Hinton to Canmore (Banff)

Let me begin by saying - we were not going to go to Banff.

More thunderstorms had been forecast, and we were just going to bypass Banff, and make a run to Calgary and then down to the US border and Montana.

We even went as far as to tell the relatives we were going to stay with in Canmore that not to worry and we were going straight to Montana.

As the fates would have it though, the storm arrived a day early, and it poured with rain overnight, the power went out and we had a gloomy morning in Hinton on our day off.

That afternoon, we had a storm roll through again, (or maybe the same storm) but it finished early, the sky cleared and we had a clear view south towards Banff. We decided that Banff was too awesome to pass up, and we needed to find some accommodation asap. Our original plan was to stay with a relative in the descriptive sense of the word only (my sister-in-laws cousin) and rather be the person that cancels then un-cancels at the last minute, we found some cheap accommodation just outside of Banff. (as usual, the cheapest places are just outside town) We were staying two nights, giving us a day off to explore Banff and Lake Louise.

We left Hinton, and back tracked down our route from the day off yesterday, and struck into new tracks just south of Jasper.

There was loads of traffic on the road, a billion RV's and quite a few bikers. We were soon to realise why.

The road from Jasper to Banff is like something from another world. To call the scenery breathtaking is probably one of the biggest understatements a person could make. It's punched in the balls, snort a line of wasabi and take a lungful of sea water breathtaking.

And just when you think things couldn't be more awesome, you ride around a snaking turn to the bottom of a valley and realise that the mountain range you thought was really high becomes HOLY FUCK I AM BUT AN INSECT AND SUPREMELY INSIGNIFICANT!!! high.
 The best part is, you ride so close to the base of them as they rocket up like skyscrapers, that you get that  weak at the knees feeling even though your not standing...

We passed a cyclist, who had just dumped his bike on the ground and was just sitting in the grass leaning back on his hands and just trying to take them all in. Good luck. I think you could sit there for a full 2 hours, and still not get over the sheer visual impact they make on you. They are so detailed as well. Each 500m or so you look at at the same range you have been sneaking peeks up at for the last few kilometers, and almost magically, they have changed again, with some other cool outcrop, tower or stone minaret smashing up into the sky.

You then feel a buzz through your hands... realise you have strayed onto the rumble strip the side of the road or the centre line (again) straighten up the bike, and then sneak another look. Repeat.
This went on for about 200km.

We saw Glaciers, and stopped to take photos of a couple, but it was a two edged sword, because the rest areas are packed with tourists, and you let all the Bus sized RV's that you had worked so hard to pass over the last hour get passed you on the main road while you're just trying to get your bike and the Glacier in the same photo.
The buffeting behind the trucks and RV's is very annoying and tiring, sometimes it takes you to the limit of your endurance. If you are ever in a Bus or a 4x4 and a biker roars past over double lines, it's not because they are impatient, or a risk taker, it's just because riding in the 110km/h wake of  behemoth is just intolerable. Best way I can describe it is being pushed in either side of the chest repeatedly, while getting slapped on alternate sides of your helmet. It's ok for a few minutes, but I will be fucked if I put up with it for more than a few minutes. Even less If I've already done 400k's that morning already. Even less if I have already passed THAT SAME BASTARD!!! twice before. :)

but enough ranting.. back to the riding.

We rode the icefield parkway, that took us up high into the mountains, and then a curvy fast-ish run back down through the valley before we ended up on a four lane highway to make the final 60km into Banff.

We arrived at our 'scenic cabin' accommodation to find that it did not look anything like the pictures, and we just couldn't bring ourselves to stay one night there let alone two. The office was shut until 4pm, and there was no way I was going to wait around in the sun in my bike gear for an hour and a half until then to see inside the cabins. The dilapidated outside and the foot high grass all around them was enough, let alone the holey flyscreens.
Luckily their WiFi was not secure, and I took great delight in using it to jump online, cancel our booking, and book 2 nights at a place just down the road.

We still got charged $275AUD for the cancelled accommodation, but the fates were turning our way, as the new place was booked out, and we got upgraded to a loft apartment free of charge. The new place also had a Spa and Sauna and was within walking distance on the shops and more importantly THE PUB! Bonus!

We checked in, and shrugged off the $275 dent in our budget by pretending we didn't get an upgrade, and we paid full price for the room, which ironically came out to be the same amount if we just booked it outright. Both promising never to bring it up again, we walked to the pub for a well deserved beer.

When the girl behind the bar asked me what I wanted to drink, I (as usual) feeling like I needed to be a smartarse, said 'a giant Canadian please'  and even though I really did want the biggest,  coldest, most refreshing beer they had -  I did not expect a 1litre 'Schooner' to be put on the bar in front of me, but it was most welcome and really hit the spot. It had been 27 degrees most of the day, and I was sporting a wicked Helmet Sunburn mark.

We had another beer, (a smaller one this time), and then giggled our way to the pizza place next door for dinner, before having a Spa and then slept like the dead.

Bikes, Biker and Mountains

River, Conifers and Snow.