DAY 15: LAKE LOUISE TO CANMORE, 80 KM

16 June 2007

We set off this morning in the rain, yet again. We were taking the Bow Valley Parkwy (Hwy 1A) rather than the Trans-Canada today, since we were informed it would be more scenic and have less traffic. We were informed correctly--the road passed right through a forest, and was smooth, winding and relatively car-free. The amazing thing about the Rockies is that there is just wildlife everywhere. Before we hit Banff--55 km into our ride, and our rest stop for lunch--we had seen a deer, and elk and two big-horned sheep.

About 20 km before Banff we got rained on again--hard. The rain itself would have been alright, if it wasn't for the ice-cold temperatures. However, it stopped, and we had a pleasant lunch in Banff. But, this brief clear moment was just a tease--our lunch got interrupted by rain. We decided to hit the road early so we could reach Canmore and just relax.

It was sunny again when we arrived in Canmore, and even warm! We set up camp at Wapiti Campgroud, this crazy, hippie place that did not allow RVs. Then, when we went into town for dinner at the Grizzly Paw microbrewry, where we had some truly delicious beer and decent food.

We we returned to our campsite in the evening, the clouds had gathered and a storm was quickly approaching. We were forced in our tent by 9:00, and had even managed to fall asleep; however, our peaceful slumber was interrupted by a drum circle in the tent next door, lasting till at least 3:00 AM. The rain continued, and I got progressively colder, as I lay in my sleeping bag wondering how we would deal with the rain tomorrow.

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