June Truck Tour

Truck Tour - June 21, 2014 - Weather was overcast 

We decided if the weather was going to be dismal, we might as well see some of the country side around us. So after packing a lunch, off we went. The rain started only a few Ks north on Hwy 22. At Sundre, AB there was a parade about to begin. The highway we were on was to be the parade route through town. Lorraine was busy giving her queen wave to everyone along the route sitting in their lawn chairs under umbrellas. The staging area was close to the west end of town. Old cars and young and old cowboys were mounting there horses and lining up for the wet ride though Sundre. 

Sundre is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Mountain View County, 130 km northwest from Calgary, along the Cowboy Trail in the Canadian Rockies foothills. Elevation: 1,097 m, Area: 11.16 km².

Next on the tour was Rocky as the locals call it. Crossing the N. Saskatchewan River, we arrived at the Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site. The rain was letting up now and there were a couple of blue patches forming, so we dismounted and walk around the historic site.   

There is a buffalo paddock here and you can get upfront and personal with the herd if you like. We settled for a visit with a steel head instead.

  

Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 77 km west of the City of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 and Highway 11. Elevation: 989 m. Area: 12.99 km². 

Back on the highway we headed West on Hwy 11. 

Time was getting close to noon and we started looking for a place to stop and eat the lunch we had prepared. The sun was now out and we found a beautiful spot beside Abraham Lake. 

Abraham Lake is an artificial lake on North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada. Abraham Lake has a surface area of 53.7 km2 (20.7 sq mi) and a length of 32 km (20 mi).
History - It was built on the upper course of the North Saskatchewan River, in the foothills of theCanadian Rockies. It lines David Thompson Highway between Saskatchewan River Crossingand Nordegg.Abraham Lake was created in 1972, with the construction of the Bighorn Dam. TheGovernment of Alberta sponsored a contest to name the lake in February 1972, during the final stages of construction of the Bighorn dam. Students across the province were asked to submit names taking into consideration "historical significance, prominent persons, geography and topography, and the value of the lake." It was named for Silas Abraham, an inhabitant of the Saskatchewan River valley in the nineteenth century.Although man-made, the lake has the blue color of other glacial lakes in the Rocky Mountains, which is caused by rock flour as in other glacial lakes. - Wikipedia 

After lunch we arrived at the junction on The Icefields Parkway and turn south toward Lake Louise. We stopped at the Glacier Lake trail head to stretch and enjoy the sun and fresh air of the mountain area.

The Icefields Parkway (French: Promenade des Glaciers), also known as Highway 93 north, is a scenic road in Alberta,Canada. It parallels the Continental Divide, traversing the rugged landscape of the Canadian Rockies, travelling through Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. It links Lake Louise with Jasper to the north. At its southern end, the Icefields Parkway terminates at Highway 1. Highway 1 west goes to Yoho National Park in British Columbia and Highway 1 east to Lake Louise and the Town of Banff.

A second parkway, the Bow Valley Parkway also links Lake Louise and the Town of Banff. Known as Highway 1A, this road parallels Highway 1 and, at the midpoint, passes the Castle Mountain junction where Highway 93 south, or the Banff-Windermere Highway, branches southwest into Kootenay National Park in British Columbia.

The Icefields Parkway, 230 km (140 mi) long, was completed in 1940. It is named for features such as the Columbia Icefield, visible from the parkway.
The parkway is busy in July and August with up to 100,000 vehicles a month. The parkway is mainly two lanes with occasional passing lanes. It minimizes grades and hairpin turns but travellers must look out for wildlife, and vehicles stopped on the shoulder. Snow can be expected at any time of year and extreme weather is common in winter.
A Canadian national parks permit is required to travel on the Icefields Parkway; stations near Lake Louise and Jasper enforce the law. Commercial trucks are prohibited. The speed limit is 90 km/h (55 mph) although the limit is reduced at Saskatchewan River Crossing and the Columbia Icefield area. In winter, chains or all-season radial tires are required by law and road closures are not uncommon.

I had to get a shot of one of Banff's iconic mountains, Mount Rundel. On the right in the picture below.

We made very good time when we got onto the Trans Canada Highway back two Calgary. At Morley we got onto hwy 1A then turned North on Grand Valley Road and arrived home after 8.5 hours and 500 Km.

So until next time remember "Discover It and Live It".