Today started in Calgary with a nice drive back to Banff after spending the night there. Calgary is out on the plains and is definitely cowboy country. Yesterday was the last day of the Calgary Stampede so all the news stations had results and profiles of the various event winners. The biggest event seemed to me to be the Chuck Wagon Races. Definitely a different culture, but very cool!
Something else caught my eye and that is that all the hotels have electrical boxes by each parking stall - yup, to plug in engine heaters in the winter so they'll start the next day. Wonder how the old 617 engine would do under those conditions? ...not gonna happen anytime soon, however!
Leaving Calgary you quickly begin to see the Rocky Mountains off in the distance with the long perfectly straight roads belying the twists, turns and ups and downs ahead.
As you get closer, it's as if the mountains rise directly out of the flat with no transition.
We had another day of great weather and warm, comfortable temperatures.
The Benzypalooza wasn't the only car event in town as there was a huge gathering of Model T vintage cars out for a run through the mountains - must have been two dozen or more presumably running from Banff to Lake Louise.
The car did really well again, posting a very respectful 36.2 mpg including all the stops for scenic viewing, grades and road work.
I chased Nobby and mrelbe all day but, as it turned out, they got an earlier start and overnighted in Canmore which was the better part of an hour closer, so they were already settled in in Hinton by the time I got in.
Tomorrow on to Kamloops.
Got to see the first real wild life today (pictures below).