Wildlife on the David Thompson Highway.

Quality Inn, Golden BC

We started out today on our trip to Parksville to see family. We decided to take a different route this time because we have used the Yellowhead route so often (quickest and easiest through the mountains). So, we decided to angle down via the David Thompson Highway into Banff National Park and then the Banff Jasper Highway to Lake Louise where we would connect with the Trans Canada Highway.

Just south of Drayton Valley on the Cowboy Trail (highway 22), we got a big surprise. A logging truck passed us and threw up a huge rock that hit our windshield low on the driver's side. What a noise that was and the resulting crack was huge. We had just put a new windshield in the car a few weeks ago. Oh well!

The drive on the David Thompson highway was remarkable. First, we came across a herd of Alberta Wild Horses just grazing along in the ditch. We knew about them but had never seen them up close. What a sight!

Further down the highway we came upon a herd of Bighorn Sheep just standing in the middle of the highway. They were in no hurry to move and there was no traffic. Another amazing encounter.

We turned south at Saskatchewan River Crossing (the tourist trap is closed for the winter) and headed south on the Banff Jasper highway. As we headed further south the weather and road condition deteriorated until we were in a snow storm on a snow covered highway. We and the few other vehicles on the road slowed to 50 kph at times to make sure we did not slip into the ditch.

Once on the Trans Canada highway, there was no evidence of snow, the road was clear and we sailed into Golden for the night.

There was a restaurant in the hotel so we decided to eat in there. Our host was a young Jamaican man with a great sense of humour. He told us he was born in Jamaica, came to Canada, and decided Golden was a nice place to settle down. Ho obviously likes the skiing, hiking and climbing in the area.

We have lost count of the number of times we have driven through the mountains over the years, including pulling the 5th wheel. Not travelling in the vacation season means roads are not really very busy. The semi drivers also take advantage of the quieter highway trails, and one kicked up what must have been a huge rock, as a huge set of spiral cracks baptized the new windshield. Fortunately below and closer to the lower left corner, so the view has not been too compromised. The camera was busy catching photos of the herd of wild horses - truly wild, never been haltered, no horseshoes on their hooves. Once dodging them, we had to sashay through the Bighorn Sheep. Photos only from inside the car. I wasn't going to even try to get a good photo close up.