The hotel filled up with yet more Chinese tourists last night, but breakfast wasn't quite the scrum we were expecting. We went into town to pick up the hire car, and found the Avis office in the rather chaotic shopping mall, which was under redevelopment. We had ordered an `intermediate' size of car, and were issued with a gargantuan 7-seater 4x4 Ford Flex (whatever that is). The first challenge was to get the parking brake off, as the car park was so dark that it was hard even to find the pedal (foot operated as usual). After releasing the bonnet by mistake, and several attempts to secure the same, rather by accident the parking brake came off and we were able to move. The next surprise was that the driver's seat adjusted itself when the ignition key was inserted. Had the vehicle sized Les up before he got into it?
On the way back to the hotel to collect the bags, Stella started playing with the various electronics, and was delighted to find that the climate control enabled separate temperatures for left and right, and front and rear. The radio stations are all categorised by genre, everything being displayed on a big central screen, which also gives a panoramic rear view when reverse is selected. The auto-box is vastly superior to the terrible one in the RV.
With the bags stuffed into the back, off we went to see the sights of Banff and surroundings. The first one was the curiously named Lake Minnewanka, actually an artificial one resulting from a dam built in the early 1900s. We walked up to a bridge over the gorge which feeds the lake, in quite cold weather, the sun trying weakly to break through. Next stop was Tunnel Mountain, with very good views, and then the geothermal area of Sulphur Mountain. The route took us over a long section of unsurfaced road where gas pipes were being laid, but with our 4WD this didn't bother us. The reason for the name was obvious to our noses as soon as we alighted from the car. Several hot springs poor smelly water into pools, which amazingly harbour a unique species, the Banff Snail. The area was discovered originally when a cave was found to contain a hot pool, which of course has been used for quack `healing' ever since. The hot springs also emerge further up the mountain, where a more commercialised bathing facility has been set up. We are not sure why anyone would want to immerse themselves in such noxious water.
The final sight Banff had to offer was the Vermilion Lakes, which with the lowering sun lighting the mountains behind, afforded excellent photography opportunities. The walking trail however went far too close to the Trans-Canada Highway, so we gave up on that.
It was now time to press on to the next overnight stop at Lake Louise. On the way we diverted to Moraine Lake, where a vast pile of fractured rock blocks the outflow of crystal clear water. It seems most likely that this is a genuine terminal moraine from a former glacier, although some authorities think it came from an avalanche. It is very popular with tourists, and although the road signs advise against large vehicles, we found a lot of coaches there.
The Lake Louise Inn is basic but OK. With one small window and a single dim light the room is rather dark! There are not many dining opportunities here so we ended up eating in the inn. Prices are much higher in the mountains - last night we paid $4 for a pint of beer and tonight it was $6.75! We are trying to offset this by self-catering for breakfast and lunch.
Needless to say the railway is within line of sight, so earplugs will be required tonight.
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