Western Alberta - Aunt and Uncle's house

There is a whole lot to add here, when I actually have more time to post, but this is just a quick update to let everyone know we're okay and having a lovely time. We are now visiting my aunt and uncle and will probably be on the road again shortly. What a ride!

Western Alberta - Aunt and uncle's house

Banff National Park, Alberta

The scenery around here is stunning. By this time, between eastern British Columbia and western Alberta we've seen lots of wildlife. Twice we saw baby black bears, and we spotted lots of deer including mothers with their babies.

The Canadian Rockies

Banff National Park, Alberta

Believe it or not, we tented in Banff. Anyone who has been here in the middle of the jam-packed tourist season with the weekend approaching will appreciate what a miracle this is. We didn't bring a tent from Oregon, instead figuring we'd buy one in Canada that is better suited to the weather up here, but most of the stores we tried were out of them. We finally found one store, just before reaching the national parks, that had one very good quality, Canadian-made tent left... and for half price, no less, because it's close to the end of summer. We snapped that up, cruised into Banff on a Thursday night with no advance reservations, and still managed to get a gorgeous treed tent site close to a lake. Talk about winging it!

Lake Louise, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Princess Louise was the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. Lake Louise, the village of Caroline, and Mount Alberta were also named in honour of Princess Louise.

Eastern British Columbia - Provincial and national parks, Canadian Rockies

Salmon Arm, British Columbia