Charming Canyons

As announced, today we're heading back to the mountains. Wake up at 7:00, departure at 8:30, that's the plan. We managed to get out of bed at 7:15, but we didn't leave for the highway until around 9:15. The sun is shining, with just a few wispy clouds passing by in the sky. We join the line of cars on the highway heading towards Banff. Today, we have a total driving time of 3 hours to our destination, Radium Hot Springs. Plus, there are 3 planned stops along the way.

First, we have to make up for missing out on Johnston Canyon last time due to the lack of parking space. Today, we're also out of luck with the RV sites, as they're mostly occupied by cars. But no problem, our camper is so long that it can take up 2 car parking spaces (lengthwise). It did stick out about 3 meters, but the passage was wide enough. 😅. Today, the parking lot was only slightly less crowded than last time, which suggests that the canyon must be almost deserted 😩. So, off we go, chasing after the crowds. We don't want to be reminded for the rest of our lives that we missed out on this amazing canyon. 1 km long and 30 meters in elevation, perfect for the current temperatures. It's amazing how quickly the endurance gained from just 2 days of walking on flat land disappears. The canyon was beautiful, but it would have been even more beautiful without all the people, and it even became pleasantly cool after halfway, when we entered the sun-free zone.

That old saying "the early bird catches the worm" holds true here.

(5€ in the phrase piggy bank)

Well, we'll have to live with that now. On to the next canyon.

The Marble Canyon is 1.7 km long with a 40-meter elevation. It was really great. 7 bridges allow a view into the canyon.

Facts: In 2008, a forest fire raged for 40 days and devastated 170 km3 of forest in Kootenay National Park.

Last stop before the campsite: Numa Falls. A small rapid that can be reached from the parking lot in 2 minutes. That's enough now with these temperatures (31 degrees in the shade).

Which of you knows the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" with Chevy Chase, where he goes to get a Christmas tree with his family and ends up driving under a truck carrying logs

And his family sits frozen in the car. That's how I felt today. The truck drivers here are completely painless.

Imagine a country road with one lane in each direction and an accompanying shoulder (slightly narrower than the road). We're driving the prescribed 90 km/h. My honey is already halfway on the shoulder. There's oncoming traffic and the truck starts to overtake. My honey moves completely onto the shoulder, and the idiot still complains loudly with a prolonged honk while he's still at our level avoiding oncoming traffic and merging back in. With two trailers - unbelievable. At first, we looked at each other in disbelief and wondered what he was trying to say with the horn. We took it as a thank you.

We reach the campsite unscathed.

Chairs and grill out, and let's start with an Aperol Spritz.