Day 341 July 11 2015 Calgary Alberta

Day 341  July 11 2015   Calgary  Alberta

We went to the Calgary Stampede and spent most of our time walking around the fairgrounds looking at the exhibits.  We saw two shows one was the Super Dogs and the other was called Pure Adrenalin Rush and portrayed the evolution of motor sports cumulating with people doing flips on BMX, dirt bikes, a quad and a snowmobile.  It was a nice family day at the fair.

Day 340 July 10 2015 Calgary Alberta

Day 340  July 10 2015   Calgary  Alberta

We started the day by touring the Cave and Basin National Park in Banff which is considered the birthplace of Canada’s national park system. In the afternoon we drove to the campground in Calgary and set up.  We then went shopping at Costco where we stocked up on the essentials.  We finished the day off with me cooking supper while the Kids and Evy played mini golf followed by board games.

Day 339 July 9 2015 Bow River Campground Alberta

Day 339  July 9 2015   Bow River Campground  Alberta

We drove from Jasper to 30 km past Canmore Alberta and encountered a couple of hills that forced me to shift into 1rst gear to make it up them.  We stopped at the bottom of one of the larger hills to look at a waterfall coming down the mountain.  As I was walking past the camper I noticed that we had lost a dust cap on the rear right wheel.  The wheel did not feel very hot so we kept going.    We stopped at a campground between Saskatchewan Crossing and Lake Louise for a lunch of tacos.  While we were cooking the kids tried panning for gold and playing in the creek.  The next stop was at the Lake Louise Visitor Center where Isabel collected her Banff tag for the Junior Explore program.   When we arrived at the Bow River Campground I jacked up the wheel and confirmed that we had a bad wheel bearing.  We returned the 30 km to Canmore and bought 4 different size bearing kits hoping one would fit.  One kit had the proper outer bearing but not the inner bearing.  I changed the outer bearing and repacked the hub, the inner bearing rolled smooth so I don’t think there is any damage on it.  We will keep an eye on it and should be able to make it home before I have to do anymore work on the wheel.  

Day 338 July 8 2015 Jasper Alberta

Day 338  July 8 2015   Jasper Alberta

The first stop of the day was at Bridal Veil Falls where we took some pictures.  The second stop was at the Icefields Discovery Center.  We opted for the tour of the skywalk and I was expecting more of an excitement factor.  I found the skywalk to be a bit of a letdown and did not find that it provided any improvement to the already breathtaking views of the mountains.   We then proceeded to the Athabasca Falls were the water was thundering over the falls and down the gorge.  It was well worth the stop to see the falls.  At the campground Isabel came running into the camper from the campground yelling that there was  a new animal.  I followed her outside and discovered that the new animal was an elk.  We finished the day by having a family movie night and watched the Scorpion King.

Day 337 July 7 2015 Waterfowl Campground Banff Alberta

Day 337  July 7 2015   Waterfowl Campground Banff Alberta

We drove from Radium Springs to the Waterfowl Campground in Banff National Park.  We stopped at several lookout points to enjoy the scenery.  We stopped for lunch at one of the waterfalls and then went exploring the area.  The next stop was for a short hike into the Paint Pots which are springs that bring ochre to the surface and is where the Indians and pioneers used to gather the ochre to make paint.  We had planned on staying in the Lake Louise campground but it was full and there was really not much that we wanted to see there so we proceeded up the road towards Jasper.  We stopped to get a few pictures of the crowfoot glacier and then found an un-serviced but nice campground at Waterfowl Lake.  At the campground the kids and I went for a walk to Upper Lake which judging from the temperature of the water must be feed from the melt water of the surrounding mountains.  I told the kids that I would pay a quarter to the one that could stay in the water to their knees the longest.  After a while I decided that might not be the best idea that I ever had and told them I would give both of them a quarter if they got out and called it a draw.  I then told them I would pay 2 dollars if they submerged in the water thinking that neither would accept the challenge after standing in the cold water.  I was wrong and they both had a dunk in the ice cold water so I am now 4 dollars and 50 cents poorer.  In the evening we spent the time around the campfire roasting marshmallows, reading and me getting humiliated at connect 4 by David.  

Day 336 July 6 2015 Radium Hot Springs British Columbia

Day 336  July 6 2015   Radium Hot Springs  British Columbia

I started the morning by hanging around the camper letting the kids sleep in while Evy went to town to wash our clothes.  In the afternoon we went for a ride into the Kootenay Park and stopped to look at the Radium Hot Springs.  We were expecting some sort of natural pool but it is just a large outdoor pool in which the water is taken from the ground.   On the ride Isabel completed a good portion of the junior explore activity book for Kootenay.   In the evening we returned to the hot springs and spent a few hours swimming and soaking in the water.

Day 335 July 5 2015 Radium Hot Springs British Columbia

Day 335  July 5 2015   Radium Hot Springs  British Columbia

We started the day with a tour of Fort Steele Pioneer Town.  Every time I tour a place like the pioneer town I am happy that I was born in this time era.  We had some really good technology that allows us to live a very comfortable life.  If I was born even 100 years ago; things would have been starkly different.  In another 100 years our world might be so polluted that life will again become difficult.  In the evening we spent many hours sitting around the campfire drinking coffee and eating roasted marshmallows and making smores.