Day 11 - July 25th, 2014 - Lake Louise

Rockies Trip - Day 11 - July 25th, 2014

Lake Louise & Moraine Lake 

A cold wind ushered in low temperatures today, along with intermittent showers and dark clouds. We made a few adjustments to our plans to accommodate this, and set off from our hotel to drive the 2 km to the actual Lake. Our hotel, like all of the buildings in Lake Louise, blends in extremely well with its surroundings. 

In spite of the overcast skies, our visitors were able to see the beauty of the lake and, once again, we could appreciate the splendour of the area with the mountain slopes plunging into the turquoise water. The glacier, itself, was shrouded in cloud and the summits were hidden from view. Nevertheless, photos were taken and sounds of appreciation for the panorama before us were heard from all.

Elaine and Alan, with chateau in the background

The rain held off for most of the morning, so we were able to take a short hike to the other end of the lake so that our visitors could view the Chateau from that angle. 

Along the way, we met my favourite small creature - Charlie Chipmunk! It was at this spot, back in 1991 during my first visit to Lake Louise, that I fell in love with these little animals. Back then, I had several crawling over me, searching for any morsel that may have been available. This time, there was only one - and because I didn't have a single scrap of food on my person - he showed curiosity up close, but refrained from climbing on to me. 

Back at the Chateau, we stopped for refreshments and I'm glad to say that our friend, Alan (Hicks), did not disappoint us! He partook of a Danish Pastry - a tradition that was started back in 1994 when he first visited Canada. 

The view from inside the lounge area was just as stunning! It's easy to see why this small village holds such a spell over visitors and tourists. It certainly is a destination spot, for sure. 

We had seen a small family eating their lunch inside a grounded gondola car, which was acting as an advertisement for the chairlift/gondola attraction that we will probably visit tomorrow. Mark decided that, although there were no tall, furry animals, he would have his photo taken inside!  

Tucked further away into the mountain range is the lovely Moraine Lake - famed for its appearance on the Canadian twenty-dollar bill a few years ago. The sheer grandeur of this lake is astounding, to say the least. There's something a little more primordial about this lake, in comparison to Lake Louise. There is no large chateau to dominate the scene, but a lodge that comprises several wooden cabins that dot the entrance to the lake itself. 

Log jam at the head of the lake

Meanwhile, back at the parking lot, there was some interesting activity provided by some very large ravens. Near to where we parked our vehicle, someone had left a small suitcase in the back of their pick-up truck. A couple of ravens had obviously discerned that there was food to be found and one fellow was using his beak to try to prise apart a small opening at the head of the zipper. 

No-one was around to warn, and we wondered if it was going to succeed in its venture. However, the vehicle had gone by the time we returned to our car. 

Maybe the bird had read the registration plate on the back of this car!

We're probably going to revisit both places tomorrow as the forecast shows an improvement in the weather for the next couple of days.