Banff to Hinton (17 May)

Lonely is the word that occurs when we think of today's trip. We travelled about 360 km and there were probably about 4 intersections. The countryside is even more empty of people than the Nevada desert. It rained off and on throughout the day so we didn't see the brilliant peaks and sparking ice. We saw a small amount of wildlife (elk, Canada geese) and the speed limits were often as low as 50 kph in areas where wildlife often crossed. Over half of the journey was through national parks (Yoho, Banff and Jasper Parks) and the speed limit in them is 90 kph maximum.

We stopped at the Athabasca Glacier, part of the Columbia Icefield.  It was impressive, much more so than the Park Board Interpretive Center which sells expensive rides to the glacier, flights over it, overpriced gifts and food and also has a few photos detailing some of the history with captions but not anything substantial. There was no 3D model of the area or anything that gave a sense of the place - its history, geology, etc. The only place we've seen that has done this well was in Death Valley.

The usual convoy pattern broke up today and we ended up travelling alone which we enjoyed. We could go at our own pace and stop when it suited us. We saw two other motorhomes from our group and, as far as we can tell, we all arrived at Hinton. At least it looks like we are all here. It's cold and wet and everyone is staying in their motorhomes. Hinton's elevation is 990m and its latitude is over 53⁰N so cold isn't unusual here.