Banff, Canada

David and I went on a belated 20 year anniversary trip with friends who were also celebrating their 20 year anniversary.  Our friends suggested Banff, Canada which we had never heard of before but upon arriving we were instantly blown away by the majestic beauty of the Canadian Rockies.  David's knee was bothering him so we weren't sure how much hiking he'd be able to do,  but he didn't slow us down at all (:  We hiked everyday and saw some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in my life.

Our favorite hike was at Lake Louise.  This lake was the most must unique color of turquoise.  I kept thinking it looked photo enhanced.  We learned that Glacier fed lakes have that color because of the light filtering effect of rock flour (a powdery substance that the glaciers grind off the mountain rocks) in the glacial runoff.

 Victoria glacier in the distance

Often, we would come across an area where there had been a snow avalanche and all the trees would be pushed over like this.

David feeling proud at far we had come!  (Lake Louise in the background)

We saw a grizzly bear with her 2 cubs on one of our hikes, about 200 yds off the trail.  Later, we saw a black bear that was right off the interstate and just ate grass while dozens of cars stopped to take his picture.

We saw elk everywhere, here they are resting in the local H.S. baseball field

One of the many hikes around Lake Louise led up to a tea house, overlooking yet another lake.  We enjoyed some hot chocolate while enjoying the breathtaking views.