trisonic Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Tony, It's probably wise not to give anyone the finger whilst driving in Texas - they have very "liberal" gun laws down there. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted February 7, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 7, 2013 Tony, It's probably wise not to give anyone the finger whilst driving in Texas - they have very "liberal" gun laws down there. Best, Pete. I wouldn't do such a thing anyway, I learned to drive in Essex and we are known for our tolerance and courtesy while driving! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Not what I would have thought of. Very different they are, Texas and Tennessee. Somewhat regrettably, in the musical vein, Texas makes me think along the lines of "The Yellow Rose of...", or perhaps "The eyes of ..." (*) and even more regretably, somthing along the lines of "All my exes live in ...". I wasn't thinking that Texas and Tennessee were similar, or of something musical appropriate to Texas. It was more along the lines of "(Participating in a mode of locomotion) within (an American geographic entity)". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lakeview770 Posted February 10, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2013 The best advice I can give you is obey the move over laws . Andrew Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted February 10, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2013 The best advice I can give you is obey the move over laws . Andrew Thank you. I just looked to see if the rules in Texas differ from other states. I note they include tow trucks in the rules as well as other emergency vehicles. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted March 2, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 2, 2013 Thank you for all the advice. The only trauma was the Sat Nav coming unstuck from the windscreen one day on the way to the Model Rail show. Otherwise apart from driving in torrential (thunderstorm) rain in the dark it was fine. The solitary roundabout in the museum district of Houston seemed to cause more stress to the locals than it did to me. The speed limit on some Texas roads seemed to be higher than that in the UK. I found the standard of driving to be a lot less aggressive than in (at least compared to this area) the UK. We are now preparing for the trip at Easter to Calgary, Jasper and Banff. There will be driving though my wife has promised she really (unlike some holidays in the past) will do some this time. The Ford Focus was fine for Houston but we are getting something a bit bigger for the Canadian fortnight (not a Dodge Ram though!) Tony Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted March 2, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 2, 2013 Yes the Americans can't seem to get the hang of 'circles' (American for roundabout) except in New England where they seem to have plenty. The torrential rain reminds me of an occasion I drove from Midland to Fort Worth and just as we got to FW it was coming down in stair rods - you could barely see the car in front. Anyway the weather knocked out the satellite tv for while and you couldn't get The Weather channel. Anyway i though it was quite ironic that the weather meant you couldn't get the Weather Channel but Americans don't do irony either...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Smith Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 This is why some people (not me) have cable...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platform 6 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 We are now preparing for the trip at Easter to Calgary, Jasper and Banff. ..... The Ford Focus was fine for Houston but we are getting something a bit bigger for the Canadian fortnight (not a Dodge Ram though!) Hi Tony, Glad you made the trip safe and sound. I can attest that you may actually be better off with a Dodge RAM in Jasper - there's moose on the loose all over the show. And make sure you've had enough to drink walking back to your hotel - it helps with the courage when one appears just ahead on the sidewalk! Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted March 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2013 My wife is desperate to see a moose! All we saw were "Moose Crossing" signs in New England a few years ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted March 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2013 Thank you for all the advice. The solitary roundabout in the museum district of Houston seemed to cause more stress to the locals than it did to me. Tony Perhaps that's because YOU were going around in a clockwise direction! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 ... apart from driving in torrential (thunderstorm) rain in the dark it was fine. The torrential rain reminds me of an occasion I drove from Midland to Fort Worth and just as we got to FW it was coming down in stair rods - you could barely see the car in front.They don't call Texas downpours "frog chokers" for nothing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 We are now preparing for the trip at Easter to Calgary, Jasper and Banff.Bring your snow chains. (Just kidding, sort of.) Should be lovely. The Bow River valley is amazing. (I haven't made it to Jasper yet.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted March 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2013 Tony: Just outside Banff, on the old highway, is Morant's Curve. Nicholas Morant was CPR's photographer and that spot was the location for some of his most famous photos. I'm not sure exactly where it is ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Tony: Just outside Banff, on the old highway, is Morant's Curve. Nicholas Morant was CPR's photographer and that spot was the location for some of his most famous photos. I'm not sure exactly where it is ... It's at the left-hand bend (going north) in the Bow Valley Parkway in the middle of this map - http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=lake+louise,+AB&hl=en&ll=51.397813,-116.126003&spn=0.023027,0.061111&sll=51.086985,-115.346814&sspn=0.185462,0.488892&t=h&hnear=Lake+Louise,+Division+No.+15,+Alberta&z=14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted March 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2013 Tony: Just outside Banff, on the old highway, is Morant's Curve. Nicholas Morant was CPR's photographer and that spot was the location for some of his most famous photos. I'm not sure exactly where it is ... Some directions here. http://banffandbeyond.com/morants-curve-the-famous-spot-along-the-canadian-pacific-railway/ And while you're not far away, don't miss the Spiral Tunnel viewing tower near Field. Most important is to wait for the uphill train to come back towards you at a higher level. Most people disappear, once it passes them right to left just below them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted March 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2013 Tony: Just outside Banff, on the old highway, is Morant's Curve. Nicholas Morant was CPR's photographer and that spot was the location for some of his most famous photos. I'm not sure exactly where it is ... I wonder when those 2 fir trees are going to fall into the river, they seem to have been there forever? This photo shows one of them in 1964! http://www.morningsunbooks.com/library63.htm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelintrev Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Tony, The Bow River Parkway is an incredible drive, here's Morants Curve in September last year.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted March 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2013 There is also a back road from Lake Louise to Stevens on the south side of the line. It takes you past the summit/Continental Divide marker at Divide creek where the stream divides to both the Atlantic and the Pacific with the trains as a background. Also just further on there's a nice view across a lake from Highway 1. Hope you have a good time. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted March 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2013 There is also a back road from Lake Louise to Stevens on the south side of the line. It takes you past the summit/Continental Divide marker at Divide creek where the stream divides to both the Atlantic and the Pacific with the trains as a background. Also just further on there's a nice view across a lake from Highway 1. Hope you have a good time. Jamie I think I could sell that to my wife, continental watershed (her first degree was geography) and and by the way there may a train! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted March 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2013 Even if our son wasn't studying in Canada at the moment we would have gone to that part of Canada. When my wife was about 10 she used to sit in her Dad's waiting room ( he was a GP) reading the National Geographics or Look and Learn's planning all the places she would visit one day. Diocletian's palace got seen last summer and Lake Louise was on the list. I can remember when Matthew was little we were watching the "Busy Town" cartoon and two characters were in Lake Louise and my wife told us we too would go "one day". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted March 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2013 I think I could sell that to my wife, continental watershed (her first degree was geography) and and by the way there may a train! We stayed at Lake louise for a few days on out honymoon (In the days when I had dark hair) and even SWMBO was impressed by a 15,000 ton coal train with 3 sets of locos rollinbg past at Divide Creek. We also saw a porcupine in the woods nearby. I'll try and scan a couple of my slides. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted March 4, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 4, 2013 Two lesser known but possibly prettier lakes in the area: Morraine Lake and Emerald Lake. If you can find them, the booklets Canadian Pacific in the Rockies have very good pictures and maps. First 3 volumes are exceptional. Published many years ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewC Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Two lesser known but possibly prettier lakes in the area: Morraine Lake and Emerald Lake. If you can find them, the booklets Canadian Pacific in the Rockies have very good pictures and maps. First 3 volumes are exceptional. Published many years ago. I can second that. Moraine Lake is probably the prettiest area in Banff Park. I used to kayak there a lot in my younger days. Mainly because the condition of the dirt track of a road kept the tourists away. Haven't been there in years though. I hope the road is in better condition than it used to be. The author and owner of the BRMNA books, Don Bain passed away a few years ago. Its doubtful these will ever be reprinted as nobody seems interested in them. Some of the later authors he published are looking at alternatives as opposed to reviving the publishing group. So...... if you spot any of the CP in the Rockies series, snap them up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted March 4, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 4, 2013 Matthew sent us photos from his trip to Moraine Lake last September. So I am sure we will visit it. Google view of the road now Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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