On the way to Calgary

May 31, 2009
Banff National Park, AB

Today was a travel day. We started by topping off the fuel tank at the Petro-Canada card-lock station right next to the RV Park, where we pumped 330+ litres. We'll find out how much it cost later when the charge comes through. Before we left AZ, I subscribed to a card-lock filling program called "Pacific Pride", which has locations all over the western US, and a reciprocity agreement with Petro-Canada. Card-lock sites are generally unattended fueling locations. You get a membership card to activate the pump, and the billing is handled centrally and posted to your credit card monthly. It might not always be the best price in town, but the convenience is good, as the locations are designed for commercial trucking account-holders. It's a pretty good option for when we're traveling "off the Interstates".

Click here for some pictures from today's travel.

We followed PH-97 north out of Kelowna, PH-97A to Armstrong, and PH-97B to Salmon Arm, where we took TC-1 (Trans-Canada 1) east toward Calgary. This route took us toward the Rockies, and we climbed for much of the day. We stopped for lunch at a rest area, and found by accident that it was the site of driving of the "last spike" connecting the Canadian Pacific Railroad east-to-west. I've always had a soft spot for railroad things, since my grandfather (mother's side) was an engineer for most of his career. Unfortunately, he passed when I was about 9, so I didn't get to explore this much, but I do remember riding with him from Waterbury to Bridgeport and back - when trains actually ran this route instead of busses. One grandfather was on the trains, the other was a sailor, and Dad was a bus driver. No wonder I can't stay still...

We crossed Rogers Pass in Canada's Glacier National Park (not the same as the US one of the same name) after stopping for a rest and some pictures, and followed TC-1 all the way to Banff, which is ensconced in another National Park. I started looking for a place to stop for the night around 5 PM, and we shortly came upon an exit for the Tunnel Mountain campground, which I'd read about in preparation for our trip. A quick exit and a short drive later, and we were parked at a satellite-friendly electric-only site for the night. We'll probably stop here again later in the week, since we'll be returning this way on the trek north.