Part Nine of Into the West is the continuation of a multi-part series that chronicles the journey that Shelley and I embarked on in late August and early September of last year. A journey that covered over 5,000 miles, seven states, and two provinces of Canada over the course of about two weeks. If you missed any of the previous parts click here to get caught up.
Day Eleven
The morning of the eleventh day of our trip was a sad one. We parted company with Clint and Ann, who headed home as we continued north for a two night’s stay in Banff, Canada. Early on, Shelley and I decided to travel along the western side of the divide to see a little bit of British Columbia. This turned out to be a great idea as we were able to see the source of the Columbia River at Lake Columbia.
Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada
We entered into the Canadian National Parks at Radium Hot Springs, where we paid the entry fee for all of the Canadian National Parks in the area. It was cheaper to pay for a week than the couple of days that we would be there. We entered the park and our view was blocked by the mountains, until we drove around a rocky corner and were presented with a beautiful view and a small stream with a little cascade.
We continued deeper into Kootenay National Park on way to Banff.
We then continued onto Trans-Canada Highway 1 and drove south towards Banff, Canada.
Vermillion Lakes
As we approached Banff there was a pullout with a view of the mountains and twin lakes. The Vermilion Lakes are just breathtaking, and with the setting sun filtered by the mountains it is even more so.
Banff
We turned back on to Trans-Canada Highway 1 and continued south to Banff for the night at the Fox Hotel. This hotel was a lovely little place located just blocks from the downtown shopping district of Banff-It also had an interesting ‘grotto’ built in the lower level of the hotel which contained the warm water pool. There was a skylight in the court yard which looked down into the pool.
