Banff

The mountain next to our campground is called Castle Mountain because it looks like a huge castle but it is more of a long ridge.

Because of the crowds we visited the Upper Hot Springs first but decided against trying them since we had a lot to see and do today. Once we found a place to park and get on the bikes we traveled along Bow River to the Bow Falls. Not as spectacular as the Athabasca Falls but neat none the less.

On up the hill we came to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and biked the road that circles the golf course. We enjoyed looking at the different holes on the course as I wished we could play a round, then rode back into the woods toward Spray River then looped back out by the golf course. We spotted a wolf, we think, crossing the road in front of us.

Back into Banff and across the river, there was a trail that was supposed to be easy that went around Tunnel Mountain to a viewpoint of the Hoodoo Rocks. But we took a wrong turn somewhere along the trail and ended up on the difficult trail. Even though the trail was only about three miles long, it took us over an hour to travel and we walked the bikes up and down some really steep, rugged and narrow terrain for at least two miles of the three. I was pooped by the time we got to the top so we cruised back down on the road into Banff without seeing the rock formation. In all we rode 17 miles So after lunch we drove the car up the mountain to see the Hoodoos. Was it worth all that effort? Not for me!! But the view at the top was pretty. We have put over 150 miles on the bikes this trip.

Tomorrow we start our homeward trek!! Yeah!!!