There is still nothing like the feeling of being on an open road wiith music filling your ears and an adventure ahead of you. As I set out from Calgary on wide open Highway 1A towards Banff I found myself howling to Counting Crows with the sun scorching my legs through the open window. One moment the mountains were a shaddowy ghost on the horizon and the next they were surrounding me. I passed aqua lakes where solitary souls drifted in their boats under the baking heat. I stopped at one to take a few photos nad chatted to a guy from Southern Alberta who was escaping back to the mountains to rechatge his batteries. On his recommendation I ventured to Canmore, just before the popular Banff, and drove up a gravel track into the mountains themselves to the Spray Lakes. Vast glacial water stretched out in front of various peaks just waiting for me to capture them through my lens.
I decided to spend the night here rather than venturing on and pulled in to the local Hostel Bear. i joined 2 German girls in a small dorm in the beautiful wooden building. If all Canadian hostels are like this then I'll be very happy.
I walked up the road to the Main Street for some dinner and found a lovely bar with friendly staff and got talking to Jared, a young gay American from New Mexico. We swapped travel stories and he gave me advice for ood places to trek tomorrow.
Now it's time to hit the sack since it's probably nearly 5am UK time and I'd like to avoid sleeping 12 hours again tonight.