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A Short Run To Lake Louise (No Lions, No Tigers, But Bears - Oh My!)


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Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

On the Victoria Day long weekend both weather and time cooperated for a day trip up to Lake Louise.

Filling up the bike before leaving town I winced at the $1.30 per litre cost of gas (Worked out to $26 for a tank of regular.). The cost had spiked just in time for the weekend. Made me very happy that I was only filling the bike and not a larger, thirstier vehicle.

Roads tend to be fairly congested on Long Weekends as many other city dwellers seem to head West. I slipped out of town on my usual selection of back roads and headed out through Cochrane. From the previous week I knew that the 1A was in really good shape for riding. Unlike the city, it was clean of both gravel and potholes. I overtook a few vehicles and then had clear sailing past Ghost Lake right up until I reached the corners. In front of me a couple of large motorhomes laboured under the idea it was necessary to almost come to a stop before turning the steering wheel more than five degrees. (I'm sure that you are familiar with the archetypal motorhome driver).

Finally I got past the traffic, and found a small traffic jam on the hill west of Gap Lake on the 1A. This jam was caused by a large herd of Big Horn Sheep making their way across the highway. A few of them stopped on a picturesque rise in front of Gap Lake, so I also decided to pull over to the side.

I took a few pictures of the herd. Of note, these pictures are of Ewes and young Rams losing their winter coats.

Alberta 1A, May 2013

Alberta 1A, May 2013

Alberta 1A, May 2013

Alberta 1A, May 2013

Alberta 1A, May 2013

I also took a couple of shots of the road before continuing onwards.

Alberta 1A, May 2013

Alberta 1A, May 2013

Despite some dark clouds in the sky it was a gorgeous day to ride - a little on the cool side, but that was easily managed by keeping the vents on my gear zipped shut.

I continued onwards joining Highway 1 as I entered Banff National Park. This was the first time this year I had ventured into the national park so I stopped at a toll booth on the way in and forked over the cash for a yearly pass. I do get a lot of use out of it on the bike in the summer and it pays for itself.

Riding past Banff I headed up the Bow Valley Parkway towards Lake Louise. I passed a few bicycles. Then a few more. Soon it became evident that one of the local cycle clubs had arranged a large club outing complete with chase vehicles. The bicycles outnumbered motorcycles 30 to 1. Definitely a gorgeous ride no matter which form of two wheeled conveyance a person decides to ride.

Bow Valley Parkway May 2013

As I headed along the Parkway I noticed quite a few of the hiking areas were closed. Signage indicated that there was black bear in the area. I passed the first bear of the day close to the east access to the Parkway. It was gorgeous at the top of a ridge right beside the roadway, but certainly not a good place to pull over and shoot. By the time I had reached what I consider a safe distance the bear had disappeared into the woods. Perhaps another day a bear will cooperate with the camera.

Heading along the Parkway I noticed a lot of wildlife. In a number of places I saw one or two deer. My usual approach to deer is to slow down and assume that where I see one there are two more ready to dive in front of my bike. They stayed out of my way and off the road - probably best for both of us.

I stopped at Morants Curve to take a few more photos. The watery light didn't do the scenery justice.

At the pull off on the south side of the road orange barricades marked off an area to avoid - crumbling asphalt was slowly edging down the cliff to the river below. Definitely not a good place to park.

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Continuing West I saw a coyote in the underbrush. He was fairly well hidden, and wouldn't have stuck around long enough for me to pull out a camera.

Exiting the Parkway I noticed some snow still nestled in around the base of the trees. I continued past the village of Lake Louise and decided to head out to Moraine Lake. It's always beautiful there without the crowds. I didn't get too far as the road was blockaded off with signage on it indicating that it was closed. Sometimes I forget that May is still early season.

On to plan B - I continued to Lake Louise. The parking lot was a zoo with vehicles parked anywhere there was room, regardless if it was signed parking or not. I found a spot without too much trouble - the typical bike spot where a vehicle is parked in such a way that a parking spot is inaccessible except for perhaps a Smart Car (or a bike). (I suppose those solid yellow lines painted on the pavement are very confusing for drivers, perhaps it's an indication of where to put the wheels of one side of the car?).

Along the side of the parking lot piles of snow had obviously been ploughed off of the parking lot. They were slowly melting with rivulets of water tracking their way to lower ground. The wide pathway to the Lake had a few feet of snow on either side - it felt like the temporary return of winter.

Reaching the lake I was bemused by the "Danger. Thin Ice" sign. The first ten feet at the edge of the lake was open water, giving way to slushy ice.

Lake Louise, May 2013

On the lake a lone Kayaker was devising a new sport in the slushy ice. He was pulling himself through the slush at the surface of the lake, at times getting his kayak stuck. Each time he would rock the kayak free, and continue making his way through the slush. I watched him for a while Every time he reached open water he turned the boat and headed back into the slush.

Lake Louise, May 2013

Of course no trip to Lake Louise is complete without a few pictures of the Glacier carving its way down the mountains feeding the Lake.

Lake Louise, May 2013

Snow was piled along the edge of the lake.

Lake Louise, May 2013

Reluctantly I returned to the bike and geared up for the return trip to Calgary. Once again I headed down the Bow Valley Parkway. A few kilometers before Moose Meadows the traffic slowed and I saw a large familiar shape cross the road - the second bear sighting of the day was a majestic Grizzly. He moved quickly though the trees and headed down the railway tracks. Once again I remained on the bike disappointed that I couldn't get a photo. Initially the bear was too close, and then he disappeared into the woods.

Given the amount of wildlife that I had seen along the road I kept my eyes peeled. A few times I spotted motion along the side of the road but was unable to identify who (or what) had caught my attention. Too well camouflaged.

For the second time on the trip I spotted a black bear on the side of the road. Such a treat! But he was moving quickly and would have been long gone by the time I stopped the bike and pulled out the camera. I thought myself fortunate to have seen three different bears on a single trip.

It certainly was a wildlife safari along the Parkway as I came up on a Moose. I tend to forget how large they really are until I am faced with one up close. He was on a corner, and I certainly wasn't going to stop too close to him. Once again, I was disappointed that the opportunity to stop and shoot didn't present itself to me. (So many wildlife encounters and I had so far come up empty handed with only a few Bighorn Sheep stored on the memory card!).

Just past Hillsdale Meadows where the road split a few cars were pulled to the side of the road I pulled up and sat on the bike for a few minutes watching and evaluating. There were other vehicles stopped which also added to the safety factor. I decided it was a safe distance so I turned off the bike and grabbed my camera. Definitely an opportunity for a zoom lens! Finally - a chance to shoot some interesting wildlife.

Bears! Oh my!

It was my third bear encounter of the day. This time two bears. And this time a photo opportunity! The one with the black snout was larger than the one with the brown snout. Given how stocky he appeared I assume that he was a male accompanied by his female mate. His coat was so rich and dark that he almost appeared a black shadow in the image.

The two bears hung out at the side of the road for a while hiding amongst the trees.

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Initial sighting - hidden in the underbrush.

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Slowly emerging from behind a tree letting me get a good look.
What a treat! The bears slowly emerged from the trees and slowly walked across the road one at a time.

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

The female crossing the road.

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

The male following her. Note how stocky he appears in comparison!

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Close up of the female.

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

The pair exiting the road.
After crossing the female picked up her speed and started running - they move quickly!

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Heading downhill

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

Starting to run.

Bow Valley Parkway, May 2013

My parking spot for the furry photo op!
The other vehicles that had stopped for the bears took off as I returned to the bike. I put my bike keys down in my luggage as I put the camera away. I swapped lenses putting the zoom lens back in the case and zipped up the camera bag. I closed the Givi pushing the clasp flat. As I walked back to the front of the bike I reached into my pocket for my keys... uhhh... my keys?? My KEYS!!! I clearly remembered setting them down in my camera bag as I swapped lenses. And I didn't remember picking them up again. I had closed the Givi case, and my spare set of keys were back in Calgary. Not impressed with myself I evaluated my options... and decided which swear words were most appropriate for the situation. I could ride across Canada and four corners of the USA without misplacing my keys, but on a simple day trip I had managed to lock the into the case. And those bears were probably still in the neighbourhood - they suddenly seemed a lot closer and more dangerous than they had a few minutes ago when I had keys in my hand.
Ok. Time to figure something out. Keeping a close eye out for the return of my new friends I walked around to the back of the bike and looked at the Givi. The clasp wasn't fully closed. Phew. That's right - it doesn't lock without the keys in the lock. A sigh of relief, and I dug back into the camera bag for the keys.
No more wildlife presented itself to me as I finished the Bow Valley Parkway and once again headed past Banff. I stopped for a quick bite to eat in Canmore before braving holiday traffic back towards Calgary. As dusk was setting in I decided that I would be better off taking the TransCanada Highway, since the risk of wildlife was significantly lower than the 1A.
Traffic was heavy, and ground to a halt just before the exit for 1X to Seebe. I was a couple of car lengths away from the exit so I sat for a while, then decided that perhaps I was better off on the 1A. I nosed past a couple of vehicles to the exit, and brought the bike back to speed crossing the bridge leaving a parking lot behind. In the distance I heard the wail of a siren. Definitely a good choice to take option C.
I headed up past Seebe and slowed back at the first corner because of flashing lights of a fire truck and a fireman working traffic control. It's not that steep of a curve, but it seems to be a really bad corner for motorcycles. (Anyone in southern Alberta who regularly rides the 1A will know THE corner - I have seen more motorcycles wrecked on this corner than I care to count). Although the corner is not sharp it marks the entry back into a treed environment which can feel a little claustrophobic after being in the relative open with the mountains - I think that is what causes so many bikers to lose it on that corner.
The police had the road blocked off to one lane with alternating right of way. I drove past two firetrucks and three RCMP cars. As I was waved past I glanced in at the remains of a GSX and a morass of police tape. It didn't give me a good feeling - normally they only tape off a site like that for a single vehicle accident for a fatality or very serious injury.
Seeing the wrecked bike with no motorcyclist in sight put a bit of a damper on the rest of the ride. I kept the pace down as I headed through the reservation keeping an eye peeled for wildlife. I reached Cochrane with no further incident, and stopped to top off the tank. $1.32 a litre.
Even though it was a short day trip, it was very rewarding to see the amount and variety of wildlife. Definitely a treat to see so many bears! There are many times that I ride the Parkway and I don't see as much as a single gopher.
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Lived in Calgary in the 80's and am familar with the trip you took. Enjoyed your report very much, thanks.

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I used to live in Golden BC and for the most part where my family still resides, I do miss the mountains dearly! One thing I don't miss is the tourists in and around the national parks...Now I am all about Kamloops BC and for riding nothing beats this area, 6 roads in and out with hardly any LEO's....

Great write up Olive...as usual

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Glad to not see the bike with 12" of white stuff glued to it.

Great write-up as usual O, good to see your 6 week window has opened and you're taking advantage. Ok now you've posted Black Bears i'm calling out for Polar, either that or Baluga ?(sp) whales ........ get on it!! :)

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Sorry Aussie - not planning to head north on a ride this year, so unless I ride to the zoo you won't get any shots of a Polar Bear. As for Beluga Whales - you are on your own for that.

Grizzlys, however, I probably could arrange.

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Nice ride report, Olive, and great photos of a beautiful area. The bear are a little scary, I know they can move fast! Thanks for sharing.

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Very nice to see such beautifull wildlife. If I'll ever come across a bear it measn someone at the zoo left the door open :biggrin:

In some parts it lokos like winter has returned. I heard the ski slopes in the Pyrenees (mountains between the South of France and Spain) have opened again and also plenty of snowfall in the Alps.

Once again I remained on the bike disappointed that I couldn't get a photo. Initially the bear was too close, and then he disappeared into the woods.

Maybe get a compact super zoom that you can attach in such a way you can quickly grab the camera. Quality may be not as nice compared to the 5D but better to have a shot off lesser quality than no shot at all.

I took a swivel mount with a quick release off a monopod that I attached to a RAM mount. Now I can take pics while I am riding and/or can take the camera off the mount while stopped to take a quick pic in any direction.

gallery_5310_4809_86403.jpg

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V4 - Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am picky about photo quality. I do have a GoPro but it wasn't on the bike that day.

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Thanks Olive for another nice ride report. You live in a beautiful part of the country and I envy you for your ability to go for such nice rides so close. I also envy you for the cold winters, but that's another story... :wink:

Keep 'em coming!

cheers,

C

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I also envy you for the cold winters, but that's another story... :wink:

cheers,

C

:goofy::laugh: Thanks for the laugh Polar ....... that's very cheeky

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Thanks Olive for another nice ride report. You live in a beautiful part of the country and I envy you for your ability to go for such nice rides so close. I also envy you for the cold winters, but that's another story... :wink:

Keep 'em coming!

cheers,

C

You are more than welcome to my winters. Where should I send the snow?

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Thanks Olive for another nice ride report. You live in a beautiful part of the country and I envy you for your ability to go for such nice rides so close. I also envy you for the cold winters, but that's another story... :wink:

Keep 'em coming!

cheers,

C

You are more than welcome to my winters. Where should I send the snow?

Further North. :laugh:

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Great report and pictures Olive. Always enjoy reading about your adventures. Thanks for posting.

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Fantastic scenery and great shots. I only envy Canada in the summer though.

I agree. I grew up in Michigan and don't miss the winters there, not even one little bit.

Fantastic ride report!

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