We awoke this morning in our upgraded room to pull back the curtains and see the sun rising over the Canadian Rockies. The clouds had mainly cleared and we packed up and headed out to catch the eight minute ride to the 2285m summit of Sulpher Mountain. The view heading up the gondola amazing and once we arrived at the summit we would feel the temperature had dropped a number of degrees already. 
There weren’t too many tourists and we headed up the walk to the historic weather station. Whilst prints were in the snow everywhere, we didn't see any large wildlife. The view here was simply breath taking. We are very lucky that we have traveled a reasonable amount of the world and we both agreed that the views from here would be some of the best we have ever seen in the world. The pictures here will never be able to do justice to just how beautiful this part of the world is. So rather than go on, here are some photo's and a video.
There weren’t too many tourists and we headed up the walk to the historic weather station. Whilst prints were in the snow everywhere, we didn't see any large wildlife. The view here was simply breath taking. We are very lucky that we have traveled a reasonable amount of the world and we both agreed that the views from here would be some of the best we have ever seen in the world. The pictures here will never be able to do justice to just how beautiful this part of the world is. So rather than go on, here are some photo's and a video.
The photo above we could barely keep our eyes open to have taken. It was so sunny yet so windly the cold was hurting our eyes.
We’ve both agreed that we would love to see it again in summer and the dead of winter (although probably without the tourists).
Whilst the views were beautiful it was freezing with the wind chill. Dan had pins and needles on his fingers. We headed back for a hot chocolate. Who could resist with this view out of the window.
Whilst the views were beautiful it was freezing with the wind chill. Dan had pins and needles on his fingers. We headed back for a hot chocolate. Who could resist with this view out of the window.
Sadly we left the summit, catching the gondola down. We had about a ninety minute drive to head into Calgary, watching the Rockies disappear in the rearview mirror. Calgary, unfortunately, looked rather flat and boring driving into it after being in the Rockies for a number of days. We would of liked to stay in Banff for another night but we had a reason for being in Calgary. We had booked concert tickets. However, we had a quick stop in the nearby town of Canmore at the Bear Paw Brewing Company for lunch.
Now, not many people would share my enthusiasm here (other than you Az) but we had organized tickets to see Billy Joel. Dan, whilst not a fan, came along with me. I had missed seeing him the last couple of times he had come to Perth so this opportunity was too good to pass up. His concert was sold out and it was great, although we would have been some of the youngest people there, we didn’t care, we had great seats. 
We headed home after the concert to invite Whitey in (the B&B cat), who made himself at home in about two seconds.
The Rockies are fantastic as we climbed we could see the Columbia Icefield in the distance. It looked cold!!
On the plain at the foot of the glacier we stopped on the side of the road. We could as there was hardly any traffic, something that would be difficult in peak tourist season! Tan jumped out, with out her down jacket (which hasn’t really left her side for the last two months), and we got some photos of the Columbia Ice Field.
It was very impressive and we were about two weeks too late to head up to the Ice Field. The road was covered in ice and when you touched the brakes you slid quite a bit. Even taking off from a stop was hard as the wheels spun with only moderate acceleration. On the way back down we watched a van pull into a siding on the road a bit quick and he was out of control for about 20m!! Dangerous stuff this ice. Funny too think that in the Victorian Alps we would have been driving with chains while here people were ripping past us like it was no tomorrow. The plow had been through days previous and the snow wasn’t too thick.
Coming down some of the hills the views were magical. This one stretch of road had a huge loop in it as you made it to the river valley. 
We passed Mistaya Lake, once again blu-ish, but not post card material. The snow capped mountains and pine trees weren’t too bad though.
We arrived at Peyto Lake and Bow Pass, the highest road pass in the parks area at 2,088m above sea level, Mt Bogong in Victoria is 1,986m from memory! The snow was thick here, as you could imagine being the highest point! We parked in the snow filled car park and made it up the road to Peyto Lake. We followed the track up in 6 – 8 inches of snow, following footsteps most of the way up. Tan’s ankle socks don’t cut the mustard in deep snow.
We did a walk the 600m walk around the track above the lake. Powdery snow was blowing off the pines, dusting us with it as we passed. One section was untouched since the last snow fall and snow was deep (for our standards) but so light and fluffy – check the video out. It looks like I haven't got any feet.
Locally, the road was very icy coming down off the pass.
We arrived in Lake Louise, a charming little town in the Banff National Park. 
We booked into to our accommodation. The river here had boulders covered in snow and the edges were sheets of ice. As the weather wasn’t too bad we decided to hit Lake Louise and we were so glad we did. Lake Louise, though not a blue as Peyto Lake, is so accessible and so pretty and picturesque. We took some photos of some Aussies there and they did the same. We think this is the best photo of the trip so far. 
That night was hung out in the pub and met this somewhat pissed local. He told us about this Aussie bloke who used to hunting and made him laugh a lot especially with his bird call. I responded with “Did it sound like this Kooka-kooka-ka-ka… a dodgy Kookaburra”. We was instantly laughing. I guess it was the one he was chasing. The waitress lit the fire lit but it wasn’t roaring until I gave it some decent amount of wood. (The wood was sitting there and it wanted to be burnt!)
We walked back to our room and it was really chilly, 2cm of snow had fallen during our dinner and it was still snowing! Check out our car.
We got our car from the snow less undercover car park and we were off to explore. the town and then the surrounds.
We weren’t even out of the town when we stopped to let two white-tail deer cross the road. Well, one did and the other was like an emu constantly changing lanes and indecisive. It finally made it in the headlight of some large utes (trucks).
As we approached Medicine Lake there was only one set of tyre tracks in the snow. The weather was cold, but pleasant, the trees and mountains were white and we literally had this normally busy part of the parks to ourselves!
Having the park to ourselves meant we could stop in the middle of the road, take photos and suck it all in, such as stopping along side the river above the lake. 
Maligne Lake is deep, up to 96m and is glacier fed and under this bridge I saw a nice trout. 
We went for a stroll on the snow covered path along the lake edge and we found the culprits who put those tyre prints in the snow. They were leaving though. We had it to ourselves, for now. Animal tracks littered the paths, mainly squirrels and the odd bird and now two more humans. The view of the mountains and green colour to the lake and the isolation made it pretty special. Tan played in the snow!
I touched up the snow covered 3D model of the mountain range to make it more realistic.
In the car park I had a little play and all I can say is the snow and ice can be very slippery. I have greater respect for the road surface now.
At Maligne Canyon, the water appears and cut through soft limestone. Waterfalls to 38m are present and the walk along the canyon and across the bridges was pretty, albeit slippery with all the ice on the smooth limestone. 
Back in the main river valley the suns display on the mountains made them like big ice cream sundaes!
A quick detour via town and we took the road to Whistlers, the base of the gondola which was closed for the summer tourist season. The views of Jasper town were impressive and snow was 8cm thick and really fluffy and light. 
On the way back we saw another five deer and just past the entrance to town, our first elk. Two does were eating grass on the hill on the side of the road. On the way through town we spotted two bull elk, majestic on the side of the road. They walked off out of view and we were stopped on a corner (damn tourists) so we were off again. Patricia Lake was also nice but the wind coming off the lake surface was the coldest Tan had been for the day.
Back in town, we were on Elk patrol. Within minutes we spotted the two bulls, eating grass on the verge outside of houses across from the fenced in playground. We worked out why some people have big fences in town now. We had to laugh when one of the bulls broke through the gate on one house making a racket. We were in our car across the road when some one peered at us from the curtain. Minutes later, the elk ran out of the yard through the broken gate with an irate man throwing sticks at him! He joined his mate on the verge two doors up seeming non-plussed by the event. 
About 500m up the road in the car park, there were another seven elk eating away and then further along another three having a fresh grass feed. 
The fence in this yard was pretty ineffective. 
Once again, like every other animal today they walked past the vehicle, close enough to touch.
