Russ and Rob's Travels: Crossing the borderr

We wanted to remain in Glacier National Park so we crossed the border at Alberta and from there continued on to the quaint town of Waterton for our overnight stay in the camping ground. Our arrival into Canada was on a Sunday which made it difficult to restock supplies so we enjoyed a hotel meal, sitting outdoors overlooking Waterton Dam while we made use of the laundromat close by.

Wildlife make themselves at home in this town, Elkhorn sheep roamed the streets, deer grazed in the front yard of a home and on the outskirts of town we came across a grizzly bear walking along the road. We sat in the RV at the camping ground enjoying the antics of the Gophers as they poked their heads out of there burrows, having a look around and if all was clear they would come out to play, chasing each other before darting back into their burrows again.

As we crossed the border our hopes were lifted for an improvement in the weather as we immediately got into a t-shirt however this only lasted a few hours. We have not worn anything less that two layers and more often than not a third layer being a coat since. So much for it being summer......

The next morning we headed for Pincher which was a larger town where we were able to replenish our food supplies and arrange phone for our time in Canada. We have been surprised and had expected that costs would be higher however prices within Canada are comparable to Australia.

It was the middle of the afternoon before we were on our way to Banff travelling for some distance on the Trans Canada Highway Passing green lush cropping and stock farmland, also like home but without the extreme outcrops of hills.

Banff is a beautiful resort town located within Canada’s National Park. Russ and I took the Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain 2290 metres high. It was a little cloudy with misty rain which hindered a little of the views but still it was great. At the top there is a Restaurant, cafe, gift store and a boardwalk from where you can enjoy views of the surrounds. We walked through Cascade of time Gardens, then down along the main street and into some of the quaint little shops. Before we knew it it was time to head out of town to find a camp. Johnson Canyon is where we pulled into for the night, prepared and ate our meal, then we set up the TV screen, made our selves comfy and the RV became a cinema where we watched the movie “TOURIST”.

The following morning we made the short distance to famous Fairmont Chateau Hotel on the shores of Lake Louise. It was originally built by the Canadian Railway in 1980’s and the hotel was added in 1925 and again in 2004. This piece of internationally renowned luxury is where we enjoyed a light lunch after walking the stunning 5 kms return walk around the shore of the lake. On our return we heard the mountain rumbling and then saw an avalanche take place across the lake. Lake Louise certainly makes Banff National Park the phenomenon it is, an awe inspiring natural feature that is impossible to describe.

It was then to the Lake Louise village for a browse before refuelling, and heading out of town to embark on the next part of the journey, one that we have been really looking forward too...

Driving and exploring The Icefield Parkway