Banff / Waterton Park / Bigfork 17 / 08 / 2010

We Left Banff at approx 7.30pm and it was clear and quite cold , about 100kms and we were riding some more fantastic scenery. Climbing up to about 2400mts between these Hugh mountains . It is hard to explain how the Rocky's seem, but my best way is that they give you the feeling that they have strength , power and boldness , and that they are looking down on you like gods .

After about 200kms we are on the gravel and the back roads, no cars nobody but us and it was great until a bloody great big gravel dump truck came screaming down on us at full speed , dust , stones and me saying to Ruth F##k I wonder where he dumped his load . A couple of other smaller trucks came the other way as well , but other than that is was only us and nature .

About another 50kms on we spot a sign Grader next 10kms again i say "oh no" !! . Yes about 2 kms later we came around a corner ,and here is all that metal dumped by that truck and a grader right in the middle of the road . Well with no time at all it was on with the brakes and wobble wobble and the front wheel is straight into all the loose gravel and you right we had our first "OFFIE" yes we went down , right in front of the grader ( no damage it was more of a fall over , but still we went down so it was an OFFIE) (what a piss off ) . Up we get I look at the Grader driver (a young Fella ) and want to go and kick his arse and he looks at me saying what da F##k are you doin here ! We get the bike up and bid our fair wells . The road from here on in gets worse with a very had base and about an inch of stones on it( So it was like marbles on glass) . Needless to say we had a very slow trip for the next 40kms or so (but no more OOFFIES).

Next stop was " Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump" not far from Ford McLeod and a very interesting Place .

Before the white man came the Indians never had horses (well I wonder where the Pinto horse came from ) . So for the previous 6,500years what they did was round up a heard of Buffalo's and made them jump off the cliff (It stopped when they got horses and guns). It is a very well set up affair for the tourist and as I say very interesting , we stayed about 2 hrs .

Waterton Park (and it cost $15.50 to go in ) was just beautiful beyond all I had seen , it was a very small town surrounded with mountains , a beautiful Lake, bugger all people and miles from anywhere, a place I could go back to . In town Deer were every where (the photo was just out side of Motel ) and quite tame .

Then today we set off about 10am for the "Road to the Sun" over Logan Pass (2,600mts we got to) and we are now back in the USA . Again just stunning is all I can say, Just Stunning , the only complaint was that there was so many people (I think nobody works over here and they are all on Holiday) and there were heaps of bikes on the road 99% Harley's (no helmets and even one guy with no shirt and a big fat guts ) . But I must say that all the Harley's guys a very friendly (even though we are on a Rice Rocket) and come over a have a chat and always wave out on the road . We walked up to the pass which was about a two hrs walk , all on board walk and we saw Mountain Goats (big white ones ) and Mountain Sheep , Ground Squirrels and Deer .

So tonight we are in Bigfork Montana , which is a tourist place by a big lake (very nice )

Photos

The first 3 are off Waterton Park and the next are through Logan Pass the last is at the top of the Pass

Tomorrow is a big day 500kms to Livingston and I hope to get a new front tyre there ,if not it may have to wait till Cody .

Hey Ekke its great to have you interested in our trip , the camera is a "Sanyo Full HD 2000 Xacti" It is dual camera and Video . Bloody Great just point a shoot and quite cheap ( Have a look on da net)