We came to Calgary after church yesterday to spend a couple of days with our daughter and her family but the main purpose of our trip was to take Sheila to see the Rocky Mountains. It was snowing when we woke up this morning and a cold wind was blowing. The recently updated road reports indicated that the highway to the west was in good condition, however, and though the weather forecast called for scattered flurries, it also mentioned sunny breaks.

We left the city in near blizzard conditions wondering if we’d see anything at all but an hour later, there they were; a wall of rugged mountains standing against a band of blue sky! We drove out of the storm and into a spectacular day. Bright sunshine glistened off the snow covered peaks and the snow flurries never materialized.

Our first stop was Banff where we browsed several souvenir stores and enjoyed lunch in a quaint little restaurant just off the main street.

After stopping just outside town to enjoy views of the mostly frozen Bow River, we continued north toward Lake Louise.

In spite of the colder temperature at Lake Louise’s higher elevation, we walked down the the lakefront to enjoy the view. Though partially hidden by cloud, it was still magical.

We were back in Calgary in time for supper thankful for a wonderful day and for the opportunity to share one of our country’s most beautiful areas with a very delighted Sheila.