Shelby, MT to Banff National Park

We were up and on the road to Canada early.  I threw away the onions and potatoes because the guide says the Canadians don’t let in vegetables.  We have a freezer full of stuff we hope they don’t want us to jettison.

We arrived at the border crossing at about 9 AM.  The young customs agent asked for our passports.  Then asked us where we were going, did we have any firearms and if we were carrying more than $10,000 in cash.  She then said we could go ahead.  I said ahead to where, as I had noticed the vehicles ahead of us had to turn into a lot for further inspection.  She smiled brightly and said, “Anywhere you want to go in Canada.”
Wow!  That was easy.

When we made our first gas stop, there was a supermarket nearby.  We decided to pick up some fresh veggies and some potatoes.  I thought the gas prices were going to be what gave me sticker shock up here but it wasn’t.  The groceries are very expensive compared to the states.  We don’t know how well off we are.  Our gas is a dollar or more less and we get a gallon of milk for what a half gallon costs here.  (We later discovered prices are pretty much the same as the states.  The place we stopped was a ripoff.  They even charged us 15 cents apiece for the bags.  Every town of any size has a Walmart and other popular food stores where prices are normal.)

We passed through Calgary at midday.  It is a beautiful city.  We passed by some of the Olympic ski jumps and the main arena where they held the ice skating.  We thought for a city of such size traffic was very light.  Drivers are courteous and seem to drive just under the speed limits.  The reverse seems to be the rule back home.

Banff National Park along with Jasper National Park were on our list of places to visit while in Canada.  Some people compare these parks to Glacier in Montana.  Each has the high rugged peaks.  They are real eye candy no matter where they are found.  There are some major differences.  Not necessary negatives just differences.

For instance, Banff is much more developed than Glacier.  Glacier is a wild experience with little development in the park.  The only real center of commerce around Glacier is the small community of West Glacier that shuts down completely in the winter.  The Going to the Sun Highway, to me, is one of the most spectacular and scenic highways in North America.   That is a must do for anyone who travels.

Banff has much more commercial development.  You lose a sense of the wild here, but the commercial side has its positives.  The park service campgrounds here are some of the finest I have seen anywhere.  They are highly developed with paved sites, full hook ups and are placed with scenic vistas all around.  They are reasonably priced when considering the amenities.

View Behind Us

View Out The Door.  Do You See The Old Trapper's Face In The Mountain?

We have visited more than twenty-five US national parks and stayed in the campgrounds of most of those.  The campgrounds were built in the 1940s and 50s.  Most will not hold a large RV.  They offer no services just a dirt space to park, a dump station and central water spigot.  Yes, they are cheap especially for us old geezers with a senior pass but I would rather pay more to have what I see here.  This campground has over three hundred sites and they are nearly full now before season.  I wish our park system at home was better managed.  All we hear is how they have to cut services or access.  This place is a money maker for the country.  Our parks could be also.

Buddy and Darlie continue to battle over the passenger area.  Darlie always wins.  Buddy loves to look out the window so she has to stand on top of the engine cover too see what is ahead.  When her legs get tired she curls up on the floor as near to us as she can get.  She is enjoying the cooler weather.  She has seen some snow on the mountains but she hasn’t gotten her feet in any yet.  We will remedy that soon enough.

Tomorrow we will turn four thousand miles for the trip so far.  We still have eighteen hundred forty-five miles to Tok, AK.  It is a long, long way up here.  I told Darlie we might want to look for a buyer for the MH in Alaska and fly home.  That is a possibility.  We will have to see if I am as excited about driving back as I have been about driving up.

As with everyday, our thoughts and prayers are for family in New York State who have lost a loved one.  We have received some of the news coverage of events surrounding Devin’s homecoming.  It has been an awesome display of love and patriotism.  Please pray for her immediate family in particular.  It is a very difficult time.  We cannot imagine what they are going through.