one at the top either.  We chose a four-seater open chair to travel up the mountain, and all of us were looking for grizzlies;  mama grizzlies find this a safe place to bring their cubs.  No such luck.  The nature guide at the top said she hadn't seen any on the mountain recently.  (But on the Bear Sightings Calendar, it indicates that they saw bears on Saturday and Sunday!)
• The weather was stunning.  It was not a cold trip up the mountain, although coming down the wind played its part, and it was a little chillier.  
• KC asked one of our guides about the whistling she had heard, and it would have been the marmot - warning others of our presence.  
• The elevation at the top was 6, 850 feet so not as high as Banff.  One of the trails was called 'Cameron's Way'.  
• In the photo of the bear we did NOT see, notice the collar.  I heard Nicole (our Evening wildlife tour guide) say that those collars could be deactivated remotely so that they didn't have to tranquillize the bear to get it off -
  
  always dangerous for bears and humans).  And talking about grizzlies - one of our guides (virtual or real) said the grizzly population is doing much better now that people are respecting the bears (i.e., leaving them alone); keeping garbage contained; and closing dumpsites.  Thus, the new generation of bears are more reclusive and avoid human contact.  Paula (in Jasper) referenced a story about a black bear that had to be killed because it had been fed by campers and then started approaching others.  She made a point of picking up some small crackers that had fallen (?) on the ground when we were hiking on the Maligne Canyon trail.  
• That image above contains Lake Louise - that's the best view we had of it!  There's an interesting photo in a book about the Rockies, taken from the end of Lake Louise; the predominant feature is the Lake Louise resort, but the mountains and ski hills look to be directly behind the resort!
• Lake Louise was a basket case for crowds - the closest we came to the Lake was a drive around the parking lot, with no stopping whatsoever.  Since Moraine Lake was on the list of possibilities, we did take that turn and drove into the Lake.  What a serendipitous choice. Lake Louise would have been a wonderful experience and we had planned a short hiking trip around part of the Lake but Moraine Lake was terrific.  There was still ice floating on the lake; in some areas, it had piled up much like what we had seen at Deerhurst - giant crystals.  The best experience was climbing to the top of the Rock Pile - the one that had slid down the mountain thousands of years ago to dam up the river/lake and form what we see now (or not**).  The view on the $20 bill, 1969, was taken from this viewpoint.  There are ten mountain peaks surrounding the lake.  The view is one of the most photographed views in Canada.  
  
• Again, parking was tight, and shuttles were recommended from the overflow parking area in Lake Louise.  I initially thought it was a long shuttle ride, but it was a long drive for us coming in from the road leading to Lake Louise (12 km).  To get back to the overflow parking would have been even longer of course.  But we did find parking.  I asked one of the Park Guides if things would be better on Tuesday or Wednesday when we returned.  She did confirm that the beautiful weather, and it being a Sunday did bring out a lot of people from Calgary, but she couldn't guarantee that the weekday would be any different!  I cannot imagine what it's like in the summer.  Our GPySy Guide (Carl, or Chuck) said the average time spent at Lake Louise was 15 minutes.  We brought that average down because we were in and out within a minute.  Another (real person) guide in Jasper said that most people visiting are on tour buses and they stay only 15 minutes too.  To me that seems a tad short, but I do know they wouldn't venture as far down the trail as we did.  In fact, another option for us might have been the trail around the lake - which fewer visitors take.  However, our experience on the Rockpile was a fabulous one.
• ** Allow me to digress here and reference an article published in 1930 about whether the Rock Pile is moraine or rockslide.  I had to search to find information on how old this geological formation was and eventually found the linked article.  In short, the author disputes that it's the result of a rockslide given all the conditions and descriptions of what rockslides do and do not do; so, it must be a moraine (debris left over from a glacier retreating) but there are no obvious signs that usual moraines leave - striations in the rocks etc.  So ....  

• Fortunately we have a most probable cause for this unusual formation. There are evidences all through the Canadian Rockies of considerable earthquake activity at periods that are comparatively recent. One of these earthquakes may have occurred at a time when the Wenkchemna Glacier still extended as far as the present location of Moraine Lake and may have dislodged part of a rock wall at an unknown distance up the valley. The resulting debris, falling on the glacier, may have been transported and deposited intact as a moraine. As the mass of material was very thick it would have protected the underlying ice from melting, and, riding on the surface of the glacier would have arrived without the usual evidences of glacial erosion.

• As we were walking down from the Rock Pile, we saw the signage Chuck or Carl told us about - "highly recommended that we travel in groups of at least 4 to make as big a presence as possible due to the grizzlies being out in force and still hungry".  
• More information:

• The lake, being glacially fed, does not reach its crest until mid to late June. When it is full, it reflects a distinctive shade of blue. The colour is due to the refraction of light off the rock flour deposited in the lake on a continual basis. 

• When the road first opens in May don’t count on seeing the turquoise water that Moraine Lake is famous for.  The lake sits at a high elevation of 1883 meters. It can remain frozen until late May or into June depending on the temperatures.  This is a good site to check the photos for other seasons.  It also mentions the traffic, with reports of trying to get there as early as possible and even at 8 a.m. the lot was full.  But the staff on the road would not have allowed us in had there not been parking spots!  

• Because our trip to the Lake Louise ski area did not have any crowds, we were surprised at the number of people wanting to do as we had done.  
• Our drive up the Icefields Parkway was exciting and beautiful.  Chuck/Carl had lots of information to share and we did a fair job of stopping when he said to.  But there was a poorly signed entranceway into the Peyto Lake area - C/C said it would say Peyto Lake, but in fact, it
  
  said only 'Bow Summit'; Jon did a wonderful U-turn and we drove in.  This was indeed a must-see spot and only after did I realize how lucky we were to be able to see it since it was scheduled to be closed for maintenance as early as April!  We were also misled about how far the viewing spot for the lake was, so KC and I started off in our summer sandals and light shoes!  KC had overheard someone saying that the 'shorter' trail was ice-filled and treacherous, and it was better to go up the road to the left.  So, we started out that way, but the regular highway-type road stretched for ages.  A fellow stopped, and told us it was a long way up and to get in his van - he was driving up to pick up his wife and the rest of his family so that they didn't have to walk down the slippery path.  Needless to say, his family was surprised when we hopped out of the van!  
• Just a short walk from that road (which ended in the parking lot for buses and disability passes) was the lake - jaw-dropping in colour.  We just stood there snapping photo after photo.  Eventually, we made our way back to the parking lot, through the ice-filled, treacherous trail (I'm not sure it was any shorter than the road, but it was out of the sun); we felt obligated to explain to people who were wearing proper footwear that we had been misled by the distance and this was not our usual hiking choice!
• Knowing what I know now, I'd have driven up the road to the parking lot.  Nansi asked why we were surprised that there was snow and I said that we had not anticipated the distance, plus the altitude hadn't really dawned on us, although we did know this was the 'summit' and therefore the elevation would have kept the snow.  The day was sunny too.
• The colour, as we learned from various guides, resulted from the 'rock flour' reflecting and absorbing various elements of the light spectrum. 
•  
  
  We tried to see the Crowfoot Glacier and pick out the 'claws', but it's hard, although the photo does it justice.  It was easier to pick it out on our way back to Banff.  
• We stopped at Saskatchewan River Crossing for gas and snacks.  It was quite a large spot with accommodation.  I was
  

interested in the geography because it was the spot where the fur traders and explorers (particularly David Thompson) crossed the river into B.C. The area was quite flat at this point.  

In 1940, the first Banff-Jasper Highway was opened to the public and in 1948 George Brewster built the Saskatchewan River Bungalow Camp consisting of what are now the office and two cabins. In 1963 the new Banff – Jasper highway (now The Icefields Parkway) was opened and The Crossing was relocated to its present site. Robert & Naomi Smead purchased the resort at this time. What we use today as the office was the main lodge at the original location and became staff accommodations when The Crossing was moved to its present location. 

In 1975, the resort was purchased by the Fikowski family. At this time the resort operated from May until September with only the cabins available for guest accommodation. It took a whopping 28 staff to operate the property that at that time offered 46 seats in the Dining Room and 64 seats in the Cafeteria. The Gift Shop was a cozy 600 square feet. A cabin at that time rented for $10.00 per day with one pail of water and $15.00 with two pails. An average day was one bus and the busiest day of the year was 7 buses. Today, The Crossing Resort offers 66 deluxe rooms, a 250 seat Dining Room, 125 seat Cafeteria, 70 seat Pub and a 3000 square foot General Store and Gift Shop.

• Athabasca Falls was our last stop before getting into Jasper.  It was accessible and stunning.  Because we were late in the day, the crowds had thinned out.   After learning so much about Athabasca Falls and the lake, I have a new appreciation for news articles about the tailings of oil sands near Fort McMurray polluting Lake Athabasca.
• Early Monday morning we were up early, but the weather was anything but bright!  We could hardly complain given that up until then we had had three brilliant days of sunshine, but it did make our trip up the Jasper Skytram interesting.  BUT because of that, we saw the most beautiful full rainbow below us!  
• On our way to the Skytram, we were delayed as we waited for a small herd of elk to cross the bridge.  The herd was undecided about which way to go - down the slope, into the water, or across the bridge.  One adventurous herd member took off over the bridge - they are very ungainly walkers with their legs splaying out at 45-degree angles - and the others followed.
• The ride up the mountain, with two others and a guide, was scenic - the weather hadn't quite closed in yet.  After a quick walk around the semi-summit (there was a summit and a false summit) and determining that we were not going to venture much further because of the nature of the trails - snow-covered, slippery - we went inside for tea and coffee.  The rain started pelting down.  And when pieces of blue sky appeared the groups headed out.  When the clouds parted, the views were wonderful, and nothing would top that rainbow.  Jon noticed one mountain peak that looked like the wind was whipping the snow off it.  
• The Jasper Skytram is the highest and longest aerial tramway located in Canada.^[1] It was built in 1964 and goes to a height of 2,277 metres (7,470 ft) above sea level.
• Hmmmm - this would have been interesting, to say the least!   High winds on 25 June 2018 resulted in a power surge that disabled the tram system around 3:30 p.m. 160 visitors were stranded atop Whistlers Mountain, and all were rescued by helicopter by the morning of 26 June.  110 people were taken off by helicopter, but 50 had to spend the night at the top because it was nighttime.  
• As we ate lunch afterwards, KC was in touch with Paula from our tour that afternoon wondering whether to go ahead with the hike given the weather.  In the end, Paula reduced the hike at "Five Bridges" on Maligne Canyon by one bridge and we went ahead.  She picked us up at the hotel and along the way she pointed out a den where a mother coyote and her cubs were living.  On our way to the Planetarium later that evening we passed the den and saw them sitting outside enjoying the sunshine.
• Paula was exceptionally good and added to our general knowledge of the area and the Rockies.  The scenery was once again stunning.  It was fascinating to see massive logs swirling around in the whirlpools and wondering if they'd ever break out.  We also learned about the ice climbers and the 'karst' caves that spew out the water into the canyon.  I found the information interesting about geologists using dye to determine where the glacier water flowed to and some of it ending up in Calgary - that's how porous the underground system is.  
• The canyon is the deepest in the Rockies and there were times when we could not see the water below us.  
• Paula told the story about being there in 2012 with 25 students and their teachers when she realized a grizzly was on the rocks above them.  Because they were such a large group, the bear wouldn't have approached them, but after they all took photos, she told them to make as much noise as possible and off it went.
• Much of the pine forest around Jasper is turning red because of the pine beetle, and it's been recent.  We also passed through a burnt-out area - two years ago a big fire threatened the town.  Her husband noticed the smoke when they were out stand-up paddling and called the Park rangers.  Because the lake was so high, the helicopters could quickly fill their buckets.  
• Then Paula drove us out to Medicine Lake (or disappearing lake).  The water was not particularly high, but we saw a bald eagle's nest (and the eagle itself) and an osprey flying overhead.

• Medicine Lake is a geologic anomaly in the sense that it is not actually a lake but rather an area in which the Maligne River (flowing from Maligne Lake into the Athabasca River) backs up and suddenly disappears underground as a losing stream. During the summer months during intensified meltwater runoff the lake (which during the winter months is a meandering frozen river) fills to levels which fluctuate over time and with the runoff events. Much like a bathtub that is filled too fast for it to drain, it becomes laden with water (lake) until it can slowly drain as the tap flow (runoff) is reduced (river). The underground system is extensive and during the 1970s researchers used a biodegradable dye to determine the underground river's extent. The dye showed up in many of the lakes and rivers in the area to the point where it became clear that the underground system was one of the most extensive in the world.

• After dinner, we drove out to Jasper Park Lodge.  It too is owned by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (as is Banff Springs).  The place is huge - with acres of property surrounding it.  We were there to have a planetarium tour and hear from the astronomers.  Jasper is a Dark Sky Preserve, so we were hopeful of seeing the Aurora Borealis; alas it was not to be.
• But we saw a female grizzly and her adolescent cub ambling down the road before they scuttled into the small ravine beside the road.  We watched it for quite a while and I'm sure KC got some great photos.  
• We reported the sighting to one of the hotel employees, but he deflated us because he said they were common.  Perhaps seeing our disappointment, he did say he'd tell security as they made their patrol later that night.
• Our Planetarium experience was a mixed bag - I thought the show was interesting. I especially liked the First Nations version of the Big Bear/Ursus Major story (compared to the Greek); interesting how two distinct cultures used the bear.  The others found it a little dry.  
• After the Planetarium we went out to the re-purposed tennis court where they had set up three telescopes.  Two were refracting scopes, giant rectangular prisms.  The other was a
  
  high-powered telescope connected to a computer, taking real-time images of galaxies far beyond what we have seen before.  The astronomer talking was really into this.  One young fellow explaining the small telescope had only become interested last October when he was sent to the top of the Jasper Skytram to monitor something for a Dark Sky festival. After that, he just sort of got into it.  He really did have a good grasp of what was going on!

• We were on the road the next morning by 8ish for our drive to the Columbia Icefields tour.  (We did stop to see Tangle Falls.) 

 Tangle Falls may be the most commonly photographed waterfall along the Icefields Parkway due to its incredibly easy access. The falls spray 114 feet in as many as half a dozen braids down a broad cliff before consolidating and dropping over three more consecutive tiers of 14, 18 and 13 feet respectively, then funneling under the Icefields Parkway via a culvert. The falls are an extremely popular study for professional photographers and during the day tourists are commonly seen flocking at the bottom of the falls for a quick photo op.

• Redoing our Glacier online tickets was fine (4 years later, I'm not sure what the issue was) (but when we returned - the line-ups were huge).  But our process was smooth.  Alex our guide on the snow coach was over-the-top, off his meds
  
  loud and funny.  His throat must be very sore by midday.  The weather hadn't improved much from the previous day, and it snowed heavily while we were out there.  I didn't enjoy it as much as our previous visit with Mike and Brenda, but it was fun to be with KC and Jon.  Jon filled a water bottle of glacier water for KC - still determining if they ever finished it. 
• Going down/up the steep hill (36* he said) was interesting, as was the data about the snow coaches themselves and their upgrades to protect the environment.  Plus, the height of the moraine on either side of the road/path.  I've circled it in the photo below.  That photo was taken in the summer when the snow on the 'road' had melted so the moraine looks like a wall!  (2023 edit - is this even running again after the fatal accident a couple of years ago?)

• The Athabasca River and the North Saskatchewan River originate in the Columbia
  
  Icefield, as do tributary headwaters of the Columbia River. As the icefield is atop a triple Continental Divide these waters flow ultimately north to the Arctic Ocean, east to Hudson Bay (and thence to the North Atlantic Ocean), and south and west to the Pacific Ocean.^[11]Hudson Bay, in some watershed divisions, is considered to be in the Arctic watershed, in which case this would arguably not be a triple continental divide point.

• Check out this site for two photos, taken 70 years apart, of grandmother/granddaughter and how the glacier has receded.   It's a neat story.  
• Here's another story about 'powering up' the Icefields walk.  Most exciting fact - snow coaches are locked at 18 km/hr, and they must come from Jasper each spring.  So, they get loaded onto flatbed trucks!

• The Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal 'toes' of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies. The glacier currently recedes at a rate of about 5 metres (16 ft) per year^[1] and has receded more than 1.5 km (0.93 mi) and lost over half of its volume in the past 125 years. Easily accessible, it is the most visited glacier in North America.^[2] The leading edge of the glacier is within easy walking distance; however, travel onto the glacier is not recommended unless properly equipped. Hidden crevasses have led to the deaths of unprepared tourists.

• From the Athabasca glacier, we bused over to the Skywalk.  This was quite something - being suspended above a canyon. 
  
  But the weather was not cooperating again; it was very cold, and there were no bathrooms!  I found the most interesting panels to be those explaining how the Skywalk was built.  In retrospect, better weather, and fewer people - we could have absorbed more of the interpretive signage than we had the energy or time for.
• We made a final stop at The Crossing but then continued on to Banff.
• Our final day in The Rockies had us doing a fair bit of driving to catch up on some attractions we had not had time for earlier:
• We drove out to the Vermillion Lakes before breakfast.  We saw the nesting loons but nothing much else although the weather had improved, and it was incredibly beautiful.
• We went back to Minnewanka and this time saw the 'ghost village' we'd seen with Mike and Brenda, down in the valley.  But I could not see the valley behind us from which we'd seen/heard the small avalanche.  While on the road to the Lake, we saw the same herd of mountain sheep we'd seen earlier in the trip, but this time they were up on a rocky ledge beside the road and let us take their photos.
• We toured the Banff Park Museum (all of us).  The 'original' stuffed animals were still
  there from the time the museum opened in the early 20th century, but I was interested in the history of the museum itself and how things have changed over the years for
  
  presenting artifacts.  The reading room contained information about the bison herds they used to have around here.  And there used to be a zoo just outside the museum, up until 1937.  
• The building, described as a "railway pagoda", uses exposed log framing and rustic detailing. It is the oldest building maintained by Parks Canada.
• Outside the museum was a weekly craft and farmers' market.  While KC and Jon were out buying souvenirs, John and I sat on a bench near the market watching the world go by, including a weird traffic crossing guard who might have caused as many accidents as he prevented.    
• We drove around the golf course to see if we could see any elk (we stopped at Bow Falls on the way for another perspective).  When we'd been here before there were dozens of them walking around.  Paula said that the golf courses were perfect places for the elk to have their calves; thus, it was a perfect spot for grizzlies!  There were numerous signs warning of mother elks and their temperament.  Jon's comment was wise: after taking numerous precautions to avoid getting any marks or damage done to the car, we were now driving through a golf course with people driving little round balls as hard as they could!
• Our last touristy activity was to drive through the town of Canmore - and it was just a drive-by.  Very pretty and worthy of a return trip.

Meals/Drinks

• Our first meal/snack in Banff was a quick take-out Beaver Tails outlet (one of two on the street), although I had gelato.  We sat at a picnic table watching the traffic (vehicular and human) pass us by.
• KC had made reservations at the Ticino restaurant attached to the High Country Inn.  We began to realize how many of the servers in the area were from Australia, New Zealand, and infrequently Britain.  Almost rarer still were the Canadians - so much so that they announced they were Canadian! And many of those were from other parts of Canada.  Someone told us it was because getting a two-year visa from Australia and New Zealand was easy.  
• After that dinner, we walked down the street to the Park Restaurant + Bar (also a distillery) for cocktails; John had the flight you see in the photo; Jon's first drink came in a stemmed cocktail glass!  And now when I see the drinks menu, many of the drinks have been named after significant landmarks in the area which we started to recognize as we travelled throughout the Parks.  We were seated in the bar's upper level, which was a lot of fun.  
• Our first breakfast was at Coyotes Southwestern Grill.  It opened at 7:30 a.m. and we were right there, bushy-tailed and eager to eat before our first gondola ride. 
• Lunch was on the upstairs patio (there was a theme here - many of the restaurants were up a flight of stairs!) of the Rose and Crown Pub. The restaurant was quite large and there was no one inside on such a gorgeous day, but even the patio was not full, which was surprising given how many people were out on the streets.
• Dinner Saturday night was at The Bison off the main
  
  street.  We had hoped to start dinner earlier to get a head start on the evening, but we had to wait for the restaurant to get in gear - we were about the first ones up there - note the 'up' there! The dinner was a little pricey (John's wine was $27) but good.  
• Sunday morning before our drive up to Lake Louise we ate at Melissa's Misteak; the fresh fruit cup was refreshing.  
• After coming off the Lake Louise gondola,
  
  we decided to have lunch in the Visitor Centre - it was a decent cafeteria; not our best meal but the view was great and given the crowds in Lake Louise, it's possible we would not have found a place to eat.  It was what it was!
• Dinner after our drive to Jasper was at Earl's, again on the second floor!  The reservation was for 8 p.m.; we arrived at 7:58!  Our server was from Jasper, although he'd spent time away.  Game 3 of the NBA final was playing in the background, and it was refreshing to hear the crowd cheer for a Toronto team!
• Our breakfasts in Jasper were in the dining room of the hotel; not a top experience but it was convenient.  The original spot that KC had picked out for Tuesday (and from which we were going to buy our lunches) was closed!
• We had lunch at the Jasper Pizza Palace.  Service seemed rather slow.
• Dinner that night was at the Inn Grill; had we not been going to the Planetarium, we could have walked from our hotel.  This was a good meal and our server (from Gatineau) was fun.
• We had drinks in the Emerald Lounge in Jasper Lodge as we waited for dusk (and our tour). Very pleasant.  We always talked to the wait staff asking them where they were from. 
  
  One of our servers was from Gatineau and she told us about her apartment being destroyed by the September 2018 tornado! Our server in Jasper was from Arnprior!  We checked out the chandeliers in various locations throughout the main floor - quite stunning.  I circled where we were sitting!
• Lots of animals have died to line the places we've been!
  
• After our Icefields walk, we stayed for lunch in the cafeteria.  It reminded me of the cafeteria on cruise ships - where can I find a table?  We did find a spot and being there meant that we did not have to worry about looking for lunch later on.  Not the best but it did the trick (we were probably spoiled by other options earlier in the trip).  
• A lot of humanity was in that place and the number of tour buses was unreal.  Jon said that if he'd seen the crowds when he first came in, he might have rethought the experience.  
• The best dinner, or certainly the most interesting, was at the Grizzly House.  We had meat fondue - all of us ordered four distinct types of meat, and different appetizers; the middle dish was a Bagna (a vegetable Fondue) - very tasty.  The main fondue had us using hot rocks and oil fondue.  The former are rectangular granite rocks, heated at 650* for 8 hours.  They can be used only once a day!  The dessert was Toblerone chocolate fondue and fresh fruit.  It was a lot of fun.  There were telephones on each table and a map on the back of the placemats showing table locations - it used to be a swingers' bar so you could phone up different tables.  KC and John tried it, but it didn't work.  

• At the Grizzly House enjoy a taste of the exotic- and the eclectic. Examine the rustic décor and you will find wood paneled walls, a wood carved bear, totem poles, bearskin rugs, a buffalo head and even a mannequin riding a motorcycle. Glance around the room and you will see working phones at every table- a legacy from the restaurant’s former incarnation as a disco nightclub. Sit back and listen
  
  to the non-stop 70s music. The Grizzly House is interactive and entertaining. Barbara and Peter Steiner opened the Grizzly House in 1967. At the time it was Western Canada’s first disco and was known for its touring bands and go-go dancers.  Initially all the food was delivered through a hole in the wall from a neighbouring Chinese food restaurant. A few months after the Grizzly House opened, the Chinese food restaurant closed. The Grizzly House had to find a new way to comply with the liquor laws that required food service in order to serve alcohol. Peter and the Grizzly House staff brought in their own fondue pots- and a restaurant tradition began. The fondue concept was an immediate success and has, unlike disco, withstood the test of time.
• Our last breakfast in Banff was a late one, at Tooloulous.  We had to wait in line!  But we chose to eat on the sidewalk patio and had the most delicious crepes!  Worth the wait.
• Dinner in Calgary was at The Canadian Brewhouse. Game 4 for the NBA - Raptors won; all the screens were on the game.  It was very exciting.  Unfortunately or fortunately - our dinner orders were forgotten in the rush!  Manager came over to apologize and said the dinners were on the house!  Well done.  And the food was good!
• 2023 edit - I forgot to include our lunch in Canmore.  It was not planned, more a - we're here, can we find something interesting? 

• Final breakfast was at the hotel; nothing outstanding, but we did use our coupons from the night before to pay for our tea and coffee!! (The coupons were because we booked through Booking.com). 

 Accommodation

• We stayed two nights at High Country Inn, which happened to be the same hotel in which Mike, Brenda, John, and I stayed in May 2011!  It was a good place for location; our room was rather strange with a half wall between the two queen beds and a TV at the end of each bed.  We also had a microwave and a small fridge.  The fixtures were all new and high-end, and of course, it was all about location, location, location - a reasonable walk into town.  We were on the ground floor and our room looked out directly onto a parking lot running behind the hotel, but there was a mountain in the background.  KC and Jon had a balcony looking out onto the street.
• On our return to the hotel the next day the parking lot was full, so we used the underground parking lot, and I was immediately reminded of how small it was from our previous visit. Still, both Jon and John handled the arrival and departure well.  
• In Jasper we stayed at the Sawbridge Inn; it was more upscale and bigger than the High Country Inn, but fixtures needed to be updated (and the shower head was brutal I hear).  The Inn was notable for its low-lying Exit signage on which John hit his head twice, breaking the skin both times.  He emailed the manager, but I have not heard anything. (2023 edit - I think he did hear from them; we are very cautious now; I'm like the scout either going ahead and reminding him or I walk under them so he doesn't)
• Back in Jasper, we stayed at the Juniper Inn; on the outside it wasn't anything special but on the inside a real charmer.  Our rooms were on the ground floor; we overlooked the Vermillion lakes and the Banff Springs Hotel was in the distance.  KC and Jon got a bottle of wine from the Bistro and sat outside their room having their happy hour.  Inside the corridors were artifacts curated as a mini museum.  It was exceptionally well-done.  Signage warned of bears in the area (and we were INSIDE the fence).  If you looked down, there was the Trans-Canada, and the fence kept the animals off the highway!
• Finally in Calgary, we stayed at the Clique Hotel - a funky, trendy, off-beat hotel with a sense of humour.  There are at least two in the chain.  Lighting around the bed, controlled by a remote switch; a tower for the shower fixtures; a TV and remote in the bathroom.  

It was an awesome seven days and I'm so glad we could do that with KC and Jon.  They are a fun couple!  Thank you so much for all your work.