Back to Banff: Mountains, Elk and the Road West

September 12 – Back to Banff

We started the morning with something a little different, making cherry liqueur and crabapple liqueur before packing up and leaving Cochrane.

Just before noon, we hit the road and headed back toward Banff.

We arrived around 1:30 and got settled into Site 343 at Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court. It turned out to be a great site, with a nice view and an open clearing beside the washroom building that gave us a little extra space.

Almost immediately, we had a welcoming committee.

A deer wandered through to greet us.

After getting everything set up and briefly catching up with John, Suzanne and Rio, we got on our trail bikes and cycled downtown. We locked them up and spent some time wandering through the shops before heading back to the campground.

June got in her workout while I washed the windows—apparently an ongoing theme of this trip!

Then it was time for happy hour.

And once again, the wildlife made an appearance.

This time, a young male elk wandered through the campground to join us.

Later, we booked campsites in Arizona for the first four nights of December and started mapping out our route south via Highway 95.

Even though our Alaska adventure was winding down, the next chapter of our travels was already beginning to take shape.

September 13 – Cycling Through Elk Country

We hit the bikes around 11:00 and headed down into Banff.

From there, we cycled out along Vermilion Lakes and followed the Trans-Canada in the direction of Lake Louise before turning back toward town.

The route then took us along the Bow River and over toward the Banff Springs Golf Course.

What an amazing loop.

The golf course was beautiful, surrounded by rugged mountains and incredible scenery.

Unfortunately, smoke from the wildfires was still hanging in the air and obscuring much of the mountain scenery.

But then came one of the highlights of the day.

We came across a herd of female elk and their young.

Following behind them was a large buck.

His rack was enormous—well over a metre tall.

After watching the elk, we continued back through downtown Banff and eventually made our way home.

By the end of the day, we had covered 43 kilometres with almost 350 metres of elevation gain.

Not bad!

We followed that up with a workout and then finally put our Harley-Davidson stickers on both Harley and Juergen.

Later that evening, we Skyped with Peter and Dianne and booked our flight to Hawaii for January 2023.

More adventures were already waiting!

September 14 – Old Friends, New Connections

Today we walked downtown to the Grizzly House, where we met Chris and Roberta, along with John and Suzanne.

We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours eating, drinking and talking.

Afterward, we wandered around downtown, checked out the farmers’ market and eventually started walking back toward the campground.

On the way home, we stopped and chatted with Wayne and Shelly, a couple from Colorado.

As often happens when travelling, the conversation started casually and then became surprisingly interesting.

Shelly had actually been born in Thorold and had figure skated out of the Preston Skating Club, although she was a few years ahead of Scott Grover. She had performed in Stars on Ice and other skating productions over the years.

Small world!

But then we discovered another possible connection.

Wayne and Shelly spend a month each year in Rincon.

We talked some more and exchanged information.

We’ll see what happens.

By the time we arrived home, we had walked 10.25 kilometres.

Another great day of unexpected connections on the road.

September 15 – The Long Ride to Canmore

Today’s destination was Canmore.

We started by cycling out of Banff and made a stop at TD so we could deposit a cheque.

From there, we continued into Canmore using the paved bike path that follows the Trans Canada Highway. Once there we cycled around the town centre before turning around for the ride back.

Of course, the return trip wasn’t quite as easy.

It was uphill.

And into the wind.

By the time we got home, we had covered 55 kilometres and gained about 200 metres.

June followed the ride with a workout, while I headed out to do some grocery shopping.

Later, as the temperature started to cool, we enjoyed a relaxing happy reading hour outside.

A good end to a long cycling day.

September 16 – Climbing Sulphur Mountain

Today was a hiking day.

We headed to the gondola parking lot and started our climb up Sulphur Mountain.

The hike to the summit was about six kilometres, with approximately 780 metres of elevation gain.

The sky was mostly cloudy, and smoke was still affecting visibility, but the hike itself was excellent.

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Then, just as we reached the top, the sun started to break through.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

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For a while, the views opened up, giving us beautiful views of Banff and the surrounding mountains.

We took advantage of the break in the weather before starting our descent back to the Jeep.

By the end of the day, we had covered 12.17 kilometres, climbed 780 metres, taken 1 hour and 50 minutes to reach the top, and 1 hour and 30 minutes to get back down.

A pretty good mountain day!

We started happy hour outside, but the weather had one final surprise.

The rain moved in.

Happy hour was quickly relocated indoors.

September 17 – A Walk Through Banff

It was a cold morning, so we had a late start and waited for the temperature to climb above 5°C.

Once it warmed up enough, I headed out on foot.

I followed the Hoodoo Trail down toward the Bow River, past the falls and the Chateau before eventually reaching Banff Avenue.

Along the way, I stopped at Banff Brewery for a couple of stouts and some pretzels.

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Then it was time to walk home.

By the end of the outing, I had covered just shy of 10 kilometres.

Back at the campground, I worked out and washed the windows before settling in with a drink.

June had her own afternoon adventure, walking over to the Banff Springs Hotel for drinks and food. From there, she continued into downtown Banff before making her way back home.

Another day where we each explored Banff in our own way.

September 18 – Cycling Up Mount Norquay

It got down to -2°C overnight.

Definitely a cold morning!

We waited until the temperature climbed above 10°C around 11:00 before heading out on the bikes.

Today’s challenge was Mount Norquay.

The climb to the ski hill was six kilometres and gained almost 400 metres.

It was a good climb but a very enjoyable one.

By the time we returned home, we had completed a 22-kilometre round trip.

I made one more stop at Three Bears Brewery for a flight of beer and some waffle fries while June continued home to work out.

During her workout, she had some company.

Two deer were nearby, and she also met Bentley, a one-and-a-half-year-old Sheepadoodle.

I got to meet Bentley later as well.

We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and packing up the outdoor gear.

Tomorrow, we would be leaving Banff.

After almost a week back in the mountains, it was time to turn west again.

September 19 – Emerald Lake and the Journey West

We were up and on the road by 9:30.

Our first stop was the Petro-Canada in Lake Louise for what would probably be the last of our relatively cheap gas for a while.

$1.51 a litre.

From there, we continued to the Yoho National Park Visitor Centre, where we left the motorhomes.

John and Suzanne climbed into our Jeep with us, and together we headed to Emerald Lake.

What a beautiful spot.

The lake and surrounding mountains made for another spectacular Rocky Mountain stop.

From there, we continued west.

Unfortunately, we soon encountered an hour-long construction delay.

Eventually, we made it through and entered Glacier National Park, stopping briefly at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre.

By then, however, the rain had moved in.

Rather than spend much time outside, we continued west toward Revelstoke.

The weather was changing, the mountains were behind us, and once again, the road was taking us somewhere new.

After all the kilometres through Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and the Rockies, the journey west continued.

Future Campsite Favourites

A few sites worth remembering for future visits:

Sites: 101, 241, 103 and 343