It is raining again. The locals say that this weather is unusual and the they really haven't had a summer. The only thing we can say is that this must be great for the mushroom pickers. At any rate, we drove up to Lake Louise this morning and it was a bit of a washout. It was raining and mists shrouded the mountains and the glaciers above the lake. Lake Louise's emerald green waters were a dark green with an occasional hint of its real color. We spent some time walking though the public areas of the Lake Louise Lodge and then headed to Banff.

We took the Bow Valley Parkway instead of the TransCanada Highway and while it was a slow ride it took us through some beautiful areas. The clouds started to clear and by the time we got to Banff, we had some sun and the temperature climbed to 68 F (20 C)... a heat wave. We walked through the town of Banff, whose streets are lined with shops catering to tourists, and then drove up to the gondola base station on Sulphur Mountain. The view of the Bow River Valley, while a bit hazy, was great.

The Banff Springs Hotel was our next stop. As you may recall, on 14 August, we spoke of the three lodges in Jasper and Banff National Parks and which is the best. All three are quite different in design and direct comparisons are difficult. However, there is no doubt in our mind that the Banff Springs Hotel is the most impressive. It is a magnificent building on a mountain setting, overlooking the Bow River Valley.
Lake Louise shortly after we arrived
Lake Louise half an hour later trying to show its true colors
It is still raining, but we keep going
Bow River Valley from Sulphur Mountain (Banff)
Bow River Valley viewed from the Banff Springs Hotel
Bow River Falls, below the Banff Springs Hotel
Susie at the Bow River Falls
The Banff Springs Hotel
All summer we have been talking about spotting, or trying to spot big game animals. We finally met the most dangerous of them all, a cottontail rabbit. The campground in Canmore is full of them. This one posed for us under an old trailer and then left to scare other city folks.