We were happy to leave Calgary and head for the Rocky Mountains, and it wasn't long before the "big city" feeling was behind us. We entered Banff National Park mid morning and marvelled at the beauty. As we travelled through the park we kept thinking it couldn't get any more impressive, but each new curve in the road revealed something to take our breath away.

Banff is a great little resort town, offering anything a tourist could want -- food, shops, and an awesome setting surrounded by mountains and lakes. We shopped a bit and had a quiet Greek lunch.

We took an alternate route to Lake Louise. The road is closed during the evening hours to protect the wildlife, so we were hoping to see some. Sure enough, some bull elk were grazing roadside. Though we have seen elk at home, it was exciting to see them here.

There is an amazing number of cyclists traveling through the parks. They are having quite an adventure. Whenever we see them, we respect them for their endurance and low body fat, but we are happy to be traveling on two wheels complete with engine and transmission.

Lake Louise is a tranquil lake, but a hub of activity. People all over the place, doing all kinds of activities, hiking, fishing, canoeing, but all enjoying the view.

We had thought about camping near Lake Louise, but decided we wanted something a bit less crowded. After consulting with a park ranger we purchased food at Lake Louise (smoked buffalo sausage, bread, and fruit) and headed north to Rampart Creek Campground. That last push was just about 10 miles too long to avoid rain for the day. We pulled into the campground just barely soaked and found a camp site close to a common shelter. No one else was using the shelter, so we unloaded everything in there and used it as a staging area. We built a fire in the stove inside and used it to keep warm and dry everything. Then, when there was a pause in the rain, we set up camp. it was a delightful evening! The park attendant, Charlotte, was a great help, lifting our spirits and answering a bunch of questions. Our warm fire attracted a young man, Andy, from Berlin, Germany. We had a good conversation with him. As the sun went down at 9:30, the clouds came in, and the rain started again. We said goodnight to Andy and sprinted to our camp site. We slept suprisingly well as our little tent kept us dry. Shirlene was rewarded on one of her several trips to the outhouse with a view of a clear night sky -- the big dipper looked close enough to touch!