We are lucky people. Not only do we have this opportunity to come and live in Vancouver but we have loads of lovely family & great friends that we want to share stuff with.
From our base in Golden we took a day trip out to Lake Louise. It's only a 45 minute or so drive from the house so an easy trip and we had plenty of time to explore the area.
On our way we stopped at the Spiral Tunnels we had visited 18 months ago, however it was a little cloudy here and very busy with tourists so we only made it a quick stop. Views from the Spiral Tunnels lookout Shortly after we arrived at Lake Louise. Sue getting her first pose. Views of the Lake And the mountains that anchor the South end Adrian and Mojo. We think we might have finally trained Mojo to pose for the camera, but you still have to be quick before he becomes distracted - especially somewhere as busy as Lake Louise in June ! Sue dips her toe in the lake, just to make sure it's as cold as it looks. And it is. David and Mojo We walked some of the way along the trail that runs alongside the lake. This is the view back towards Chateau Lake Louise And again from further along David and his mum More views around the lake Then we headed to Moraine Lake that David and I had visited when we first came here in 2004 but was closed due to winter conditions on our last visit 18 months ago These views from the road towards Moraine Lake. Then we arrive at Moraine Lake. This lake is much less developed than Lake Louise and only has a few small guest lodge accommodations and a small cafe. Adrian More views of the lake David at Moraine Lake Looking up at the edge of a glacier which runs away from Moraine Lake. This lake was quiet and peaceful by comparison to Lake Louise Adrian and Mojo again View back up the lake from the further side Sue at Moraine Lake Heading away from Moraine Lake we get views back towards Lake Louise Village and the ski hill above A wider view of the valley and Lake Louise Village. A great day out and we were very lucky with the weather !
We have just returned from a few days away on the edge of the Rockies as Davids mother Sue is over here visiting from the UK. The trip also coincided with Davids birthday.
We decided to stay in the same house we had rented about 18 months ago as we knew the location was convenient and the property the house is situated on was big and flat and private and very safe for Mojo.
The house had been renamed Elkhorn Mountain Ranch since we were last there. The owners had completed a little redecorating inside and built this large deck on the back of the house The weather was predominately warm and quite sunny so we didn't need the fireplace this time, however the mantle made a good spot for the birthday cards Of course we also had to have a birthday cake. This strawberry one was like a strawberry trifle, just without the custard ! Davids birthday dinner choice was steak, baked potatos (with sour cream & chives) and veggies roasted on the BBQ. We took the opportunity to relax and enjoy the very private 9 acres of grounds that come with the house. Despite having visited the house before we were still amazed by the beautiful views all around the house. This is the view from the house looking up the Blaeberry Valley. Every window has a picture-perfect view. Mojo and I in the garden to the front of the house, Sue loved the big comfy furniture And we all enjoyed relaxing in the hottub after a day out & about Like our previous visit there were still lots of deer wandering around the grounds.
There were now decks on three sides of the house, so there was always a sunny spot, including a perfect one for breakfast Unlike our previous visit which was in October, this time there were lots of flowers and colour in the garden Including these very healthy peony which opened up while we were there and attracted lots of bees and butterflies On our last evening we drove out to Thompson Falls which we had visited on our previous stay. Like much of the country driving around here it was several kms of unpaved roads. These views are from the road up the valley and show the Blaeberry River. A small video clip of the Blaeberry Valley.
We had hoped the falls would be impressive as it's still early summer and there's plenty of snowmelt. However we were a little disappointed to find that there was actually so much water the impression of the falls had almost gone as it just looked like a big flowing river and the definition had been lost. Many of the rocks we had stood on beside the falls before were now part of the river bed ! Sue at the 'falls' A small clip of the river
Around the falls were these strange looking wild flowers which we hadn't seen anywhere else. On our way back out and heading for dinner, these views along the country road and mountains beyond We head out of the Blaeberry Valley and into the Columbia Valley towards Golden More views towards Kicking Horse Ski Resort and the Columbia Valley When we returned home from dinner on the last night we had beautiful clear skies and the sun was lovely on the mountains. Because Golden is in 'Mountain Time Zone', yet only about 30 mins drive from the Pacific Time Zone border it is really light in the evening this time of year - still light until about 11pm. More views of the mountains from the house Sue enjoying the views from the porch We also enjoyed days out in Lake Louise and Banff and will post the photos from those days in separate entries. We had a fantastic time in the mountains, Sue was impressed by the views and we were yet again delighted with the house we had rented - it's perfect for exploring this part of the country.
