We left Banff on Highway 1 and headed to Canmore and the Alberta Visitor's Centre. There they told us that Highway 1 just west of Calgary had some construction delays and suggested that we take 1A from Canmore to Cochrane, then north on 27. So we have spent the day on secondary and tertiary roads, real backwoods stuff. It has been great; very little traffic and lots of scenery with small towns and cowboy hats much in evidence.
We passed from the Eastern Rockies into the foothills and down onto the flats, a marked and remarkable change that we could see clearly as the scenery changed minute by minute. Going north from Cochrane we could see the Rockies fade into the distance as we passed fields of hay, grain, and lots of Alberta Beef. A great trip and much better than the 'commute' of Highway 2 from Calgary to Edmonton.
We got to the community of Sylvan Lake and wandered about taking pictures and wondering where the famous diving board was where Flo and Bert first met.
