To Canmore, Alberta

Robert, Wednesday, May 14
Drove from Shelby, Montana to Canmore, Alberta today. As Shelby is only about 30 miles south of the border and we got going early (for us), we beat the lines at the border crossing. I don’t know about this early in the season but in the past we have waited in line for several hours to cross the border. Today, there were two vehicles ahead of us and the wait was only about 15 minutes. The advice on crossing the border is to remove hats and sunglasses, turn off the radio, and turn the engine off. We complied as the border agents want to be able see and hear you. The agent wanted proof of citizenship (our passports) and he only asked a few questions–why were we entering Canada, where do we live, any tobacco or alcohol, any plans to give anything worth more than $10,000 away while in Canada (HA!), when was the last time we were in Canada, and how long were going to stay. It took all of about 10 minutes and we were on our way. This was probably the easiest border crossing into Canada we have ever made. On the down side, the line to enter the US had a very long line of trucks and didn’t appear to be moving at all. Hope it isn’t like that when we return!
Besides wanting to get across the border before the crowds, we needed to get to an RV repair place in Lethbridge (the first town of any size in Alberta). The water pump would not prime so we couldn’t use it to pump water. This is not a big problem as long as we stay in campgrounds with water hookups. However, as we get further north, we expect to spend some night in places without hookups. There having a working pump is necessary to have water. The repair place took us right in and went to work on the pump. While I was waiting, I heard them tell someone that they could schedule some work to be performed on an RV in about two weeks. Fortunately, most RV shops will do jobs right away for those who are on the road. They did get the pump working but we will try to schedule to get it replaced on down the road before we get too far north. After he finished the repair guy asked me, "Does she have a twin sister?" while looking at Leslie. I told him no. Later Leslie asked me what that was all about. I explained. Maybe this is just a guy thing.
I made reservation at a campground in Canmore while Leslie drove. Canmore is just on the south side of Banff National Park. The reservation is for two nights. The coming weekend is Victoria Day in Canada. I think that is when the celebrate national independence. That means that campgrounds will fill up this weekend. I called another campground in a place called Radium Hot Springs a short distance away in British Columbia and asked if I could get a reservation for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The woman laughed but then said, "Oh wait, we just had a cancellation" so we are set for the weekend. I have read several reviews of the campground for this weekend that say it is one of the most beautiful. And there are hot springs that you can go soak in. The campground in Canmore is very pretty with mountains all around. The are close enough that you look up to see the tops. Driving across Wyoming and Montana there is not too much to see so no point in taking your time. Now that we are in scenic country, we will slow down.