Today it was time to check out of the fabulous Banff Springs Hotel and point the car toward Lake Louise.  We packed up and headed into town one more time for breakfast while the bell staff had our luggage waiting for us at the main entrance upon our return.

We headed north on the Bow Valley Parkway, which is a 2-lane alternate to the Trans-Canada Highway.  The advantage of the smaller road is that the wildlife is not kept away from the road by fences, so there is a greater chance of seeing animals.

Here was our first animal sighting…

And then we encountered a moose eating dandelions at side of the road.  At one point, he looked up at us with the yellow flowers hanging out of both sides of his mouth.

Stopping for a rest along the way…

And here was our first grizzly bear sighting, just outside of Lake Louise village.  That’s as good a photo as I could get, since I wasn’t planning to run up the hill towards him!

We arrived at Lake Louise, and checked into our hotel.  We’re staying at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and have a very nice suite with a view of the famous lake.

And here is the view photographed through our room windows!

I’m still having trouble with the camera, so I need apologize for the photos.  You will notice that the photos will either show the sky as washed out grey, or if the sky comes out with the true blue that it is, the rest of the background appears very dark.  I just can’t seem to figure out what setting on the camera has been messed up.  I don’t know if there will be anything that can be done in Photoshop to fix the pictures later, or if we just have to use our imagination to get the true picture.

Here we are driving out to Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks.  Again, sorry for the dark foreground and washed out background!

We arrived at Moraine Lake and proceeded to climb up the big rock pile at the base of the lake for a better view.  It was only after we climbed up the face that we realized there was a path around the back!

Here’s Nadine walking through the driftwood to get to the rock pile.

Here’s Moraine Lake before we start the climb.

Here’s Nadine climbing up…

And here we are at the top, with the famous view from the back of the Canadian $20 bill from the 1970s and early 1980s…

Below is where we climbed up…

And here is the easy way we could have walked up…

Driving back from Moraine Lake, we headed toward Lake Louise Village, and just happened to drive along a road to the old train station, where we just happened to discover a nice place for dinner.

While we ate in the refurbished train station, I think you can even rent out this refurbished CP Rail dining car for special occasions.

They had a fabulous Prime Rib!

Upon returning to the hotel, we were welcomed by a nice dessert left in our room as part of the turndown service.  We decided to get to bed early, since we have a 4:30 AM wakeup call the next morning.  We are booked to go on a sunrise canoe paddle on Lake Louise.