Day 12: "It is Magnificent"

Yesterday we slow-rolled and didn't leave our cabin til a little after noon. This is one of our rest spots, meaning we're staying in the same place 2 nights in a row. Since our trip to get here was short (it was only about an hour and a half to get here from Invermere, we just chose to make it a longer day and actually take in the sights in Kootenay and Banff), it's really felt like a lovely long break. I've been able to think about things besides just where we're headed next - delight.

So late start yesterday meant sleeping in (which I'm now starting to think I wrote in my last update... was that just yesterday morning? Oof.) and then heading to Banff and Yoho for more exploring.

First stop was going to be Moraine Lake but even this early in the season (June 25 is the end of Avalanche season according to some signs we've seen in the park that mention probably not needing winter hiking gear after that date), the parking lot was full. Fortunately, the turn off to Moraine is located just before the turn off for Lake Louise, so we just carried on that way instead.

Lake Louise

It started raining almost immediately after we began the Lakeshore hike

Frozen waterfall going into Lake Louise

I've always been sort of peeved when I've seen photos of Lake Louise (and other bodies of water in Canada) because I've assumed the photos were re-touched too much to make the water so blue. I now realize that was a mistake (I'm too tech illiterate to re-touch photos). A helpful National Parks sign explained that the water color comes from glacial grinding of the stone below (which has a blue tint). They call it "rock flour." So yes, Lake Louise is actually that brilliant turquoise color. 

We hiked along the lakeshore for about a 4km out-and-back trip and took our sweet time. By the time we headed to Moraine Lake to see if parking had improved it was after 4pm. By the time we got there, got parked, and ate "lunch," it was 5:15. Oops for that late start.

Along the 11km road from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake

We made a friend at lunch

Moraine Lake

Dad opted out of the lake shore hike at Moraine Lake, so Mom and I headed out solo. We met some friendly travelers who took our photos at the end (the last two pictures up above).

By the time we made it back to Dad at the car it was pushing 6:30. It was a good 1.5 hour drive back to the cabin in Golden, but we still wanted to stop at Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park. So bye for now, Banff; hello Yoho.

From Yoho Drive en route to the falls

Takakkaw means "it is magnificent" in Cree, according to a description of the falls we found nearby, and I couldn't agree more. The falls themselves are nearly 300m tall and are glacier-fed (we're going to see the glacier today when we drive the Icefields Parkway up through Jasper National Park). Mom and I abandoned Dad again and trekked in to the base of the falls.

Maybe the coolest part (to me) was that, because of the late hour and the way the sun hit the falls, there was a double rainbow at the bottom when you got in close. Some more friendly travelers took our photo and you can make out the colors if you look carefully!

Takakkaw rainbow!

Original plan had called for continuing the journey with a stop by Emerald Lake, but Dad declared that 2 lakes a day is his max. Instead, we went back to the pub we had dinner at last night in Golden (after the Rosie's fiasco in Gardiner, we're a little nervous about trying new places without doing research). The beer was cold and the food was excellent. Plus we were out and on the way back "home" by 10pm! Another good day in the books.

Today's agenda calls for an earlier departure (it's a little after 9 now, so maybe we'll be out by 10:30. Hah.) so that we can dally along the Icefields Parkway en route to Jasper. This next stretch of driving will take us on a route through the Canadian Rockies on our way to Alaska - we're getting there!