SATURDAY, SEPT 21

SATURDAY, SEPT 21:    

     Looked a little cloudier this morning, but warm in the sun.  Bill & I took a little walk around the campground here.  Very nice grounds, including some short trails.   

      L & S picked us up a little after 11:00.  The main thing on our agenda today was a visit to Lake Minnewanka, the largest lake in the National Park.  More beautiful turquoise water set against the mountains.

 

 

 

We walked along a nice trail which paralleled the lake on one side and the woods on the other.

 

We noticed that much of the snow that we saw on the nearby peaks on Thursday has disappeared.  So we couldn’t have timed our days here any better – especially our gondola ride!

     We’d picked up sandwiches at Subway, and sat down at a picnic table next to the lake for our lunch.  As we were finishing up, we saw that the small grey clouds which had been present all morning were suddenly getting bigger and darker.  And the wind really came up all of a sudden.  So we hurried up finishing our meal, and ran back to the car just in time for the heavens to let loose.

     It was a perfect time to visit the Whyte Museum in town, which Loretta said was highly recommended.  It was a really wonderful little museum.  About half was dedicated to art work (paintings) of the Canadian Rockies.  Were some really, really nice pieces, a couple of which had been in the Parliament building in Ottawa.  It added to our enjoyment of the works to be able to recognize many of the places we’d seen, especially Lake Louise, Castle Rock, and Moraine Lake.  There was some gallery space dedicated to showcasing art pertaining to the Canadian Pacific Railroad, which played such a big part in this area’s history.  

     The other half of the museum housed exhibits & artifacts which commemorate the history of the Canadian Rockies.  It included a vintage touring car (from the same company which guided King George VI & Queen Elizabeth around the area when they visited in 1939, and which is still providing tours to visitors today) and a mannequin of a well-respected First Nation chief dressed in the full costume he would wear when meeting with Caucasian political leaders (the clothing, made from many different animals, depicted his philosophy that he wanted to communicate that all and varied peoples can and should cooperate and play a part in the tapestry of settling the land.

     By the time we walked out of the museum, the skies had mostly cleared.  The air and flora all smelled refreshed, and Loretta and I went for a little walk along the Bow River while the guys scouted out a place to eat.  We ended up at Tony Roma’s, and all had ribs . . . 3 of the 4 of us had the St. Louis Ribs . . . surely in homage to our humble hometown.  Loretta & Steve might be surrounded by all of Southern California’s color and flair and natural beauty, but Bill & I have ribs and the Cardinals as our claim to fame!  Whoo hoo!!

     They drove us home, and we said good-bye.  They’re leaving for Jasper tomorrow, and we decided to head for home.  We feel the tug.  Nevertheless, it was hard saying good-bye.  We had such a wonderful time together;  the 4 of us got along great.  It was so gratifying to spend time with my dear “old” friend – more time than I’ve spent in at least 3 decades.  I felt that we renewed our friendship on a deeper level than we’ve had the chance to do in a long time.  And it was wonderful getting to know Steve better.  He was easy to be around, and we really enjoyed his dry sense of humor.  We made a pact to get together once a year from now on.

     And our time here at this particular place at this particular time was perfect.  If we had been just 1 or 2 days off at either end, we would have missed the first snowfall of the season on the nearby mountain peaks, which added so much to our enjoyment and pleasure when looking at them.  And we had perfect weather for the days we spent exclusively outside.  Thank you, Lord, for Your bountiful provision and Providence!  And thank you, Loretta, for acting as tour director and selecting the perfect things to see and do – it couldn’t have been done better!

     We’ll leave for Calgary tomorrow afternoon, after spending some time here in town at a WiFi café.  Will stop at Karen and Rob’s place, and spend the night there.  Then it’s really homeward-bound.  Even though it’s definitely time and we’re ready, I still get sad and teary-eyed.  I will so miss the mountains that we’ve been amongst for so long now.  They’re where my heart is, and, increasingly, where Bill’s is as well.