7/14-15/15 HALF WAY TO ALASKA IN BANFF

We arrived at the Canadian border at 6:45AM about 20 miles north of the campground.  We had dumped all our chicken products and limited our other supplies to the established restrictions according to the Canadian guidelines.  As we were the second ones in line waiting for the gate to open we blew through customs quickly and easily with fewer questions this year than last year.  The only question the agent wanted to know is do we have any guns and how many cans of bear spray do we have.  No inspection was done at this crossing.    Driving into southern Alberta is mostly grassy plains and farmland east of the Canadian Rockies.  It was a 2 lane road which was relatively smooth and easy traveling.

Just south of Calgary at Okotoks  we stopped at a Walmart.  The wheel straps on the toad were not adjusted properly and we had to unload the car and reload it onto the car dolly straight and restrap the car to the car dolly.  Once we completed that task, we did some last minute grocery shopping.   While Joe filled the RV up with gas ($1.04/liter) I went to the bank next door and exchanged some dollars for Canadian currency.  The current exchange rate was $1.00 American equals $1.23 Canadian.  So basically, everything you purchase in Canada, is at a 20% discount due to the exchange rate, but the prices are about 20% higher than what we pay in the US.

Calgary is about our halfway point to Alaska.  We only have somewhere near 2500 more miles to drive.

The bridge repair/construction in Calgary made getting around that city difficult in the moho.  The road conditions were very rough.  All the other roads we traveled on in Alberta were very well maintained and made for an easy ride.   The mountains to the west of Calgary were pretty. 

  

We arrived in Banff about 2PM and had to pay the Banff/Jasper National Park entrance fee before going to the campground.  The campground in Banff has a nice set up.  We think its one of the nicest government run RV parks in North America. All sites are pull through with full hook-up and are arranged in a way that provides space and privacy between campsites. 

This is the view of Tunnel Mountain and surrounding area when we took the dogs for a walk from our campsite.

Sugar gets cold in on morning walks and insists on wearing her jogging suit.

Bow River and Falls is a pretty place to visit just below the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. 

After visiting Bow River, we drove up the hill to walk around the shops and lobby of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, which has to be one of the finest hotels in North America. The architecture and facilities are magnificent and it is one of Canada's treasures.. 

Our next stop on this tour of Banff was to visit the birthplace of Canada's National Parks - Cave and Basin Historic Site.  The  Hot  Springs located in the cave have a sulfur smell to it.

After lunch (we dined at the RV in the campground) we drove up to Norquay Ski Resort above Banff, visited an overlook of the Bow River Valley, and saw the Hoodoos.  We will post these pics as soon as they are retrieved from our cell phone.

The Master Chef cooking good old bacon for survival with Sugar supervising:

Banff is always a special place. We have visited many resort and mountain towns in the US but nothing compares to the beauty, architecture, scale  and vitality of this city in the Canadian Rockies. Tomorrow we will land in Hinton, AB after driving the Icefields Parkway.  Looking forward to the views.