Where Treetops Glisten

An eight minute ride on the Banff gondola will take you to the summit of Sulphur Mountain.   The views become increasingly spectacular as you climb over 2,000 ft to an elevation of 7,500 ft at the top of the world~~  

Earlier this year, the Gardener and I took a magnificent trip to the Canadian Rockies. (You can read about this trip in my earlier posts   They can be  accessed from my sidebar under the heading Our Rocky Mountain High.)  

Somehow I got busy with lots of other blog postings and I never got around to doing this last post - the incredible views from the top of the mountain.  It just didn't seem right to be looking at mountains covered with snow - while we were in the middle of summer!  So- I saved these photos until now.  It seems fitting to start out the new year from the top of the world~~  

The gondola ride is only half the journey of this amazing experience. When you reach the summit of Sulphur Mountain you can exit the building and witness the breathtaking 360 degree views.

Below you, the Bow River Valley spreads out in a glorious vista of rushing water and jagged mountain peaks. The summit offers a new perspective on the peaks you've been straining your neck to gawk upward at; on Sulphur Mountain, you're at their level, so you can look not only straight at them but also beyond -- to more distant peaks and valleys in almost every direction.

Standing here on the Baniff skywalk - you can't help but feel that  you really are on top of the world.  Come along with me - let's walk along  the one mile trail, stopping along the way to take photos and view the incredible scenery.  (you don't need your coat or gloves - it is unbelievably warm up here!)

The summit boasts an unbelievable restaurant here on the top of this mountain!  With astounding views from every table in the circular restaurant- this was THE most perfect place for our lunch on this afternoon trip.

Let's go back outside and walk along the skywalk some more~~

Doesn't everyone take their dog along on gondola rides to the top of the mountain?

Have you enjoyed the views from the top of the world? Did I tell you there was a Starbucks in the gondola terminal - and a gift shop?  I'm headed there now! 


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Here we are at the start of a brand New Year.  To me, the birth of a New Year is a time for reflection~ an opportunity for change, a chance to make a dream come true, a rare "one more chance" to develop a greater appreciation for what is really important in your life~

Whatever you wish for - whatever you desire in this New Year - I hope that you reach out and make it happen. Every day, every minute, every hour is a treasure.  Make each one count~

Happy New Year!

xoxo,
Vicki    

Big News~~My first Travel Feature is Published!!

I am so excited to share this news with you all - my first travel essay has just been published! I've been asked to join the talented team of writers at a new online magazine for women- Living Better at 50+.


I will be a regular travel feature writer for this exciting new women's online magazine. My first travel essay is about our trip to the Canadian Rockies. In the essay I share a little bit of history about the Banff National Park as well as my favorite suggestions to enhance your own travels there. (I even offer up suggestions for my favorite low cost souveigner gift to bring home to your friends and family)! You can access the article directly here~~~or just click on the travel section of the magazine here.


This new magazine promises to bring fresh and interesting topics to mature women on such subjects as beauty & fashion, health & fitness, home & food, money & business, relationships, and of course travel. There is also a special section devoted to "Words of Wisdom" - a place to find encouragement for the times when we all need support in our lives.
The magazine is new - first published this February - and already it is becoming widely popular. Their facebook page has well over 800 fans already - we are hoping for a 1000! (you can come and join us if you want - just click the LIKE button on the home page of the magazine - I'd love to see some of my follower's faces there!)

I hope you will take some time to check our this new magazine -Living Better at 50+ - and also my travel feature. If you want to leave a comment for me on the feature website - I would be thrilled and probably blush in 7 colors! (seriously -it would mean the world to me if you have the time to leave a comment!)
I hope you will join me in this exciting new venture~~ (every month I"ll take you someplace new and exciting~~

Vicki

Quitter's Rock (and a give away for my Followers!)

Just about 30 minutes from Lake Louise is the spectacular wilderness area known as the Bow Valley. Named for the gently winding Bow River that flows through the center of the National Park - this incredible scenic area is hard to describe in just a few words~~

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the entry to Banff National Park

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Just below Banff is a magnificent region of lakes. A scenic driving loop allows you to visit all of the beautiful lakes- each of them within just a short distance of a few miles.

"~~we have driven the afternoon visiting one beautiful lake after another. Mountain goats freely roamed the hills and along the roads - we had to stop to allow them to cross the highway. The speed limit here is whatever speed the goats are walking~~"

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"~~along the hillside we saw wild horses. We have seen almost every animal that I had hoped to see on this adventure - mountain goats, elk, deer, an eagle, wild horses, - if we see a bear I think we can say we have crossed all the animals off of our list!"

"~~the reflections of the mountains in beautiful Two Jack lake are amazing. The water is crystal clear and the snow topped peaks and clouds are shining like mirrors. I have never seen anything so magnificent~~"

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Hang with me to the end of this post! There is going to be a give away later!!

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"~~Johnson Lake is one of the smallest lakes in the valley. The setting is so serene - just looking over the treetops to see those snow covered mountains was incredible~~"

"~~Lake Minnewanka was still frozen. The largest of the lakes that we visited - it was so unexpected to see this lake still covered in ice when just around the corner the other lakes were splendid in their reflections of the towering mountains."

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"~~while we were driving around- we happened upon an abandoned mining town that dated back to the turn of the century. We had a wonderful time walking around the historic setting - nestled in the valley below those mountains. The Gardener was quite excited to see the engine that ran the mining cars~ we walked all over that little valley, no surprise that we took about a hundred more pictures~ is there anyplace here that is NOT a Kodak moment?"

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"~~after our morning hike we drove the scenic parkway down to the valley. We stopped all along the way to take photos of the mountains and valley shrouded in fog. We had to stop twice for elk along the road and on one of our stops we were able to see an eagle perched atop a pine tree - keeping watch over the valley below~~"

"~~we saw deer everywhere we looked. They could care less that we had stopped the car and got out to take photos . Clearly these deer are not afraid of people, they just stared at us~~"

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(made this hat too!)

Keep going - you are almost there!


"~~in the afternoon we decided to hike the trail to Johnston Canyon. The Gardener was taking photos of mountain tops and I was keeping watch for BEARS!! He said, "so if we see a bear, I don't have to run fast - I just have to run faster than you - right?" I had a BEAR plan in place, just in case - if I saw a bear, I was going to throw him my bag of cheetos and the last bite of candy (that I would not let the Gardener eat - just in case we needed it for a bear escape) and then take off running. I am sure that this would give us plenty of time to make an escape - and I WOULD run faster than the Gardener!"

"~~ and then there was the hike to Castle Mountain Lookout. We maybe should have read the trail description a little more closely - especially the part that said steady elevation gain of 1500 feet in 2.6 miles - which translates to - straight up the mountain!!

"~~so up we went - and up - and up - and up - and up~~ almost 2 and a half hours of up and up~~I just kept thinking, any minute now it is going to level off~~"

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"~~every time we passed a hiker going DOWN the trail I would give my best smile and ask "how far is it to the top?" The reply was always the same - "oh about 20 more minutes". We'd hike a little farther and meet another down ward hiker - same question - same answer "about 20 minutes or so". So up we would go - met another hiker going down the trail - I said," let me guess - 20 minutes to the top, right?" They just smiled and shook their head, yes, 20 minutes more~~"

" ~~and then we found this wonderful rock. The Gardener said it was the perfect place for our picnic. We had been saving our cranberry scones and orange marmelade for our treat when we reached the top of the trail. So we stopped even though it was only about 20 more minutes to the top! "

"~~I had worked up a sweat on the hike up and had stripped down to just my cami top - but when we stopped for our lunch, I almost froze and had to pull out all of my clothes in my back pack to try to get warm. I put on my down vest and 2 sweaters! The air at the top of that mountain was thin and cold!" ***Special note - the hiker who took this photo for us as he was going back down the mountain - assured us that it was just about 20 minutes to the top from here! ***

"~~so we found ourselves on that perfect little rock - we named it Picnic rock and we crawled up there and ate our scones and marmelade. We sat there on the side of that mountain and looked out over that magnificent valley below - we watched a train go by ( from here it looked like just a tiny little line across the valley) - we could see the Bow river as it wound back and forth, and the rapids - surrounding us all around were those snow covered mountains. I just don't have the words to describe that view as we sat there on that mountain side - hundreds of feet above the treetops~~ after we ate our scones, I told the Gardener that I had another name for our rock- "I want to call it Quitter's Rock", I said.~~"

the view from Quitter's Rock

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(can you see the train down there? click on the photo to see it better!)

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"~~stopping just 2o minutes (!!!) short of the top, we decided to head back down the mountain! We are such slackers!!~~"

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"~~midway down the mountain we met another group of hikers heading UP the trail. "How much further?", they said. I just smiled really sweet and said - " oh, about 20 more minutes, give or take a little~~"

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Thanks for hanging with me for Part 4 of our adventure in the Canadian Rockies - here is your reward~~

Somehow, over the last few weeks I reached a milestone that I never even imagined was possible in regards to my blog - 500 followers. I remember telling the Gardener, that I had set a little goal for myself and that someday I just hoped to reach maybe 50-100 followers - just enough so that I am blogging to someone out there - (not just my 2 sisters and my best friend Mary!)

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I am so very grateful to have you all to be here with me - a part of my blogging family. If I could - I would want to thank you each personally. Your comments, your emails, your always being there - you truly mean the world to me.

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So - to celebrate this milestone - a little give away for my very special followers - this Vera Bradley Weekender travel bag in the beautiful Poppy Fields design. Your comment is your entry - and if you wish - you can enter up to 3 times. Maddy girl will draw the winner on July 29 - I'll ask her to wear her "way cute" strawberry floppy hat that her Auntie Vickie just bought for her! Anyone who follows my blog is welcome to enter - this contest is my THANKS to you. Regardless of where you live - I will ship it to your home. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being here for me~~

I will be back soon with the last photo essay of our Canadian Rockies adventure. We will all travel to the top of the world - a trip on the Banff gondola - for some views that will be absolutely incredible. BUT first - a little break from all this travel~~

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My next post will be about the Charity fundraiser that was recently held to benefit our local Ronald McDonald House. Some amazingly talented folks gave of their time and talents to help me with this most worthwhile cause - my next post will introduce you to my friends and highlight their beautiful creations that were donated to the silent auction~~

xoxo,Vicki