From Canmore(Banff & Louise) to Columbia Icefields- June 15

It began with very heavy overcast. The day started good for Marvin and Dee because they saw elk at the river. They said it still had velvet on its antlers. We are always skanning the roadsides and back into the woods and up and down banks and near rivers and bogs trying to see anything we can. I saw a deer laying down in the woods munching on his breakfast and later we saw someone pulled over so we did the same and I saw the back end of a black bear before he went into the woods. We also saw more deer along the road.

There have always been a lot of bike riders out on the road either training or travelling but today we saw probably a dozen wearing short ski like things on their feet but with a small wheel on front and back using ski pole type poles to propel them. Late we saw their van whick said National Biathalon Ski Team on its side--that was different. They seem to be very athletic and health conscious and on the younger side up here.

We saw two more elk along the road and one had an ear tag. Later we passed Lake Herbert which is a "sink" which means its has no outlet and then Hector Lake. At that last turn out we stopped because Marvin's tow car was loosing air in one of the tires so we stopped and changed it. He aired it up before putting it away in the car and later at the campground he changed it back because it was holding air. The cap he has on the tire stem to keep track of pressure had worked loose and was letting air out of the tire. Several of our other coaches stopped to check on us. Right after that it started to either snow, sleet or rain or all 3. Another black bear beside the road (ho hum, just another bear)--not really, we are always excited each time we see anything. We stopped and looked at the Crowfoot Glacier and passed Bow Lake also with a glacier above it and a chalet(Num-ti-jah Lodge) built back in the 1920's by a pioneer guide. As we travel thru the mountains we are in and out of the rain. We got a real treat just down the road when we saw 2 black bears grazing in the grass for bugs right by the side of the road. They are used to cars so they don't even slow down. You never know when you are going to go around a curve and see a beautiful waterfall. We saw Weeping Wall Falls right beside the road and also Bridal Veil Falls. They are always spectacular.

The road we were on going to the Icefields is Hwy. 93 or the Icefields Parkway. It is often called the most scenic highway in the world. Named for the tremendous glaciers which flank its westward side for 143 miles. It weaves up and around the mountains between Banff and Jasper National Parks--it parallels the Great Divide.

Addendum to Banff circle mountain tour--during WWI they had Internment Camps for migrants from the Ukrainian countries, WWII for Japanese Canadians and in 1970 in Quebec for someone. There were 26 camps throughout the provinces and they used them for building roads, mining and building the golf course behind the Banff Springs Hotel.