Waterton to Banff - Alberta, Can - Jun 2006

Our last day at Waterton National Park was rainy and kind of dreary, but towards the afternoon, the clouds parted for just a bit and gave us an appropriate last memory of our stay here. Once again, the Rainbow Chasers score another one!

We left Waterton on Tuesday morning and took the back roads (to avoid going through Calgary) up Hwy 22 to Hwy 40 and went through a part of Alberta called Kananaski Country. We almost didn't go that route because it involved winding through the Rockies and crossing over Highwood Pass at 7,239', but our neighbor at Waterton said it was easy driving on very good roads and the prettiest country he'd ever seen.

Right after leaving Waterton, the road took us back out to the plains where we saw lots and lots of cattle ranches. We even had to stop while an honest-to-goodness cattle drive crossed the highway. There were over a hundred head of cattle and at least a half dozen cowboys on horseback trying to get the little doggies movin' across the road. This was the warning sign before we came to a stop.

We sat and watched as these cowboys kept the cattle going in the right direction. They were trying to move the herd across the highway to another section of grassland. Every now and then, they'd stop the cattle from crossing and then let the cars move on. It was probably not of the caliber of the Calgary Stampede, but it was great fun to watch.

Another traffic stopping event took place that day -- a house getting moved. This house (not half of a mobile home as we're used to seeing) took up the whole road. The lead truck drove ahead and made all the traffic stop and pull off the road while the house went by. There was a second house right behind it too. Gee, the things you see on Canada highways!

As we began climbing into the Rockies, we just kept saying "It doesn't get much better than this!" What a drop-dead gorgeous drive it was and we had perfect weather to enjoy the scenery. The drive through this part of the Rockies was about 40 miles long and all of it exquisite. Each bend in the road brought us a different rugged set of peaks to ogle.

More Rocky Mountain majesty along the Kananaski Highway. We crested Highwood Pass with no problems. At 7,239' it is the highest paved highway in Canada. The road was excellent and fairly easy driving, so Frank was able to relax and enjoy the scenery without having white knuckles.

Another ooh aah view of the Rockies. The mountain colors were vivid and every now and then we'd pass waterfalls and small brooks from the melting snow. On the drive, we saw moose, elk, deer and a coyote, but I wasn't fast enough to catch them in a photo.

I did manage to catch the official greeter -- a big horn sheep -- and he seemed to enjoy his honorary role as he stood there a long time. There was a small herd of them on the side of the road, but the others leapt over the guardrail before I could snap their pics.

We arrived at Banff National Park and got a nice site in the Tunnel Mountain Campground in the Village II area. We only had electric hookup here, so had to fill our water tank before we set up camp. We had a wonderful view in both directions.

When the moon comes over the mountain!" (Gee, there's a song in there somewhere.) On our first evening at Tunnel Mountain Campground, the moon rose behind the mountain, just as the sun was setting and as it lit up the mountainside with a warm glow it made for a pretty picture.