Canada-Calgary, Lake Louise, Jasper, Grande Prairie

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Crossed the border into Canada on Friday. The border guard was more interested in Hot Springs, AR and the hot springs there than he was what we had on board that might be contraband. He wanted to know if people could just go anytime and get into the springs. Once through the first guard, we had to go inside and declare the shotgun and bear spray we were taking in. Surprisingly, all we had to do was fill out a form and pay $25.

In Calgary, we stayed at a campground next door to the Canada Olympic Park, home of the 1988 Winter Olympics. It would have been an interesting place to tour. However, we had plans to meet up with friends from Heritage and have dinner at the Calgary Tower, what was once the tallest structure in Calgary, in the revolving restaurant. Delightful evening.

After breakfast with Scott and Linda, we headed off towards Banff National Park and Lake Louise. The next morning we took off to see Lake Louise and Lake Moraine. Had it been a sunny day instead of overcast, I'm sure the water would have been even more emerald color than it was. From there, we took off on the Icefields Parkway to see the Columbia Icefield and the glaciers. We stopped for lunch and as we were pulling out of the roadside park, a worker told us that there was a bear just up the road a bit. We stopped with all the other lookers and got some pictures of a black bear foraging for food. What fun it was to ride on the Ice Explorer (with 60" diameter tires) onto the glacier, get out, walk on the glacier and taste the glacial water. Leaving there, we motored on to Whistler Campground just outside Jasper.

We left Jasper this morning, taking the "Scenic Road to Alaska" (so the sign said) - the Big Horn highway. Jim and I were both thinking (to ourselves) that this scenic route was getting kind of boring when we spotted a moose, just off the road. There was no shoulder, so no way of pulling over to get a photo. We will need more moose in the future, so I can get a picture or two.

Tonight, we are in Grande Prairie. It's 11:15 and just now dusk!

We are very happy with our Via motorhome. It's averaging 15 mpg. And at $4.50 - $5.00 per gallon in Canada, that sounds really good!

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Photos

Calgary Tower
Revolving restaurant atop the Tower is where we had dinner.

Jim and the Glass Floor
My man, who says he's afraid of heights......

Lake Louise
The color was gorgeous and would have been so much better had the sun been shining.

Elk
One of two elks we saw on the drive up the Icefields Parkway

The Ice Explorer
The buses cost $1.3 and Brewster Co owns 22 out of the 23 manufactured.