Calgary to Banff and Cochrane - Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff Park Museum and Lake Minnewanka

We drove directly from Calgary to Banff.  Our first stop was the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum where we learned more about the First Nation people who inhabited the area.  Each of the museums we have visited featuring exhibits on the First Nation people has provided us additional information which is contributing to a better understanding of the rapid changes and challenges faced by the native people with the arrival of the White man.

Teepee Interior Exhbit - Whyte Museum

We spent much of the day in Banff milling around with the thousands of other tourists on the streets.  Parking was a real challenge, but we lucked out and found a spot behind the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.  We went inside to learn more about the early days of Banff and life in the mountains.  The museum is named after Peter and Catherine Whyte who lived and explored the mountains around Banff capturing much of the natural beauty of the mountains and First Nation people in their art beginning in the 1930s and continuing until the 1960s.  Artifacts they collected over several decades formed the nucleus of the museum's holdings in addition to the artworks created by Peter, Catherine and other Banff artists.

Park Museum Banff

Our next stop was the Park Museum which is one of the oldest natural history museums in Canada.  The museum which features taxidermy mounted specimens of animals, plants and minerals from the Banff area was established in 1895.  The building housing the museum today was build in 1903 and appears to remain much as it did when it first opened to visitors.  Some of the birds and animals on exhibit can no longer be found in the mountains surrounding Banff as hunting, disease and man's encroachment on their natural habitat has eliminated them from the area.  The building has been designated as a National Historic Site and is a well maintained example of what is referred to as the "pagoda style" architecture which is rustic appearing and having a raised centered roof with windows to provide interior natural light.  Several railroad stations in the area were also built in this style.

Lake Minnewanka - Heavy Smoke Obstructing View

As our day came to a close, we drove out to Lake Minnewanka for a view of the mountains reflecting off this glacial lake.  To our disappointment, visibility was very limited due to the heavy smoke trapped in the lake's valley.  The great number of forest fires in British Columbia were sending smoke as far west as Alberta.  Over 600 fires were burning.  A ranger told us the smoke this year wasn't as bad as it was last year.  The best time to come to Banff if you want to see the mountains is in the spring. 

Mountain Sheep Grazing Near Banff

We spotted our first mountain sheep as we headed back to Cochrane for the night.  They were grazing along side the road.  We saw a few later on down the road.  We had to be alert to avoid hitting any but none we encountered attempted to cross the road.