Rob-n-Hild, oot and aboot eh? Sorry - 2022

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Radium Hot Springs - Calgary (272 km 3 hours 24 minutes. Max elevation: 1,742m)

We followed the same route out of Radium as yesterday, but this tine with Hild driving there were no bears, but we did see the sheep again. They were safely away from the road. Along the fastest roads we were studying the wildlife fences and how they put in escape gaps for trapped animals to get back into the forest. We are fascinated by many things!

We stopped at a great viewpoint over Kootenay River. The clouds were hanging in such an organized fashion it needed to be photographed.

At the Continental Divide - where BC and Alberta meet - we caught Hild with a foot in either camp. There was a sign there detailing the issues with getting the border correct - especially when mineral rights are at stake!

Down the other side of the pass, instead of left to Lake Louise (like yesterday) we went right to Banff. We didn't do much there except fill up with gas as it was filling up with summer tourists - after getting rid of the winter ones! We had a quick stop to look at some Hoodoos, but we are looking out for more of these later in Alberta so it was just a quick stop and we went off to Canmore for lunch.

The Hoodoos are left-overs from the erosion process. These rock formations were protected by a top/umbrella of harder rock while the surrounding materials were eroded away. No one seems to know where the "Hoodoo" name comes from. Still they are fun to look at. They remind us of the Pinnacles and the Bungle Bungles in Western Australia.

Read more about 1998 Lionel the Landcruiser and Tap-Tap go Walkabout

Canmore is where the Norwegian skiing team do a lot of training and there was a nice cycle/roller-ski path alongside the highway between Banff and Canmore that I bet gets used a lot. It is still up over 1,300m here so you can get some altitude acclimation done as well.

Canmore was as busy as Banff, but we had some lunch and a short walk to see a giant head embedded in the ground. It was supposedly made in honour of a king of Scotland from year 1000 or so, but why a half-buried giant head was appropriate we are not sure..... Rob whispered into its ear - no reaction.

A short walk along the calm and beautiful Policeman's Creek brought us past Canadian Tire. And "Voila!", we found more fuel for our Trangia in there - saved again as we were getting worried about running out and then there would be no more tea - disaster! Outside Canadian Tire we saw this cute wheelbarrow of flowers.

On the way out of Canmore we stopped at a viewing point for the mountain formation called "Three Sisters". Well, you've seen the weather we had this day - so it wasn't a big surprise that we couldn't see the tops of the mountains. On the left you can see what the three mountains would have looked like on a clear day! Beautiful.

Then it was clear run into Calgary - with Rob driving to get his average up a bit! Suddenly the land ahead of us was prairie-flat, while the rear-view was showing the tall Rockies behind us.

We are staying out by the airport rather than downtown (the hotels are usually a bit cheaper), but we will drive out to see places from here anyway.

May/June 2022

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