Day 3 &4: Banff National Park ~ A National Treasure for All

Day 3 & 4: Banff National Park ~ A World Heritage Site and Treasure for All

June 3-4, 2017

Van Horne (general manager of CP Rail)

The Canadian Pacific Railway had been financially supported by managerial elites from UK and US. Approximately 7600 men known as “booners” were employed to build the roadbed and lay the tracks. They included Swedes, Norwegians, Italians, Chinese and Irish.  These people laid track through the rugged terrain of the Canadian Rockies which cost them dearly as it was physically risky and expensive. Men were lowered on ropes and ladders down steep canyons to drill holes that they would dynamite as they raced back to safety.   I’m not sure how many people died in this endeavor but Van Horne (general manager of CP rail) was also quoted as saying, “we had to cross where no human should venture”.  Upon completion the CP company, which had borrowed extensively to accomplish this task were now a fledgling corporation and needed to make money to pay back their debts. William Cornelius Van Horne (1843-1915) with his incredible problem-solving ability said, “If we can’t export the scenery, we’ll import tourists.” Thus the Banff Springs Hotel opened in 1888, 3 years after the CN railway track was completed.

Banff Springs Hotel

Banff National Park, containing 25 peaks which rise up to 9,800 feet was the third national park to be established in the world.  On this day we sauntered about Banff going to the tourist office where they warned us about Elk and black bear coming into town because it was a safer place to give birth. 

Banff Town

We had brunch at the Bison Restaurant and was interested in Beavertails for dessert.










Lake Minnewanka
Then picked up our rental car and drove to a mostly man-made but gorgeous Lake Minnewanka. Here we watched a beautiful Sikh couple being photographed for their wedding in front of the lake and mountains.




Interestingly the bride is wearing a Western white wedding dress.  I ponder the universality of what people from all countries find beautiful and meaningful. 

Lake Minnewanka

We stopped to watch some elk on the side of the road.

Rain settled in about 4 in the afternoon so John napped while I worked on photographs in Banff Springs hotel bar (wine glass in hand). We met up with 2 other couples from our Mountaineer train trip for dinner in the casual Banff Springs lounge. One couple was from Portland and the other a young couple from Manila, Philippines. This couple was especially interesting for John because of his prior Peace corps experience in the Philippines. It was an enjoyable evening with lots to discuss about the Filipino and American Presidents or did I say dictators? I must admit I gloat and feel proud of being a Canadian, a country with fresh air that is open to new immigrants and where everyone gets health care. I am glad that my daughter has recently got her Canadian passport.

Banff Gondola
A sunny morning greeted us and we headed for town for an authentic French-Canadian crepe with maple syrup.  Yummy but not entirely up to my standards with no icing sugar. Following this we went up the Banff Gondola to an amazing view of the mountains and area around Banff Springs Hotel. 

 I learned that Banff, Yoho, Kootenay and Jasper National Parks are one of the largest continuous blocks of protected land in the world. The ancient fossils, glaciers, special array of mountains and wildlife scenery led UNESCO to designate them as a World Heritage Site in 1984.  

Filippino friends we met on train and had dinner with

White pine tress being destroyed by beattles

Bottom left is Banff

Glacier has receded considerably

Early photos showed women hikers as well as men

Samson Peak weather forecasting observatory

At the top of the gondola ride is a walking trail where you can go up to the highest point of Sulphur Mountain, Sanson Peak, where there is a weather observatory. In the early 1900’s this place was known for its efforts at improving weather forecasting. 

See weather forecasting at top of trail

I was impressed with the lodge up here because of its information about early settlers and mountaineers. It was beautifully built with a rainwater flushing system designed to reduce it reliance on water. I asked John how he liked his bathroom experience but he seemed not to have noticed the slightly reduced water flow and felt the toilet looked ordinary. However he had noticed the lights self-adjusted according to the amount of light needed depending on the amount of light outside the windows.

Johnston Falls ~ Meeting Grizzlies, Bighorn Sheep, Elk and Sasquatch

Johnston Falls

We drove about 20 miles to Johnston Falls which has a lovely forest trail (1-2 miles) alongside and sometimes on top of the fast moving and turbulent river. I loved this hike (although crowded with families and strollers). We were about to leave when we noticed a few park rangers and a handful of people standing at the edge of the parking lot.  I went over to check it out and discovered there was an enormous grizzly bear eating the grass. The Rangers were worried about us getting too close so my I-pad pictures show only a smallish brown blob in the field.  This is when I need a telephoto, not an I-pad.  It is important for the safety of people but also for the bears that they don’t get too comfortable with humans.   Returning to Banff we passed a grouping of  8 Bighorn sheep at the edge of the highway. The males had massive curling horns and were amazing to watch. Unfortunately, there was no place to park so we slowed down to take a few pictures.

Back in town we went to the Banff Museum which has a lovely presentation of the railroad building effort and history of the area.  John took out his I-phone to show me the recent exhibit in the Vashon Historical Museum of Elisport where we live. He thought Vashon's was nicer. I remind him of trying to stay in the moment!   Dinner at Chuck’s Steak House was said to be an “Alberta experience” with amazing steak, elk or bison. 

Driving home afterwards we stopped at Bow Falls which was again breathtaking with rushing and high river waters. 

Bow Falls Lake near Banff Springs Hotel

On the way back to the hotel we stopped in amazement at Elk House that had an elk grazing out front. I went up fairly close to take a picture and thought it had a kind of dog collar on it… could it be someone’s pet? At this point I began to look for a Sasquatch who is said to be very tall and weighs 500 lbs depending on whether he is watching his carbs!

Elk~ could it be a pet?