Banff and Lake Louise

This is the last full rally day and it was a full day going to Lake Louise and Banff. We boarded the bus at 8 am and were off along Canadian Highway 1. West of Calgary this highway runs through four of Canada’s National Parks on the way to Vancouver, British Columbia. The Banff National Park was the world’s second national park following only a park in Australia. It was established in 1885 and covers 2,564 square miles. Our first stop was at Lake Louise, a high mountain lake which is at 5,680 ft above sea level. The warmest temperature for the lake is 50 degrees and it freezes in the winter. At the west end of the lake is Victoria Glacier. The main hotel at Lake Louise is Chateau Lake Louise which was built in 1890 by the Canadian Pacific Railway to entice visitors to western Canada and provide extra income for the new railway company. In fact, the railway built much of the infrastructure of the area just to get tourist to visit (and spend money). The locals say that Banff is an acronym the stands for “Be Aware Nothing For Free”. While we were there we listened to a ranger give a talk about the lake and the national park. We then headed for Banff for power shopping and a quick lunch. The only industry in Banff is tourism and there were plenty of tourists. After the lunch break we stopped at the Cave & Basin which is a natural hot springs that is the birthplace of Canada’s national park system. Then we drove by the Banff Springs Hotel that was built in the 1890s also by the Canadian Pacific Railway. At one time it was the world’s largest hotel. We did not stop as the guests do not like to have tourists wandering around. The price? If you have to ask you cannot afford it. Next we stopped at the Bow River Falls that are below Banff. There was a Kodak moment here for some when a young elk appeared. Then on to the Hoodoos. What is a hoodoo? It is a geological formation of limestone capped by a harder material. The limestone dissolves over time leaving pillars. By this time everyone was just about toured out and we headed home. Tomorrow a quick getaway breakfast and on the road to Montana.

Rodeo Finals Day

Last day at the rodeo and last day for the rodeo. Today the rodeo finals where the final 10 in each event get to see if their luck is as good as their skill. We left the park at 11 am and headed for the stampede grounds. Once again the weather is great; sunny and 60. When we got there we had some time before the rodeo started so we visited the Indian Village. The Indian tribes of Alberta set up tepees and perform dances and other performances during the Stampede. The Indians were part of the first Stampede in 1912 and are an integral part today, not just something that has been added in recent years. For the rodeo events the top 10 compete for the final four spots and then those four compete for $100,000. It was obvious that most of the competitors brought their A game as the scores were consistently higher than in previous days. Also, the rodeo stock were the cream of the crop as only about half of the cowboys in the bull riding and bareback bronco riding managed to stay on long enough to get a score. Each event champion also received a large bronze sculpture depicting the event they won. At the end of the finals it was back on the bus for the return to the park. We have to rest up for the trip tomorrow to Lake Louise and Bannf.
One additional note from yesterday. The Adventure Caravan folks hosted an ice cream social. After the ice cream was consumed they drew names for some prizes and we won an Adventure Caravan back pack. We haven’t used one before but have come to the conclusion that at times it will be useful.

Second day at the rodeo

Today we started late because we were going to end late by viewing the night show at the Stampede. During the afternoon portion we took a day off from watching the rodeo itself and took in some of the other activities at the Stampede grounds. We watched some of the Working Horse Classic in the Big Top Tent that spans several hours each day and you can come and go as you please. It is an equine event that combines how well the horse and rider work together doing a fixed set of maneuvers and then how well they do working with a steer. Both men and women compete in the same classes. Once you are on a horse it is a level playing field. We then wandered over to the vendor area one more time and then to the kitchen display area. Here there are continuous cooking shows by different chefs. Somewhat like the Food Channel out west. Each cook prepares some type of food and then the audience gets to sample the result. We then watched the Super Dogs in the arena. This was an hour show with 16 dogs, each a different breed, competing in four groups. It is not a real competition. Each group of dogs is backed by a portion of the audience so it gets the audience into the action. By now it was time to head for the grandstand and the evening meal. We had a buffet meal in the Clubhouse and the prime rib was cooked just right. At 8 pm the evening show started with the chuckwagon races. Each night they have nine heats all leading to determining the top eight drivers. Those top eight were announced after tonight’s races and the driver in first place won $6,000, a belt buckle, a western scuplture and a new crew cab pickup truck. Tomorrow night those eight compete in the semi-finals leading to the finals the last day and first place is worth $100,000. There was then a 30-minute intermission while they set up the gigantic stage for the evening show. We were then treated to a two-hour spectacular with performers dancing, juggling, singing, doing high wire acts, etc. You truly have to see it to get the full effect. This all ended with a 10-minute fireworks display. Now everyone had to go home so we joined the other 25,000 people heading for the one exit. When our bus was loaded we headed home arriving at 1:15 am. It took me about 38 seconds to be asleep. Overall, a great day. Now we get a day off to recover.

First rodeo day

First day at the rodeo, but not the last. Left the park at 9:30 am and headed for the rodeo grounds. I did not mention yesterday that we could easily see the rodeo grounds from the Calgary Tower as they are virtually downtown. I am sure they were not so close to downtown at the beginning in 1912 but they just never moved them and the city grew around the grounds. Among the many parts to the Stampede grounds is the largest Midway I have seen in a long time. Dozens of those stalls were you can spend many dollars throwing a baseball, squirting a gun or throwing rings to win a stuffed animal worth less than what you have spent. Also, a full compliment of carnival rides and almost any kind of fair food; funnel cakes, snow cones, etc. We started at the vendor area looking for some items on Carol’s list and found some. There are those who will receive the items in the future. Carol bought a cowboy hat and even got is autographed by one of the rodeo cowboys. They will know who they are when they get them. Part of the vendor area was dedicated to western art (all for sale). In that area were several fountains and large sculptures. After I took a picture of one of the lifesize sculptures he got up and repositioned himself and I took another photo. I have included those two photos above. We saw two other “sculptures” in that area. We then went to the rodeo. The special thing about the Calgary Stampede is the prize money and the fact that only the top 20 in each of six classes are allowed to participate. For those who are unfamiliar with rodeos they are calf roping, steer wrestling, bull riding, bare backed bronco riding, saddle bronco riding and barrel racing. The barrel racing is limited to the ladies. After the rodeo we headed back to the bus for the ride back to the park. Tomorrow is a late day. More rodeo plus the evening show with the chuckwagon races and fireworks. Yehaa!!

Rally: First day

Up bright and early and heading for the city of Calgary on a tour bus with the rest of the people on the rally. Today we are going to see some of the sites of the city. First stop, the Calgary Tower that is 525 ft tall. It takes and elevator 62 seconds to reach the top. It is like several other towers you may be familiar with such as the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and the Space Needle in Seattle. From there we went to Rope Park where they were serving pancakes and bacon, for free, to everyone who showed up. They were cooking pancakes on the back of the chuckwagons that they use in the Calgary Stampede chuckwagon races. They were also serving the same thing at several places in the downtown area. They do this every day of the rodeo from 9 am to noon. We then walked to the Glenbow museum which is a history museum for the province of Alberta. We took in one floor of three and it took about two hours. Back on the bus and heading for the Canada Olympic Park site of the 1988 Winter Olympics. We had a very nice lunch there. Then we took a tour of the park including and indoor practice facility where they practice starts for the luge, bob sleigh and skeleton races. Next we went to the 90-meter ski jump observation deck. This is the level from which the athletes started. With the advances in ski jumping equipment the tower is now obsolete for jumping but they have a zip line that you can ride. It is 510 meters long and falls 110 meters. At the end you are doing 40 mph. After the tower we went to the Canada Olympic Museum which is dedicated to all of the Canadian athletes who have taken part in the winter Olympic games. That was the end of the day and it was back on the bus for the trip back to the RV park. Fortunately, the forecasted rain waited until we were back at the park. Tomorrow we head for the rodeo, Yeha!!

July 4 - 7

July 4, 2009 - We have not done much today. My driver needs to stay settled after the driving. We stayed around camp all day and cleaned the coach and did laundry. It does not get dark until after 11 pm so the fireworks were after 11. They were really good for a campground and we saw more displays in the distance. I got my first opportunity to take photos after dark. It was definitely a learning experience.

July 5, 2009 – We headed for Canada bright and early. The weather was calm and clear. I had anticipated all kinds of problems at customs. We drove up handed over our passports and were asked three questions and sent on our way. Almost a disappointment! The farms are huge and far between and you can see forever. The park was easy to find and very organized. We drove up, a woman came to the coach door, took our name, crossed it off her list, and directed the golf cart to our site. We unhooked and went to get the car washed and to Safeway. Our first Canadian experience was to find the carts locked. You have to pay 25 cents to use one. When we got back and Charles checked out the park, he found you have to pay to use the showers. Needless to say he is showering in the coach.

July 6, 2009 – The main street of Cochrane is lined with small specialty shops. We spent the morning looking at things and making a few purchases. We finished just as it started to rain. It rained all afternoon.

July 7, 2009 – Today was the big day! The tour orientation was at 3:30 pm with snacks and visiting. There are nine coaches of retired LA firemen on our tour. At 5pm the country and western music started and continued until 7 pm. Right after the music we got in line for a western barbeque meal. By the time we finished it was 8 pm and the sun was still high in the sky. Time to head for the coach and get ready for an early day tomorrow. The bus leaves at 7:30 am.


Joke of the day—WHAT DO YOU CALL CHEESE THAT IS NOT YOURS?
Nacho Cheese!

Glacier National Park

Wednesday finds us on the way from Billings MT. It’s just a day of driving. They have very healthy snow fences lining the road. Charles saw two herds of deer today. Carol slept most of the day. We spent the night in Helena, the capitol city.

Thursday is another day in Montana. The goal was St. Mary’s just outside Glacier National Park, which we reached just after noon. We will be here for 3 nights. The land north of Helena looks very much like Fallon and Lake Tahoe. The grain fields go for miles. Charles said they would drive the tractor for a mile in a straight line and turn around and come back. There are a lot of winter wheat fields. They alternate with the summer fields and make the landscape striped. We saw a herd of pronghorn antelope near the road plus geese and more deer. Near Shelby MT we saw a huge wind turbine field. It looked different than those in Tonopah CA. Because of the rolling terrain they looked different sizes and not in rows. They intrigue me and I would love to have one in our yard. We also saw about 8 cows on the road and one horse. There was not a farmhouse in sight. I thought we should call the sheriff’s department because Nancy had told us about her cattle roundups and bear hunts. Of course, the nearest phone was 20 miles so we let someone else handle it.

There are all kinds of campers at the St. Mary KOA, from tenters to motorhomes. Like all KOAs this one has small cabins and they are heavily used. The photo of the coach should give you an idea about the proximity of the mountains. The first night the temperature was a balmy 52 degrees. No need to worry about air conditioning. As we looked out the first morning we saw a couple loading their tandem bicycle. They had packs all over the bike plus a small one-wheel trailer. It looked as though they we well experienced. Biking in the country is not for the faint of heart. Couch potatoes need not apply.

Friday we awoke to find it was 59 degrees in the coach. Not bad since it was 51 outside. We spent Friday in Glacier National Park via the Red Bus Crown of the Continent Tour. Another couple from KOA went on the trip and we picked up six more at the Lodge for a total of 10. For anyone visiting the park in an RV I would strongly recommend this mode of visiting the park. They do the driving and you do the looking. Because much of the road hangs on the side of mountains and is only two cars wide (most of the time) the driver doesn’t get to see the sights. We entered at the east entrance at about 4,500 ft and started the climb on the Going-to-the-Sun road. Eighteen miles and 2,100 ft later we crossed the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. This part of the road had been closed until a week before due to snow. We stopped at the visitor’s center at the pass but due to the clouds, which started at 6,000 ft, we could not see anything. It was an odd sensation to stand in the parking lot with the wind blowing the clouds past. Something like being in a thick fog and a high wind. Carol met a woman who had arrived early to get a parking place and then couldn’t see anything. Back in the bus we started down the west side heading for McDonald Lake. On the way down we looked back and you could see the wind-blown clouds spilling over the crests like a waterfall and breaking from the peaks. It was just like some video I have seen of high winds blowing snow from the tops of the Himalayas. The sun appeared on the west side and the driver rolled back the cloth top to provide a vertical view. That is vertical up as we already had a vertical down view. Sixteen miles and 2,000 ft later we had lunch at Lake McDonald near the west entrance. The temperature was now in the 70s and everyone was in shorts and t-shirts. After lunch it was back on the bus for the trip up and over Logan Pass. By this time all of the clouds had disappeared and we could see everything. You really do get a new view in each direction. The driver was knowledgeable and talked about the scientific history of the park as well as the legends and Indian folklore. He also talked about the wildlife and plants. The photos we have included do not do justice to the park. You just have to see it for yourself.