The ice field Skywalk

The previous post in this series is here..

After the visit to the glacier and back, we were told that the ticket includes a ride to the skywalk and back. So we went in a larger bus to the skywalk bus stop. From this stop it is a half mile walk to the Skywalk.

San actually did a great job taking that picture given the crowd! I am a very proud photographer hubby..

This is an engineering marvel !! A U shaped piece of projecting steel and glass above the abyss. You are walking on glass and it is scary to walk on. The thing still shakes a bit in the heavy winds and that scared me a little more. 

We saw a family of mountain sheep under the bridge. These sheep were amazing movers on near vertical surfaces! The baby was extremely cute!!

We read through the engineering details of the bridge, quickly walked through it (it was way too crowded) and got back on the next bus. 

This is a must visit place. I think this will be even more beautiful when the mountains facing the skywalk have snow on them. Right now the river and the waterfalls are beautiful but not obviously visible.

A video of the Skywalk..

When you see a place like this.. you are proud to be an engineer. Heard a kid walk before me and say "this is just engineers showing off. They really didn't need to build something like this.. but they went and did it anyways!"  I walked behind laughing. 

What is more amazing is the engineering that is there in those sheeps soft padded feet that can grip any shape of rock as they go up on those vertical rock faces.. 

On the return to Banff, we stopped by a waterfall first and headed to stop by two lakes.

Will post that next..

The Athabasca Glacier

The previous post in this series is here..

We had been in Alberta for less than a day and we had already spent the morning at some amazing places. Once we drove to the Columbia Icefield and the lodge for the employees who do the tours.. we were asked to wait for 15 minutes while our 20 year old bus driver and guide gave us the tickets to the glacier. 

That picture is going in a frame.. I have not seen her happier in any other landscape recently. Being cooped up in the house or going on local hikes is not enough for this girl. So in a way I am happy we went on this trip!

We had to wait another 15 minutes to get on an another bus that took us further up. There we transferred to one of these monster trucks (think this is the largest tyres I have seen in my life) and another guide took us to the Glaciers edge. 

Once there, we were allowed to walk as a group to the farthest safe point for folks wearing normal shoes. There was another group that went farther up, but with snow shoes. Given our schedules and the extra effort involved, we were happy with the tour we did. 

We got to drink glacial melt water and walk a third of a mile or so into it and back. 

Jasper National park, where the Athabasca glacier is located, had its own lakes and falls and sights on the Alberta top 10 list. However that will need a separate trip to Jasper and possibly accomodations close to Jasper than Banff. Someday we will visit Jasper is what we told ourselves on the return!

Just those pictures and walking on the Glacier was a highlight..

The tickets also included a bus ride to and from the Skywalk.. will post that later.

Once back after the skywalk, we had 30 minutes to grab something from the gift shop. There is a Starbucks but with a line  a mile long. The eating place in the second floor had self serve hot cocoa, which ended up being the right choice. We got to sip a hot drink sitting on the patio with a view of the glacier(s). 

A video of the glacier adventure!

We had three stops on the way back to Banff.. two of those three were 30 minute stops and one was a five minute stop to take photos of a falls (which in winter is called the Weeping wall.. where the falls are frozen on the wide mountain side.. in summer they were not that impressive). 

More on the two stops later..