The Nomads

Left Protector Mtn. Provincial Park, Alberta

Temps: 10C

Cold and Raining

We were up early, packed during a short break in the rain, and on the road by eight after a cold rainy night.

The Parkway runs through some imposing and beautiful country and the early morning views of Castle Mountain with its top wreathed in misty cloud, and the jagged peaks of the Sawback Range were quite impressive.

We quite enjoyed the the Vermillion Lakes in the early morning light on the way, and the sight of “Hole in The Wall” mountain brought back great memories… my very first mountain climb, back in ’68! No rope or gear, cowboy boots and hat, and jeans and smelling strong of horse….

Cold and wet, we pulled into Banff for coffee and a tour of the town and the Banff Springs Hotel where I worked in 1968. It’s unbelievable how the area has changed in those forty years.

Then we were off towards Calgary and praying all the way for Chinooks; man, that was a cold wet ride!

We turned of the TCH towards Cochrane and headed north to Sylvan Lake the other side of Red Deer where Sue’s son Matt and his girl Brandi live.

Had a really nice visit and got the bike’s first warranty service done at the Kawi in Red Deer while we were visiting.

Richard playing Wii with Brandi

Kilometres - Daytrip: ? km total: 25,

Gas: $43

Lodging: Chancellor Park Campground $17.60

# posted by Richard and Susie @ 9:53 AM 0 Comments

Left Chancellor Park, Yoho Nat. Park, BC

Temps: 20C

Sunny and Clear

We were up late after a cold night and had to wait for the condensation to dry off the inside of the tent fly before packing it up. Unfortunately the water was not working anywhere in the campground this morning and we couldn’t even have a coffee while we waited.

Once we were packed and on the road we headed into Field, a whistle-stop one horse town about fifteen minutes from the campground on the highway towards Banff. After a leisurely coffee and a re-charge for Susie’s camera battery we were off to see Takakkaw Falls, one of the highest falls in Canada. The falls, at the top, is a raging river of ice and snow melt from the Daly Glacier, but by the time it reaches the bottom, it is nothing but a heavy mist. Amazing!

I had visited this falls in 1968 and exactly forty years later it still takes my breath away!

While we were there we saw three rock climbers climbing the left side of the cliff face next to the falls….has to be at least a ten pitch climb and definitely not a cakewalk!

The next stops were also a rerun for me but another first for Susie…Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in the “Valley of the Ten Peaks”. This valley is the one that was printed on the back of twenty dollar bills through the seventies and eighties. It is a spot of breathtaking grandeur and beauty, and the colour of the lake water is the definitively the embodiment of “aquamarine”! It is a place where two glaciers met, pushing their lateral moraines together to form a medial moraine as they moved on. Once the ice melted, a high spine of slag and large rock was left piled up and surrounded by water. There are ten majestic high peaks surrounding the lake, hence the valley name.

We headed out of Lake Louise towards Banff on the Bow Valley Parkway to the provincial campground at Protector Mountain with a day-old loaf of honey-corn bread, a FIVE DOLLAR can of Campbell’s chunky soup and two packs of Ramen Noodles for supper. Lake Louise was outrageously pricey!

Off to Banff tomorrow!

Kilometres - Daytrip: 151 km total: 25,592

Gas: $0 Park Pass: $0

Lodging: Protector Mtn. Prov. Campground $17.60

# posted by Richard and Susie @ 8:30 AM 0 Comments

Left Herald Prov. Park, Shuswap, BC

Temps: 20C

Sunny and Clear

Off to a late start after a cold, rainy night, we stopped in Revelstoke looking for an internet connection and coffee. Revelstoke is a very nice if somewhat touristy little town with a cobblestone main street of upscale little shops….Four dollars for two coffees, no working internet. We crossed the street and managed to poach a connection from the uppity juice shop opposite. Just a quick check on the weather, a quick note to Mikie, a note to the realtor, an unsuccessful attempt to contact Sue’s cousin Mark in Cranbrook, and off we went towards golden. Once in Golden, we stopped into the Safeway for coffee cream, hotdog buns and wieners; we tried to contact Mark again and suspecting the family was away we headed east toward Yoho National Park instead of south.

By now we were being overwhelmed by the majesty of the Rockies and the scenery went from wow to …??? Words cannot describe!

We pulled into Chancellor Park Campground in Yoho. This campground is situated on a small island in the middle of the Kicking Horse River and is surrounded by forested mountainsides with rocky peaks in every direction.

Kilometres - Daytrip: 333 km total: 25,441

Gas: $35.33 Park Pass: $18.90

Lodging: Chancellor Park Campground $17.60

# posted by Richard and Susie @ 8:17 AM 0 Comments

Left Livingstone Campground, Langley, BC

Temps: 18C

Raining

We were up really early trying to take advantage of the break in the weather; it had rained incessantly all night. Luckily, the break had been long enough to allow the tent to dry and rushing as fast as we could we pretty much got it packed up before the rain poured down again.

We hit the road headed for Kamloops without the benefit of coffee or breakfast and drove out of the rain in about a half hour.

An interesting thing happened on the highway. I was riding along at about 130 KPH when a pack of seven Hell’s Angels roared past and pulled into formation right in front of me and immediately slowed down to about 90(speed limit ) and began tapping the top of their helmets with the palm of their hands.

I was forced to slow down so as not to run into them; had no idea what was happening and was beginning to imagine all kinds of dire eventualities when immediately we came unto a pack of RCMP standing on the side of the highway with speed guns set up on tripods.

I was by now in formation with the pack and we continued that way at the speed limit for about five minutes until we were out of range and out of sight. Then the pack roared off never to be seen again!

Thank you very much boys! Very good of you! Saved my a?? , you did!

I have discovered that the universal motorcycle sign for radar or RCMP is that “distinctive tap” on the top of the helmet!

Throughout the day we constantly saw large groups of Hell’s Angels pass us and were wondering what was going on. It turns out that there was a large 25^th Anniversary Party for the local chapter in Langley that weekend and, being Monday, the out-of-towners were hitting the road.

We stopped in to the small town of Hope, a pretty town in a rural sort of way, to have a coffee at the “Blue Moose”, the local hotspot for the “Iced Latté frappéchinno” crowd because they advertised free wireless internet, which didn’t work, so no email or blog update, no way to wish Mikie a “Happy Birthday”; picked up a quick lunch and spare relish and ketchup packets at the local MacRonnie’s, stopped by the Safeway for beans and wieners to cook for supper, and hit the road again. We pulled into Herald Provincial Park on Shuswap Lake halfway between Kamloops and Revelstoke to camp for the night. It is a beautiful place, nestled in the mountains on the shore of a pristine lake.

Kilometres - Daytrip: 449.6km total: 25,108

Gas: $38 Ferry: 0

Lodging: Herald Prov. Park Campground $17.90

# posted by Richard and Susie @ 7:37 AM 0 Comments