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Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - Day 16
From Hinton, Canada to Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Today's stats:
Miles rode = 519 average moving = 57MPH
Stops for Gas = 5 times = G36 to G40 on the map
Moving time = 9:00h - Total time = 14:00H
Average MPH = 45
Today's total cost = $240
Canada 93 S, Canada 1 S, Canada 2 S, Canada 6 S, Canada 5 S, MT 17, US 89 S

Great day today, even though it was raining throughout the best scenarios, we had the opportunity to see the Columbia glacier and to take a picture of the most photographed hotel in the whole world Prince of Wales Hotel.
Jasper and Banff are two great little towns with great places to go. We had breakfast in a bakery in Jasper and that was the best croissant we ever had. There, right in front the bakery a French guy with his wife came to me asking if I knew how to open the seats to get access under the seat of a Honda 1300 ST. The radiator was leaking and he had rented that bike in Vancouver, was early in the morning, nobody was at the rental store and they were strained there with a bike w/o water. He was hopping to put some water in and continue until a town with a Honda dealer. Took me some minutes to figure out how to open that seat and for our surprise, there was nothing useful under the seat.
Looks like you have to remove the whole plastics to get access to the water reservoir. Who makes a touring bike like that??? I had to leave the French and his wife there, waiting for a towing service.
Leaving Jasper we head to Columbia Glacier at about middle way between Jasper and Banff. It's another place we need to go back. For some reason we decided not to take the Glacier bus tour and now we regretted it.

We did a little tour in Banff, seeing some famous hotels, parks, and lots of little stores. We had our lunch there in a great restaurant, set right by the window overlooking some beautiful streets, many flower gardens, and an old church building. After lunch we headed to Calgary, were a big storm was forming. Right before the city, we turned south towards Southland hopping not to get the heavy rain and it worked in a certain degree. Lots of traffic jams near the Olympic Village but we managed it.
Then, in Nanton, we just stopped to put gas (G38) when some kind of tornado hit the town. I parked the bike next to the building, on the opposite side that the wind was blowing and we had to wait for about 45 minutes until it settled down. Later I checked the internet and I learned that they had 80MPH winds there on that day. Talking about right timing?
After that we had a clear and wonderful afternoon. We rode to Waterton to see the Prince of Wales Hotel, took some pictures there (after all, they claim that is the most photographed hotel in the world, and the views are great), and then rode to the US border. That was a real end of vacation.
No problems at all crossing the border were very courteous US Officers quickly cleared us.
Got the famous US 89 down to Glacier Park.

We slept at a not so good KOA camping site. There we met a couple in a car, without a tent. They came to Glacier Park without any hotel reservations and could not find a room near by. They were looking for rooms for about 3 hours when they decide to sleep in their car. So, be advised that you should plan a room reservation if you are not camping near Glacier National Park in Montana.
Temperature today was 54F to 68F

	This KOA campsite near Jasper was one of the best ones. Best view, best infra-structure, nice people. Show our both sleeping bags inside the tent.
	good community area
	Entering Jasper-Banff National Park in Canada. A wonderful 250 quilometres trip.
	The views here were the great.
	Jasper, Canada
	Nice little town
	with old locomotives
	we had our breakfast here at this cafe
	inside was very well decorated with music instruments from Jazz
	the houses and gardens are beautiful
	Indian totems
	That at the distance is the famous Columbia Glacier
	We stopped at the Columbia Glacier
	The weather was badly forecast

	They have busses trip on the top of the glacier
	but we didn't go because the bad weather. We would not be able to see a thing.
	this is the visitor center there
	and this is one kind of those busses
	The mountains here have snow all year around
	More bicycles
	Waterfolw Lakes
	The water here is in a bright blue
	Closing Banff
	Banff is a very expensive tow. We just had lunch here and kept going. Bow River at the back
	Rim Rock Resort Hotel
	One nice and up scale hotel.

	I asked this guy: the lest expensive room was $500/night.
	But I told Eliane: one day we will be here!
	Buying post cards in Banff
	Air Museum in Banff
	Very close the US border is the tow of Waterton
	Waterton, Prince of Wales Hotel is the main attraction on the tow
	They claim this is the most photographed hotel, so I did my part...
	You can rent boats here and you go to US by water.
	Side of the hotel
	Front of the hotel
	Inside the hotel
	Panoramic of the hotel OK. I took as many picture I could.

	On the tow, down the road after the hotel, you can see dears walking on the roads
	US border there we go.
	Canadian customs
	US. Customs
	We had a felling that we are at home now.
	KOA near Glacier Park MT. Not good.
	Dirt showers and the camp site was pretty bad.