We were up early this morning and headed for a local diner because Burl wanted a “real” (grease, starch and sugar-laden) breakfast – we’ve made do with the continental breakfasts in hotels for the last several days but he’s a guy who loves his breakfast! We hit the local spot where we had dinner last night and were again rewarded with some colorful citizens who gave us great tips on where to enter Canada and what scenic routes to take.
Naturally our first stop was at Canadian Customs. We crossed at the del Bonita crossing as we were told there could be a long wait on I-15 at Sweetgrass. Since we were the only ones going through, the 2 agents earned their keep by inspecting our trailer and running our passports through their data bank. Guess we passed – here was our next view! 
The terrain in southern Alberta was similar to northern Montana – farm land that was actually rather boring after all the great mountains we saw further south. But the first thing we noticed was a distinct lack of billboards and very few road signs. Good thing we have GPS and I was reading from a map!
We stopped for gas and lunch supplies in Lethbridge and took off on a scenic route going to Banff. As it got close to lunch time, we discovered something else Canada lacks – roadside parks or rest areas. Finally about 2:30 we found a spot with a picnic table and had a quick bite to eat. It’s a good thing we didn’t linger because within 15 minutes we were stopped to put on rain gear. 
The first few drops of rain hit the windshield when Burl asked when I wanted to suit up – and I said NOW! Good thing we did because we were driving into rain we hate to stop and put on our gear when it’s already raining! Fortunately the rain wasn’t too heavy and there was no thunder or lightning.
We rolled into Banff about 5:00 and realized that the main Canadian highway (1) goes straight through the park so we had to go ahead and purchase our park passes for the next couple of days. They do have a lane for those who are driving on through or are residents which I’m sure the Canadians appreciate!
Neither of us were prepared for the actual town of Banff – I called it a flat Eureka Springs on steriods and Burl referred to it as a ski town in the summer – which it actually is. I got a quick tour of the commercial area right after we arrived and I discovered I’d left the cord and transformer to the laptop in our hotel room where we stayed last night. Good thing there was a store nearby so I got another one to get us through the trip.
This evening we walked around the downtown area and then had dinner at an Italian place that we chose as much for the food as for being able to sit outside on the patio next to the sidewalk. Great place for people-watching and since it stays light until after 10:00 we enjoyed another margarita and just relaxed.
The weather forecast for tomorrow has a 60% chance of rain for both Banff and Jasper where we’re going but we’re choosing to think of it as a 40% chance of no rain!
Hope we win!
Here’s another photo from yesterday now that I have decent Internet service:
View of Lake St. Mary from Sun Point - Glacier National ParkBabbler Falls - Glacier National ParkBurl enjoys huckleberry ice cream at Many Glaciers
