The Tea House of the June Moon Day
Often your expectations of an event do not match your actual experience and that may lead to disappointment. Then there is the opposite where your hope for an outing is exceeded by any or every measure you can use. We started our day early because, remember the parking issue at Lake Louise? So we arrived early enough to snag a lower parking area slot. Yea. Then we started off on a 2.8 mile hike to Lake Agnes. Lake Agnes is the location of Canada’s oldest tea house and the only access is walking the mountain. Even the staff walks everyday lugging supplies. We passed Lake Louise and it is more beautiful than any photo. Ringed with high, snow capped and glacier covered mountains the water is otherworldly in color and clarity. The trail begins to ascend almost immediately after you pass the impressive (structure and cost!) hotel. You don't get any breaks on the way because it is always going up. Your do get one great view of Lake Louise and it is a popular photo spot. The next milestone is Mirror Lake at just over 2 miles. It was fed by a waterfall from Lake Agnes. Super picturesque. Then before you get to Lake Agnes you are presented with 82 stairs to complete your hike. The lake was still skimmed with ice and sat in a bowl - one young girl years ago called in a teacup - on three sides by massive rock mountains. The tea house is log and rock oasis and a most welcome spot at the top of the waterfall. They serve many varieties of tea in large or small teapots. We also chose homemade tea biscuits and an oatmeal/apple crumble. We had an inside seat and luxuriated in the 20 minute wait for our order. It was perfect. A short walk after took us along the lake were we heard the distinct rumble of an avalanche. Unmistakable sound. We returned the same way we came. On the way back a couple asked us if it was worth the walk and about how far did they still have to walk. As we chatted it turned out that Wendy and Emilio were fascinating people and Emilio was an Oscar winning musician and composer for films. After we returned to Banff, we had coffee and bought bread, went to a grocery store and forced ourselves, actually me, to have one more go at Cows ice cream! Back at the trailer we fixed an eclectic dinner and then went out to try and see some animals. No luck on that front. Bushed tonight but what a day.
Cadillac’s Most Correct Viewpoint
Emotional Support Animal, that is what ESA means! Why do they think I need emotional support! I am even tempered, cool as a Moose, always in control of myself! I cannot believe they think I need help! I’m outraged! incandescent! livld! I think I may just explode!!! Me, not in control? Me, not calm and rational? Me, less than perfect in speech and comportment? Me! Why do they even imagine I could possibly need any outside assistance! I think it is projection, or envy or simply another irrational gesture because they think it will distract me from my goal of Moose Rights Rallies across Alaska since we are most certainly lost in Canada. Never! And what will I do with BdB, he follows me everywhere, constantly three feet away. He clearly adores me. I know idol worship - well he will just have to get over me because I don’t need any EMOTIONAL SUPPORT!!!!
Lake Agnes with the Tea House on the edge of the falls.