Yoho Definition : First Nations word meaning "In awe and wonderment". Love it. That just might be THE word for our trip.
Today we took a bus tour from Banff to Lake Louise driving through both Banff and Yoho National Parks. Stunning places.
We saw our first bear - a cub on the side of the road right next to our bus that entertained us for a while. We also learned some interesting facts about mama bears from our guide Tim. Mating season is April - June. They are promiscuous with multiple mates - increasing the odds of having 2 - 4 fertilized eggs. The moms are able to delay implantation until the fall when they get ready to hibernate. The eggs are then implanted and the moms go to sleep as the cubs grow inside. The cubs are born in January - while the moms are still sleeping! Yep, they sleep through birth. The mom wakes up once they are born - they are usually the size of a fist and ~one pound. The mom helps to make sure all of the cubs know how to nurse themselves - and then she goes back to sleep! She wakes up in spring and the cubs have grown to ~ten pounds. Yep - she wakes up to toddlers. Not quite the same as human birth :)
We had stops at the Natural Bridge - which is a bridge carved from the limestone that goes across one of their rivers. Not a bridge recommended for people to use - but it was a beautiful sight.
We also stopped at Lake Emerald - which was as described in terms of the color. Gorgeous.
Final stop was at our hotel for the next two nights - Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise. The beauty of the lake is hard to describe. It really does look like it's filled with emeralds - or Craig and I laughed as we thought it looked a bit like a big melted Shamrock Shake!
We hiked up ~2.6km to another small lake - Mirror Lake - so pristine - and were awarded with some amazing views. However, after the hike yesterday and today are legs are not very happy with us. It felt like most of the hike was straight up!
One last picture of Lake Louise. I think the picture is beautiful - but it still can't capture it fully. I told Craig I now understand why artists are motivated to paint. They see something so amazing and want to try to capture it so they can have it with them for always - or have a way to share it with others.
That's all for now. We wish you all a life of Yoho.
Enjoy the Ride!
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