Slow Down!

It’s odd seeing late night television shows like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert in prime time, and I haven’t found most of my regular tv shows.  Are they on in the afternoon here?

The Hulk has been entertaining me w/ Sirius radio which is a treat.  Love those 60’s and 70’s, but sometimes, I have to turn even the oldies off just to soak in the ambience of the surroundings.  I need to quiet the mind to listen to God’s creation!

I am leaving my final timeshare and the valley and Purcell mountains behind to spend the rest of my vacation in the Rockies!

This was my valley view...

...and my mountain view this morning!

The mountain peaks are a bit shy and hiding behind a thin veil of wispy clouds.  They seem to float across the craggy surfaces playing peek-a-boo w/ me.

Bears aren’t the only ones enjoying huckleberries right now.  Huckleberry’s Family Restaurant has lured me in for huckleberry pancakes, and syrup so good you could swim in it!  The Popeye’s Benny is delish...bacon, tomato, spinach, and poached egg on English muffin w/ hollandaise.

The first 10-12 miles of Kootenay NP are closed due to bear activity in the area.  I stop at the valley viewpoint to admire the scenery.

A couple of miles down the road is a dark bundle by the roadside; a big black bear!  I slow down to let him have the right of way.  The car behind me hits the rumble strip, and the bear turns and lopes into the woods.  I never even got a picture, but he was close!

There have been numerous signs to watch for wildlife:  deer, mountain goats, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, and bear.  And then there was this one!

  

Yes, folks, I had to watch for badgers crossing the road!

The paint pots were frequented for generations by the First Nation People who used the ochre colored dirt for paint and decorating.  Since I hiked through this area, I can testify it works because my boots are now red!

The  Rockies are the spine along the North American continent ranging from British Columbia to New Mexico.  Along this ridge is the continental divide, and here I am!

And I am finally, truly, in Banff National Park; a major bucket list item for me.  It brings me to tears to think how long I’ve wanted to be here.

Trans-Canadian Highway or #1 is the major 4-6 lane thruway across the entire country, 6 time zones, and all 6,000 miles.  It runs right through Banff NP!  I am on a racetrack doing the speed limit of 90km...about 56mph...and getting passed by cars, trucks, and tractor trailers pulling double loads of logs.  

I exit to Highway 1A, a delightful 2-lane leisurely drive at 60 km or 37 mph which, I believe, was the initial road through the park.  As long as I watch a plethora of bicyclists, I can relax and enjoy the drive and scenery.

Castle Rock is a formation that early explorers used to identify the area.  In 1946, in honor of his role in WWII, the name was changed to Eisenhower Rock.  Canadians were not pleased, and Castle Rock was restored to its original name in the ‘60’s.

I stop at every turnout I can.  It’s difficult to know when to take a picture since there will be an amazing view in front...

...and then behind me is this!

In 1914, Canada entered WWI and established twenty-four internment camps for “enemy aliens” with one of them in Banff.  Over 8,500 men became prisoners from 1914-1920.  Sounds like a sad and unpleasant part of US history during WWII.  However, I thought we were the only ones with bad judgment.

Aspens are beautiful trees with white bark striped with black which usually grow as clones of a mother tree.  The small pale leaves seem to shiver in the wind giving them the name “quaking aspens”.  Their leaves have a lovely whispering sound, turn brilliant yellow in the fall, and are clumps of a lighter shade of green on the mountain side and valleys.

Thank you, Lord, for a beautiful blue sky day!

Beggars are throughout the park.  I hear a loud squeal and look for a bird but finally find this little guy and his buddy in the grass...pikas.  It is not only dangerous to feed wildlife...they may attack, they can become dependent on human food, and it limits their natural food intake...it is also illegal.  The fine is now $25,000 plus mandatory jail time.  Canada isn’t messing around!

I want to go hunting for wildlife tonight so after checking into my FINAL hotel...home for 4 nights, I head to a wildlife park in a nearby town.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t told it was a steep gravel road.  The Hulk has 4-wheel drive, but I prefer not to use it plus I am not suppose to be off-roading.  Does this count?

After slipping and sliding and numerous vehicles throwing rocks, I look for a place to turn around and hope to get out without a broken windshield.  Then this little guy and his Mom are jumping along the ledges.  They are shedding their winter coats and later in the summer will be pure white.  They eventually leaped over a guard rail; the mother easily and the little guy jumped on top of the rail and then over.  He celebrated with a quick nurse!

I create an “elk jam” when I spot two females munching by the roadside.  They don’t pay me any attention before finishing and fading into the woods.

Tomorrow is my only excursion other than whale watching.  I’m going to let someone else drive to the Columbia Icefields at the northern end of Banff and southern Jasper NP.  It’s projected to be a 12 hr day, and I’m looking forward to sitting back and being a passenger.