Barb and I had a proper vacation at Banff National Park.
I don’t have exact dates or details for this trip, but we have lots of photos and fond memories of our week in Banff. We flew into Calgary, rented a car and drove directly up to Banff, spending the first couple of nights at the landmark Banff Springs Hotel. We could only afford this historic masterpiece for a couple of nights, but we had a quirky room with a wood-paneled sitting area and a bed with a mirrored ceiling. After a couple of days we moved to a less expensive place in town.
Our first day, we explored the grounds of the hotel and took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain where we saw sheep and fine views of the hotel, town and valley.
Bow River Falls 
Riding up the gondola 
Snow squall came in 
Another day we took the Icefields Parkway to Athabasca Glacier. We saw lots of wildlife just off the Parkway and it was a beautiful drive.
The Athabasca Glacier was impressive and very cold. It was already a long walk from the roadway to the glacier, but I’m sure it’s even longer now.
More days, more driving, more mountains…not to make light of it, there were great sights and views around each bend.
The view over Peyto Lake was inspring.
We got to Lake Louise, one of the highlight points, in a snow flurry which was a disappointment. The snow cut down on the views, but we had a nice meal at the hotel, anyway.
Back in Banff, more wildlife shots. Barb took a horse ride; I’m not sure if I went along or not. Barb also made friends with some cute little groundhogs who didn’t want her to leave.
Coyote or wolf? 
Female moose 
An Elk 
Many elk 
An Elk 
Don’t go!
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