After the drive around the hotel, we drove up to Tunnel Mountain.  This took us past the hotel where DH and I stayed on our honeymoon (Douglas Fir Resort) and also the Tunnel Mountain campground which is the one we most often stayed at when I was a kid.  The hiking trail there was open so we walked a little ways so that the kids could get a look at the hoodoos.

This is the town of Banff from the same lookout:

Next we drove down to the Cave & Basin National Historic Site.  This is where the railroad explorers first found hot springs in the Canadian Rockies (more info here), and the birthplace of the Canadian National Parks system.  There are some trails through the hot springs areas, and the building that housed the first hot springs spa in Banff has been turned into a museum.  Used to be free - but I guess that was a LONG time ago when we lived in Alberta - and we didn't want to take the time to go through the exhibits inside so we skipped that part.  Our main purpose was for the kids to see the hot springs and warm mineral pools firsthand. 

Here is the vent of that hot spring discovered by the railroad workers:

It really was difficult to get pictures that show the thermal springs, but I tried.

The view from the Cave & Basin trail:

Same mountain, seen from the Lower Cave & Basin trail:

So... the kids got to see what "thermal features" are up close.  Okay, Yellowstone would have been way better for that, but it wasn't in the vacation itenerary or budget for 2007.  Nor will it be in 2008, I expect.  Anyway, having seen hot springs, it was then time to experience the hot springs.  Not only that, but Kennady toes were very cold and needed to be thawed.  So off to the Upper Hot Springs:

Oh it was glorious!!!!  The water was extra hot and we just wanted to stay and stay...

But it was soon time for dinner.  Since Melissa's was closed, we decided to head for the related restaurant, Bumper's Inn, which was wonderful.  But I still like Melissa's better.  

To round off the evening, we went back downtown and did a little shopping before heading home.