Yoga in the Winery!

Margaret doing her best yoga pose with a couple of dummies! At least it was in an outstanding winery!!

Mission Hill Winery

About ten miles south west of Kelowna sitting on a hill overlooking the scenic Okanagan Lake, the Mission Hill Winery is a contemporary architectural ovation to wine making! Developed by Anthony Von Mandl a Vancouver wine distributor, no expense has been spared to turn this beautiful estate into an outstanding wine and dine experience! Purchased a couple of bottles of Chardonnay and a Rosé to do quality control!

Lavender farm

Margaret made a bee line for the lavender farm and we enjoyed a half hour walk around the gardens, the pond and maze, herb and rock gardens, and eventually to the ubiquitous shop full of lavender products!

The Enchanted Forest

A midday break on the TCH* near Craigellachie brought us to a park that we realized was more suitable for kiddies than adults however it was fun wandering the trail through the forest and looking at all the nursery rhymes portrayed through fires pottery figures!
TCH: Trans Canadian Highway #1 and only highway some 5,000 miles long from coast to coast!

French cuisine in the Rockies!

Stumbled on this magical dining experience at Woolsey Creek Cafe in Revelstoke and enjoyed a rabbit and wild mushroom baluchon (phyllo pastry wrap) over red wine poached pear and Dijon sauce, then followed that with venison loin with gin and juniper cream sauce. Arrived in heaven!

The Eclipse

Coming over Kicking Horse Pass between Alberta and British Columbia on the Trans-Canada #1 highway we stopped to check out the spiral railway tunnels.... and that coincided with the eclipse! Our location was at least 400 miles north of the complete dark track so it was just a small occlusion! We were about 20 minutes early and one of the few views through a hole in the clouds was captured before heavy clouds moved in. We were in the first in line for the experience as the phenomenon hit the Pacific coast first and then exited over South Carolina about 90 minutes later...

Rock Isle Lake

Our last hike out of Banff helped considerably by a 20 minute 5 km 1,600 ft elevation rise gondola ride followed by a chair lift taking us up another 800 ft to the top of Standish where the meadows, dwarf pine and amazing pink wild flowers allowed us to hike for a couple hours including the goal of our journey Rock Isle Lake! This sits right on the Continental Divide separating Alberta and British Columbia. No fire smoke today and great visibility!

Moraine Lake sunrise!

Take a right turn off the Lake Louise highway and head up to Moraine Lake some 15 km up the valley for a serious scenery treat but caveat plan to be there before sunrise and before 6:45 am (car park fills up) whichever is earliest. Catch the sun as it comes over the eastern Rockies and starts to light up the tops of the ten mountain peaks around Moraine Lake. First stop go to the top of the Rock Pile by the easy path and get yourself a prime spot facing the lake and watch the sunrise, then after that excitement take the 4 km round trip hike up the north side of the lake to the observation platform at the end of the trail. One of the best day hikes you can do in the area!

The Bison Restaurant

Checking out the local cuisine in the Rockies we decided to make a special evening treat to the Bison Restaurant in Banff... needless to say the menu was covered in Canadian local farm to table meats and vegetables and fish from the BC shores. We had bison ribeye and bison short ribs some of which was shared! Usually I'm opinionated about the wines I select but this time I let the waitress recommend a local Zinfandel to go with bison! As the Bison says "One of the 10 best restaurants worth traveling the World for" - I agree!

Local wildlife

Collection of birds and beasts from the area around Banff brings you face to face with owls, longhorn sheep, bears! These were the easiest to take photos - the collection is vast and impressive at the Parks Museum...

Lake Louise

Just completed our early morning hike two miles one way up the lake and beyond up the trail leading to the Plain of Six Glaciers. Unfortunately the smoke from BC fires has move over the Continental Divide and is making for poor visibility and lousy photography. Fortunately we started early around 7 am and we beat the hordes of rude and obnoxious tourists getting off their buses mid morning! Nothing like having the trail to yourself!!

Surprise along the river bank

About mid way through our morning hike along the Bow River in Sundance Canyon we were startled by a movement in the brush. This majestic elk was grazing and watering very calmly, gave us the once over look and carried on with his business and we did the same after taking a couple of photos - this one taken by Margaret....

Tasty little lunch!

Found something tasty in the local market - wild boar pâté - indulged myself with thinly sliced baguette toasted for a real treat. Very distinct game accent! A great local specialty discovery so will carry on searching for elk, bison and venison!

Lock out!

Helped a fellow Airstreamer try to get back into his van after his latch lock bolt fell out! He had to spend a night in the hotel! Next morning we tried access via an outside storage compartment but the gap under the bed would have been suitable for a two year old to squeeze through. Then looked at window forcing which was expensive in terms of replacement! Lastly we asked the locksmith to drill a second hole in the latch and we could easily insert a screwdriver and move the latch! Success!

Doe skin outfits!

Love these Native American or First Nation (as we should perhaps say) clothing items made from the skin of does - young female deers. Soft and flexible, warm and attractive! Reminds me of a long leather jacket I once had in my 20's but nothing like the quality of these fine outfits....

Meet our traveling companions!

Traveling with the entire cast of Game of Thrones but they are slowly but surely being decimated! Splurged on the complete Season 1 through 6 of Game of Thrones - that's 60 episodes plus the nearly 60 episodes rerun with directors, writers and actors commentary plus features... well that will last us for a few months! Never seen any of the series before so this more excitement than we can deal with!

Glamour Tourism

The early days of Rockies tourism promoted by CPR Canadian Pacific Railways to lure tourists to Banff... some of these lakes and mountains take your breath away!

Sunwapta Falls

You can't believe the configuration of a waterfall with an island right in the middle of the fall so that the river had to split and form two streams to the fall. Just a quirky evolution of nature and a very pretty sight! Check out the 1 km trail to the lower falls and see how the river is tortured through all these rock challenges before heading down the valley. A bit overcrowded but worth taking your time as the crowds move you can swing into action and get your shot! A must see on the Icefield Parkway!

Elk invasion!

About 20 elk decided to visit our campsite and enjoy the tender grass around the Airstream. No aggression just a gentle evening stroll through the campground and one decided to try out our neighbor's mat to rest on!

Jay and Emily!

Our wonderful co-campers on loop 53 of Whistlers campground Jasper National Park, Jay deploys his selfie stick and now I appreciate the versatility and advantages of this device! Emily and Jay cooked us a scrumptious Chinese chicken clay pot dinner and we enjoyed their stories and retirement philosophy! Their travels all over the world inspired us! Little did we know that 4 decades ago we spent many years in close proximity in the U.K. while Jay and Emily met in Worcestershire just a few miles north of us while we were starting our life together in Cheltenham Gloucestershire!