Things didn't get a whole lot more aggressive the next morning, when we drove along the Trans-Canada to Banff. Again the mileage was short, just 120 miles. We stopped at the Cochrane Ranche Provincial Historic Site, which marks the location of Alberta's first ranch, established in 1881. Normally, I would never have taken the time to seek out a place like Falkridge or to veer off the highway and wander through the ruins of an ill-fated ranch. But those two simple experiences added inestimably to the trip. They sparked conversation. That all-important road-trip bond between those in the car was strengthened. Calene and I were not just powering across Canada, gazing out the window and pulling over now and then to ogle something spectacular - we were investing ourselves in the landscape and the culture. We were investing ourselves in the journey, in a way that merely opening a map and aiming the car down the highway could never accomplish. All it took was a personal mandate to make the journey, not the destination, the road trip's focal point - as it should be.

PLAN OUTDOOR TIME
My idea of outdoor time during a road trip normally revolves around gas stops and rest stops. Preferably, they are the same thing. But on the most mythic road trips, you need to build time into each drive for play. (Think, for instance, of On the Road.) Which is why, over lunch, we perused a list of outdoor activities in Banff. Banff is a ski town in the winter and a tourist attraction all year, thanks to its artsy and welcoming feel. Its annual film festival is world renowned. The Bow River, which is a deep blue color due to a preponderance of glacial flour, runs through town, adding the tranquil vibe that accompanies running water.