The Canadian Rockies are absolutely spectacular.  This was the third time I went there, but only the first time to take digital pictures.  I chose a tour with a different route to take off at Calgary, from where we first visited Waterton Lakes National Park, then to Glazier National Park in Montana, USA, before reaching Banff National Park where most of the famous sights of the Canadian Rockies are located, among which the Bow River, Bow Falls, Moraine Lake, Lake Louise and the amazingly green Peyto Lake.  The most challenging part was taking snapshots from the bus window everyday.  The feeling of capturing the snow-capped mountains and the valleys blended in the morning mist was beyond words could describe.

The sightseeing in Jasper National Park began with the Athabasca Falls which looked gloomy under the cloudy sky.  The next day when we passed by the Medicine Lake en route to Maligne Lake, we were met by an August snowstorm.  I couldn't have taken the boat ride to see the Spirit Island which was tiny, yet part of the purpose of my trip, because it has always been one of the landmarks representing the Canadian Rockies.  The upside of the snowstorm was that when we continued on to the Columbia Icefield (partly in Jasper and partly in Banff National Park) the following day, the scenery covered with the new snow was just stunning and inspiring.  After the stop at Columbia Icefield, my tour itinerary ended and the group returned to Calgary.  I was lucky to extend my Rockies experience for two more days, thanks to my friends Eric and Theresa, who drove me back to Banff, to see Johnston Canyon and Lake Louise to let me walk around it to the other end to see the whole lake.  On my last day, they even drove me to Yoho National Park to see the Natural Bridge at the Kicking Horse River, and the Emerald Lake, a lake that you might think that would only appear in a dream (the last photo of this album).

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