30th April 2012

Hi all. I really have some catching up to do today........we have had a couple of days on the road and then one night without any internet access so I haven't blogged for a while.

So, we arrived in Banff on the 26th after a scenic drive along the Icefield Parkway. It was late by the time we arrived as we have been spending a lot of time stopping to take in the scenery along the way.
We woke, the next morning, to a pretty cold miserable day. The forecast was for rain and snow flurries so we were hopeful of actually seeing some snow fall. 

We decided we would head up to Sulphur Mountain and take the Gondola ride to the summit.  The Gondola is an eight minute climb 2292 ft straight up to an elevation of 7486 ft when you reach the top. The view along the way is spectacular. When we reached the top we then walked the 1km skywalk up to the Cosmic Ray Station, National Historic Site of Canada, and back to the summit terminal. Of course we had to buy a couple of souvenirs before we headed back down the mountain. On the way up and down on the gondola you can see the odd person hiking to the top of this mountain, through the snow and rain....unbelievable!

The Gondola Terminal. The summit of the mountain
 is at the top of the snow lined trail to the right of the photo.

The view from the top.

Emily half way up the skywalk.

The view from the Cosmic Ray Station.

Unfortunately we didn't get to see any snow falling. However when we got off the Gondola the wind chill must have been below zero cause it was freezing. We bravely headed up to the hot springs....which sounds nice but the pools are actually outdoor so you have to keep your whole body submerged or it is unbelievably cold.

Mark & Em in the hot springs.

The steam off the hot pool was sooooo thick
 cause it was sooooooo cold!!

The next day we hit the road heading out of the mountains toward the Lakes District of Brittish Columbia and eventually back to Vancouver. We had only intented to make it as far as Sicamous which is about 4/5hrs from Banff, but ended up driving through to Kelowna instead. After being in the snow for a few days(which we thoroghly enjoyed) it was nice to see spring come to life the further west we got. It was amazing to go from seeing ski shops snd skidoos everywhere to all of a sudden seeing boat yards full of boats and dealerships absolutely overflowing with Motorhomes and R.V's for sale!!!!

An almost thawed river

The trees getting greener

The beautiful clear lakes of the Lakes district.

And the blossoming trees.

This lake at Peachland was crystal clear and so still.

25th April 2012

Hi all. We left Jasper today and headed to Banff along the Icefield Parkway. This really is the Rocky Mountains. We really spent most of the day getting to Banff even though the drive itself is only about 4 hours. We just had to keep stopping so we could take it all in and check out points of interest along the way. We also like to take plenty of photo's, you just cant help yourself it is so beautiful. In the end though I stopped taking pictures as they just don't do it justice. We called into the Columbia Icefield to see the Athabasca Glacier, which was amazing. Emily enjoyed the walk up to the Icefield Centre as they had to carve out a pathway through the snow to enable people to climb the stairs.
We also stopped to check out Lake Louise and although it was lovely, it is still frozen solid. I think this is something that needs to be seen in the spring/summer to truly appreciate it's beauty.
Emily has had a ball playing in the snow at almost every stop we make. We stopped for a while at Marmot Basin. This is the ski field closest to Jasper.
Well, that's about all for today but will blog again tomorrow after we get a chance to explore Banff.

Marmot Basin Ski Fields

Em at the ski fields having a play in the snow

Pine trees in the snow coming down from Marmot Basin

Caribou crossing sign

Driving along the Icefield Parkway

As Above!

Emily walking through the iced over stairway. (Sorry couldn't rotate this photo???)

Throwing a snowball!

Em & Mark in front of the snow bus that drives up onto the Glacier

Sign for Lake Louise

A very frozen Lake Louise

A small section of the Lake starting to thaw.

A stream flowing from Lake Louise.

24th April 2012

Hi all!  We arrived in Jasper on Monday evening about 7pm after a beautiful drive up through the mountains. We are really lucky (or so Emily thinks) that there have been record snowfalls this season because there is still ALOT of snow left up here. Apparently when the season is not so good most of the snow is gone by now and things are starting to green up. It has meant, however, that many of the winter activities are winding down but there is still too much snow for the spring/summer activities to start. I think though that the scenery at this time is absolutely amazing. There are still many frozen or melting lakes and rivers which are beautiful and the most incredible colour. The snow capped mountains are stunning and there are lots of waterfalls coming down out of the higher areas. We visited Maligne Canyon today. In winter they operate ice walking tours through the canyon. In summer these canyons become amazing waterfalls. For us though, they are half melted with water cutting its way through the ice which is just breathtaking. Jasper is a National Park so the wildlife has been plentiful. So far we have seen Elk, Moose, Coyote, Deer, Caribou and Red Squirrel. We haven't, as yet, been lucky enough to see a bear. This afternoon we actually went bear hunting!!!! We were amazed, when we drove into Jasper, to see Elk actually grazing in someones front yard.

Tomorrow we are heading for Lake Louise down the Icefield Parkway. This is supposed to be the most beautiful drive in the Rockies. We have already seen so many amazing things that I find that hard to believe!
Well, I will leave you with some pic's and a video and will blog again soon.
P.S  Thankyou for all your comments and emails.....so great to hear from everyone.





snow capped mountains

Mark & Em at the gateway of Robson Mountain.

The view from Jasper

snow capped mountains and low cloud

Lake Edith still frozen

Lake Edith

Maligne Canyon

Mark & Em on a suspension bridge at Maligne Canyon

Maligne Canyon

We saw a Moose but I was too slow with the camera!!!

We also saw Caribou &

Elk &

a Red Squirel &

more Elk &

Deer &

Coyote ........

but no Bears........yet!!

Except this one.....which is obviously not real!

And also this Moose!

Sunday 22nd April

Hi Everyone. Didn't blog yesterday as Emily decided she needed a day doing nothing, so that's exactly what we did and I must say it was nice to catch up on a little bit of sleep and get some washing done.
So, we haven't yet seen much of Vancouver but plan to do some sight seeing there and also Victoria and Vancouver Island when we return from the Rockies!

This morning we picked up our hire car and headed up into the mountains. Mark has only attempted to drive on the left hand side of the road once so far!!!!!!!!! The weather has been abnormally warm for this time of year here, which is a blessing for us, as all roads are open but there is still quite a bit of snow around when you get up into the mountains. Emily had a great time throwing snowballs at her Dad and me. (I hope to post a short video with this blog but if I cant there will be plenty of photos)

The scenery has already been spectacular and we are only about 4/5 hours from the coast. We arrived in Kamloops about 5.30 this afternoon. It is very similar to Jindabyne with the sparsly covered mountains and the rows of ski lodges. We will head off in the morning toward Jasper and will probably have the night there.

Well that's all for now.  Will catch up again tomorrow!

Heading out of Vancouver

Snow capped mountains behind Harrison Hot Springs

Mark and Em at Harrison Hot Springs



A Slowly melting frozen Lake

Em playing in the snow