Banff

Since Helen and I are in the Calgary area for a few days we decided to make the most of it and the day before yesterday we went to Banff, a very picturesque city of a Tyrolean nature. It's truly beautiful by itself with the colorful buildings and interesting architecture. Then you add the most spectacular views of the majestic, snow covered Rockies and you have quite the scene. Only 60 miles from the campground it was an easy trip to those accustomed to doing 400 to 500 miles in a day.



There were shops of every sort and dining from McDonalds and Subway on up. In fact, the shops start at curios and go to stratospheric heights. In one store I saw a beautiful canoe. OK, a lot of you might think I'm weird, but it was a piece of art. The construction was conventional bent rib with lath overlay. It was nicely stained and varnished to a fair-thee-well. You could get the fiberglass covered one for a steep $7500.00, but the not so plain natural wood was a mere $6500.00. It would almost be a shame to put these in the water.



There were also many shops with expensive hand knit sweaters and such and it's obvious that Banff may be open to the masses, it caters to the wealthy. We took a side trip, hoping to see some wildlife, but that is difficult in the middle of the day. Viewing such is best in the early morning and late afternoon

The river running through Banff was fast and cold. It's spring and the melting snow along with the frequent rains make the river wild. There was a rafting spot on the edge of the city with a takeout spot further downstream. Helen and I have enjoyed rafting in the past, but in water this fast and barely above freezing we're not likely to take the trip



All to soon it was time to head back to tend to Jodie and Coco. On the way out of the park, I did see one deer off the side of the road.

Yesterday was dog day and we took the dogs to the Bow River in Cochrane, Alberta. There is an off-leash dog park there that abuts the river. Here, too, the river was fast and cold, but it didn't daunt Jodie and Coco. They had no interest in the grounds of the park, only the river and they went in time and again. Jodie will generally go for a swim and then rest awhile, swim and rest. However, moving water seems to get her going. She leaped into the water numerous times and let the river move her downstream. Then she'd come ashore, run upstream along the bank and jump in again. This is behavior we've seen where there are ocean waves. She loves to play in the waves.

Coco is our constant retriever. Throw the stick and she fetches it. Throw it again and she will get it again. We have never had her quit. When we see her tiring we have to call a halt to the fetching. It was funny watching her try to swim against the current. She gave it her all, but finally realized that the only possible route was back toward shore. The got a good toweling and were very quiet on the way home, then came in the RV and crashed

More Later.