Lake Louise to Whistler...

Favourite shot of the last few days... Castle Mountain...

We arrived at Lake Louise late in the afternoon and our room at the Fairmont Lake Louise was on the 5th floor bang smack in the middle of the complex with the window looking out over the lake onto the glacier, it was truly a million dollar view. This picture was taken from our Hotel window at Lake Louise...

While Heather attended a talk and photo opportunity with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, I trekked off on my own around the edge of the lake to the foot of a frozen waterfall that could be seen from the hotel. It took me about 35 minutes to get there as the track was covered in ice/snow/mud/slush the whole way. But it was worth the view, to be able to stand right beneath the frozen waterfall which was just clinging to the side of the mountain. Frozen waterfall...

The following morning we made an early trip back to Banff to begin the Rocky Mountaineer train journey. We were all travelling Gold Leaf with Scenic Tours, so our car had 2 floors, the dome roof with full 180deg surround viewing on top and the dining room down below.

The Dome car....

The Dining room...

The service was exceptional and the views were truly awesome. It was however a long journey and we were all well and truly ready to disembark in Kamloops by the evening. Unfortunately I was not feeling too well at this point and by the next day when we boarded the train I was really in a bad way and could not hold any food down at all. By mid-afternoon I was very sick on the train and by the time we reached our Hotel in Vancouver I was so sick that we began to seriously consider options for pulling out of the tour and seeking the services of a doctor. I knew that if I woke up the next day feeling the same that there was no way I could continue on. But Heather sent a few SMS messages asking for prayer from friends and family back home and she filled me up with drugs and then we tried to sleep. By morning I felt a little stronger and we decided to continue on to Whistler where we had a two night stop which would hopefully give me enough time to recover. Another couple who seemed to have caught the same nasty bug as me opted to stay behind in Vancouver. By the time we reached Whistler I had vastly improved and despite having no appetite to speak of, by the next morning I was feeling about 70%-80%.

6th May - Today was “Dog-sled Day”.

This was something Heather had been really looking forward to the whole trip even though she is terrified of dogs.!! The ride up the mountain in the small minivan was a riot. The van was packed to capacity with 15 people and the terrain was more suitable for 4 wheel driving. Every bone in our bodies got a workout and it was a good thing I was no longer feeling sick.!! Heather absolutely LOVED the dog-sledding. She will always have trouble convincing anyone ever again that she is afraid of dogs when you see the pictures I took today.!!

I am nearly back to full strength again after what can only be explained as a 24-48 hr power bug that has affected quite a few people on the tour. Today there are 3 others down with the same bug, hopefully they too will recover quickly. Tomorrow we head for Victoria for two nights and then after that the cruise begins.