The Spectacular Canadian Rockies

As we write this blog post we are pulling a 24 foot trailer on our way to Burning Man, remembering our time in the beautiful Canadian Rockies.  The cool mountain air and awe-inspiring mountains led to some great paddle boarding opportunities, yoga, and hiking.

We left Vancouver Island after two weeks and hit Vancouver (city) for a night. We quickly realized that we were having more fun exploring nature than cities at the moment, so we beelined for the spectacular Rockies.

The first town you come to in Banff National Park when heading east is Lake Louise.   We knew that the place was going to be crowed and we would have little chance of lodging in town, so we decided to try the Icefield Parkway on the way to Jasper.  What a GREAT decision. About 45 minutes outside Lake Louise we discovered a campground that was almost empty!  And to top it off, the campground was right on the glacier blue Waterfowl Lake complete with dramatic mountains and glaciers in the background.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JrsG46zmeyA/U_pEIPJhCZI/AAAAAAAAlkQ/Dxm_SzcqqhE/s144-c-o/IMG_0255.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051223957621770642″ caption=”Waterfowl Lake – Icefields Parkway” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0255.JPG” ]
[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GLVTSRJQB4k/U_pExDGjpVI/AAAAAAAAlnk/brAOXVHdJXM/s144-c-o/IMG_0481.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051224658762769746″ caption=”Wow, look how big the Rockies are!” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0481.JPG” ]

Below are some great pics of a hike we did – Wilcox Pass – in the Icefields Parkway.  I felt like I was in the Sound of Music!

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OEu2t1cB65Y/U_pE1_K5PwI/AAAAAAAAloI/akYX_3YxHZU/s144-c-o/IMG_0494.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051224743606566658″ caption=”Columbia Icefield – Icefields Parkway” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0494.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vBVBlMXBe4k/U_pE9WFdyXI/AAAAAAAAlo8/qx8787DYzeA/s144-c-o/IMG_0510.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051224870016895346″ caption=”The hills are aliiiive, with the sound of muuuusic” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0510.JPG” ]

George and I really feel blessed to have this time together in a way that we really haven’t experienced before.  I have to admit that after being together for so many years, I didn’t expect that spending 24 hours a day together would build an even deeper understanding of each other, but it really has and surprisingly quickly.  So it’s fitting that we were able to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary on this trip.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3EfmLU0GnxA/U_pFPuVSC5I/AAAAAAAAlqs/2oRmgwhFZ-0/s144-c-o/IMG_0553.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051225185763330962″ caption=”Happy Anniversary!!  Shout out to Jordan and Robyn for supplying the bubbly as a gift over a year ago! We carried the bottle in a cooler for almost a month” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0553.JPG” ]

Several surprising highlights of the trip:

Our hike along Lake Louise up to the tea house and onwards to Victoria Glacier was definitely worth fighting the summer crowds to see. I’ve never in my life been that close to a glacier! You could hear the glacier at times and even on a hot day I could feel its cold chill in the wind. Lake Louise really is the bluest of the blue glacier lakes, which we learned is because of the milky sediment that is brought in by the glacier melt.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gcbtOKBproc/U_pFmWAg5DI/AAAAAAAAltM/hTN0IvB-Kv8/s144-c-o/IMG_0586.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051225574370763826″ caption=”Chateau Lake Louise” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0586.JPG” ] [pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nnBTIpsvDJg/U_pFpDTik6I/AAAAAAAAltc/Fm4hFeWFYWo/s144-c-o/IMG_0589.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051225620889899938″ caption=”Top of the Plains of Six Glaciers Hike” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0589.JPG” ]

Another surprising element of the Rockies was the town of Banff. We figured after seeing the town of Lake Louise, Banff wouldn’t be much different. But alas, we were so wrong! Banff has a winter ski town feel; we’ll definitely visit again in the winter sometime.  PS. If you go to Banff don’t miss the historic Banff Springs Hotel first built in the late 1800s.

Lastly, to help George meet his 100 days of kiting goal, we stopped in Hood River, Oregon on our journey back to SF.  Hood River is a famous windsport mecca located on the Colombia Gorge, so we just had to stop. The surprising part was how much we REALLY loved the town.  Hood River has a population of 7,000 that swells in the summer with interesting wind seekers from all over the world, which only adds to the community feel.  They have 4 – 5 breweries in town, great food, and just plain good people.  This place is definitely on our radar for a town to settle in someday (for those who know us, you know the list is pretty long, but I swear Hood River is near the top! ;).

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HpXQgTtARKg/U_pF_h1n0TI/AAAAAAAAlwE/aw3fDrHnK4o/s144-c-o/IMG_0631.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051226007043035442″ caption=”The Event – Hood River” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0631.JPG” ] [pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-08Ct5u-Gpo4/U_pGAyA4FaI/AAAAAAAAlwM/7MRELFSj1ak/s144-c-o/IMG_0634.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/115263927216347870948/20140824#6051226028565075362″ caption=”Mount Hood in the background – Solera Brewery” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0634.JPG” ]

Reading list:  

• The Orenda, by Joseph Boyden (historical fiction set in New France – what is now Canada; Jesuit missionaries immersed in Huron culture)

What we are listening to:

• Walter Martin – Sing to Me

Latest photos:

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