July 23, 2006 – Day 13 400 Miles Kalispell, MT – Cochrane, Alb, Can

Kalispell, MT – Cochrane, Alb, Can

I guess someone has to wake the rooster: must be my job. Up again at the hint of dawn though, today, it didn’t seem like quite so much of an annoyance since my plans were to take the Going To The Sun road actually going “toward the sun,” i.e., west-to-east. But Stupid raised his ugly head again.

When I pulled out of the motel parking lot it was too early and dark for my (prescription) sunglasses. I have a pair of shooting safety glasses with the yellow lens that is great for low light situations. Unfortunately, they don’t have my prescription in them so I see fine far away but can’t read my map (on my tank bag) very well. So...after breakfast I go scooting off toward Glacier and missed the damned entrance, staying, instead, on Hwy 2. Fat, full, dumb and happy I go traipsing “around” Glacier NP, not “in” Glacier NP. After about thirty miles it dawned on me what was happening, so I stopped for coffee to re-open my eyes and verify I was burning daylight. But it wasn’t a lost cause. The road parallels a great river with fantastic scenes. I just didn't have to stare at the sun as I (finally) rode the Going-To-The-Sun Road. I ain't mad.

Too bad I’ve used all the superlatives!! Man, do you need them for this place. Here's a surprise: I have a new favorite ride.

Left Glacier and entered the Waterton Lake (CAN) NP. This is a great place too. Visited the Prince of Wales Hotel, one of the last, great Canadian Railroad hotels built in 1926-27.

Prince of Wales Hotel

Cute, from the outside; small rooms, old pipes, and that "trying-too-hard-to-be-elegant" look that doesn't work so well in today's all too casual culture.





I had a late lunch down in the village and ran into a cute little "theatre-in-the-park thing being put on by two young ladies. I believe they are park service employess, and much of their message was educational, concerned with the advisability of allowing lightning-started forrest fires to burn because they helped control pine beetles which were eating up quite a few of the pines in the area. Their approach was to do some Beatles songs (naturally), and then a great take-off on Hamlet. It was pretty unique and I enjoyed it so much because they made up in guts what they lacked in talent, an attribute I throughly endorse in life. More talent than guts invariably leads to wimps or prima-donnas...give me enthusiasm and moxey every time.



Theater In The Park?











After lunch and watching the thespians I headed north on Hwy 6 to Hwy 3 intersecting with Hwy 22 at Lundbreck. Finally gave out west of Calgary and found a motel in Cochrane. Parked here for the night. Tomorrow: Banff and north again.