Today I can say that I put my Kevlar jeans to the test.

Unlike previous days, today we only had a few stops so each leg was over 100km. It was nice to just ride and roll through the stunning scenery. Yesterday Deb made a comment about how much better it is to do this on a bike than a car as you are so much more in touch with the environment. Certainly no argument from me. I can see a touring bike in my future… And no it is highly unlikely to be a Harley.

While we are still in the Rockies they are changing in character the further south we go. By lunchtime we were rolling through hills with the mountains in the background. Just spectacular. I love the mountains. As I rode today I just kept thinking that it feels like we are riding through postcard photos.

From Banff we made our way through the Kananaskis mountains and as the sun was still low and the shadows long it was fairly cold at only 8 degrees (48F). So it was nice to stop for a coffee to warm ourselves up from the inside and put on an additional layer as it was likely to get colder through the next pass.

It was at the coffee stop that I came to grief. We got our coffee and I don’t think the lid was on correctly and with cold hands it slipped and when I re-gripped the lid popped off and I squashed the paper cup showering hot coffee all over my jeans. It was not a pretty sight – there was coffee everywhere and I was soaked! Luckily the Kevlar protected me from the hot coffee and I only got a little bit on my hands. Luckily I had a spare pair of jeans with me.

Deb rigging up for the next pass

Once we completed the pass the temperature soon rose and were happy for our fuel stop so we could shed layers. We are now riding on a more main arterial road which sees a considerable increase in traffic with Canadians returning home after their long weekend away. Hopefully the traffic will be better tomorrow.

We have also seen a transition in the countryside to more open rolling hills and farmland with the blue hue of mountains surrounding us as our backdrop.

Our lunch stop is in a little pioneering village that has been set up as an outside museum. It is setup like a little town with an assortment of buildings and inside each are all sorts of items from their history, cars, radios, camera, guns, furs, traps, baking, clothing, schooling…

From here we head to Waterton Lakes where we first check out the Prince of Wales Hotel perched on the top of the hill overlooking Waterton Lakes and the town of Waterton. A stunning little town heavily geared for tourists.

From the lake looking back up to Prince of Wales hotel

End of day 5 at Waterton Lakes

The constant moving over the last five days and with late nights and early mornings has started to catchup with us. So today we have taken advantage of our early day and taking it easy. So we simply enjoyed a nice walk and a coffee by the lake, and then grabbed a pizza and sat under a tree and relaxed. It’ll be an early night tonight.

Tomorrow we are back in the US and go to Glacier National Park.