There were more mountains that we could count. There were mighty rivers that we followed along for miles and miles (The river valleys make the best trails as the ancients have known). The forest below the tree line were endless. There was the longest stoppage for road work (They were putting netting on the rock face of mountains). that we have had which was for about 40 minutes.). The scenery , however, made up for the delays . Witness these photos Ruth took as an example. The sun would not cooperate , but they photos are fine. At that 40 minutes stoppage we never saw nor heard a bird, even though we were waiting beside the forest the entire time.
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| More road work on Q1. |
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| One of the long downgrades. |
We stopped a few times along the way but as the journey from Golden to Lake Louise is only 50 miles it was a leisurely drive. Actually we went all the way to the Tunnel Rd Campground another 30miles , run by the Canada Parks Service., They have water, electric, and sewer if needed. This forested campsite has about 600 camp sites all full hookups.
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| Ski Park along the way |
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| The huge cut at the Kickinghorse River |
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| The Continental Divide. |
One wonderful stop was that the Lolo National Park visitor center. I could hear many languages there including Japanese, German, French, Dutch and English for starters. It was nestled in a small valley with mountains all around. The Kickinghorse River runs by the center. There is a story about the first white man that came through here and thought it was a good place for summer visits, so he recommended it and the place became popular and eventually became what it is today. A great place for summer and winter visitors.\The Kickinghorse River , was named after James Hector who was kicked off his horse here in 1867. That river starts about at the Continental divide east of Fields and runs north until joins the Columbia river running south.
There was road work on the Q1 and one stop was for 40 minutes. They were placing large screens over the stone walls and rock to catch or slow any falling rocks. As it was tourist season the line was very long and we were about 10th in line. It was quite amazing after the stoppage. The line moved well and by two or three miles there was no bunching or groups on the road. There were different places there were one lanes of the two lanes but that was just a slow down. There were many spring crews out cleaning up the roadsides (they looked like college students) , and a few crews repairing and placing g the animal fencing that Canada is known for in this area. The animals that need to cross the road (Parkway) are funneled into these bridges and the fencing runs the entire length of the Parkway to Jasper National Park to the north on both sides of the road, That must have cost a lot and provided much labor. I don’t have internet here these four days so cannot research that fact.
some here
The last 25 miles into Banff is a beautiful four lane highway (two lanes each way) so the access is easy. I saw 3 deer in a covert but that was the only wildlife. I suspect the mothers are with the young ones tattoos time, but will be coming out soon. I took the turn I though was correct but missed it, We ended up downtown Banff as I was sure that was correct, We had to backtrack and Ruth spotted the signs that said “Tunnel Mountain Rd. So we took that… and sure enough it all came back to me. We had camped here before.DUH! Sometime things don’t look the same, or something is missing. For me it was the trees on the high campground that jarred my memory. (visuals)
We DID NOT have a RESERVATION (That’s a long story) , but Emily at the desk looked for us and found a site in the open where we had a great view of Tunnel Mountain and other ranges down the Bow River Valley. The campground sets about 600 feet above the valley floor (thousands of years erosion will do that) so the view from this side is fantastic. The walker s and bikers come by the road next to us all day long, (I assume as we are not here) Butin the evening it os true , they do come to see Tunnel Mountain. The Canadian Parks system is all by reservation. But the official start for reservation is June 15th so we did not reserve. Evidently that is true for some parks, but not all.
TUNNEL MOUNTAIN
IN the 1880 a design was completed to move the CPRR through the Mountain as that was the best route for the RR through here. After due consideration , however, the plan was dropped and the RR took another route not through the mountain, The Name Tunnel Mountain stuck and remains today.
tunnel mt.
We needed some groceries and as we did not stop in Golden so we needed to stop here. The “registrar”, Emily told us that taking the shuttle to town (picks up on many corners.) was the cheapest and quickest way as there was a “parking crunch” in the city pf Banff. She was right. We did , however , drive and take a few back roads to get to the Bow Falls first and record that. It was cold there with the wind coming right down the River over the falls and into your face as you were directly in its path. We did not stay long but did record the falls in photo. Then it was to the IGA for food. I drove right down Banff Ave, (Main street) and even though there were thousands of pedestrians , the vehicles on Banff Ave were few so I drove right to the store and parked in the handicapped spot that was open and we did our shopping. A little pricey as most items were 20% more than what we would have paid at home.
the trailer
Banff is a very international in flavor as a town as are number of them in both BC and Alberta. Let me give you an example. I was in the store with Ruth and waiting for her at the end of an aisle, so I was just observing the people in that aisle. (People watching) There were about 8 of them , 2 couple s attached. Each one of them was looking at the items on the shelves at the same time and for the same length of time. never moving from that spot.T hen I could hear the languages that were spoken. English, French, Japanese and German were the ones I heard. They just stood there. looking intently at the foods on the shelves. “A Moment in Time.” Now ponder that you are in a foreign country trying to figure the item you are looking for in a store that you are unfamiliar with. Is it this label, or is it that one or a similar one? Is it in pounds, grams, ounces, and is it fat free, light, no fat, and does it contain…well, you get the idea. I thought that that was what people in other countries should be about,…Having a good time, and learning in a foreign country.
We settled for Brats for supper, and took time to watch the shadows form on Tunnel Mountain. Tomorrow we will start some side trips along the “Icefield Parkway”. I know that (When friends ask what is the best 100 miles you have ever travelled?) that is my answer.
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