Today, June 14, 2010 was our day to tour Banff and Lake Louise. We started out with much not needed rain. Our tour driver JT did a great job explaining everything along the way. We learned that in order to own a home in the national park of Banff, you either had to own a business or work in Banff. Townhouses and condominiums around Banff started at $300,000.00 while residential houses started at $600,000.00.
Other points of interest were Surprise Corner in which we got to see Banff Springs Hotel which opened in 1888, Million Dollar Lookout/Tunnel Mountain which offers beautiful view of Banff, Mt. Rundle and the Bow Valley. Bow Valley has Norquay with an elevation of 8,300 feet and it is one of Banff's popular skiing areas in the winter. Norquay has skiing this year from December 1st to mid March. While touring Banff Springs Hotel a beautiful rainbow enlightened the sky. What a beautiful site to see.
We also learned about the Hoodoos. Geologists believe the formations were cemented together with dissolving limestone over twenty thousand years ago.
Banff National Park has a campground in which 5,000 campers can spend an over night.
We stopped by a flower garden in which 50,000 plants have been planted and they expect the peak of the bloom to begin in about 3 weeks. Bow falls was another point of interest in which Marilyn Monroe went over the falls and broke her ankle. Castle Mountain, which was once named Mt. Eisenhower, in honor of the General for exploits in WWII and for his service as President of the United States, is nearly mid-way between Banff and Lake Louise.
After our points of interest on the trip, we were dropped off to shop and have lunch. Allot of the Adventure Caravan travelers met at the food court where we all ate. I want everyone in the family to know that Ira (Dad, Poppy) had Japanese Food at Edo and he ate Beef Yakisoba. I don’t know about you guys, but if I couldn’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t eat it. I asked him how he liked it and he said it was okay. I asked him if he would eat it again and he answered, rather emphatically, NO.
Final stop of our trip was Lake Louise. We were hoping to see animals along the way, but today we only got to see Dahl Sheep and an Elk laying down by the roadside. Lake Louise is the most famous glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies and one of the most beautiful in the western hemisphere. The lake, named for Princess Caroline Louise Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria, is 5,680 feet above sea level. Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise sits at the opposite end of the lake from Mt. Victoria Glacier, named for the Queen.
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