Date: July 18, 1998 Starting Mileage: 12466.0 Starting Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Ending Mileage: 12589.6 Ending Location: Canmore, Alberta, Canada Total Mileage: 132.6 (9520.9) Log:
Day 64
Traveling through the outskirts of Calgary, we passed the still bustling Olympic Park, now offering summer Luge runs, as we headed up to the mountains.
Entering the Banff National Park, the first striking site was the fences - totally absent in Yellowstone. Here they line the highways to keep the animals from the high-speed traffic. This seemed to typify the attitude prevalent at the park - wilderness and wildlife,but not at the expense of tourist comforts. |
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That notwithstanding, we drank in the towering oasis of peaks after the wide expanse of the prairies. To make the most of the views, we took the Gondola up to the peak of Sulphur Mountain, where we had lunch at the Panorama Restaurant overlooking the Banff Basin. |
After lunch, it was back down the 3000 feet from the peak to the townsite where we visited the Cave and Basin Center, where the park had it's beginnings. (Sarah is showing you the pebble she took out of the hot spring basin. The pool was surrounded by gravel and slate stones, so for a kid who loves to throw pebbles in water, this was heaven.) |
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We then drove to Lake Minnewanka where the kids had fun throwing rocks and sticks in the water, especially with an eager dog willing to fetch them. |
Skipping out of the Park, we camped in Canmore, a quaint spot along Policemen's Creek. We took a walk through town before dinner and then made popcorn over the campfire while we watched the sunset reflected on the mountain peaks. |
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