The Young and the Restless

Standing in a postcard

I have seen a ridiculous amount of photos that look just like this. It's always so surreal to be standing in that exact spot that you have been staring at on your computer screen for the past 2 months. It's like stepping inside of the photo (minus the 3 am wake up call, 2 hour layover, stuffy small plane, 2 valiums and the 2 1/2 hour drive it took to get you to this point). That three dimensional photo comes to life as you breathe in that crisp mountain air and enjoy the view from every possible angle and vantage point. And as you wait patiently through crowds of tourists for your turn to stand on "the" rock to make it appear like you have the whole place to yourself (also not pictured, me wheezing as I tried to scramble to the top of this rock pile as fast as I could before the sun went back behind the clouds). But before we got to the famed Moraine Lake, we attempted to do the Johnston Canyon hike but it was closed due to fallen trees on the path. They recommended another waterfall hike. It was pretty, and made me miss all the green. I feel it's only fair to warn you that the majority of pictures from here on out will be comprised of mostly Jason's backside. But don't worry, it's a cute one. 

And then we made it to Moraine Lake where it was just as spectacular as I had imagined. That turquoise glacier water felt like we were back in New Zealand, the only worthy rival to this kind of beauty. That color of water is just unreal and everyone needs to witness it in person at least once in their life. And thankfully this is only a 3-4 hour flight away instead of 12, so if it's not on your bucket list then it needs to be. I loved walking around the lake and seeing the color of the water change depending on the sun and the angle.

We drove the scenic Bow Valley Parkway back to Banff village, mostly because it promised to be the best place to view wildlife. And by wildlife I mean bears. We saw several cars pulled over and was certain there must be a bear sighting. They were only looking for a train. This is the famed Murant's curve, one of the most scenic places for train photography. No train sighting, but it was still pretty.

Then lo and behold, not even a mile later we come across this fellow meandering along the roadside minding his own business. And my life was complete.

The village was so charming, it reminded me of Park City. We ate some delicious Indian food topped off with beaver tail, a local delicacy. Which thankfully consisted of 100% sugar and 0% actual beaver tail. We did some souvenir shopping and wandered around before heading back to our cute little loft hotel for our third attempt at Doctor Strange.