Banff is a marvelous place!

On the way up......we're still smiling

On the way down....and we are still smiling (but in pain)
Keith on the beautiful pine trail (on the easy part of the hike).



We were in Banff for the BikeWeek. There were bike races all day long. This is a very European village with many college students, hippies, preppies, and empty nesters on holiday.
loved this car....a Moose looking through binoculars.





This was an image inside one of the Banff malls.

Today we hiked up to Castle Mountain. It was straight up for 1.5 hours. The total hike was 4 hours. We stayed at the top for about an hour just to take in the incredible view of God’s creation. It is really different to be up so high that planes are flying below you. It was pretty physically grueling. We came back to the campsite to take a nap before we showered and then went into town for a few hours.
Banff is an incredibly beautiful Canadian/European village This is definitely my favorite place thus far. We’ve seen more wildlife today than in Glacier Park last week, including rams, a coyote, elk, pika, and deer. We’ve been here nearly 48 hours and haven’t received a pink food violation yet!
We had a bit of a tragedy today. My French coffee press cracked. So, we had to go into town and walk around until we found Starbucks to purchase a new insulated French coffee Press. Now I can’t wait until morning so I can make coffee.
We are planning on attending a Presbyterian church in the town of Banff in the morning and then perhaps a walk along the river.
Since we have no TV or internet connection, we watch Andy Griffith DVDs every night (a gift from Mindy to Keith for Christmas). They are still hilarious even 50 years later!

P.S. still NO fast food, but Keith did sneak in a pizza in Calgary. He said it didn't count since there was not drive thru. I had a salad.

Check out the video below of the top of the mountain.