August 17, 2007

August 17, 2007

From Waterton Lakes NP of Canada we drove north on Alberta’s Cowboy Trail past wheat fields being harvested to rolling ranchlands and grazing cattle. After a couple hours we reached the outskirts of Calgary where we turned west and entered Banff National Park. We snagged one of the last RV sites in the campground on the hill overlooking the town of Banff. The surrounding mountain scenery would be dramatic except Alberta seems to suffering the same fate as Glacier, forest fires and hazy smoke. I am very disappointed. I had been thru Banff once before on a business trip and was blown away by the scenery. This was a long drive out of the way for the view to be marred with haze.

Aimee and I unhitch our bikes and roll down the steep hill to town. On the way we get a good view of the Bow River, its waterfall, and the iconic Banff Springs Hotel on the far side of the river. At the bottom we park our bikes and walk thru downtown. It is also a mess with the main street under full construction. Between construction barriers and tourists Banff is a zoo. After an hour of shopping we ride along the river where we spot a large elk grazing in one of the parks. It is looking like rain so we head back the steep hill to the RV. Just in time before a brief shower hits.