Banff Forest to Van Couver

The drive down from Banff was primarily viewing from the trails, however we did get an early morning hike in at the Valley of Five Lakes.  It was gorgeous and early enough that  there were very few people on the trail.  We were a little late for moose and bears, so I guess I'll have to settle for seeing them in captivity only.  They say that the moose are a lot like deer here and difficult to see other than early or dusk and in very swampy areas.  This was an absolutely stunning morning.  We have found that staying in the valleys and lake areas we can still get some wonderful sights in spite of the smoke overhead.

This guy was cooperative for the camera

Next stop on the trip out of Banff was a stop at the Athabasca Falls.  They were so impressive!  The caves that have been carved out over the years were used as stepping stones to the different levels of the falls, all the way down to the river.  The power generated there was just incredible.  We hiked this area for a couple of hours.

The final stop for the day was Lake Louise.   It was beautiful, but maybe overrated, then the smoke obscured a lot of the view, so it was rather a disappointment from what we had anticipated.  The tourist population was astronomical in the area and were all funneled into a very small veiwing space. sooo not the highlight of the day, but still worth a stop along the way.

We arrived in Vancouver to find complications with our reservation at the Sandman so we were treated to a night in the top floor Penthouse.  After a day hiking and traffic we slept like rocks so the extra conveniences were quite welcome.   The view from the balcony of Vancouver was awesome, but the next night was back to reality....

The next day we spent in Vancouver on Grouse Mountain.  The mountain itself is right in Vancouver.  Some guy saw a blue grouse while hunting on the mountain in the early days of its' development so named it that.  But I swear they call it Gross Mountain..  Anyway it was a lovely hike and the gondola ride was fun.  We nearly froze up there though,  you could see your breath, so we had hot cocoa with our beaver tails (fried bread with great toppings).  Long story but I have to learn to fix those things....

We were treated to an awesome time observing two rescued grizzlies, then a raptor show, and finally and Loggers contest and show.  They were so talented.  I thought about sending pictures of the guys throwing axes and climbing 60 ft. poles then doing handstands,  then remembered I have five grandsons and not all of them deal with fears of any kind.   Tricks you wouldn't want to try at home!!