Good morning!! We're west of Calgary about 20 miles on the Bow Ridge river (nice campground). Yesterday was a bit less than perfect.

Got on the road fairly early yesterday morning, and made it to the Canadian border just after lunch. The winds were 50 mph out of the west by the time we got north of the border, and driving the big rig got a lot more difficult. While I had taken the easy shift in the morning, Jeff took over for the border crossing and wind navigation.

Shortly after crossing the border, we had our first mechanical problem. An awning that protects one of the slide outs from rain got caught by the wind, was fully pulled out, and stuck while we were driving. We pulled over and ultimately duct taped the awning to keep it from whipping around and tearing, and were able to proceed. Should have had the camera out. I went up the road to make sure cars would be cautious and pull around. Gus was supporting Jeff and what he needed from the ground. And Jeff was on top of the motorhome on the Canadian prairie in 50 mph winds thinking he was one of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk. Maybe it's a good thing no one thought about the camera! But everyone did their part, and soon we were moving again.

We stopped at a visitors center south of Calgary (in Claresholm: picture above), and ran into a wonderful lady who helped us find a virtual library of materials on Alberta, maps, and things to do while we are staying in Banff. If you have the opportunity, stop.....she is wonderful!!!!

Gus got the last driving shift of the day, and once again he got stuck with the worse. Our GPS system would up taking us down the city streets of Calgary, while at the same time battling the winds, rain, and road construction. Now trying doing that with a 43 ft motorhome pulling a Tahoe! He did a marvelous job, but he did need a Jack or two once we arrived. Kudo's, Gus!!

Well, better get back to help the guys on vehicle repairs. We are going to try to get our awning fixed up this morning, then take the Tahoe up into the mountains for a little scenery and hiking adventure. By the way, it's about 45 degrees here West of Calgary, and we are told we will run into snow today........

Tim