Day 5
Day 5 was a ride up to Banff, a 380-mile day.
I got an early start and tried hard to sneak me and myself out of the bunk room without waking everyone. A tough deal with those squeaky floors. Loaded up and got me a crab-meat omelet next door, then a sandwich for the road from Brownies and said goodbye.
Glacier was still pretty socked in, but weather looked good otherwise.
I took the time to go up to Two Medicine and take in the early morning sights.
I ran up Rt 49 again which was still an excellent road. In addition to all the free-range cattle I (figuratively) ran into a small herd of horses. Not sure if they were wild or also free-range.
I cut west to cross the border at Chief Mountain. Yet another easy crossing without issue.
I really struggled about going into Waterton. I was feeling like I needed to make time and didn't have time. As it turned out, I wasted time waffling and then ended up going in. There was rain to the north, so I figured maybe it would clear if I gave it time?
It's a strange deal, Waterton. It's a Canadian National Park, and there's a big town in there. Rich swanky place really, people dressing-down expensively. You want to look casual, but certainly not poor! I'm not sure I fit in. I made it a pretty quick stop and just walked around the waterfront eating my sandwich.
Then I discovered Awesome Motorcycle Road #2: Red Rock Parkway in Waterton. I little string of a windy road with wonderful smooth pavement winding out to the Red Rock Canyon campground.
The road was fun, and there were bears galore. Had three sighting: a single guy, a mom with a cub and maybe last year's cub? And a mom with two cubs.
This was kind of a big deal for me. I haven't had a lot of great bear sightings in my life. I've gone out of my way in previous trips to get way up into the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve in northern Ontario to get some sighting, but struck out. Now, I've had some fine bear sightings.
I finally got back on the road heading north, and got into that rain. So I suited up and made miles. I had laid out plan to take a bunch of dirt roads up to Highwood Pass, but I didn't have time. And ... well, I was far from home and alone and a little humbled dumping my bike a couple days ago anyways.
I cut up Rt 22. It was a bit of a boring road after a bit. Kind of like taking Rt 2 across North Dakota. It's really beautiful land, but after a while you get the point and have seen enough. But it did give me a good feel for Alberta and how productive its land is.
I was a bit tired. Not all the time, but every once and a while I would suddenly have a hard time keeping my eyes open. I was getting early starts, but staying up late too. Not the best combination. I would pull over and take a 5 minute nap every once-in-a-while, and was able to ride on refreshed. Mostly.
I will stop for any abandoned road I spy, that much goes unsaid. This one had lost an argument with a river.
I made it to Rt 40 for Highwood Pass. It's closed a good part of the year to protect Mountain Goat habitat and travel corridors. They are not shy animals, and I watch some lick salt off a dirt side-road for quite a while.
The road was a great one. The scenery I mean. There were high mountains, many of them not in the clouds which was a nice change, but also a wide, green verdant valley.
I was surprised when I got to the pass. I had expected more of a climb. But it turns out this is a lower one, which didn't disappoint me. I was a tad rundown and getting chilly, rain was returning, and I was happy to see signs of progress when I got to the Highwood Pass sign.
I decided to take a dirt road I had seen on the maps planning that went along Spray Lakes Reservoir. I second-guessed myself the whole time. It was a pretty utilitarian road yet sloppy. I kept wonder if the views were better along the paved road 40 I had just left. Being tired will do that to you.
From there, the rains came on pretty good. And the sun set. I made the drop down into Canmore and ran into a couple stores for a bottle of booze and a grilled chicken wrap for dinner. I was wet and grimy and people looked at me funny in my dirty rain gear. It was another rich town, way too purposefully cozy, people way too purposefully causal yet trendy. Lots of boat shoes without socks. "I get it, you're all rich" I screamed at them, and left. Later I was told that not too many years ago Canmore was a nothing town where you could buy a rundown house for near nothing. But when the tar sands oil money hit Calgary, folks started coming to Canmore for vacation. With more cash than they really knew what to do with.
I drove right by the town of Banff, I have no idea what it was like. I got to my campsite after dark in a pouring rain. It is no fun setting up in the dark in a pouring rain. I was purposeful about maintaining my mood, and succeeded. Before long I was tucked in, laying in my sleeping bag listening to music from my phone, eating a chicken wrap and sipping from my bottle, listening to the rain on the tent. And a not half-bad sleep that night.