Day 23: Prince George, BC to Banff, AB (659km, 14670km total)
Finally, a beautiful wilderness I have no desire whatsoever to climb all over… these mountains are just too much! This was just a first glimpse coming into Banff; before we spent a whole day wandering around the Canadian Rockies today…
Day 24: Banff, AB to Lake Louise, AB/BC to Radium Hot Springs, BC to Banff, AB (380km, 15050km total)
This has to be one of the most beautiful scenic routes on earth, going for a day’s drive through giant mountains filled with exotic wildlife, it felt more like a safari (and a successful one, unlike the tour-bus variety in Denali) than anything one should find in Canada.
A mountain goat in its natural habitat! These things feel such incredible apathy toward humans that it is possible to walk right up to and pet one, without even carrying food.
Lake Louise is perhaps the most iconically Canadian scene possible. I found it beautiful but a bit overrated in summer, with its enormous resort hotel and lines of tourists, but what the region is best known for is skiing, which runs from October into June or July on the extremely snowy mountains above the lake.
These baby-looking birds are everywhere in town. What are they, besides cute? And one hell of a pest when you get one in your plate at the terrace bistro and it wants your french fries?!
Snowball! Even in the last week of June!
There is something quite intense about standing face to face with a moose.
I think these bears are getting just a bit too wild?
Why did the antelope cross the road?
This was not unusual along the entire route, having the road slice through a narrow pass or blasting canyon.
Or is this an antelope? What exactly is an antelope anyway?
Look at this! The wildlife poses right in front of my camera too!
The deer even know exactly where to go! Approximately anyway, maybe they don’t realize the sign is asking for elk.
In case you’ve ever wondered, this is what a new baby moose looks like
…and this is probably just about the end of the interesting sights on this trip. I’ll post one more time at the very end in case there is something not worth missing between here and Rochester, but I kind of doubt it…