A short hop today, less than 150kms in a straight line, but we don't do straight lines, so quite a bit further via the scenic route.
In deference to what was going to be a shortish day on the road, Doc opted for a 10am start, which suited the "non early " risers far better than a couple of the 7am starts previous days. I went for an early walk through Banff township, initially dodging the loads of tourists moving from hotel to tour bus, oblivious to anyone not part of their impenetrable "crocodile". Once passed these hordes, my path became far less crowded and as a consequence, much more pleasant, watching the retailers, and in particular the cafe people, get their day under way.take away the tourists and the town would almost certainly die. We left in sunshine, but with the threat of rain very much front of mind. As I write this, looking out the 14th floor window of our residence for the night in downtown Calgary, a thunderstorm has been percolating and brewing for some time, each blast of lightning soon followed by a loud clap of thunder, but with very little rain. Today's route doubled back on itself to include more scenic riding, taking in delightful one and two building "villages" like "Elbow" (where, like several others who had already started a trend, we adopted a mascot, Rocky the chipmunk for our Harley), and Longview, where 3 very pleasant woman were run off their feet catering to 17 Kiwis all wanting lunch. As we enjoyed a sandwich, the sky darkened and rain fell, big fat and heavy drops followed by hail, but as quickly as it came, it went - but only after we'd all struggled into wet weather gear. The people at Elbow tempted us with tales of a mother bear and her cub, (known by her tag number as 142), who apparently frequent the immediate area - but not today. By way of small consolation some of us saw a wolf, trotting quite unconcerned a few metres of the road. Eventually, as we progressed closer to Calgary, the Rockies gave way to prairie, and the road straighten into the horizon, few corners now required. The approach to this bigger cities is probably the part we like the least - open roads becoming freeways then inner city streets, traffic lights and one way streets, all confusing and complicated, especially when trying to keep our group of 10 vehicles together. Not to worry, we are here, some resting, some writing, some at the local Harley shop. Comments are closed.
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Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
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