Our arrival in Banff was greeted by bright sunshine and a crisp 5 degrees although 20 degrees plus was the norm for the next few days – most welcome after the drive down the Icefields Parkway.  Negotiating the town’s roads was a little daunting as we had only travelled on highways to this point.  Canada has a system of 4-way Stop signs.  All traffic must stop and the first to blink, loses.  Actually it is very civil, with the first to the intersection having right of way and the drivers here readily give way to others.
We found our B&B with little trouble and booked in – carried our bags up stairs – they seem to be getting heavier.  The House Manager is an Australian girl and staff everywhere we’ve been have been extremely friendly and many are Aussies.  Everywhere has free wi-fi and we can logs phones onto the wi-fi as well – very handy!
Banff is essentially a ski town and during the winter is extremely busy, but we’re now into Spring and the ski season is well and truly over except in a few places – still some snow-boarding at Sunshine Peak near Banff, but most other mountains closed.  During our 3-day stay in Banff we travelled on the gondola to Sulphur Mountain as well as visited Tunnel Mountain and some of the nearby lakes and falls.  This country is spectacular, everywhere you look.  There is still lots of snow on the mountains, but out of the wind and around town, we found the days quite warm.  As soon as the sun goes down – around 9pm – the cold hits and temperatures drop to nearly zero overnight.  Banff is a very pretty town with lots of accommodation and restaurants and bars and we took advantage of the atmoshere.
We did a daytrip up to Lake Louise, which is quite famous for its Fairmont Hotel and spectacular blue lake and although the sun was shining, it was very cold and the lake is still frozen after Winter.  We hiked the Lake Louise trail to the other end of the lake, rugged up against the cold.  By the time we returned, we’d removed a couple of layers, even though we’d hiked through knee-deep snow in places.  The jeans went straight into the wash-basket, but we were very glad that we’d equipped ourselves with the proper gear before leaving home.
After Banff we travelled on to Golden, which is a sleepy town between the Columbia Mountains and the Rockies.  It’s actually larger than we imagined and undergoing some major development as it is the centre of the rail-freight system and is surrounded by ski peaks, one of which is the spectacular Kicking Horse Mountain only a few k’s from the centre of town and a sight which greets us when we open our drapes at the B&B Jules found on Trip Advisor – Le Beausoleil.  This is a fabulous spot and our hosts Heather and Bob are very hospitable and friendly and the breakfast is fantastic.  If you’re in the area, it’s a great place to stay. (www.lebeausoleilbandb.com ).

On a drive from Golden to Rogers Pass, we sighted our first Big-Horn Mountain sheep as well as many deer grazing by the side of the road.  Rogers Pass is amazing, the highest point on the trans-Canada Highway, much of it cut through the mountains by labourers with opick and shovel.  The Pass visitor centre is quite engrossing, showing the development of the road and rail through the mountains and the yearly struggle to maintain an open highway.  Avalanches are a constant problem and they blast suspected trouble spots through the winter.
On our return to Golden we drove up the Kicking Horse Mountain road to visit the gondola centre and encountered our first wild bears, a mother and her three cubs grazing by the road.  What an amazing experience – black bears in the wild.  Unfortunately they wouldn’t pose for the camera, but we got a few shots anyway.  Tomorrow we leave for Jasper again, to catch the train – “The Skeena” across Canada to Prince Rupert and the Alaska Marine Highway.