Cantankerous Old Fart: 2012 Road Trip

4500 Kilometres- 2800 Miles - 11 Days - 2 People - 2 Saddle Bags - 1 Tail Bag

1 2004 Yamaha Roadstar 1700 Special Edition

More fun and enjoyment than you can count!!!

This incredible 11 day road trip through Alberta and British Columbia had so many highlights one post alone couldn't do it justice so I thought I would break it down for you should you decide to take a similar route.

Leg 1 - Calgary, Alberta to Golden, British Columbia

Distance - 274 Kilometres / 170 Miles

This was a short run, mostly because we didn't get away until well after lunch. The roads were great and traffic minimal. We made a stop in Banff for fuel and food and took some time to look around as Carole hadn't seen the town in a long, long time. Personally I think if you want to see Banff, save yourself the time and money, go down to your local high end shopping mall, add another 50% to the prices and toss in some tacky trinkets and voila - you have Banff.

Sure, there is some beautiful scenery but Banff is basically a marketing scar on the face of a beautiful mountain park.

Golden on the other hand is something quite different. It is obvious the years haven't worn well on what was once a bustling town but it still has an innate beauty to it. The work they have put into murals in the downtown, their pathway, and the timber frame bridge and park is fantastic. If you are going to go for a nice meal then you have to stop in The Island Restaurant. The people working in this restaurant were fantastic. The atmosphere wonderful. The food - absolutely incredible!!!! You don't want to miss this stop.