Sept. 23 - 25 - Radium & Kootenay

 Back up the same route as we leave Banff, retracing our steps up towards Lake Louise.  But we will turn off onto Route 93, into the Kootenay NP, before reaching the Lake Louise area.

 It's another stormy-ish day.

 No, not ski runs - probably more like avalanche runs!  These rather sad mountains in the Kootenay look to have a ways to go in recovering from some big fire...?

But still a sort of beauty... 

 even in the destruction and recovery...

 I'm not even sure this pretty little lake had a name!  Or a pull-out!  Geez!

Two-headed monster.

Two-headed, one-butted monster!?!

 Tracky joins in a follow-the-leader fence-walking event!

 Not satisfied by simply demonstrating his skills on such wide fence posts, Tractor takes it to another level.  

Scratty may be more partial (and suited?!) to flat ground, but she makes a fine shadow, doesn't she?!

 Pterodactyls.  

Well, maybe not.  But they look darn prehistoric, don't they?!  Just gigantic woodpeckers.  Pileated woodpeckers to be more precise (if I have it right, that is).  Must be parent & kid (see the scruffy hairdo on the farther one?), and esp. when you see the next picture...

 Feeding time.  Mmm, yum!  Can you regurgitate me a little more worm, please?!

 Olive Lake (although it doesn't look too "olive" to me!).

 The pretty Vermilion River (OK, maybe I forgive this place a little bit for not being Jasper...but just a little - it's no equal, that's for sure!).

 I think this was at the Vermilion Crossing.

 And this.

Sept. 23 - Bye-Bye Banff

 Some morning shots of pretty clouds before we head down the hill through Kootenay National Park, on the west side of Banff, and go to our next destination - Radium Hot Springs.

A drive by, complete with window reflections (minimized, hopefully!) and all!  This was a scene that I loved but could only access from the freeway above!  So, while Bill was driving, I was pushing the shutter button (yeah, and so what's new?!!).

Sept. 22 - Back to Banff

Boo-hoo.  Time to leave my new beloved place - Jasper.  We need to return to Banff to take the rental car back and then to leave this gorgeous area and start heading south again.  

 The fall colors should be a good indication of the temps we were experiencing - of course, the snow we encountered on the way up 4 days earlier were a tell-tale too!!!

 The Athabasca Glacier again - but with far different weather conditions!  Not severe clear today!

 Go towards the light...

 Yes, as you can imagine - it was very hard for me to leave all that beautiful fall foliage behind!!!  And unfortunately, the best colors were near the Saskatchewan River Crossing - too far to easily get to from either the Banff end or the Jasper end!

 Another drive-by.  I was so upset not to have photographed this lake, I...well, you'll see, later.  This is one of the Waterfowl Lakes.  And you might say that when you've seen one glacial lake, you've seen them all - but not for me!!!  Esp. on a cloudy day that has a moody-type of lighting bouncing around all over the place.  But because our rental car was not tow-ready (of course!), I had to drive it separately, just like on the way up and couldn't do my usual passenger photography.  I should've stopped for some quick shots, but I was afraid that Bill, in the RV, would wonder what happened to me.  So I just slowed down and hoped I got something in my viewfinder!

I did decide to stop for this one though.

More drive-bys.  The lighting on the high elevation fall color was so dramatic!  Drove me crazy not to be able to stop and try to get serious shots of it!

Oh well, better than nothing.

In the side mirror...

And closer to Banff again now - super rocky mountains but no snow (must be lower as well as just south enough to miss).

A nice afternoon scene out of the Banff campground.

Sept. 21 - Maligne Lake & Canyon

 Maligne Lake.  (where we should've taken their famous boat tour - oh well, next time!)

 Look at this lake and those mountains!!

 Medicine Lake from the other end.

 Stormy skies over the town of Jasper.

 Maligne Canyon.

 One of the cool bowl/pothole things the rotating logs make.

You've heard of Sherlock Holmes, right?  Well, his creator - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - was one of the earlier visitors to this canyon!

Sept. 21 - Maligne Moose!

Enroute to Maligne Lake still, we get to stop for an entire moose family by the road!!!!!

 Baby Moose.  See the weird slash on the top of its head?  At first I thought it was a scar, but then I realized it's just where the antler would grow out if it's a boy.

 You see Mama Moose has the same (although much less pronounced) slash?

 Pretty girl!!

 Mama decides it's time to move on.

 Baby's not so sure and waits for Daddy.

 "Dad?  You coming??"

 Meanwhile, Mama wants to make sure Baby is OK before she crosses the road.

 Mama crosses, Baby crosses, and then finally Papa Moose crosses!

 Good-looking guy, but obviously very young!  Look at how tiny his antlers are!!