On our trip through Canada we encountered a few lakes and rivers. Calgary, our starting point, is wedged between the rivers Bow and Elbow. We only saw the River Bow, and followed it upstream to Lake Louise. According to every guide this lake is the prettiest of all the lakes in the Rockies. Every picture shows a bright blue lake, surrounded by glorious mountains covered with green forests. Well, we got quiet a different view. The parking lot by the lakeside was edged by a wall of snow, 1,5 m high! The famous blue lake was white! It was completely covered with ice. Dangerously thin, a sign warned us, so we didn’t dare to step on the surface. Instead, we walked along the shoreline to the other end of the lake. And yes, the views were magnificent.
In Salmon Arm we went to the Bird Sanctuary on the shores of Shuswap Lake. An other surprise. The tranquility of the place, the many birds we saw (in a next article I will show some pictures of them) and the colours of the landscape made the visit unforgettable.
We stayed a few days in Kelowna, on the shores of Lake Okanagan. On our hike up Knox Mountain, we got some great views on this large lake. I nearly stepped on a snake, but that’s an other story.
From Kelowna we went to Field, and near this town we visited the Wapta Falls. These falls, in the Kicking Horse River, are not so well known, but it is a place well worth a visit. Astounding surroundings, and not a tourist in sight!
On our last day of travelling we visited Emerald Lake, also near the town of Field. When we arrived, it felt like a tourist trap, with a canoe rental, gift shop, buffets, hotels and apartments, swarming with busloads (literary) of people. But as soon as we left the last holiday home behind us, and walked along the small shoreline trail, we could really enjoy the magnificence of this lake and the surrounding landscape, and see the greenlike colour that gave the lake it’s name. Our last port of call was the Johnston Canyon, another magnet for tourist and day trippers. Hordes of people crowded the catwalks above the wildly flowing Johnston Creek. Emerald Lake was a sea of tranquility, compaired to this. But it was a nice walk, and we enjoyed it.
This is the second in a series of articles with photo’s I took on a trip from Calgary to Victoria and back, through the Rocky Mountains, in May 2015.
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