Fairmont Cateau Lake Louise

This. This is our hotel. Yes, that is the view from our room.  I want to be rich.

Jasper to Lake Louise

Leaving Jasper was difficult - Doug had to pry Jen's hands off the cabin door when it was time to leave. But, Jen took advantage of the last few hours in heaven to get in a quick hike on the local trails before leaving. We were looking forward to driving back down the Icefields Parkway in the opposite direction to get a different view, but unfortunately the smoke from all the wildfires made visibility pretty low. It was still a pretty drive, though, and we stopped along the way for a short walk down to Waterfowl Lake.  James continued on in his own car to Calgary so he can fly out to California tomorrow for a guys camping trip at Big Sur, and Jen & Doug stopped at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.   This is one of those old historic hotels that only the richest of the rich get to stay at - but luckily, the Norvell Bargain Hunting gene found us a deal where we got 2 nights FREE (no shit - and the room we're in goes for 1300/night!).  So, we are enjoying the opulence and service that only a place like this can provide, and pretending that we actually belong here. 

Canadian Delicacies

Doug and James have tried every flavor of potato chip made in Canada: Poutine, Ketchup, Butter Chicken, Smoked Meat (yes, those are all potato chip flavors).  Pretty sure the ketchup chips were the winners. The brewery also had a pretty awesome popcorn with whisky - caramel sauce and bacon chips. The red burger thing was Jen's attempt to be healthy: a beet-root and carrot burger with cashew spread and sambal olek.  (She said it was yummy but James and Doug were glad they got real beef).

Jasper

Jasper is the coolest little mountain town on earth. We stayed at Patricia Lake Bungalows, which is a laid back family owned collection of small cabins on the shore of Patricia Lake, about 3km north of the town site.  There is an extensive trail system in and around the town, so we were able to rent mountain bikes in town and ride right from our bungalow, then at the end of the ride, jump into the jot tub with a gorgeous view of Pyramid Mountain. The trails were mostly swoopy, fast, fun trails, but there were a few big rocky hills the first day.  James stayed at a different hotel in town, so we met him for dinner and made him bring us beer to our bungalow on the lake. Not sure what was better - the awesome views, the wicked fun singletrack, or the local brewery right downtown next to the bike shop. This is heaven on earth.