Waterton Lakes, Bears, and Banff by the Campfire

As I write this I'm snuggled into my folding chairs next to our first campfire of the trip. It's been too cold and damp (raining) or windy so far to put match to paper but tonight we're in Banff, Alberta in the Tunnel Mountain campground. Surrounded by whispering pines it's still cool, so what better night than to split some wood (supplied by the campground) and watch the flames and listen to the snap and crackle of the logs.

Last night we were in Waterton Lakes, Alberta in the town site's beautiful campground right by one of the most scenic lakes in Canada. Last night I went for a quiet spin on my bike after an afternoon of what Sophie refers to as recreational shopping. Since we were last in Waterton they have built a nice bike path outside of town. As I came around a corner a couple of miles out of town I met this fellow and

his urine companion as they were taking their evening stroll on the path. I quickly  agreed that I would yield the right of way but after some breathless negotiation they agreed to pose, somewhat reluctantly, for the requisite snapshot. I saw three bears in the course of an hour's ride, giving us a total of six urine encounters in while in Waterton. All black bears, which we have plenty of in Colorado, but these were my first from a bike saddle. As we continue north you can bet we'll be on the lookout  for their more grizzled cousins!