Worth it!

Our last full day. Lots of signs indicate that summer times for opening etc finish today so perhaps it is the right time to go. Amazed at how busy it still is though.

One last place on our list to visit. So we were up early to perfect blues skies but a frozen windscreen! We have a Volvo hire car so it was heated seats as we set off!

We left before breakfast to get to Lake Louise early as we knew it got very busy. Success. We were there before 9.30am and eating croissant and drinking coffee on the superb milky blue lakeside before 10.00am watching the crowds of coach travellers being disgorged to spend their 10 minutes glorying in the view.

It did not disappoint, as blue and beautiful as it looks on postcards. We actually have an enlarged photo of it taken by our son some years ago and he has always encouraged us to come here. I didn't take anything better than he and I did expect it to be my blip for today.

BUT instead of walking along the lake side towards Mt Victoria we decided to take a trail up through the trees to Lake Agnes and it's tea house.

It was only 3.4 km but up hill all the way. We had a brief respite at Mirror Lake and then on for the last half mile which terminated in 58 steps! But it was worth it!
As we had to make an effort to get here and the reflections of Fairview Mountain and the lovely light green Larches were so lovely in this little lake, I chose this over Lake Louise.

The Tea House is a log cabin where we sat looking over the lake and had lunch of soup and a sandwich with tea whilst sharing a table with a group of Americans.
They had seen a Moose on the golf course in Banff! Sadly it is one of the few animals I'm not certain I have seen.

Back down at Lake Louise it was hot again. We drove on to Moraine Lake and which was just as busy. We think it was here at Mt Babel that Alex (our son)  came to climb when he was on R&R with the army. Another lovely blue lake but not the milky glacial colour of Lake Louise, backed by 10 peaks. Sadly it was into the sun by now.

We returned via the Bow Valley Parkway, the original road from Banff to L Louise. It is quieter than the Trans Canada 1 and we hoped to see some wildlife. We did see Big horn sheep, about 6 of them all over the road and some Mule deer as we re-entered Banff. The Moose is going to remain elusive I'm afraid.  

I did see some thing new today though.  Gray Jays and the bigger Clark Nutcracker. The Nutcracker has a very long beak but is very similar if a little larger than the Jay and was obviously familiar with the places where tourists eat!

What better day to have to complete this great holiday.