Hey steemies!
This is a continuation to my Banff trip (gawd I'm slow eh!! lol) I left it off in the last one when we got into the gondola, now time for the walk and what to expect. At arrival, we got off into the trinket shop, go figure...SELL SELL SELL, the motto of tourist traps! 😄 Of course I laugh now but that's actually one of the features that annoys me the most in highly touristic venues when I'm simply looking for information about the history of certain features, everyone trying to sell me things I have no interests in. Once you get out of the trinket shop, there is a viewing platform where you can walk almost the full 360 of the building (except the small portion where the cable cars go in and out) and get a view of all the lower mountain ranges. If it's your lucky day, wildlife can be spotted. In the summer there is a small trail on the backside that will take you to a more natural setting and a great view below. We didn't do it on this day because it was full of snow but certainly indulged the first time we took the trip up.
Shot 1/320 sec. f/9 34 mm, ISO 100
The image above was taken from the back of the observation deck, probably not the most popular selfie spot but spectacular view of the valley and mountain range nonetheless. For that perfect selfie, the front of the observation deck is the favored spot, overlooking the town of Banff, Lake Minnewanka (which appears to be frozen solid in the month of April), Mount Rundle and all it's other glorious snowy peaks and valleys from what seems to be the heavens! Beware of photo bombers, it get really busy in mid afternoon, you better be quick with that selfie if you find yourself alone for a moment!
Picture taken by @silvergingerman with iphone8.
Is that it? all we went up for? The perfect selfie? Of course not!!! In 1903, an observatory that became a weather station was built on Sanson Peak of Sulfur Mountain, named after Norman Sanson, the meteorologist who monitored the readings at this altitude station who would have hiked there countless times to obtain his data. Back in his day, it would have been a much different experience when the area was completely natural. Today, a 600 meter boardwalk lines the dangerous mountain side for the safety of visitors and ease of access to Sanson Peak and the famous observatory landmark. The observatory is still standing and preserved in it's historical conditions for us all to enjoy if you are willing to retrace Mr. Sanson's footsteps.
The boardwalk has several resting areas and benches to enjoy the surrounding beauty at various intervals. No need to be an expert climber, just enjoy the view and the walk as fast or as slow as you wish. It has several small stair cases to get thru the altitude gains and equipped with handrails the whole way so if you are bringing small children, no need to worry about their safety as long as they stay within the barriers. At these altitudes, there is still a variety of wildlife to be spotted if you keep an eye open. Animals that can be typically found are the big furry Mountain Goats (not to be confused with the Ram aka Mountain Sheep, many get confused between the two), Marmots, small chipmunks and various birds like Grey Jay's, Eagles, Hawks and large Ravens. I keep hoping to see the large long haired goats every time I have gone but unfortunately not yet and it would be no different on this day...They must be laughing at me or something because I always run into guests that have seen them right before I passed!
After taking our selfies, it was time to hit the boardwalk and enjoy the view along the way. Given we went mid afternoon at peak times, it was pretty crowded, luckily the boardwalk is large enough to accommodate everyone. Naturally at every viewing point, we had to stop and admire the landscape, taking as many pictures as we could to immortalize our memories, not that we could ever forget such a dreamy landscape. The picture above was taken looking in the direction of Lake Louise, the small road you see, it's the highway we take back to our accommodations near Castle Mountain. It looks so tiny and nothing more than a little trail from over 7 000 feet!
Shot 1/250 sec. f/8 31 mm, ISO 110
At first, the tree line blocks the view towards the gondola landing platform but as we gained elevation, the landscape started to reveal the mountain range behind the restaurant. Can you just imagine going out to eat and that's the view outside your window during a special romantic dinner! (As mentioned in my prior post, you do have to book a seat in advance to eat there) One of Banff's popular recreational area is the famous Mount Rundle, up until now it was hidden behind the trees but it too started to reveal it's high altitude snowy beauty...Looks much different above and you really get a sense of it's gigantic size compared to viewing it from the bottom at the Vermilion Lakes.
Shot 1/320 sec. f/9 18 mm, ISO 100
We carefully selected today as the day to be on the mountain top because it was the day with the best conditions for the weekend, we didn't want to spend a bunch to go see the whiteout from the day before. As much as we wanted to hike all the way to Ink Pots at Johnston Canyon earlier, I'm glad we saved time to do this as a priority after all. It was colder than on the ground but dressed appropriately it was perfect. We took our sweet time taking this walk since it's not an activity we do very often but it really doesn't take long at all to do. Seems more intimidating than it actually is. Once we reached the last viewing platform before the weather station, we found a sign that illustrates all of the valleys and mountain names we can see on the walk, it becomes helpful for me to make these posts. I don't always remember all the names, there is a lot to remember! I tried to take a picture for you so you could understand the topography and get oriented but it didn't quite turn out into anything legible so I guess you are just going to have to go see it for yourself one day!
Shot 1/320 sec. f/9 46 mm, ISO 100
At last, we made it to the old weather/observatory station! All the lichens growing around it seems to bring a rather boring picture to life! Once at the station, there is just a tiny bit more to climb and there we found the best 360 view of the day, once again, it gets really crowded on an even tinier platform so patience is a virtue. If you take the time to go up the gondola, don't miss out on the boardwalk hike it's amazing up there. Sanson Peak isn't the true summit of Sulfur Mountain but the easiest to access. The return trip was un-eventful, it was more of the same as the way up except towards the end we saw a Grey Jay stealing food from the guests, he stopped moving just long enough for me to snap a quick shot but he definitely made me work for it after several attempts, they are known for being a very active bird that doesn't stay put for very long.
Shot 1/1000 sec. f/6.3 200 mm, ISO 500
Chateau Fairmont Banff Hotel
View of Cascade Mountain and the resort town of Banff.
I originally posted this to my weku, since it's steemit's turn to get the second posting, here is a few additional pictures as a bonus! I try to split the original posting half here and half there to be fair to both platforms from here on out. If you are unfamiliar with weku, it's a new platform that runs from the steem blockchain that is similar in design. It's still very young and flawed but we'll see what comes of it I guess, If it helps me get more exposure then why not try! Some steemians have migrated over there to seek refuge during the great steemit crash of HF20! Some days it makes me wanna bang my head against the wall with all the spam and plagiarism but they are trying to clean up the streets.
All images taken with Nikon D7000 and Sigma 18-200 lens.
Here is the first part of the post with instructions as to how to make it to the top of the mountain:
https://steemit.com/travel/@ladybug146/canadian-rockies-gondola-in-the-town-of-banff
Cheers my friends! X🐞X
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Such an amazing scenes you have in there. The trip as i see over here was such a hell of climbing you did in there. Moving across nature to capture memories that are worth capturing. You pictures on the other hand are so professional.
i really enjoyed every second i spent on your blog and each word was worth the read. Good work and keep the travel spirit up always
Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
It seems like a lot of climbing , but I cheated and took a cable car up as it was available but just about anywhere else to get this view, climbing is required.It generally takes a few hours to climb up 7000 feet.
Wooaw, a 7k feet that's so high and you wouldn't have found your legs after climbing with the line cab. But all the same it was fun around your blog.
I guess that's my way of saying you are welcome
Definitely some great views from up there. I need to travel more and it is posts like yours that get the urge going again lol. I love snowy mountain peaks and I find it so relaxing.
Yes the view is amazing! Hopefully my posts gets you sight seeing then, it's great to get out there and explore the magical landscape that surrounds us! Snowy mountain peaks are the best, it changes to look and feel entirely, it's my favorite time, fall and spring.
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You made me think of my first visit in Paris. I went to Sacre Coeur and there were those guys selling bracelet. They would not let me pass and one of them would keep saying Hakuna Matata and putting the bracelet on my arm. I didn't get what he was doing and I was so confused. After he finished he asked me where I was from and then he told me that it will only cost me 10 EUR and that I'm lucky because if I would be American he would charge me 20 EUR. I was still confused but then it hit me and I told him to take his bracelet and leave me alone because otherwise I would call police to have a closer look at his activity. He got pissed off but did as I said.. I hate those people trying to sell you what you really don't want/need...
I actually think that the first spot is better for selfie than the second one but I guess that it's the personal preference :) AND you have a great selfie! Your photos are very nice. The nature is beautiful, the sky is blue and it looks like you had a great time :)
Thank you for sharing and have a lovely day!
That sounds like a frightening experience in a foreign country! I think I would have ran away from them! That's pretty invasive behavior, thanks for sharing your experience. It's not that bad here tho, just stores everywhere you go, every attraction, you get dropped off in a store, they all sell the exact same factory crap at most of them or a way over priced picture of yourself doing an activity like at a carnival or amusement park.
To be honest, they are all great spots for selfies! Like you said, it's just a matter of perspective. Most like the picture towards the town of Banff. I always say, there is no such thing as a bad picture taken in the Rockies, it's so beautiful out there! Thanks for your kind words, I had a lovely time exploring. Have a great week-end! xox
There are places in this planet of ours that definitely make us feel paradise does exist.
So many beautiful and impressive photographs; hard to pick a favorite (7th, 12th...)
I was impressed at the Chateau. As if taken from a fairy tale.
Incredible journey. Thanks for sharing these amazing pictures and all the details of the places and the experience itself.
Priceless
Thanks for your lovely compliments! This earth certainly has countless heavenly treasures to show us. I always have to take pictures of the Chateau when I see it, especially from above! (The British royal family do stay at these locations when they come visit Canada), we have one in Edmonton too. Expensive to stay the night but we can all dream! I'm glad you enjoyed my work. :)
Hello @ladybug146! Now that is like 32C outside, hot like hell, it makes me feel good just by looking at your extraordinary, snowy photos. If you ask me, I prefer mountains first, then beaches. Unfortunately I haven't had the pleasure to visit Banff but I would love it, i can tell just by looking at the photos. That castle looks very interesting and I bet it has a lot to offer. I'm glad you posted this blog, at least I got to see that part of the world even though I haven't left the city.
I grew up near the beach and the ocean and moved out west over a decade ago, I have to agree that mountains are so much better! The beach is nice too tho, I miss it sometime. That castle is so cool, I have been fascinated with it since I saw it for the first time, I want to stay there one day even if it's just one night. Banff is a large natural wildlife preserve with many great places to visit, quiet and busy alike, I hope you get to see it for yourself one day. That's the fun of steemit, we can travel around the world from our living room! I'm glad you enjoyed the tour. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
I was thinking of making a list, (more like a book I guess) with all the cool places I see here by reading blogs like your. Imagine visiting all those places 😀 Wouldn't be cool? But since that will never happen, at least we get to enjoy the blogs people are posting.
Have a nice weekend 😘
I have one month left work permit and not sure I will be able to visit that attractive corners of Canada what a pity.
Maybe someday you can come back and take a work permit in the west and visit this corner too! I'm sure you still got to see many great places in central Canada like Niagara Falls and Algonquin (I have never seen them yet), there is too much to see it all in one visit, it's large territory! Rockies do have seasonal tourism related job availability that mostly employ foreigners, the pay isn't great for Canadian standards and the accommodations directly in the park are expensive but it is possible to stay in near by small towns at a fraction of the cost( within 20 min to half hour drive away). If I was a foreigner, I would still do it, get a paid vacation in such a beautiful place. Hit me up if you ever need tips on what small towns to stay in if you have the opportunity to come back. I hope you enjoyed your Canadian journey!
Thank you!!! It is a matter of an agreement between Canada and Italy to have only 6 months of work permit. If I was from Spain one year, from France or England for two years. I would stay longer I do not know if I will be able when I can come again
WOW those views are spectacular and no problem with photo bombers for selfies with me i never well hardly ever take them
that hotel looks pretty grand
The chateau hotel certainly isn't for the frugal traveler but it looks so cool, I can only imagine what the inside looks like. I have been in the Jasper Fairmont lobby once for a few minutes and it was pretty fancy!
The views up there are spectacular, it's like an eye candy store for any photographer! Haha, I don't like selfies that much either but @silvergingerman wants to take pictures of me so I just let him on occasion. Thanks for stopping by! xox
I have been to some fancy Hotels in Europe but only to take a look far to pricey for me LOL
My Wife and daughter in Law like taking photos of me when we are out and about I hate it to be honest but I let them take them :)
I bet it was, nothing wrong with still taking a look, feel rich for a minute. This one here it's like 450$ CAD/night on the best of days, at least the prices I have come across. Accommodations in the park are pricey all around tho, I usually stay in near by towns or provincial parks.
You're a victim of that everybody wants pictures thing too eh! Why not, it's memories they will always remember and it makes them happy.
Yes if it makes them happy I am OK with it, sort of LOL, I would love to visit an area like that :)
When I used to travel I used to never book hotels in advance and would just go with the flow, I got by most times finding affordable places but did get caught in Austria once where I got to a city late in the evening and the only hotel available was a ridiculously expensive one , I was considering going back tot he train station and heading somewhere else but I was so tired and ended up staying anyway I think in 6 Days there i spend more on that hotel for one night than I did for all the other nights