As we have been on the go since our arrival in Canada we decided to take the day off and stay in Banff for the day.
We decided to hike along the upper bank of the Bow River. From here we had a nice view of the Bow Falls and the Banff Springs Hotel located along the bank above the falls.
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Construction of the Banff Springs Hotel began in late 1886. In the summer of 1887, CPR General Manager, William Cornelius Van Horne visited the construction site and was shocked to see the building being constructed backwards. The kitchen overlooked the rivers, and the guest rooms faced the forest. He hastily sketched additions to correct the matter. Amid much national interest, the $250,000 250-room hotel, complete with sulphur water piped from the Upper Hot Springs, opened on June 1, 1888. It was the hotel in the world at the time. Room rates started at $3.50 a day.
We walked around town and found an internet cafe so that we could check our e-mail and catch up with the rest of the world. With no phones and no internet
we were out of the loop. It was good to be back in touch with everyone.
We headed back to our RV camp and it was like we had our own personal campground. After the holiday weekend, we had the place to ourselves. The mountain view from the campground was again spectacular!!
At the edge of town we drove to the Vermilion Lakes, an extensive region of montane wetlands. Their name comes from ochre beds at the iron-rich mineral springs at the Vermilion River pass where the Black-foot and Kootenay tribes obtained materials for some of their ceremonial body paints. The lakes are quite shallow and the surrounding region has begun to fill in with aquatic vegetation.
At 9673 feet, Mount Rundle stands proudly behind the Vermilion Lakes. What a beautiful sight to see the mount reflected in the Vermilion Lake.
Tomorrow we plan to visit the last of the National Parks here in the Banff area. Kootenay National Park.
Until then,
Candy and Johnny in Canada
