We got our second thunderstorm early this morning. Around 1 a.m., it was all bright flashes and loud booms. There wasn't as much rain as last night, but more wind. Patty said it sounded as though a freight train was coming right through our tent site.
Today is Canada Day, a celebration of Canada's independence. Mpeople everywhere are wearing maple leafs and the color red. Patty decided to ride the bike path south to Canmore and watch the parade...complete with marching bands, Ukranian dancers, and the Royal Mounted Canadian Police.
It was Via Ferrata Day for me. Awhile back, I was searching the web for the top ten things to do while you are in Banff. I came across an ad from Mt. Norquay for a 4 hour via Ferrata climb (with iron). Okay...I'm in. Our guide was a former professional ice climber named Kim. I liked her a lot. She was thorough, knowledgeable, and seemed to have a good sense of our capabilities. For me, it was the perfect combination of a strength workout, breathtaking beauty, and extreme adventure. Footholds, handholds, and cables are glued into the face of the rock. You wear a harness that has two beefy caribiners which you move along the cable to ascend and descend. I am very happy that I had the chance to do this. The weather was perfect...just enough cloud cover to keep us cool...enough sun and clearing for decent pictures. On the way down, we saw a young, molting Rocky Mt. Sheep, but he wasn't very pretty with all of those clumps of fur.
Tonight we had dinner with a couple who live here in Banff. They are young, fit, and full of
adventure themselves. Pete works in the ski industry, and Erin works at Banff Centre, which promotes and facilitates artists in the area. They are Warm Showers hosts, but they live in an apartment, so have no room for any tents. That didn't stop them from inviting us over for spaghetti dinner. Patty picked up a good bottle of Malbec and I bought a loaf of bread and we showed up on their doorstep at 7:00. What a delight they are. It was very fun to share cycling stories with them...who knows, maybe one of these days they will make it to Vancouver.
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