Athabasca Falls
A Baby Bighorn Sheep
Two Bighorn Rams
An Elk in Velvet Resting Along 1A Highway Near Lake Louise
Sunday, June 12
We had a relaxing morning in such a beautiful campground with large sites, quiet pines, and mountains all around us. The ground squirrels kept Ben entertained.
We chatted with our neighbors from Germany who had flown in to Vancouver and rented a motor home. They said Germany had comparable terrain, but with many more people in a small space.
As we hit the road going south on the Icefield Parkway, we again stopped all along the way to click pictures of mountains. It looked so different coming south and with so much less snow.
We stopped at Athabasca Falls and walked around. There were many more people and much more traffic than when we were there a month ago, but we still enjoyed it's beauty and it wasn't really crowded yet.
When we were driving in the mountains, we seemed to drive in and out of light rains the higher up we went. It just kind of blew in and out in a cloud. It could be raining and yet we'd be in sun and blue skies. The rain moved with the gusts of wind.
We saw so many waterfalls and we couldn't help taking more and more pictures. We just couldn't capture it all.
We saw a cluster of Big Horn Sheep with mamas and babies grazing in the grass at the base of the rocks. Then down by the river, we saw two huge rams. We sat and watched them for quite a while. It was just so exciting to watch these huge animals still living in the wild.
We saw another large black bear grazing beside the road. Dandelions seem to be a big attraction.
There were more glaciers, more waterfalls, and more sparkling streams. At the summit, there was a huge lake still mostly frozen with huge blue chunks of floating ice.
When we came off the Icefield Parkway, instead of taking the highway, we took the back road, 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway, again to drive slowly and watch for wildlife. It was Sunday, and there was much more traffic, hikers, and bikers. We decided we probably wouldn't see much, but right towards the end, we saw people pulled over and there were two huge elk, lying down, tucked in the trees right beside the road. Everyone was whispering and taking pictures and the elk didn't seem to think anyone could see them or they just didn't care. There huge horns were in velvet and they were so pretty. We again, watched quite a while.
We got back on Highway 1 east, which is a four lane divided highway. We weren't sure we were ready for all of that again. There are big fences along the highway to keep animals out and a couple sod covered wide bridges over the highway for animals to travel across without getting in the road. They've thought of everything. We did see a small herd of deer beside the road and some single deer along the way.
We passed Banff and went on to Canmore and the Spring Creek Campground where we had stayed coming up. There were more campers and the price had gone up, of course, but it was still beautiful and a nice place to stay with great views. There were ducks walking around looking for hand outs and bunnies of all colors all around. We had to keep Ben in check, but he sure enjoyed watching.
We chatted with our neighbor who had a spotless motor home towing a spotless white compact car. He was on his way to Alaska and had really researched his trip, planning everything with detail. He was washing his windows and said he washed his motor home every couple of days as he likes to keep it all in good order. We couldn't help but smile thinking of him hitting those roads in Alaska and on the way up with the clouds of dust. The man is going to be a wreck!
We went into Canmore and ate a fabulous dinner at the Grizzly Paw Brewery. I actually had one of their light beers, a Hound Dog Pilsner, mixed with their own brewed Orange Soda. It was yummy.
We walked around Canmore a little. It was very much like Jackson Hole with lots of young people, outdoor cafes, and people playing music. We were full and relaxed. It had been a great day and we were ready to call it a night.
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