"Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada" Lake Louise by doktorbombay

It shouldn't be allowed in the Rockies of Canada to require sports coats for dinner, even if it's the Fairmount's Chateau Lake Louise. This hotel is absolutely beautiful. But the pretentiousness relegated us to the bar/lounge for all of our dinners. The other dining areas wouldn't allow us to wear our shorts or jeans for dinner. No matter. We didn't go there for the dinners. We went for the beautiful scenery and the wildlife. The hotel offers rental canoes, which are a great way to see Lake Louise up close and personal. It's an easy paddle up and back.

The beginning of the trail, it got narrower.

The Chateau Lake Louise offers horseback riding. One of the offerings is a half day ride up to the Tea House and back. It's not for beginners. We're experienced riders, and we needed the experience. The trail is very steep and narrow in places. The horses were very experienced as well. It was a fantastic time. Even when it started snowing on us. And, this was July 4!!

Rocky Mountain sheep in Alberta, Canada

One day we drove to Jasper, Alberta. On the way we visited the Columbia Icefields. This was the day we saw the most wildlife. We not only saw elk, goats, and Rocky Mountain sheep, but we also saw grizzly bears. No good pictures of grizzlies, too far away. But the Rocky Mountain sheep obliged.

• Pros:Beautiful scenery, lots of wildlife
• Cons:Wished we'd stayed at more rustic accomodations.
• In a nutshell:One of the most beautiful mountain vistas in the world.