Our first stop was to meet up with Erez’s friend Austin at the Rimrock hotel to have coffee with him before he started work. It was great to see him, even for a short visit.
We booked a shuttle to go to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. We had approximately an hour in each place. Lake Louise did not disappoint- it was truly beautiful. It was quite crowded, but we walked along the trail a little bit and were able to get away from the bulk of the crowds.
We spend a few minutes just soaking in the beauty and meditating on the landscape while listening to the sound of mini waterfalls bubbling around us. (turn sound on for this video)
After an hour we got back on the bus and went to Moraine Lake. I hate to say it, but it almost made Lake Louise look ordinary- the colour was exquisite. Our first task was to climb up something called “The Rock Pile” for great views. Worth it.
Lucky for us, we had an in for a free voucher for a canoe ride. Normally it costs about $180 for an hour rental. It was a huge highlight for me. We are so grateful to our friend Eliza for providing it for us. Paddling on that water was really a dream come true. Every meditation session where I need to picture a beautiful place where I feel at peace, will now and forevermore be the view of Moraine Lake from a canoe 🙂
On our way out we saw two different couples taking wedding pictures – one was on a ledge on the “Rock Pile”.
Nerd Alert: just a bit of trivia: Moraine Lake used to be on the back of the $20 bill. Our bus company had two encased in plastic for us to see.
Here is an internet photo with the bill and the view.
We were extremely lucky to be there in a day with perfect weather. It wasn’t smoky, the sun was shining and it wasn’t too hot.
We didn’t realize how close Lake Louise was to the BC border, and didn’t see any sign, so we slipped into BC without realizing it and without our photo with the Welcome to British Columbia sign.
Our next stop was Kicking Horse Pass. This was a fascinating stop as we learned about the development of the rail tunnels in this area.
The Spiral Tunnels in Kicking Horse Pass, British Columbia, are famous Canadian Pacific Railway engineering marvels. Opened in 1909 inside Yoho National Park, these underground loops replaced the terrifyingly steep 4.5% “Big Hill” grade—reducing it to a safer 2.2% and allowing long freight trains to cross over themselves inside the mountains.
Next stop was the “Natural Bridge” in Yoho National Park- a cool rock formation spanning a canyon that provides a natural bridge over some extremely intense rushing water.
Next was quick stop at Roger’s Pass Summit.
For more information on Roger’s Pass Historical Site click here: https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/bc/rogers/decouvrir-discover/natcul1.aspx
I would love to return here at a later date.
As we approached Revelstoke it was a little bit smoky, but not too terrible. We checked into our Hotel – it was called The Grizz. Revelstoke, or “Revy” as it is called by the locals, is a charming place. We loved the vibe. There was a spot called an “allery “ which is an alley turned into an art gallery. Here are a couple of the pieces in the alley on the sides of buildings.
For dinner we went to a restaurant called the Taco Club with our friend Eliza and her partner Wade. It was so great to see them and hear about the life they are building in Revy. We did a bit of research with Eliza and Wade’s help to plan our route through BC for our final day. The wildfires were quite intense in places and we had to adjust our routes as the main highway route was closed.
All in all – a fantastic day!