Just returned from a wonderful 11 day vacation in the Canadian Rockies.

Sept 18: Departed San Diego early AM ,arrived Calgary and picked up rental car 1;40 PM.
Drove out Country Hills Blvd ,per Judy's and Craig 91355's advice, and avoided downtown traffic.
Stopped at the very first shopping center on Country Hills Blvd and found the Scotia bank was still open.
Used my BofA debit card to withdraw $1,000 in Canadian currency.No problem.
Then drove to Banff. Traffic very light
Checked in at B&B located only 2 blocks from downtown. Dinner at the Silver Dragon. Portions were so generous that we took half the meal back to our lodging for dinner the next night.

Sept19; Snow flakes in AM, sunny in PM.

There is trouble! Yes trouble, trouble, right here in Banff city.
My Bof A debit card won't work in the Scotiabank ATM machine in the Shell station .
Went to the local CIBC for a withdrawal. same story.
Had to use my backup debit card from another bank to obtain additional cash.
Found out later that the BofA bank, alerted
to the large withdrawal in Calgary, had placed a freeze on further withdrawals suspecting the card was stolen.
No problem, I now had a fat wallet, a full belly,a car full of gas,...er,petrol,and the sun is shining,...between snow flakes.
Saw the beautiful Cascade Gardens. Purchased my mandatory totem pole souvenir at the Indian store across from the gardens. Later drove to Bow Falls.

Sept.20: Cloudy with snow flakes.Up early to avoid the expected massive crowds at Lake Louise. Ther ain't none!... In other words ,there weren't any.
Traffic was very light and never a problem throughout the trip.Same for parking and uncrowded trails.walked around Lakes Moraine and Louise.
I missed the Rock Pile. Bad planning.
Had hot chocolate and a sandwich at Chateau Lake Louise.Saw all the sights on the way back to Banff.

Sept 21: Drove around Banff.Had a sandwich lunch at Evelyns and dinner at The Spaghetti factory.Walked right in and were given a window seat.
No crowds at all.

Sept 22; Drove to Jasper . Held up for about 20 minutes just south of the pass leading to the Ice Fields as a motor home slid off the road and was stuck in a snow bank. Snowing when we crossed over the pass.
Saw Peyto falls while it was snowing.
beautiful. Only 6 cars in the parking lot.

Sept 23,24,25: Saw all the sights around Jasper.
Highlight was the visit to Mt. Edith Cavell. Hiked around the lake. A Must See. Obtained lunch fixings at Robinsons Market.
Had breakfasts at our homestay. A good place to eat is at L&W's restaurant.
Saw lot's of wildlife.
Spent about 20 minutes photographing a herd of Elk at Hwy93/93a intersection.

Sept 26: Drove to Field .
Took pictures and a video of a beautiful rainbow over Emerald Lake.

Sept 27: Took the bus to Lake O'Hara.
Another Must See Hiked around the Lake and up some of the trails.

Sept 28: drove to Calgary for an overnight satay and caught the flight home the next day.
A wonderful trip .
The Golden Larch tree along the road backed by the green forests and snow topped mountains were frosting on the cake for us.
I recommend taking a trip this time of the year to see the trees in their fall colors and to avoid the crowds.Lots of Elk and Mountain Goats along the roadways.
.