Day 367
Lake Louise
Though we no longer had a closed road, as it was technically a dead end, it was still pretty quiet as we left Johnson Falls and made our way to Lake Louise. It was a beautiful ride, with awesome views of our favourite mountain of the trip so far, Castle Mountain. At the end of WW2 the Canadian government had tried to rename it Eisenhower Mountain in honour of Dwight, Commander in Chief of the American forces. After a bit of a rumpus, it was decided that one peak would be named in his honour and the name Castle Mountain, beloved by many, would remain. We stopped for a coat off moment by a memorial to those interned during WW1. Many Europeans had migrated to Canada in search of a better life but at the advent of the war some were seen as undesirable aliens, even those who had taken Canadian citizenship. They were interned in a remote and grim prison-like place. Put to work building roads through bitter wintery conditions and generally treated brutally. Reading the memorial to those who suffered, I was struck that the majority of them were from Ukraine. Hard to take it all in. We also had a long chat with a great couple from St Edward’s Island, who were combining a visit to family with some sightseeing. They like us were ready for a challenge but I don’t think I convinced them that a round the world bike trip was quite right for them!
We had booked 2 nights at the camp site at Lake Louise, hoping to rest up in the sun and maybe do a hike or two. We had been warned this was grizzly area so were rather pleased to see that our campsite is surrounded by an electric fence. To keep the bears out not us in they assured us! We met another cycle tourer, a lovely lady originally from Manchester in the UK. She is riding coast to coast and we had a great chat swapping tips. She also carries a saw, very handy when trying to make a camp fire without kindling.
In the morning she had departed long before I woke, hope the ride is going well for her! We got on our bikes, no bags, yay, and set off for Lake Louise. Now I assumed a lake would be at the bottom of the hill, but no, we had 3 miles of a Komoot red uphill to get there. Still, it was worth it, a simply stunning emerald green lake, fed by 6 glaciers. From November to June it freezes, up to a metre thick in places, and becomes a skating rink. Today though it was full of bright red canoes, as hundreds of tourists took to the water to explore. Tom and I sat on a bench and enjoyed the view. On our way back down we felt very smug, apart from one lady on an E-bike all the other cyclists were pushing up that hill!
