Icefields Parkway

Ted. When Judy and I left Banff, we took a route north called the Icefields Parkway. 

I rarely use the word breathtaking but that is an apt description of this 144 mile long road from Lake Louise to Jasper, Alberta. We have driven many magnificent highways in the world but I can’t think of one that surpasses this. Along the way we saw incredible mountains, rivers, waterfalls, lakes and probably 100 glaciers. Another blessing? Precious few cars. 

 As often is the case, my humble snapshots will substitute for a thousand words. Better yet, check it out on the internet to see how real photographers have documented this incredible road.

Peyto Glacier

Peyto Lake

Crowfoot Glacier

Mistaya Canyon

Some other glacier

Athabasca Falls

Enjoying Peyto Lake

Yoho National Park

Ted. The day after our exhausting trip to Banff, we opted for a shorter drive and smaller crowds so we made our way west, reentering peaceful British Columbia. 

Our first stop was an interesting place called the “Spiral Tunnels” overlook. The path of the Canadian Pacific train tracks here form a double loop as they wend their way over Kicking Horse pass. From the overlook we watched in fascination as three different parts of the same train passed us by simultaneously at three different elevations. What an engineering feat! 

We then planned to drive into the tiny hamlet of Field for lunch. From the highway we had to cross the train tracks to town. However, two trains passed there just as we arrived so we sat at the crossing for 45 minutes, reading and enjoying the vistas. Rail is still king in this region! The good news is that I had the best burger I’ve had in quite a while at the Truffle Pigs Bistro. Field is the center of Yoho National Park which only gets 700,000 visitors each year. What a difference! We were able to visit peaceful Emerald Lake, and 1,200 foot tall Takakkaw Falls. The lack of people made all the difference in the world.

Natural bridge over Kicking Horse River

Takakkaw Falls

Emerald Lake

Waterton to Banff

Ted. Judy and I decided to take the scenic route when we drove from Waterton National Park to Banff National Park. This journey promised great mountains and magnificent river valleys.

Heading west from Pincher Creek we crossed Crowsnest Pass and dropped down into the beautiful Elk River Valley in British Columbia. In Wardner, our road followed the Kootenay River, then left it at Columbia Lake, the source of the Columbia River which actually flows north here. Passing through Sinclair Canyon at Radium Hot Springs we once again join the Kootenay and enter Kootenay National Park. It is cool to think about the fact that these great rivers were the highways in this region for thousands of years. After driving the length of the park and enjoying wonderful views we came to the continental divide where we left Kootenay NP, returned to Alberta and entered Banff National Park. 

Here’s where we joined the crowds. I had been to Banff 35 years ago and insisted that Judy take a quick look at world famous Lake Louise. After enjoying a quiet lunch at the café in the small village, we headed to the lake itself. What a zoo! There was no parking anywhere and long lines to get to the parking lot for shuttles that would take us to the lake. I “called an audible at the line of scrimmage" and dropped Judy off at the handicapped parking lot and then drove back to the village. She texted me after she made it to the lake shore for a quick glimpse and I circled back to pick her up. 

Lake Louise - the dream

Lake Louise - the reality

After that mess, we then made our way to the town of Banff, which was a case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. I offered to drop Judy off so she could explore the shops and art galleries that I had enjoyed back in the eighties. Alas, the crowds were unbelievable. To get an idea, visualize any mall two days before Christmas! We said forget it and continued on to our peaceful hotel well outside of the town. More than four million people visit Banff each year. That’s nearly as much as Yellowstone. Apparently, they all confine themselves to ten square miles of the park. We decided to get a good night's sleep and then figure out how to escape the crowds.

Patty

Judy. I first met Patty in Santiago, Chile, in the spring of 2019, at the church we were both attending as visitors. Somehow we hit it off—in many ways we’re of the same mind—sisters from another mister, as she puts it. Despite the fact that we actually spent very little time together, we have texted and emailed, and that friendship has grown over the years. Patty’s one of those friends you can spill your guts to, knowing full well she’ll take it in stride. She is a true gift. 

Although their home is in Calgary, Alberta, Patty’s husband Dave, works on developing a mine in northern Chile. This means she moves back and forth several times a year, sometimes with Dave, sometimes alone. Patty’s parents, good friends, and, most importantly, her granddaughter, are back in Canada, so getting back is naturally important to her. When we made plans to travel to Alaska this year, Ted suggested we also visit Alberta, a province we’d not yet explored. Hoping against hope, I contacted Patty to see if by chance she’d be in Calgary, and thank goodness, she said yes! Then she invited us to spend four days with her; unfortunately, we’d miss Dave by one day. 

I guess there’s always that little tiny fear that once you see each other face to face, you’ll find you don’t like each other so much, but that was sure not the case! From the time I spotted her at the airport holding flowers and a Canadian flag till we left four days later, I think we never stopped talking. We even managed to include Ted!

 

We did our best to explore the city and surrounding area, taking short hikes, visiting Heritage Park and learning about Alberta history. We ate like royalty, sat on her beautiful back porch, curled up in her living room, and caught up. 

A cool and cozy porch

Heritage Park

Goofing around at Elbow Falls

She gave us space one afternoon to drive to the other side of the city to visit Connie, the niece of our friend Mavis, who fed us tea and cake and stories of her family.

The day we left, she packed us a bag of snacks, Dave's best Scotch whiskey (sorry, Dave), napkins, and lots of love. It made hotel evenings much cozier over the next few nights. 

Long-distance friendships are often hard to maintain, I guess. Ted and I love meeting folks along the way, and, if we’re able, catching up with them later. Patty makes it easy. Blessings upon Blessings, Grace upon Grace. That’s Patty.

 

Waterton Lakes National Park

Ted. Judy and I had dreamed of visiting Alberta, Canada since before the pandemic hit. We finally decided that this would be the summer for it so flew from Atlanta to Calgary on July 31. We arrived safely but were an hour late. All passengers had been informed that they were required to wear masks on Canadian planes. One woman refused, so our plane had to return to the gate where she was unceremoniously ushered off (I guess she ended up driving to Canada).  As we entered the arrivals hall in Calgary we were warmly welcomed by our friend Patty. Judy will report on that visit shortly. 

After a few days of being spoiled rotten by Patty, it was time to begin our exploration of the Canadian Rockies. We headed under sunny skies to Waterton Lakes National Park. It sits right on the border with the US and is contiguous with Glacier National Park. The two parks are known collectively as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The road we took south from Calgary was on the plains, just to the east of the front range. As we approached the park, we veered to the west and were stunned by how the mountains in the park lept suddenly from the plains with no foothills at all. The area at the foot of these peaks is known as the Waterton Front.

We only spent two days in Waterton so could barely scratch the surface. We saw a lot by car but limited our hikes as Judy had just undergone a procedure to ease some arthritic pain in her spine. 

Back on the trail!

The park is known for an  abundance of wildlife and we saw two bears, a few bison and lots of deer. Sadly, many of the trees in the park had been killed by a terrible forest fire in 2017.  Possibly because of this, crowds were virtually nonexistent and we often had the place all to ourselves. 

Blakiston Falls

Red Rock Canyon

Waterton Lake

Suffice it to say, our first Canadian national park did not disappoint.

Cameron Lake