The Icelands Parkway took us to Lake Louise and Banff National Park. Camped again (becoming very hardy).
Lake Peyto on the Icelands Parkway...
Lake Louise....
Had a quick walk aroung Lake Louise, and then the following morning hiked up to Sentinel pass which overlooks the neighbouring (and some say more beutiful) lake Moraine.At the bottom of the trail we came across a sign saying we had to be in a group of six because of the Grizzly bears in the area. We waited and ended up hiking very quickly up 3000 ft with some mad and very fit Canadians (apart from one - Colin - who gave Alison and me an excuse for a few breaks). Amazing views from the top.
Lake Moraine....
The top of Sentinel pass....
Alison went a bit mad on the way down....must be the altitude
That afternoon we drove to Banff, very touristy but went for dinner in the very posh Banff Springs Hotel - we changed in the car, but then found a table right at the front with a fantastic view down the valley and a platter of food to match. Well worth the 30 UK pounds.
A long way from home...
From Lake Louise, we travelled to Nelson via Golden where we went whitewater rafting - all grade III and IV rapids. I went swimming twice (once through a class III rapid) and fell in once. Alison saved my life on all three occasions by pulling him back into the boat (even hit a poor Dutch guy over the head with her paddle during her exceedingly enthusiastic rescue). Alison found it exciting but a bit scarey, I couldn't get enough of it.
It was a long drive to Nelson through an amazing thunder and lightning storm, we stayed in a motel just outside the town. I (Alison) was able to show Simon around Nelson at a particularly hippyish time when there was some strange market going on - lots of long-haired people moving very slowly, crystals and the smell of joss sticks and dodgy stuff in the air. We had a lovely walk along the lake and a paddle at the beach before I introduced Simon to the little old fashioned Dairy Queen and Strawberry-banana cheesequakes were the order of the day. We spent the afternoon in the very hot Ainsworth hot springs. We stayed with my old neighbours Janice and Mike in their brillian B&B and all had a wonderful meal and evening at a tapas bar in Nelson and Simon finally got his Canadian Salmon.
Kelowna was are next destination, not a very picturesque place but close to some of the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagon Valley. Needless to say I made Simon buy lots of wine for me me me.
The Okanagon valley, very mediterranean....
The next morning was an early start so we could drive to Vancouver in time to enjoy our final whole day in the city that I've decided to buy a second home in (just after winning the lottery). Simon 'felt tired' while we looked at the shops but revived enough after a snooze on the beach in Stanley Park to enjoy Granville Island and an evening swim in the sea at English Bay before a very extravagant meal and lots of Singapore Slings at the very plush 'Diva at the Met'.
The day we went home was my favourite day of the holiday. Simon was very keen to go to the beach one last time before we went home. It was early morning and we were sitting in the sun on a rock on the beach in Kitsilano and everything was perfect and Simon asked me to marry him - life couldn't get any better!
Next week, at the ring shop!.....
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