Boxing day was glorious! The sun was shining in the beautiful blue sky and the mountains surrounding Lake Louise looked different. They were clearer, with not even a hint of coverage and they seemed to be more three dimensional than on previous days. It was really cold again but we decided to go dashing through the snow... on a two-horse open sleigh.
Mutt and Mouse were our power engines for the morning. The poor things had frozen eyelashes.
Once again people skated around the ice castle and we heard the rumble of an avalanche in the distance.
We just had time to catch a few rays of sunshine and pet the horses before we set off. Eamonn tried to sell Mouse a house, here he is touting his business card, you just can't stop him! :-)
We each had extra blankets over our legs and set off along the ice path, crunching around the tight corners as our two horsepower carriage sped through the snow and pines.
The driver/guide was quite a character. His moustache and beard were frozen solid and his cheeks all ruddy and outdoor-lived-in. He explained to us that the horses were winter workers and spent the summer months in meadows recuperating.
As we got out of the sunshine the temperature dropped to Oh-Christ-Below-Zero and even through the blankets, fleece pants and two layer gloves, we started to freeze. My own moustache and beard froze up and I couldn't control my camera properly for more than one shot at a time as it just hurt too much.
Our spirits kept up though as it was such a special treat to be out there at Christmas, in the snow, being pulled along by horses, with our now
double blankets.
At the end of the lake the view back to the hotel was simply stunning and the horses took us out onto the frozen lake to turn around for the return journey.
We paused a while to rest Mutt and Mouse and the driver told us tales about his life... In front of us was the most fantastic frozen waterfall, like a blue crystal poking out of the rocks.
Soon it was time to head back and get some warming hot chocolate, a bun, and
a fancy!
We spent some time in the afternoon up Sulphur Mountain above Banff. We'd missed out on that trip last summer due to lack of time and an overambitious itinerary.
A short and exciting trip up the gondola cable car to the 360 degree station platform at 7,486 ft above sea level revealed THE most sensational views I've seen for... well.. probably for ever!
Outside the temperature was without a doubt the coldest we'd experienced and due to our various colds and flu, and the over indulgence from the night before, and us not being exactly fit between us the cold and thin air made it quite hard to breath at times. However, the vista was truly amazing and I wouldn't have missed it for a warm
Gluhwein and a bowl of chili. Another set of spiral stairs take you up the the 360 degree roof terrace where there are markers for directions and distances to all the major cities of the world and commemorating the area's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After a lovely trip back from the Rockies to Okotoks we had a couple of relaxing days back at Janet and Eamonn's house. On my final morning, which was VERY sad... They took us out to High River where we saw a Bald Eagle, experienced the intrigue of Peavey Mart and showed us around some of the housing that's available in the area. It was snowing and just as we decided that we should head off for lunch and then drop me off at the airport, we saw these beautiful creatures hiding behind a hedge off the side of the road.
We managed to wait long enough for them to peek out at us and then cross the road in front of us.
What a very special way to end a VERY special Christmas Holiday! I loved every second of it and I wouldn't hesitate to do it all again. Not sure the others were so keen tho ;-)
Boxing day was glorious! The sun was shining in the beautiful blue sky and the mountains surrounding Lake Louise looked different. They were clearer, with not even a hint of coverage and they seemed to be more three dimensional than on previous days. It was really cold again but we decided to go dashing through the snow... on a two-horse open sleigh.
Mutt and Mouse were our power engines for the morning. The poor things had frozen eyelashes.
Once again people skated around the ice castle and we heard the rumble of an avalanche in the distance.
We just had time to catch a few rays of sunshine and pet the horses before we set off. Eamonn tried to sell Mouse a house, here he is touting his business card, you just can't stop him! :-)
We each had extra blankets over our legs and set off along the ice path, crunching around the tight corners as our two horsepower carriage sped through the snow and pines.
The driver/guide was quite a character. His moustache and beard were frozen solid and his cheeks all ruddy and outdoor-lived-in. He explained to us that the horses were winter workers and spent the summer months in meadows recuperating.
As we got out of the sunshine the temperature dropped to Oh-Christ-Below-Zero and even through the blankets, fleece pants and two layer gloves, we started to freeze. My own moustache and beard froze up and I couldn't control my camera properly for more than one shot at a time as it just hurt too much.
Our spirits kept up though as it was such a special treat to be out there at Christmas, in the snow, being pulled along by horses, with our now double blankets.
At the end of the lake the view back to the hotel was simply stunning and the horses took us out onto the frozen lake to turn around for the return journey.
We paused a while to rest Mutt and Mouse and the driver told us tales about his life... In front of us was the most fantastic frozen waterfall, like a blue crystal poking out of the rocks.
Soon it was time to head back and get some warming hot chocolate, a bun, and a fancy!
We spent some time in the afternoon up Sulphur Mountain above Banff. We'd missed out on that trip last summer due to lack of time and an overambitious itinerary.
A short and exciting trip up the gondola cable car to the 360 degree station platform at 7,486 ft above sea level revealed THE most sensational views I've seen for... well.. probably for ever!
Outside the temperature was without a doubt the coldest we'd experienced and due to our various colds and flu, and the over indulgence from the night before, and us not being exactly fit between us the cold and thin air made it quite hard to breath at times. However, the vista was truly amazing and I wouldn't have missed it for a warm Gluhwein and a bowl of chili. Another set of spiral stairs take you up the the 360 degree roof terrace where there are markers for directions and distances to all the major cities of the world and commemorating the area's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After a lovely trip back from the Rockies to Okotoks we had a couple of relaxing days back at Janet and Eamonn's house. On my final morning, which was VERY sad... They took us out to High River where we saw a Bald Eagle, experienced the intrigue of Peavey Mart and showed us around some of the housing that's available in the area. It was snowing and just as we decided that we should head off for lunch and then drop me off at the airport, we saw these beautiful creatures hiding behind a hedge off the side of the road.
We managed to wait long enough for them to peek out at us and then cross the road in front of us.
What a very special way to end a VERY special Christmas Holiday! I loved every second of it and I wouldn't hesitate to do it all again. Not sure the others were so keen tho ;-)
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