We had hard rain overnight, the first real wet weather we encountered . Maybe the sound of rain on the roof helped us sleep, or not. We had a later start this morning as the first stop didn't open until 10:00, and as it turned out, was within sight of our campsite although we didn't know until we got there. We had to attend to some RVing details, filling the fresh water tank, dumping the used water tank, etc., that I'd rather not do in the rain. Gotta do what you gotta do, so we did it.
Today's start was at The Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump site used by the natives over the past 6000 years to harvest buffalo for the larder to get them through the winter - way before they had horses or weapons of a scale that could do the job. The concept is a bit gruesome, but it kept them alive. They stressed that every part of the animals was used. The interpretive center had exhibits and a movie reenactment of a drive to explain.
One fascinating aspect is that while the site had been used over thousands of years, there was a period of ~1000 years when it wasn't used (based on digs through the ~40 feet of bone deposits). Was the site location passed down over all those years by oral history? Or was it such an obvious location for drives that it was rediscovered?
Our next stop was Costco, how ironic, though we only bought gasoline, not bison. In the states, our AMEX card shuts down at the $75 or $100 level when buying gas. However in Canada, it goes to $150. How efficient.
Or next destination was at North America'a largest erratic (rock carried and left behind by glaciers).
Then on to Banff to Tunnel Mountain I, a very nice, very large national park campground on Friday night of Victoria Day holiday weekend. We were concerned about availability, so we reserved tonight's and tomorrow night's (Whistlers N.P.) campsites. Here at Tunnel Mountain I, there are many openings, so our concerns were unwarranted as they were the next day at Whistlers CG. Both were busy, but not full.
We've seen many beautiful pictures of Banff, but the real thing is quite something to behold. The scale and closeness of the mountains can't be captured in a few photos.
First sighting.
We can see some beautiful Rocky Mountains out the window as Ginnie prepares dinner. I had offered a dinner in town for a belated Mothers' Day, but the bus that I thought would take us into town doesn't stop here.
We'll dine in and save Mothers' Day dinner for another locale. (to be continued)
The scenery from the campground was incredible, however it was a challenge getting the exposure right with the bright sky, dark peaks, and darker forest.
Today's miles: 209, total ~1900.
Today's start was at The Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump site used by the natives over the past 6000 years to harvest buffalo for the larder to get them through the winter - way before they had horses or weapons of a scale that could do the job. The concept is a bit gruesome, but it kept them alive. They stressed that every part of the animals was used. The interpretive center had exhibits and a movie reenactment of a drive to explain.
One fascinating aspect is that while the site had been used over thousands of years, there was a period of ~1000 years when it wasn't used (based on digs through the ~40 feet of bone deposits). Was the site location passed down over all those years by oral history? Or was it such an obvious location for drives that it was rediscovered?
Or next destination was at North America'a largest erratic (rock carried and left behind by glaciers).
We've seen many beautiful pictures of Banff, but the real thing is quite something to behold. The scale and closeness of the mountains can't be captured in a few photos.
First sighting.
We can see some beautiful Rocky Mountains out the window as Ginnie prepares dinner. I had offered a dinner in town for a belated Mothers' Day, but the bus that I thought would take us into town doesn't stop here.
We'll dine in and save Mothers' Day dinner for another locale. (to be continued)
The scenery from the campground was incredible, however it was a challenge getting the exposure right with the bright sky, dark peaks, and darker forest.
Today's miles: 209, total ~1900.
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