Mini-vacation

John's job requires a lot of travel, and usually he gallivants around the country while I stay home and keep the home fires burning.  And that's okay.  We knew that's what the job would require.

A few weeks ago, though, I had the opportunity to travel with John for a week to Alberta, Canada.

We flew into Edmonton and, just to get the kinks out, walked around the city a little bit.  More than we intended to, actually, since construction and bridges got in our way, but it turned out okay as we got this view of the city at the end of our walk.

And as you can see we had gorgeous weather to be walking.

The next day, we headed for the mountains.

I have long wanted to see the Canadian Rockies and they did not disappoint.  

I'm not going to make a comparison between the American and Canadian Rockies because it's pointless.  They are both absolutely stunning and I could spend endless amounts of time in either.  

This is Castle Mountain.  

I think the name comes from the fact that it looks a little bit like a castle, but I'm just guessing here.

And then...Lake Louise!

(I was here 42 years ago, but being in utero my view was limited.)

I was disappointed that there was still so much ice on the lake and we couldn't see the famous blue-green color of midsummer, but it was still gorgeous.

We walked the path around the lake until snow blocked our way.  

(We couldn't go up the the Lake Agnes Tea Room because of snow.)

This might give you some sense of scale.

It really wasn't as cold as it looks.  With the sun shining, we were plenty warm with a single, long-sleeved layer.  Another hiker did the walk in shorts and flip-flops!

We took a different route back toward Banff and stopped for many a scenic overlook.  I never get tired of looking at the mountains.

Pictures are wonderful, but they cannot capture the pure mountain air or the rich pine smell which are just as much a part of the experience as the visual.

That night we stayed in Banff and ate on the rooftop patio of The Rose and Crown, surrounded by mountain views on all sides.  In the square below, a bagpiper played all the greatest hits for bagpipe.  I can't even remember what I had to eat, but that meal was a little bit of heaven for me.

From Banff we went on to Airdrie and back to "work" for John, but that was our mini-vacation in the Canadian Rockies.