Saturday June 14, 2014 Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

We both woke up early this morning.  Especially considering that we didn’t have far to drive and didn’t have to hurry at all.  I made the coffee and we enjoyed the internet while we had it.  According to our schedule we will not have internet at the next two RV spots.  So that will be four days unless we get desperate enough to try the Jet Pack and bear the roaming charges.  The other alternative is to find a hotspot in the village or the Lake Louise Lodge and carry the computer there.

We left the RV Park at about 9:30 before even the Wagon-masters.  Our route today after leaving the Radium Valley RV Resort was on CA-95 back to the main intersection in town and turn left onto CA-93 toward Lake Louise.  I had planned to fuel up before leaving town but the service station didn’t look like it would be easy to get into and out of.  So we went on.  This route took us back past the Radium Hot Springs and through the Redwall Fault that we had driven to yesterday.  A little way past the tunnel through the fault we were in new territory.  The way was hilly and generally uphill.  I had set my GPS to metric and could read my speed on it easier than on the speedometer.  I traveled at 5-10 k/ph slower than the speed limit.  We were keeping an eye out for wild life.  My speed wasn’t a problem; there were passing lanes on the uphill sections and ample safe passing along the other sections.

We stopped at a couple of turnouts to take pictures.  The Wagon-masters passed us about 30 miles from Lake Louise.  When we got to Trans Canada Rt. 1 I missed the turn and had to go past to a turnout and unhook the Jeep in order to turn around.

We arrived at the campground at a little after 12, but check in wasn’t until 1.  Ben did get us into our site early.  We are sharing the site with the Wagon-masters, Ben and Nancy.  

Ben and Nancy were busy most of the afternoon getting people to their assigned spots.  We looked around the campground and presides the warnings passed out by the campground there were bear warnings all over the camp, with all the paths into the woods blocked with red tape and bear warnings. 

Lake Louise from the ski mountain

After getting partially set up I started the project of trouble shooting the fresh water pump.  It stopped working two days ago.  I called Kevin Mallory in Ohio for advice.  He said that there may be an inline fuse near the pump.  The access door is so small I couldn’t get my head in a position to see in, much less work with my hands through the hole.  The Tail-gunners came around and Susan was able to see in and check for an inline fuse.  There was none.  We rechecked the fuse at the fuse block and made sure there was 12v power in the wire leading to the pump.  There was.  Susan felt around the pump for a reset button and didn’t find one.  She plugged the wires back together and the pump worked.

After that project was successfully finished, Gerri and I went to the ski lodge and took the gondola ride to the top of one of the ski runs.  The view was spectacular.  We met a nice couple there from Florida who took our pictures.  We told them about our trip to Alaska and they were very interested in the caravan concept.

A telephoto shot of Lake Louise

After the lift ride we went to the Lake Louise Lodge and got the information for a virtual cache located on the lake shore.  By this time it was getting pretty cool so we went back to the coach.

If the people I talked to are an example, we are the only ones that didn’t see bears on the way from Radium Valley to Lake Louise.

We had left over enchiladas for dinner and watched some TV before calling it a night.  Tomorrow we have a bus tour of the area including Banff National Park and the surrounding area.  So far the only wild life we have seen here are ground squirrels.