Calgary (July 21-22) - It was a long drive from Moose Jaw to Calgary (just under 7 hours) with 35-mph gusts of headwind. We finally made it to the Walmart connected to the Westbrook Mall. Seemed like an alright spot and we were parked next to a few other RV set ups. About to go to the liquor store and we get a knock on the door from a Peace Officer letting us know we have to move - no overnight stays because the groups that were there the week prior for the Calgary Stampede left a huge mess and ruined it for everyone else. So we got our drinks and were on our way to the next closest Walmart, along with all the others. When we parked at the new one it was clear we were in a better area ... so we weren't upset about the move. We met Barb & Todd who were traveling with Todd's brother and sister in law. They were from Minnesota! After some light chat outside, getting to know each other, they offered to make Sam a bloody and let us take a tour of their RV. Greeted by two beautiful Gordon Setter dogs, we were in awe ... by the dogs and their home! We ended up chatting for 3-4 hours until we all realized it was past midnight and we all had big days ahead. They were one of the nicest couples we've ever met; giving us their bear spray, bear bell, Good Sam card, Safeway card, providing us with tips for our drive ahead and even exchanging American for Canadian dollars. It's too bad we weren't heading in the same direction! We hit a little stand on our way out of town to pick up some fresh cherries, plums, and nectarines. *We didn`t take any photos from here - oops. Banff National Park (July 22-24) - We knew we were putting ourselves into a pickle heading into the village on a Saturday in the middle of summer...oops. But we got lucky and after a couple laps found a spot to park (12 hour limit). We stopped at the visitor center to get the run down and pick up all the maps/info we would need and from there we walked through town and up the Tunnel Mountain Trail. What a view!! We met some great people along the way too; a couple from Oregon, a young woman who moved to the area from LA and had her step mom visiting, and a nice family up from Calgary. After the hike we freshened up a bit and walked to one of the Indian restaurants in town. I (Abby) was soo excited for this meal! We got chicken tikka masala and butter chicken with a side of naan and papadum. The food was amazing and we had a great view of the town and mountains! Campsites were full, but over our price range anyway, so we stayed at the Lake Louise Overflow which was $10.50 CAD, granted it was nothing special, but it was all we needed. The next morning we were hoping to get up early to beat the crowd at Lake Louise, but we both needed the sleep and didn't get going until 10am. Canoe rentals on the lake were $100/hour. I'm serious! And they were all out. We had our own canoe so that wasn't an issue for us, but we didn't want other canoes/people in our pictures. So we hiked up the Fairview Lookout and got a great view of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau. The parking filled up quickly with no availability to Lake Moraine, so we unfortunately missed that one. We went back to the camper and organized a few things, made dinner, and headed back around 8:30pm to be out on the water for the sunset. It was cloudy and the sun was beaming through the mountains at points, but we never really saw it. There were three rental canoes out at this time and they were all on their way back so after about 10 minutes out, we had the whole lake to ourselves! It was pretty amazing. We paddled to the end, where the lake turned to a river and we were the closest we could get to the glacier. We pulled the canoe up on the side to relax out on the shore a bit. Nelly hopped out and ran around chewing every stick in her path. The clouds got darker and we could tell a storm was on its way. As we were paddling back the wind got stronger and stronger, first blowing at us from the front and then from the side (very close to tipping at one point). This was the most intense workout I have ever done! Made it out just in time. Jasper National Park (July 24-25) - We'd been hearing from others what a beautiful drive it was from Banff to Jasper, and we were pumped! The individual we spoke with at the visitor center had highlighted the main points to stop at along the way and you could tell he knew what he was talking about, so we just took his word for it. We stopped at Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Lake, Bow Glacier/Falls, Icefield Centre, Athabasca Falls, and our own spots - all beautiful in their own ways. We were planning to stay in Jasper for a while if the reception was good enough for Sam (he had to put in some days of work) but the closest spot to the town for us to park did not have a strong enough signal. We stayed at an overflow parking spot again, this one much more exciting than the one in Lake Louise, and spent the night planning our route to Alaska. We were up and out of there at 6:05 the next morning; 5 minutes late is pretty good!
2 Comments
Jon Olson
8/1/2017 07:06:56 am
Can't believe you had all of Lake Louise to yourselves!
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Abby
8/3/2017 12:43:25 pm
I know me either! Weird to me that no one else would have brought their own canoe or even kayak. Glad we went back later on in the day, it was such a difference!
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