Banff – Day 2
Day for some more sightseeing and some hiking.
As we drove away from the campground we saw three mule deer. About a hundred yards further a female elk was grazing in the trees beside the road.
A couple of miles east of Banff is the largest lake in Banff National Park, Lake Minnewanka. This lake is man made to generate some hydroelectric power. Scenery and recreation are an added benefit.
Lake Minnewanka
Just past the lake dam we saw this
and this
and this
and these.
Several hundred yards further we came to Two Jack Lake which is below the spillway from Lake Minnewanka. Photo op of the day.
There were two tour busses worth of tourists, German and Japanese, on the bank and hillside to the right of the above picture all taking many photos. We also took many pictures of different magnification and angles.
A mile further on is a turnoff to Johnson Lake. Small shallow manmade lake that is very pretty and peaceful. Probably has lots of summer visits. We took a hike around the lake (little under two miles). There were often views in every direction. This is my favorite. I think it is postcardable.
Ducks in Johnson Lake
Goose on the shore
Back into Banff we stopped at Safeway to buy milk. Four liters, a little over a gallon, cost $4.00 PLUS $.25 deposit on the container AND $.05 recycling fee. That was new and different.
After lunch we did our last major sightseeing event, a hike to the top of Tunnel Mountain. This mountain sits literally right up against the town of Banff and inside the Banff town limits. It is not very tall compared to all the mountains that ring Banff but it is still over 5400 feet (interesting that many if not most peak elevations are given in feet while distances are in kilometers and volumes are in liters) high and the trail (about one and a half miles) is steady up with lots of switchbacks. At the top is a sign commemorating a woman who climbed the mountain more than 8000 times over 40 years, sometimes twice in a day. King George IV climbed the mountain. Now we can say we have walked in the footsteps of royalty and summited a peak in the Canadian Rockies.
Banff Springs Hotel from top of Tunnel Mountain. Gondola base is at left end of road in center of picture.
Banff from top of Tunnel Mountain
Banff Center. This is a huge complex devoted to training artists of various types and persuasions. Will have to research this more.
Banff Gondola and Upper Hot Springs
Sue on top of Tunnel Mountain
Hoodoos from far away
Tomorrow we head north a short way.
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