Well, stunning if you can actually see them. The unprecedented wildfires in Washington State sent smoke so thick on the northeast winds that the mountains in were hardly visible. The further north you drove, the better it got. But in the town of Banff, you couldn't even see the giants surrounding the town.
Adrienne and I piled into our friend Tristan's car and the three of us headed north. We drove right through the fires in WA - looked like Armageddon. Smoking and blackened hillsides against a grey sky with a bright orange sun shining through. Eerie.
Our first stop was wine country just across the border in Canada. Long known as Canada's Napa Valley, the Okanagan Valley turns out world class wines. We hardly know them in the US because we try to protect our own wine trade - so if you want Canadian wine, you have to buy it there. The smoke miraculously stopped at the border and we emerged into a blue-skied-and-green-vined wonderland. Simply gorgeous country. And the wines - wow, who knew! Beautiful tasting rooms and scenery made for a great day tasting.
Tasting at Black Hills Winery - gorgeous setting.
AJ, JJ and Tristan tasting at Church & State Winery. 80 degrees and outdoors wine tasting? Yes please!
View from Church & State
Chardonnay grapes on the vines
Tasting at Painted Rock
Renewing our vows? OK!
By the time we worked our way up the valley tasting, the smoke followed us and obscured everything. That was how it stayed for the rest of the drive to Banff and basically until Adrienne hopped on the plane home out of Calgary.
The sunset through the smoke from our campground.
The grey sky was blue an hour before - and there was a giant lake we could see from our campground.
But we had a great time that night playing Trout, the Board Game (yep - it exists) and drinking bourbon!
We arrived in the smokey mountains of Banff the next day.
And found our campsite surrounded by an electric fence to keep grizzly bears out!
Camp at Lake Louise
Lake Louise with some very shrouded glaciers in the distance.
Pre-hike bloody marys at the Fairmont
Our fine furry friend - a golden mantled ground squirrel!
Did a big day hike to some tea houses high in the mountains behind Lake Louise. They've been there for over 100 years, originally built to entice British tourists to partake in some civilized out-of-doors activities.
AJ teaching lessons. Its an endless job.
Our destination!
So we go some tea!
The view from the tea house - it gets you right up close to the Victoria Glacier.
Finishing the hike back at Lake Louise
We cruised to Banff that night and went straight to the hot springs. There should be a million $ view - but again the smoke covered it all up.
No trip to Banff is complete without a visit to the Fairmont Banff - stunning.
Drinks on the veranda - the smoke gave it a kind of cool effect.
J & A at the Fairmont!
After bidding adieu to AJ, Tristan and I made our way north to get out of the smoke and go backpacking.
Dandelions!
And we found smokeless skies in Mt Robson Provincial Park!
Had to stop at Rearguad Falls, where I had been exactly thirty years before watching the salmon jump up their last waterfall before spawning. This is 800 miles from the mouth of the river.
A shadowy Chinook - was probably a 4 foot long fish!
Our destination - Mt Robson, the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies
Gotta pack - and drink some Molsons while doing it!
The amazing glacial blue water
Lake reflections
View from our campsite on night one
