Our day started with a relaxed breakfast at about 7:30 and I had a cup of Kicking Horse coffee to jump start my day. This was entirely appropriate because the Kicking Horse River is about 150 metres from Joan's front door. About 6 kilometres up Field Hill we stopped to see the Spiral Tunnels, but sadly there were no trains running so we weren't able to see the front end of a train exiting the tunnel while the back end was yet to enter. There are still some remnants of the old railbed above the highway and the old Trans Canada Highway made use of the old CPR stone bridge farther up the hill. The road is being twinned from just outside of Field to the BC border so we rode through some construction with a minimum of delay.
Spiral Tunnel near Field, BC
Kerry at the Alberta border
John at the Alberta border
The ride from Field to Banff and past Canmore is still breathtaking. The Bow River runs its braided way higher up in the mountains until its blue-green waters become a fully fledged river. The highway from Field to Calgary was thick with groups of motorcyclists heading west. Our guess is that they were heading to the festivals in either Salmon Arm or Merritt.
Mount Rundle, near Banff, AB
Looking across the Bow river near Banff, AB
We rode in to Banff, went to Sulphur Mountain after taking a wrong turn then made the right turn and ended up at the Banff Springs Hotel. What an incredible place for the idle rich and those who would like to be so! Recreational opportunities are numerous and the middle-agers were out hiking, biking, and jogging. I have never seen Bow Falls before so it was a real surprise to see them when the river is in full spate.
Banff Springs Hotel
Bow Falls
Kerry at Bow Falls
John at Bow Falls
The ride in to Calgary was easy but we stopped in Canmore for gas. The last time I was there it was a sleepy village whose main virtue lay in the fact that it was outside Banff National Park so people could own land there. Now it is booming and it hosts the National Nordic Skiing Training Centre. We saw a small group of mountain sheep beside the highway and I was able to take a few pictures of them before other people stopped and scared them away.
Mountain sheep near Canmore, AB
Our time in Calgary was quite busy and I was able to buy a new camera and avoid the dreaded HST! What a treat to only have to pay 5% instead of 12% on something like that. I love it! If I can figure it out I should have some better pictures tomorrow. I also called our former Superintendent and left a message on his machine. We were running low on gas while we were leaving Calgary and we couldn't find a gas station. In Calgary, no less! I was able to find one using my GPS. I love that gadget! I would literally be lost without it. Joan Fields says she doesn't trust them but I do because I have been wrong far more often that it has!
The interior of the restaurant where we had lunch at Strathmore, AB
The ride east from Calgary was perfect. The temperature was in the low 20s, the sun was out, and the road was clear with no idiots doing dumb things. Just east of Brooks we saw a small herd of antelope and as we entered Brooks three deer played chicken as the crossed the highway in traffic. So, today Alberta was the place 'where the deer and the antelope play', the deer in traffic and the antelope on the open prairie! Shortly after that I saw a coyote hunting a mouse apparently unconcerned about the cars roaring by less than 20 metres from where he was getting his meal.
Antelope at play on the prairie
People complain about the prairies being boring but I find them anything but. The fields of canola are stunning and the sky goes on forever. There's an expression they use here. They say that the land is so flat that you can see your dog running away for three days. And because of the higher than average rainfall this year, everything is really green instead of the ususal brown of mid-July so what isn't yellow is green. Along the highway there seem to be more oil pumps than there used to be and many fields will have four or five of them slowly pumping crude oil from under the ground.
Canola field near Brooks, AB
Canola field near Brooks, AB
The smells as we ride are wonderful. The new-mown hay has a sweet smell and the canola fields as well as being beautiful. smell like a delicate perfume. I can understand it when prairie people say that they feel 'hemmed in' when they are in BC. I think it would be quite hard to give up the wide open spaces here. They have a beauty all their own if people can open their minds to it.
As I ride across our country I am gaining an new appreciation for its wonders. And not just the spectacular ones either. The land here has its own attraction and while I don't think I would want to live here I can see why people would never want to leave either.
The land goes on forever near Brooks, AB
We are staying at the beautiful Parklane Motel in Medicine Hat for only $54.95 tonight. Tomorrow morning we should be on our way quite early. I hope we can make to Winnipeg before we stop tomorrow but I may be optimistic. Today we made more than 550 kilometres with stops for sightseeing, in Calgary, and just to stretch our legs after riding for 150 kilometres non-stop. We're geezers now and we have to do that.
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