It's time to head off to Banff and see the great big mountains in the National Park. I gave my friend a heads up that this time of September is prime for sight-seeing so we would not be alone and we would do what we could based on traffic and parking situations.
She had never been on a Gondola so we made sure she would never say never again. Shortly after 8:00am we arrived at the parking lot, one of the first to be there, got our ticket, boarded our ride to the top then walked out onto the observation deck on the top level. It was cold! It was windy! Welcome! The fires were going, the scenery was incredible and we pretty much owned it. We strolled the boardwalk then shopped before descending to where we would get on with our day.
Bow Falls was pretty as usual. The morning was progressing perfectly. It was quiet here and we took time to stroll again in the sunshine.
My friend mentioned a couple of times that she saw many photos over the years of the main street in Banff and how beautiful it was and she wondered would she ever go there. Well, we went there! Luckily, not many others went there when we were there. We walked down one side and up the other, checking out the stores, shopping and stopping for a tea and muffin along the way. Before heading to the car, we admired the views along the Bow River near the park.
We were lucky to have no trouble with parking at Lake Minniwanka or at Two Jack Lake. Both places offered up glorious sights. We had a late lunch at Two Jack Lake. It felt like the dog days of summer with the sun beating down. It was nap time.
Lots of time was still on our side. We drove to Canmore and up to the Canmore Nordic Centre to sit, pass time and admire the views. Then it was time to check in for the balance of the day. Our deck faced the mountains. That's where we spent the next four hours sipping wine, dining, laughing and just carrying on with our friendship. With all that fresh mountain air and scenery, we knew there would be sweet dreams through the night!
Wow, wow, wow!
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