Assiniboine Provincial Park is simply fantastic! Nowhere in The Rockies have we found a place with such great variety in dayhiking – it just requires a tough backpack into the campsite at Magog Lake and then you have ridges, peaks, passes, and lakes to explore. There is also afternoon tea at the lodge.
We took advantage of the early snowmelt this year to head into Paradise Valley and up and over Sentinel Pass before Canada Day. Hiking here so early also means that you don’t have to worry about grizzly bears – later in the year there are hiking restrictions and your need to hike in a minimum group size. We also did an easy dayhike the following day – climbing Parker Ridge near to the Columbia Icefield – fantastic views of the Saskatchewan Glacier.
A major milestone – the big 40 for Andy. Luckily, we had lots of friends visiting from Vancouver, Copenhagen, Ireland, and Scotland. After the party we visited the badlands and the Royal Tyrell Museum and The Rockies.
A few days before we were due to leave for our second bike touring trip to Cuba, simultaneous new conferences from Raul Castro and Barack Obama announced a warming of relations between Cuba and the US. About time! We left with the feeling that the last chance to see the “old Cuba” is now.
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