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CHAPTER 16

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DAY 26. PRINCE GEORGE TO JASPER. 380 km

Today was a day of coincidences. As we navigated thru Prince George a couple going in the opposite direction also on a BMW GSA gave us a big wave. Somewhat belatedly I realized that it was Brian and Jo, the kiwi dairy farmers we had met in Fairbanks. Then half an hour later we stop for roadworks. Lo and behold another bike pulls up alongside us with a Taranaki sticker on its petrol tank. It was another Kiwi couple who were part of a group on Kiwi riders doing a 60 day tour of the US and Canada .

The kiwi line up !




We stop for lunch. Suddenly we find ourselves parked next to another 5 bikes from New Zealand. Then Brian and Jo turn up. It was a lovely little meeting and lunch .

Gentlemen, get your molls!




Then onwards thru lovely scenery to Jasper, a delightful alpine tourist town. We are really in the heart of the Rockies now. It is now time for a days rest and I have to hole up anyway as I have a call to New Zealand for our monthly Board meeting. That night in Jasper we have Brian and Jo staying in the same hotel and we celebrate their 20 th wedding anniversary with them


DAY 27. NICE REST DAY IN JASPER

Ken and Shirley meet up with their friends and go off for a day excursion. I prepare for a Board meeting then join in on it at the very respectable hour of 3.30 pm in the afternoon. It was nice to hear the voices again of the board members and management team back in New Zealand

And I have this idea for a bison flavored breakfast cereal but do not seem to get too much traction on this. Actually Diana points out that a Bison here in Canada seems to be what you wash your face in in your hotel room .


DAY 28. JASPER TO RADIUM SPRING. 480 km


And we are now off down the famous Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise and Banff.

Today I realize that. I am striking a problem. You see dear reader I have been ratcheting up the superlatives as the scenery and days have just got better and better. The problem of course is what do do when you have day that is better than a day you have just described as stunning. Today was one of those days that went off the top of the superlatives scale.

The best I can do then is to describe the day as "Optically Orgasmic" (with multiples!). What happens when we have a day better than this I do not know.

The Athabasca falls







Near the Columbia Ice Field



It was a case of vista after vista unfolding before our eyes. The photos simply do not do it justice or come close to capturing the grandeur. It was a beautiful sunny day as we rode thru the National Park and the highway engineers seem to have been very clever in designing the road to maximize the unfolding vistas











And we got as close to a black bear on the side of the road as would like to. Fortunately he was still eating his greens when we saw him and hadn't turned his thoughts to his meat dish yet.

I can't bear to think.....




The lovely Lake Louise






And now we find ourselves in the delightful alpine town of Radium Springs where a soak in the hot pools awaits our weary bones. One assumes the hot pools are not full of Radium !


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