We stayed at the Bumpers Inn in Banff, Alberta, CA our third night on the road. Nice place, clean rooms, NO AIR CONDITIONING.

A little rain this morning and some of the team members were ready to pack it in and take a bus. Do buses go to the Arctic Circle?

More new friends. This is Margery and Alan from the UK. They were lovely folks and Margery was ready to hop on the bikes and ride with us. They were thrilled to hear that their picture would be on our web site. They said their grand children would help them logon to www.epilcher.com/alaska to see themselves. Air Wick said Margery gave him a little pinch just as the picture was taken. That explains his expression. Air Wick says every pinch counts.

Waldo continues his job search. Here he is demonstrating his agility, even though he is not using proper lifting techniques.

Waldo got a temporary night job as the desk clerk at the Bumpers Inn.

By the next morning, Waldo had moved on to yet another part time job as the cookie chef at the Husky filling station. His co-workers, Marjorie and Emanualle (both from Quebec) made him feel right at home. Check out those great cookies!

Lined up and ready to ride through Banff National Park. On your mark, get set, GO!

Our first verifiable wildlife sighting (K&G, there is no way you get credit for the moose. We must have photographic proof).

K&G and Windbreaker enjoying the view of Lake Louise.

Suck it in guys. This is possibly the most beautiful place on the planet.

Work, work, work. Here are Big Bird and Air Wick searching for a Wi-Fi signal.

We met up with two yodelers, and also two guys that work at the hotel.

Work, work, work. Thanks, Tetsuya for helping us get online so we could upload that day's pictures. Now you're famous.

Big Bird showing the hotel staff what the web site looks like.

EyeGottaGo spots Debra, The Harp Angel passing through the lobby of the Chateau at Lake Louise. Having a special fondness for angels, he pursues and she shows him her harp...

K&G not to be outdone, also gets a private plucking lesson. Looks like harps make K&G happy ...

Great hospitality at the Chateau Lake Louise as Nicole shares a bit of history with the guys. These Canadians are so friendly....Canadians make K&G happy too.

They have plenty of these; they'll never miss just one.

Not sure what is going on here...not sure we want to know...

K&G checks for a signal.

EyeGottaGo takes a break....

Hey, this water is warmer than I expected....

But it has a nice flavor to it....

Airwick demonstrating his company's products...always the salesman...see, it removes bugs!

Lunch break in Saskatchewan River Crossing, Alberta. The meal was terrific, but expensive.

We finally found a girl that would sit on a Big Bird's bike. Just off the Japanese tour bus and feeling a little homesick, the Honda made her feel right at home. Like elephant rides at the carnival, Big Bird was charging a small fee to sit on his bike. So far, he has made 1 yen (how many Looneys is that).

When 29 year old Wenona heard The Oil Sheik was traveling with us, she wanted a ride (those Canadian girls sure play rough). Hang on tight Wenona.

Hours later, his smile is still obvious, even through his helmet. He kept his helmet on the rest of the day   so no one could see his bruised ears. "Hey Waldo, is Helen going to see that picture?"

Waldo finds another opportunity, but doesn't even make it through the first day after one slight misstep.

But not to worry, Air Wick lends a helping hand with Waldo's shoe, demonstrating that DW Davies products work on anything, including dog poop.

This gang looks a little confused.....were we supposed to turn back back there?  When in trouble, Gary calls Jody at work...."Jody....help us!"   (Jody, if you're reading this, make sure that you send out that "banner" to stretch over the Arctic Circle sign).

Waldo's tail pipe is sagging (yours would be too after 2300 miles) so a little maintenance is required.  Hey Waldo, are those Harley boots?

We hit some road construction, and Waldo, ever the opportunist, decides to try his hand in a new field.  Always concerned for our safety, it seemed like a natural fit and Candace was able to train Waldo in less than two hours....."Stop...Slow...Stop...Slow"

A careful ride over loose gravel....how many miles of this stuff ahead of us?

After a strategy meeting/pep talk at the end of the day....we decided we've had enough, and pulled up a little short in Grande Prairie, 80 miles shy of our original destination.  Too many photo shoots and the beauty of Lake Louise delayed us in the morning.  There's always tomorrow.

The following series are just great pictures from our day's ride.  Another great day of even better riding through Banff and Jasper National Parks on the "Ice Field Parkway".

Dinner tonight was at Mario's, an Italian place next door to the hotel, where their motto is....."Sorry, but we're out of that!"  "Who ever heard of a place running out of beer at only 10:00 at night?  Totto, I don't think that we're in Kansas anymore".  

Tomorrow ... we head for Dawson Creek, BC, CA and ride the ALCAN Highway.

This is a special note to Carrie from Uncle Jeff:
No sign of polar bears yet. Some of us saw a small black bear in the woods (I did not see it). I did see a white cow yesterday. Does that count? Our chances of seeing one will get better as we travel farther North. I'll take a picture of one if we see any. Keep checking here every day. Can I still be your favorite uncle even I don't see any polar bears?