Day 12 July 11, 2014

Day 12    July 11, 2014

After a howdy doo telephone call to The Bev, I left the Wicked Hostel and headed west for a 300-mile day to include Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper along the Columbia Icefield Parkway.

Arriving in Banff, I decided to treat myself to a visit to the famous Banff Hot Springs for a relaxing soak in the midst of the magnificent mountain surroundings.  The water is a constant 40 degrees C and is full of minerals that are reputed to be of some health benefit.  Relaxed in the water far longer than the recommended 10-minute limit, and I felt short of breath as I extricated myself from the pool for my follow up shower.  Bad boy.

The next stop at the world-renowned Banff Springs Hotel was an emotional one for me.  I was there once before, about 30 years ago on a memorable Candian Rocky Mountain trip with my now-deceased Father, Louis Cylinder and my buddy and college roommate, Stan Stagg.  I had a strong recollection of our long-ago visit to the hotel’s back veranda with fantastic sweeping overlooks of a rushing river, spectacular forests and mountains, and a golf course.  I choked up, thinking of my Father as I mentioned my last visit to this spot to Taylor, my server.  Ice tea, pineapple cheesecake, and many more tears savoring the sunshine, the view, and fondly remembering my Father at this spot. 

From here, north for a visit to the Chateau Lake Louise Hotel, also a part of my last visit to the Canadian Rockies with Stan and Dad some thirty years ago.  This place also has overwhelming views and is also part of the grand chain of Canadian-Pacific Railroad created hotels designed to spur tourism across Canada.  The heat and overwhelming crowds made this less of an experience for me, so after many photos I cut short my visit and headed north on the Columbian Icefield Highway (CIH) towards Jasper, Alberta.

The mountain views along the CIH are breath-taking with snow-capped mountains in abundance.  Imagine my surprise as I climbed one long grade to encounter a hubbub of vehicles off to the side and a police sheriff motioning me to the pull over.  I inquired what was going on, and he whipped out a radar speed gun and showed me a 97 kilometer per hour (58 MPH) reading assigned to me!  He said that the speed limit in the area was 60 kilometers per hour (about 38 MPH).  The Alberta Highway Patrol sheriff asked for my license, insurance, and driver’s license which necessitated me unpacking the entire motorcycle to get under the seat to access the paperwork.  As he was writing out the ticket, I politely asked the sheriff what on earth was the rationale for such a low speed limit in such a remote area.  He replied the speed limit was due to the uphill/downhill grade changes in this region.  A motorcycle policeman himself, he sympathized with my dismay, and adjusted the ticket to display a lower level violation resulting in a fine of $78.  At least one in every three vehicles was being snagged in this sting.

After getting back underway northbound, I made certain to flag down oncoming southbound motorcyclists and warn them of the police activity ahead.  Ah, poop…..

Checked in to the Athabasca Hotel in Jasper at $130 per night and caught up on my blogging.