On the Bow River

Canoeing on the Bow River - glorious!!!

Canoe dog:

Rafting:

All the way up in the bow:

Pretty good scenery today:

Lake Louise - Banff

Happy birthday to me

Sunrise over Lake Louise - view from our room. 26 degrees and sunny. 

Jasper to Columbia Glacier to Lake Louise

Today was a glorious day! Yesterday's rain is gone and skies were bright. Temperatures were a comfortable 30-40 degrees. 

After a hearty breakfast of the usual - bacon, lox, maple syrup, we headed down the Icefields Highway with some gorgeous views:

We arrived at the Columbia Glacier where we boarded special snow buses with monster wheels and drove right up on the glaciers. Most of the photos are on my big camera but this will give you an idea of how freaking cold it was up there. Snowing and blowing.  It was frigid.

We continued down the Icefields Highway, stopped for lunch and several scenic overlooks and finally arrived at Chateau Lake Louise. I can't get a decent picture of the view from our room, but if you click this link you can see our view of the lake 

http://m.fairmont.com/lake-louise/?cmpid=google_cll_search-branded-canada_branded-e-revsh&s_kwcid=TC%7C1025556%7Cchateau%20lake%20louise%7C%7CSM%7Ce%7C51300436863&gclid=CN6ZiLeqicgCFZA1aQodnrIDFw

We set out for a great hike around the lake 

Showering now and getting ready for cocktails then dinner in the old world elegant dining room here. It's really nice. 

However, we have really been in the middle of nowhere for the past couple of days!

Tomorrow - river float ride then we head to our next stop at Banff. We have not been able to unpack once. Really on the move!

Hike in the Rain

Rainy day here at Jasper Park Lodge.  It's a shame because golf course is gorgeous!! A few hearty Canadians are playing in the rain. There is also the most gorgeous lake with canoeing and kayaking but nothin doing in the rain. 

After a hearty breakfast of lox, bacon and maple syrup, we headed out with our umbrellas for a 2.2 mile hike around Lake Beauvant - beautiful!

Even pretty in the rain:

Which is the sky and which is the relflection?

Searched for elk, which are supposed to be plentiful in these here parts, but we only saw a squirrel. 

Bear

We saw this in an art gallery and are thinking of buying it for the living room in NY apt. For over the sofa ---not the one with the bike sculpture. What do you think? 

 

Sequoia Tree

So this is what a Sequoia tree looks like:

Butchart Gardens

Visited the gorgeous 55 acre Butchart Gardens. Well worth it!!

Sunken Garden

A little rain did not stop us

Bear!

There's a bar...

Whar?

Over thar!

Vancouver - Victoria

Day started sort of slowly with a quick ride around Vancouver and a drive through of Stanley Park - huge 1,000 acre park. We stopped for some shots of totem poles:

Next was a shopping/food stop at Granville Island which is a crafty shopping place. (Yawn.) The most exciting part was the impressive Osgemeos murals which are these stunning paintings of people on huge cement silos

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/british-columbia/granville-island-s-osgemeos-mural-part-of-vancouver-biennale-1.2747820

Very cool. 

I also shopped for, but did not buy a hat in preparation for the cold weather that lies ahead when we get to the mountains:

Rejuvenated by lunch at Granville Island we drive to Tsawwassen where we boarded a huge ferry bound for Victoria - the Capital of BC. 

The ferry ride was sunny and warm and you can see in the photo how calm the waters were. Scenery was beautiful as we passed through the San Juan Islands. 

Ninety minutes later we arrived in Victoria and checked into our hotel. Heading to the bar....

All around - a relaxing day!

Honey...

Very fresh honey for breakfast at the Fairmount Hotel

Vancouver

Good morning Vancouver!

We decided to head out today to visit Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and see the famous 450 foot long Capilano Suspension Bridge which has been reassuringly wobbly since 1889.

It's a not to be missed experience which includes some interesting history; great nature walks throughout the unique rainforest with its cedars, firs, maples, etc; a climbing adventure on seven suspension bridges through old Douglas Firs; a cliffwalk on suspended walkways along sheer granite cliff faces offering stunning views of the canyon and its river full of salmon. 

Great morning!