Lake Louise #2

I think the time zones are starting to catch up with us: This morning, we slept until 10:15, when Sandy called to wake us up. They only serve breakfast until 11, so we threw on some clothes and hustled downstairs for “brunch”.

After eating, we got in the rental car and drove to the Lake Louise ski resort for their scenic gondola. We only had to wait a few minutes and then we took a ski lift to the top. We were excited to see a grizzly bear on the way up! There was a little bit of snow left up there and the boys had fun throwing snowballs while we enjoyed the views, with were truly stunning. The weather was perfect with clear blue skies, temps in the upper 70’s, lots of sunshine and a light breeze. We could see Lake Louise in the distance, lots of snow capped mountains and Bow valley in between. We hiked around a little while and then took the ride back down.

Next, we jumped back in the car and drove to the Chateau at Lake Louise, which is a really large, beautiful resort right on the lake. The lake is glacier fed and has some silt in it, which makes it an odd blue-green color. It gets up to 50 degrees F in the summer –brr! We rented canoes t explore the lake. Michele, Cameron, and Roland were on one canoe, while Brandon, Justin, and I were in the other. On the way out, another canoe full of tourists coming in rammed right into Michele and Roland! I feared the worst, but they somehow managed not to tip over. I was kind of paranoid because I had my good camera with me and didn’t want to get it wet.

We worked up an appetite out on the lake and had an early dinner at the Chateau, which was terrific! After dinner, we came back to the hotel and I have been doing flight planning for our trip back in the lower 48 tomorrow while the kids watch TV. We have to clear US customs in Great Falls, Montana and then we’ll be continuing on to Custer, SD, the closest airport to Mount Rushmore. Fortunately, the weather looks great. I predict clear skies all the way there.