Woke up early and packed up camp. Today was Banff Day! Golden is the entryway to Yoho National Park and Kootenay National Park in Britsh Columbia and Banff National Park in Alberta. All we had to do is travel the TransCanada through the parks and over the Great Divide.
What we didn't know was that it was Civic Day, a made up holiday in Canada so the citizens could have a long weekend every month of the year. It's a great idea, I just wish we were not here for it. Our intention was to see Lake Louise and then travel south through Banff into the Grass Plains of Alberta.
When we arrived at the information area, we were inundated with traffic and peoples. They were everywhere. Lake Louise was just a few kilometers away, but when we tried to go there was no parking. Lines everywhere. Not a good place for dogs that often don't mind their leashes.
We quickly left and took 1A, a secondary road through Banff. Much less traffic and totally beautiful. It followed the river, now traveling East. We stopped in a few places looking for an opportunity to get the dogs in the water. The first stop had no water to get into, although they tried. The view was amazing. The water had a greenish hue. Trees everywhere. Glorious!
We got to the Town of Banff sooner than we had planned. We were fortunate to do so as when we were coming into town a warning of "Low Tire Pressure" lit up on the dashboard.
We drive a 2009 Ford Escape and prior to leaving had the oil changed, tires checked and other "multi-point" things looked at. We got passing grades in all areas except for the battery. It failed, but they were not sure why since the car was starting ok and there were no noticeable issues. I decided to take our chances with it, taking care not to overtax the battery along the way.
We stopped in Banff and checked the air pressure of the tires. Driver side front tire was low. Very low. We filled the tire with air and continued on. Now there were two things to keep an eye on.
The town of Banff was bustling. They had some hot springs there as well, so we headed up the curvy road to the top of Banff. Once again, no parking. We passed on the hot springs and headed back down.
There was a native store at the base of town. We decided to stop in and check out their wares. I am generally not a big fan of these stores as the Moccasins are usually not hand made and there is a lot of schlock. Tom did find some nice beads though. They were made by the Stoney First Nation located in Alberta. He bought some for the niece and nephew we would be seeing in a few days at PowWow.
Town of Banff
Tom by the river
Carved Door at Indian Store
We headed out of town towards Medicine Hat, Alberta. Fortunately, we came across another reserve with gas. Another discount, and another opportunity to fill the tire which didn't seem to be holding it's air.
Siksika Nation
The plains were just that. Plain. Not much to see, not even Prairie Dogs. We did pass through Calgary which was a shot of urban along the route. We had no wifi so the iPhone did not offer us any side trips or odd roadside attractions. It was OK though as it was pretty hot outside. We did have the books, which told us of some Hoodoos only 20 K off the route.
We got to the stop sign and took a very rough road for many miles. We never found those darn hoodoos. The road followed a small stream. Up, down, down more, up, veer this way and that. We decided to stop along the disappointed way back. Still trying to get these dogs in water, but the stream was not that reachable due to brush and bugs.
The bugs swarmed us as soon as we got out of the car. Fortunately for the dogs, they were not getting bit through their fur. Not so for us. 90 degree weather and we are putting on sweatshirts to keep the bugs off. It was the least enjoyable PB&J meal on our trip. We were also hoping that our tire would out.
We approached Medicine Hat, finding out that they were having their Pioneer Days that weekend. The information area had a giant teepee on it's grounds. One kilometer down the road was also a ball field. We took the opportunity to get out and stretvch and toss the balls with the dogs.
Medicine Hat, The Gas City had a few campgrounds. We headed to one, which was located by a golf course near the teepee. We never really found it so we headed to the another called Gas City Campground. Pioneer Days really filled up the town so there was no room in the campground. Fortunately they had an overflow area, which was basically setting up tent away from the campground on the open plain. It was hot and buggy.
We headed into town to get some food after we set up the tent. Dogs out of the car. Dogs back in the car. Poor dogs.
The best thing about small towns is that you can drive short distances and see everything. We headed towards the historic district of town where all of the lights were gas lights. Cute. We randomly saw a sign that looked urban and not at all Cowboy.
Local Public Eatery
We entered into the outdoor patio of Local and were pleasantly surprised to find a bit of urban in this pioneer town. Multiple beers on tap. A decent menu. A pleasant bartender named Jesse. Jesse had dressed for Pioneer Days by creating a large belt buckle with glitter and glue. Just had to ask if I could take a pic.
The Cowboy (Arrow Up)
The Horse (Arrow Down)
I owe this man a favor as when we were telling him about our slow leak, he stated "It's not going to get better." Simpler words were never better to hear. He told us of a spot outside of town to get that leak fixed. He had been there countless times himself.
Dinner was good. As usual, I had the fish and chips. They ranked up in the top 5 of all times. Breading was light and the fish was meaty. Tom had hoped for some of that Alberta Beef from the day before. So much so, that he had the chef checking the beef himself. It wasn't the delectable beef that he had the day before and he was a bit disappointed. We never stayed for the offer of Pims and Ginger, but instead headed back to the campground and slept under the stars, Two Dudes, Two Dogs, One Small Tent.
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