Sunday, July 31—Lake Louise, AB/Banff, AB

The past three days have been a spirit-filled experience. The Canadian Rockies are spectacular. (Even that word doesn’t come close to capturing it.) I took a day off of riding and walked up to Lake Louise from my hotel in Lake Louise Village this morning; about 6 miles round trip. The road was quiet with just a few cars passing me on the way up. The center area at the foot of Lake Louise is chaotic, especially as the day goes on. I met some very nice people, including a young couple from Switzerland who walked to the end of the lake to a rock climbing area to spend the day scaling a cliff. By the time I started the walk back tot he Village the parking lots at the lake were full, and cry were parked alongside the road for about a mile.

After a brief break I rode into Banff to have lunch at a place Lisa recommended from a touring book. (Great choice!) I stopped at a viewing area and met a nice man in his mid-40s who was traveling with his family pulling a trailer. All he could talk about was my Harley and his, and how he needed to ride more. Not too shocking that I encourage him to do so because life is short…too short.

Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff are international experiences…with people form all over the world visiting this amazing creation.

Route:                   C93
Miles Today:         72
Time Today:         2:45
Total Trip Miles:   2,761
Weather:               Cold at 42°F in the morning, shattered showers and 55°F in the afternoon
Lunch:                   Melissa’s Misteak
Lodging/Dinner:   Lake Louise Inn