Mon, June 8 - Rally over and
off to Banff we go. Tunnel Mountain
Trailer Court campground. Sounds bad but
no mobile homes just a nice campground with huge pull through sites. Electric/water/sewer. Trees interfered with
Randy's satellite so only 2 local stations viewable. Sites in 100 row could get signal, but I
convinced Randy we would be gone most days and we could "rough
it". No Wi-Fi at campground so we
would make the daily trek into town (3miles) to sit outside the Visitor Center
for free Wi-Fi, that or inside a tiny version of McDonald's for free Wi-Fi. I
had to finish up my teaching course for Ohio Univ so checked email daily for
student questions and grading. 
Tues, June 9 - Drove the
hour plus to Lake Louise. As many suggested
we took Hwy 1A (scenic old road) versus Hwy 1 Freeway. Slower route (35mph) but beautiful views,
pull offs, wildlife, and stops. Took the
3 mile trail (round trip) to Johnston Canyon.
Great paved and bridged walk through the canyon and to the lower and
upper falls. Saw kayakers planning their
route through the rapids and down the river. Looked like a scare route! Lake Louise was beautiful, but looked smaller
then on the pictures I had seen. Lots of
people and not speaking English, so must be a world destination. Gator took the 3+ mile walk on flat trail
half way around the lake (all the further you can go without scaling the
mountain). He did great with people but upset he couldn't stop and play with
all the dogs. He even got some splash
time on the edge of the lake, loved it.
Someone told us that staying at the Chateau on Lake Louise was $300+ a
day. WOW. Short drive to Moraine Lake
and a photo stop. It is just a beautiful area and looks too beautiful to
imagine. God is just so awesome in his
artistry and design. He could have made
a flat, plan world but He chose to give us this beautiful world to enjoy. And we do!
Saw 2 Black Bear, Elk, Mule Deer and tons of ground squirrels today.
Wed, June 10 - Off to town for Wi-Fi. Got an email that our mail was delivered at
the campground in Cochrane. One of the
hazards of living on the road. We requested our mail be sent to the campground
1 week earlier, forgetting it had to go through Customs and wouldn't take the
usual 2 days to receive. So we trekked
back to Cochrane got our mail. Good time
to stop at WalMart and stock up on groceries.
Our fridge and freezer had been packed for the rally and now was empty.
So we filled her up for the long trip ahead.
Banff is sooo over prices and under supplied for groceries. So our
return trip was good. Got back and took
the evening trip on the Banff Gondola (discount pricing). Smooth and gorgeous
ride to the top. As far as you could
see, beyond Banff, there is mountain, evergreens, rivers, and snow. No other towns or signs of humans -
gorgeous. Who thinks "Hey, let's
just stop here in the middle of nowhere and put a town" Blows my mind….
Thurs, June 11 - You guessed it, back to town for Wi-Fi. Trying to text the kids, but no guarantee
they will be able to respond when we are still connected. So communication is rough. I can't believe
how reliant we are on the Internet.
Thoughts come up and I want to jump on Google, can't. So we have started making lists of things we
want to look into or research before heading to town. Like the days before cell phones, internet -
when my mom would go on vacation and we would only hear from her via a postcard
(that usually arrived after her return).
We are so blessed to have the instant communication we have now, until
we lose it - say like in Canada. Today is a driving tour of Banff, via Gypsy Guide Banff Townsite Tour. They also have an Indian Fur Trader museum
and Royal Canadian Mounted Police store we plan to stop in. Maybe a hike day on the trails around the campground
for Gator.
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