On the way to Moraine

Yesterday I gave you a small preview of Moraine Lake - the bluest body of water I've ever seen. But first, I have some pictures to show you of the drive up to the lake. It was very picturesque - though the road was fairly twisty & steep.

All the road in Banff & Jasper National Parks are made with tons of places to stop. Most of these stops are strategically placed to afford the best view (& pictures).

We saw a huge deer on our way up! Too bad my camera wasn't at the ready... something I definitely should have done that day. Between Banff & Jasper (well, Pocahontas cabins, which are just outside of Jasper), we saw 2 elk, 2 deer & 2 bear! No wildlife pictures though... but lots of wildflowers:

These orange ones were all over Alberta, adding colour to the side of the road.

Don't worry - plenty more flowers (& lichen) when I show you pictures from Moraine Lake!

Only a couple more shots to show you. We didn't have the best weather when we drove through here - the sky is a muted dirty white & there are lots of low-hanging clouds.

Still, the weather couldn't eclipse the beauty of this place.

We were simply blown away.