Drove back into Banff National Park today after a quick stop of at Timmys. We began by visiting Lake Louise and got there before the crowds which made it even better. The lake was beautiful, very very green and the surrounding glaciers were spectacular. It was very cold there, the lake does not get warm enough to swim in even during the summer, and the morning fog had not risen so it all looked very mysterious. It was beautiful. It also had real flushing toilets; if I never have to use another ‘hole in the floor’ toilet again then I will be happy. Guess we all now where my priorities lie.
From Lake Louise we took Bow Valley Parkway, the scenic route, to the town of Banff. We didn’t get to see any wildlife today but the drive was still amazing. Banff itself is cute, another tourist town like Jasper only a little bigger.
After spending some time at Banff we headed to Yoho National Park; the word Yoho is a Cree expression of awe. I dare you to try saying Yoho out loud without getting the urge to sing “a pirates life for me”. Yoho is a smaller national park that butts up against Banff, but although it’s smaller it’s just as amazing. We stopped at Kicking Horse Pass to view the Spiral Tunnels. These are tunnels cut through the mountain that reduced the grade for the railway line by more than half. A pretty amazing feet that was completed over 100 years ago. We attempted to drive to Takakkaw Falls (magnificent in Cree) which are the second highest falls in Canada but we couldn’t get even close as the road was closed due to the weather. We did get to see the convergence of the Yoho and Kicking Horse rivers, the meeting was violent!
Our next stop was at a natural bridge that had been created by the Kicking Horse River; it was once a waterfall. Nature is awesome. The last place of the day was Emerald Lake, which as with all the other lakes we’ve seen was wonderful nestled amongst the trees with a glacier backdrop.
We have had a lovely few days in Donald and tomorrow it’s off to Radium Hot Springs.

Mike: Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!