Field to Lake Louise

Sunday - July 14 - Kicking Horse Pass does NOT kick our donkey!

It was quiet and WARM. The low was 30F last night.

Back for breakfast and more encouragement.........we are going to need it!

Elk grazing right across the tracks from the village. They really didn't care how many of us were gawking.

Looking back at Field from across the Kicking Horse River. We are really glad we stayed in this friendly little village. 

Ah, sunshine, eh! Maybe it really will warm up a little today.

We arrived at one of the Spiral Tunnels just in time to see the passenger train emerge from the lower tunnel entrance. We had lots of company. The tunnels were quite the feat of engineering, reducing the grade from 4% to 2% by circling into the mountain.

The upper entrance is just above and a little to the left of the white hair. The train is coming out of the lower entrance.

This explains how it all works. It might take a little study on your part.

She is a bicyclist as well, and had some questions about touring.

Click on this one to make it big though the gist is that they dug from both ends and ended up within 5 centimeters (2 inches) of each other. Pretty amazing engineering feat!

One of the bridges that was abandoned when they finished the Spiral Tunnels.

Wapta Lake and a little bit of flatness.

These guys were very vocal about us eating a snack in their front yard.

Doug was so intent on getting the previous picture that he never noticed the one sitting on his foot. "I'm right here, take a picture of me, eh!!"

Made it! Only 2 1/2 hours after we started up Kicking Horse Pass.

Ken and Sara.....I ate the last of my dark chocolate right at the top in celebration.  We were a little disappointed that the construction meant that all signs saying that this was the top of the pass and that we were entering the Province of Alberta were missing in action.

A wildlife overpass with more mature vegetation and a bit more pleasing aesthetics than the newer ones we saw yesterday.

It's official....we have arrived....at least at the village.

Since it was a Sunday, the local bike clubs were out in force. We enjoyed talking with these members of the Elbow Valley Bike Club. 

Next to join us was Irving, a WWII Navy veteran. He was 17 1/2 when joined the Navy. He served on the USS Bunker Hill, surviving 11 battles including a kamikaze raid that killed many of his companions. We decided that he must have worn out a couple of guardian angels.

The campground was surrounded by this electric fence to keep the bears out. Made us feel a little better about being in a tent! However, we still put all our food in a bear box.

As if we needed it, we rode 2 more miles UPHILL to get to the actual lake though with bare bikes.

Just before he plunged in, we heard him say, "Do it for France!". That glacier fed water had to be really cold.

Our much anticipated ride down the hill was great for the first mile and then we ran into the traffic jam and had to put on the brakes and move to the shoulder. It was the pits but we still beat most of those cars to the bottom.

The paperwork demands to the done. I was actually a day behind on my journal and it had been 2 very full, adventuresome days. Rain and mosquitoes chased into our tent soon after this picture was taken.