From... to... Route
Lewiston ID to Lolo MT US 12 East
Lolo MT to Missoula US 12/US 93
Missoula to Bonner US 12/US 93
Bonner to Clearwater Jct SR 200 East
Clearwater Jct to Bigfork SR 83 North
Bigfork to Kalispell SR 35 to SR 82
Kalispell to Whitefish SR 40 to 40/US 93
Whitefish to W Glacier 40/93 to US 2
W Glacier to St. Mary US 2
St. Mary to Canadian border US 89 to SR 17
Chief Mt. to Pincher Station PR 6
Pincher Station to Elko PR 3
Elko to Radium PR 3/93 to 93/95
Radium to Castle Junction PR 93
Castle Junction to Banff PR 1A
Banff to Kananaskis to Banff Hwy 1 & PR 40
Banff to Lake Louise PR 1A
Lake Louise to Jasper PR 93
Monday, August 17, 1998
What roads did I take?
In case any of you want to follow along on maps - or in case you want to do all or part of this trip, here's a summary of the roads that I took. I've listed town names to help with the context.
Home: a bit of culture shock
Home again...
Funny transportation to the airport story: I took a van from the hotel to the airport in Edmonton. The van driver took one look at my bike box and informed me that it wouldn't fit in the van. I was pretty amazed by her statement, since it fits in my car, and I drive a small Saturn! I told the driver that I would put the bike box in the van, and of course had no problems doing so. I think she was just afraid that something the size of a bike box would be too heavy to lift, which of course it wasn't!
It's hard to believe that I'm really home again. It took a little getting used to staying in one place and sleeping inside after 30 days of moving almost every day. When I arrived home I was more comfortable sleeping in a tent than I was in my house. That feeling disappeared in time. Getting back to the reality of working made me think about what it would take to take some time off to travel. One of my dream trips is a cross-country trip, and since it's not likely that I'll be able to convince an employer to let me take 3 months off, I know that I'll need to be ready to quit my job. 3 months? And if I'm going to take that long, what about extending it to a year? It's something to think about. Someday...
I finally had the answer to the question everyone kept asking me. I lost 10 pounds (that I didn't really need to lose) on my trip. I thought that I was eating enough. In fact, I felt like I was eating all day. But I was burning a lot of calories. When I went to get dressed for work that first day back, I was very glad for belts! I did get back to my normal weight, but it took a couple of months. My goal for the next trip is to eat more!
I had a good laugh when I finally arrived at the office after a month off. I thought it was odd that the door to my office was closed, and I'm really sorry that I didn't have my camera with me that day. One of my colleagues had decorated my office for my return. She had borrowed stuffed animals and toys from everyone, and they were all partying in my office - open (root) beer bottles, junk food, and streamers. There wasn't even room on my desk for my computer! The party was hosted by my red dog Rover - who even left a message saying that he didn't expect me back so soon, and that he really meant to clean up!
Even though I'd like to keep going, I am home - and now it's time to dream and to plan my next trip.
Funny transportation to the airport story: I took a van from the hotel to the airport in Edmonton. The van driver took one look at my bike box and informed me that it wouldn't fit in the van. I was pretty amazed by her statement, since it fits in my car, and I drive a small Saturn! I told the driver that I would put the bike box in the van, and of course had no problems doing so. I think she was just afraid that something the size of a bike box would be too heavy to lift, which of course it wasn't!
It's hard to believe that I'm really home again. It took a little getting used to staying in one place and sleeping inside after 30 days of moving almost every day. When I arrived home I was more comfortable sleeping in a tent than I was in my house. That feeling disappeared in time. Getting back to the reality of working made me think about what it would take to take some time off to travel. One of my dream trips is a cross-country trip, and since it's not likely that I'll be able to convince an employer to let me take 3 months off, I know that I'll need to be ready to quit my job. 3 months? And if I'm going to take that long, what about extending it to a year? It's something to think about. Someday...
I finally had the answer to the question everyone kept asking me. I lost 10 pounds (that I didn't really need to lose) on my trip. I thought that I was eating enough. In fact, I felt like I was eating all day. But I was burning a lot of calories. When I went to get dressed for work that first day back, I was very glad for belts! I did get back to my normal weight, but it took a couple of months. My goal for the next trip is to eat more!
I had a good laugh when I finally arrived at the office after a month off. I thought it was odd that the door to my office was closed, and I'm really sorry that I didn't have my camera with me that day. One of my colleagues had decorated my office for my return. She had borrowed stuffed animals and toys from everyone, and they were all partying in my office - open (root) beer bottles, junk food, and streamers. There wasn't even room on my desk for my computer! The party was hosted by my red dog Rover - who even left a message saying that he didn't expect me back so soon, and that he really meant to clean up!
Even though I'd like to keep going, I am home - and now it's time to dream and to plan my next trip.
Tuesday, August 11, 1998
Alberta: Mt. Kerkeslin to Jasper, then on to Edmonton
I left camp at 7:20 this morning. I probably could have left with the group, but I wanted to be able to find a bike box and pack the bike without feeling rushed. I packed it myself to come on this trip, but I did it at the bike shop with a mechanic by my side. This was my first "solo pack".
It was a pleasant ride into Jasper. I stayed on 93 as opposed to taking 93A. Both the Backroads leaders and my Adventure Cycling maps recommended taking 93A, but I've found that the "A" roads, although they are billed as less traveled and more scenic - seem less scenic to me because they tend to be heavily wooded.
I pulled into Jasper at 9am and found Freewheel Cycle. They provided a box and some packing materials, and let me borrow a repair stand and tools. I was pretty happy since the only thing I needed help with was removing the pedals. (Yes, I do know which direction the wrench goes to remove them, but I just couldn't budge them. I'm pretty strong, but small - so maybe I can blame that on my size!) I packed the bike and moved everything from the panniers into a duffel bag. I noticed a laundromat with showers down the street, so I left everything at the bike shop and went for a shower. It took me 2 trips to carry everything to the train station. It was only 3 blocks - but in hindsight I really should have called a taxi! The bike shop would have shipped the bike for me, but they didn't have any of the required customs paperwork. Better for me to take it on the plane with me. After I checked my luggage I had a couple of hours before the train to wander around Jasper and to get some lunch.
My options getting to an airport from Jasper were to take a bus to Calgary, or take the train to Edmonton. (There may have been a bus to Edmonton too - I just didn't check once I found out about the train.) I'm glad I decided to take the train. It just feels so much more civilized than a bus. There is room to walk around, decent bathrooms, and a dining car. We're about an hour into the ride now. We started out in the high mountains, but we just went through a tunnel and are now passing through much different terrain. The mountains are now visible only in the distance behind us. It's a long train - much longer than the Boston - New York - Washington trains that I am used to seeing. There are 3 classes of service, which makes sense given that this is a transcontinental train that runs from Vancouver to Toronto. I'm in coach, which had a much better price than the other classes of service. I think the next two classes both have sleeper cars - but I really don't need anything other than a seat since this is a relatively short trip.
It was a 5 hour train ride into Edmonton. I retrieved my bike and duffel bag, and took a taxi to my hotel. I'm staying downtown. I did some walking around, and picked up a sandwich at an interesting restaurant. But with the exception of a couple of restaurants, it looks like this place pretty much closes up at 5pm.
Back to Boston tomorrow... it's going to be quite a culture shop after spending a month playing outdoors!
Now I just need to figure out where my next bike trip will be...
It was a pleasant ride into Jasper. I stayed on 93 as opposed to taking 93A. Both the Backroads leaders and my Adventure Cycling maps recommended taking 93A, but I've found that the "A" roads, although they are billed as less traveled and more scenic - seem less scenic to me because they tend to be heavily wooded.
I pulled into Jasper at 9am and found Freewheel Cycle. They provided a box and some packing materials, and let me borrow a repair stand and tools. I was pretty happy since the only thing I needed help with was removing the pedals. (Yes, I do know which direction the wrench goes to remove them, but I just couldn't budge them. I'm pretty strong, but small - so maybe I can blame that on my size!) I packed the bike and moved everything from the panniers into a duffel bag. I noticed a laundromat with showers down the street, so I left everything at the bike shop and went for a shower. It took me 2 trips to carry everything to the train station. It was only 3 blocks - but in hindsight I really should have called a taxi! The bike shop would have shipped the bike for me, but they didn't have any of the required customs paperwork. Better for me to take it on the plane with me. After I checked my luggage I had a couple of hours before the train to wander around Jasper and to get some lunch.
My options getting to an airport from Jasper were to take a bus to Calgary, or take the train to Edmonton. (There may have been a bus to Edmonton too - I just didn't check once I found out about the train.) I'm glad I decided to take the train. It just feels so much more civilized than a bus. There is room to walk around, decent bathrooms, and a dining car. We're about an hour into the ride now. We started out in the high mountains, but we just went through a tunnel and are now passing through much different terrain. The mountains are now visible only in the distance behind us. It's a long train - much longer than the Boston - New York - Washington trains that I am used to seeing. There are 3 classes of service, which makes sense given that this is a transcontinental train that runs from Vancouver to Toronto. I'm in coach, which had a much better price than the other classes of service. I think the next two classes both have sleeper cars - but I really don't need anything other than a seat since this is a relatively short trip.
It was a 5 hour train ride into Edmonton. I retrieved my bike and duffel bag, and took a taxi to my hotel. I'm staying downtown. I did some walking around, and picked up a sandwich at an interesting restaurant. But with the exception of a couple of restaurants, it looks like this place pretty much closes up at 5pm.
Back to Boston tomorrow... it's going to be quite a culture shop after spending a month playing outdoors!
Now I just need to figure out where my next bike trip will be...
Alberta: Waterfowl to Mt. Kerkeslin campground
Great ride day, interesting people day.
Had a conversation with Helen this morning. She and her tentmate just aren't getting along. In fact, when Helen tries to talk to her, she either looks the other way or walks away. We were sharing a campsite, and I asked her how she was doing as we were both taking down our tents. (I've continued to use my own tent, which I'd arranged to do when I signed up for the trip. That was a good thing, since I've come to like my small but comfortable home away from home.) Helen asked for my advice on how to deal with her tentmate. Unfortunately I couldn't come up with any solutions, but I did suggest that she hang out with me in camp. I have a difficult time understanding why someone would sign up for a trip like this when they clearly don't like being around other people. I know that I tend to be somewhat of a loner. I also know that I am different and tend to "march to my own drummer" - but when I come on a trip like this I do it to see new places, meet new people, and generally explore.
Back to the ride. A challenging day, starting with some down and flats. We rolled through Saskatchewan River Crossing, which is at the intersection of Icefield Parkway and Highway 11 heading to the east. There is a big visitor center / gift store there - right in the middle of nowhere. A good place for a rest room stop! Then about a third of the way through the day's ride we started up Sunwapta Pass. Just before the uphill started, I stopped for a brief rest and some food. Just as I was turning back onto the road I saw a horse van with a window in the side. It appeared that the horse was standing diagonally in the van, and he was riding with his head out the window. That made me laugh! Unfortunately, it happened too fast for me to grab a photo.
Just as the uphill started, you could see the bottom 1/2 to 1/3 of the pass - an uphill heading to the left at about a 6% grade. This was followed by a flat section and a turn to the right, then a section of 8 to 10% grade. After that it eased up a bit but continued uphill. It was about a 6 mile hill. I was very glad not to have my panniers on the steep part. I believe I still would have been able to ride it, but it would have taken me much longer. As it was it took me about an hour to do the hill. I think it was the 2nd hardest pass on the trip. I still think that Logan Pass was the hardest.
I stopped at the visitor center at Columbia Ice Fields. The wind up there was very cold - cooling the temperature as it blows across the ice. The visitor center could have been fascinating but was pretty gross because of the hordes of people. Grant's description of it as "like an airport" was apt. The visitor center is up on a hill, overlooking the ice field on the other side of the road. I took a quick look around, then joined part of the group at a picnic table outside for lunch. Had to put on my layers while I was sitting there, but they came off again as soon as I started riding.
I'll need to come back here again, and stay either at the hotel at the visitor center or at the campground just up the road from here. I've been told that the visitor center totally empties out by about 5pm, but it stays open. ( I did return to the visitor center in the fall of 2000 during a hiking trip. In fact, a few of the pictures above are from my 2000 hiking trip, not the 1998 bike trip... I stayed at the hotel at the visitor center for one night, so I had the opportunity to browse through the exhibits at the visitor center without hordes of people around, and more importantly to watch the light changes over the ice field at sunset and sunrise - beautiful. There's a campground just up the road too, so access to this beautiful place is available in the quiet part of the day to folks who don't want to spend the money for a hotel room.)
Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield outside of the polar regions. The melt water from it feeds 3 oceans. It is considered to be one of 2 hydrologic apexes in the world (the other is in Siberia), with rivers out of the glacier feeding the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans.
The visitor center is at mile 44 of today's ride, 43 more to go. Luckily the rest of the ride was mostly downhill and flat, since there was a headwind on a good part of it.
We're at a fairly primitive campground tonight. There was a hand pump for water, and pit toilets. I attempted to bathe in the river, which wasn't a great idea because it was very cold (glacial) and full of silt!
Lasagna for dinner - my favorite. After dinner, our fearless Backroads leaders asked each of us to play "show and tell" - they wanted to see one item that each of us had brought with us on the trip that we didn't use. Their was an interesting assortment - from razors, to plastic bags in place of raingear (that person would have been in deep trouble if it had rained!). Mine was my Patagonia Puffball pullover (a synthetic fill jacket that stuffs into it's own pocket). I bought the jacket for this trip when I was trying to find something warm but light for the cold evenings & nights at Glacier and here that just didn't happen. I don't regret bringing it with me - I really thought that I would need it!
I put the panniers back on the bike for my ride to Jasper tomorrow. Most of the group is going rafting in the morning. There are a couple of people who plan to ride, but I want to get an earlier start since I need to pack my bike before catching the train in Jasper.
Had a conversation with Helen this morning. She and her tentmate just aren't getting along. In fact, when Helen tries to talk to her, she either looks the other way or walks away. We were sharing a campsite, and I asked her how she was doing as we were both taking down our tents. (I've continued to use my own tent, which I'd arranged to do when I signed up for the trip. That was a good thing, since I've come to like my small but comfortable home away from home.) Helen asked for my advice on how to deal with her tentmate. Unfortunately I couldn't come up with any solutions, but I did suggest that she hang out with me in camp. I have a difficult time understanding why someone would sign up for a trip like this when they clearly don't like being around other people. I know that I tend to be somewhat of a loner. I also know that I am different and tend to "march to my own drummer" - but when I come on a trip like this I do it to see new places, meet new people, and generally explore.
Back to the ride. A challenging day, starting with some down and flats. We rolled through Saskatchewan River Crossing, which is at the intersection of Icefield Parkway and Highway 11 heading to the east. There is a big visitor center / gift store there - right in the middle of nowhere. A good place for a rest room stop! Then about a third of the way through the day's ride we started up Sunwapta Pass. Just before the uphill started, I stopped for a brief rest and some food. Just as I was turning back onto the road I saw a horse van with a window in the side. It appeared that the horse was standing diagonally in the van, and he was riding with his head out the window. That made me laugh! Unfortunately, it happened too fast for me to grab a photo.
Just as the uphill started, you could see the bottom 1/2 to 1/3 of the pass - an uphill heading to the left at about a 6% grade. This was followed by a flat section and a turn to the right, then a section of 8 to 10% grade. After that it eased up a bit but continued uphill. It was about a 6 mile hill. I was very glad not to have my panniers on the steep part. I believe I still would have been able to ride it, but it would have taken me much longer. As it was it took me about an hour to do the hill. I think it was the 2nd hardest pass on the trip. I still think that Logan Pass was the hardest.
I stopped at the visitor center at Columbia Ice Fields. The wind up there was very cold - cooling the temperature as it blows across the ice. The visitor center could have been fascinating but was pretty gross because of the hordes of people. Grant's description of it as "like an airport" was apt. The visitor center is up on a hill, overlooking the ice field on the other side of the road. I took a quick look around, then joined part of the group at a picnic table outside for lunch. Had to put on my layers while I was sitting there, but they came off again as soon as I started riding.
I'll need to come back here again, and stay either at the hotel at the visitor center or at the campground just up the road from here. I've been told that the visitor center totally empties out by about 5pm, but it stays open. ( I did return to the visitor center in the fall of 2000 during a hiking trip. In fact, a few of the pictures above are from my 2000 hiking trip, not the 1998 bike trip... I stayed at the hotel at the visitor center for one night, so I had the opportunity to browse through the exhibits at the visitor center without hordes of people around, and more importantly to watch the light changes over the ice field at sunset and sunrise - beautiful. There's a campground just up the road too, so access to this beautiful place is available in the quiet part of the day to folks who don't want to spend the money for a hotel room.)
Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield outside of the polar regions. The melt water from it feeds 3 oceans. It is considered to be one of 2 hydrologic apexes in the world (the other is in Siberia), with rivers out of the glacier feeding the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans.
The visitor center is at mile 44 of today's ride, 43 more to go. Luckily the rest of the ride was mostly downhill and flat, since there was a headwind on a good part of it.
We're at a fairly primitive campground tonight. There was a hand pump for water, and pit toilets. I attempted to bathe in the river, which wasn't a great idea because it was very cold (glacial) and full of silt!
Lasagna for dinner - my favorite. After dinner, our fearless Backroads leaders asked each of us to play "show and tell" - they wanted to see one item that each of us had brought with us on the trip that we didn't use. Their was an interesting assortment - from razors, to plastic bags in place of raingear (that person would have been in deep trouble if it had rained!). Mine was my Patagonia Puffball pullover (a synthetic fill jacket that stuffs into it's own pocket). I bought the jacket for this trip when I was trying to find something warm but light for the cold evenings & nights at Glacier and here that just didn't happen. I don't regret bringing it with me - I really thought that I would need it!
I put the panniers back on the bike for my ride to Jasper tomorrow. Most of the group is going rafting in the morning. There are a couple of people who plan to ride, but I want to get an earlier start since I need to pack my bike before catching the train in Jasper.
Monday, August 10, 1998
Alberta: Lake Louise to Waterfowl Campground
We woke to clear skies this morning. The smoke from the fires in BC has finally disappeared. Hopefully that means that the fires are under control.
We had a visitor at breakfast. I'm sure this bird thought that he could supplement his diet with some people food!
I repeated yesterday's trip across Kicking Horse Pass, but opted not to go out to the spiral tunnels again with Craig. I'm glad I stuck with the regular long option today the distance was enough for once!
Icefield Parkway seems to get more beautiful as we ride north. The ride today started in the trees. The beginning of Icefield Parkway wasn't spectacular because it was so tree-lined you couldn't see the mountains. It started to open up by Hector Lake - and turned absolutely beautiful. The clear skies definitely help too.
Bow Summit wasn't a bad hill, but we had a wicked headwind almost all of the way up. The last 12 miles of the ride were downhill, which was really nice in spite of the very rough road surface. The section from Bow Lake up to the summit was pretty amazing. Comparing parks I think Glacier / Waterton is still my favorite. But this one is getting nicer as we move further into it.
I stopped just after Bow Summit at the Peyto Lake overlook. There were two sets of parking lots - one for cars which was away from the actual overlook, and one for buses which was right next to the overlook. I guess the assumption is that there are less fit individuals riding the buses (but who knows?!). I left my bike locked to a fence in the car parking lot, then walked uphill to the overlook, of course in my stiff biking shoes. Not the best shoes for hiking but I was too lazy to carry a 2nd pair of shoes on the bike for the odd short walk. I've been riding with a single pannier to hold extra layers, food for the day, tools, etc. I took the pannier with me on my walk, since I'd been warned about the birds that hang out in this area. It seems that the birds will go into anything to get food, and while I wouldn't mind so much if they figured out how to properly open the panniers, I didn't want them poking a hole in it! Anyway, back to the lake... it was a steep but short uphill walk to the overlook. Peyto Lake is an absolute gem. It's a stunning color of blue, the gift of glacial silt. The overlook is so high above the lake that you can see the streams coming from the glacier into the lake.
It's been interesting watching group dynamics and riding. There are several of us who are very comfortable riding alone, but there seem to be big groups who are either making sure there is someone with them at all times, or making plans to meet for breaks at specific spots. I find it interesting partially because I've always been comfortable riding alone. I am much more comfortable going at my own pace than trying to ride at someone else's pace, regardless of whether the other person's pace is faster or slower. I am enjoying having people to talk to in the evenings and when I take a break from riding, but I've developed the habit of talking to total strangers whenever I stop. That was from my 3 weeks on my own. I haven't stopped that habit since I joined the group. It's definitely a good way to learn about other people.
I noticed tonight that being in a large group is starting to be a bit wearing. I shouldn't be surprised. Even when I was on my own and sharing campsites and dinners, it was good to be totally on my own every couple of nights. I've retired to my tent early (9pm, not that early for me) to write and to read for a while before sleeping.
We had a visitor at breakfast. I'm sure this bird thought that he could supplement his diet with some people food!
I repeated yesterday's trip across Kicking Horse Pass, but opted not to go out to the spiral tunnels again with Craig. I'm glad I stuck with the regular long option today the distance was enough for once!
Icefield Parkway seems to get more beautiful as we ride north. The ride today started in the trees. The beginning of Icefield Parkway wasn't spectacular because it was so tree-lined you couldn't see the mountains. It started to open up by Hector Lake - and turned absolutely beautiful. The clear skies definitely help too.
Bow Summit wasn't a bad hill, but we had a wicked headwind almost all of the way up. The last 12 miles of the ride were downhill, which was really nice in spite of the very rough road surface. The section from Bow Lake up to the summit was pretty amazing. Comparing parks I think Glacier / Waterton is still my favorite. But this one is getting nicer as we move further into it.
I stopped just after Bow Summit at the Peyto Lake overlook. There were two sets of parking lots - one for cars which was away from the actual overlook, and one for buses which was right next to the overlook. I guess the assumption is that there are less fit individuals riding the buses (but who knows?!). I left my bike locked to a fence in the car parking lot, then walked uphill to the overlook, of course in my stiff biking shoes. Not the best shoes for hiking but I was too lazy to carry a 2nd pair of shoes on the bike for the odd short walk. I've been riding with a single pannier to hold extra layers, food for the day, tools, etc. I took the pannier with me on my walk, since I'd been warned about the birds that hang out in this area. It seems that the birds will go into anything to get food, and while I wouldn't mind so much if they figured out how to properly open the panniers, I didn't want them poking a hole in it! Anyway, back to the lake... it was a steep but short uphill walk to the overlook. Peyto Lake is an absolute gem. It's a stunning color of blue, the gift of glacial silt. The overlook is so high above the lake that you can see the streams coming from the glacier into the lake.
It's been interesting watching group dynamics and riding. There are several of us who are very comfortable riding alone, but there seem to be big groups who are either making sure there is someone with them at all times, or making plans to meet for breaks at specific spots. I find it interesting partially because I've always been comfortable riding alone. I am much more comfortable going at my own pace than trying to ride at someone else's pace, regardless of whether the other person's pace is faster or slower. I am enjoying having people to talk to in the evenings and when I take a break from riding, but I've developed the habit of talking to total strangers whenever I stop. That was from my 3 weeks on my own. I haven't stopped that habit since I joined the group. It's definitely a good way to learn about other people.
I noticed tonight that being in a large group is starting to be a bit wearing. I shouldn't be surprised. Even when I was on my own and sharing campsites and dinners, it was good to be totally on my own every couple of nights. I've retired to my tent early (9pm, not that early for me) to write and to read for a while before sleeping.
Sunday, August 9, 1998
Alberta: Lake Louise loops
It was pretty cold last night. I think I'm finally seeing some normal weather here! It was really hard to peel myself out of the sleeping bag this morning. I had a lot of layers on at breakfast, but it was quite warm once the sun hit.
I decided to ride and not hike today. I started by riding up to Moraine Lake. I stood by the lake and talked with Steve for a while. It's a pretty popular place. The parking lot was wall to wall cars. The lake is gorgeous, and an amazing shade of blue. Next I headed to Lake Louise. The walkways along the "close-in" part of the lake were absolutely mobbed with people, but I'm sure once you start hiking any distance that it would clear out. This lake is an amazing color too - different from Moraine Lake, but they are both pretty. I took some pictures, but I doubt if the pictures will do it justice.
I rode over Kicking Horse Pass to the Spiral Tunnels. It was interesting ride down because of a very strong headwind. I'm really glad I went over there. Yoho Valley is gorgeous. I think I could actually spend more time exploring there, which means that I'm going to have to come back again. I didn't see a train in the tunnels, but the exhibit was interesting. I stayed there for a good 45 minutes, no train. Since I didn't know the freight train schedule, I figured it was time to leave. The spiral tunnels were built to "fix" a problem they were having with trains - the engines (boilers) were blowing up going uphill, and trains were derailing going downhill - because of the steep grade. The solution was a spiral tunnel to cut the grade. If there is a train going through you can see it going into one end of the tunnel and coming out of the other (at the same time).
It was an easy ride back to Lake Louise from the tunnel viewpoint. I was the first one back in camp - not too surprising because everyone else was going hiking and canoeing. I feel pretty good that I was able to conjure up longer riding options for myself on the two short mileage days. Hiking just didn't appeal to me today, and I really feel like I had a rest - and an easy day - in spite of the 42 miles. I've been pretty careful about letting the Backroads leaders know where I'd be so they wouldn't think they'd lost me, and they don't have a problem with my wandering.
A little red squirrel just came over to me - he stood up and looked at me. When I asked him what he wanted and told him I wasn't going to feed him people food, he turned around and went the other way. (Yes, I do talk to animals!)
It's been interesting being with a group but still doing my own thing. There are a couple of other people in the group who seem to be avid cyclists - but they aren't up to the same level of intensity or drive that I am. Except for Craig, who is too intense even for me! But people have been really nice, and it's been good to have a built-in group of people to talk to.
I decided to ride and not hike today. I started by riding up to Moraine Lake. I stood by the lake and talked with Steve for a while. It's a pretty popular place. The parking lot was wall to wall cars. The lake is gorgeous, and an amazing shade of blue. Next I headed to Lake Louise. The walkways along the "close-in" part of the lake were absolutely mobbed with people, but I'm sure once you start hiking any distance that it would clear out. This lake is an amazing color too - different from Moraine Lake, but they are both pretty. I took some pictures, but I doubt if the pictures will do it justice.
I rode over Kicking Horse Pass to the Spiral Tunnels. It was interesting ride down because of a very strong headwind. I'm really glad I went over there. Yoho Valley is gorgeous. I think I could actually spend more time exploring there, which means that I'm going to have to come back again. I didn't see a train in the tunnels, but the exhibit was interesting. I stayed there for a good 45 minutes, no train. Since I didn't know the freight train schedule, I figured it was time to leave. The spiral tunnels were built to "fix" a problem they were having with trains - the engines (boilers) were blowing up going uphill, and trains were derailing going downhill - because of the steep grade. The solution was a spiral tunnel to cut the grade. If there is a train going through you can see it going into one end of the tunnel and coming out of the other (at the same time).
It was an easy ride back to Lake Louise from the tunnel viewpoint. I was the first one back in camp - not too surprising because everyone else was going hiking and canoeing. I feel pretty good that I was able to conjure up longer riding options for myself on the two short mileage days. Hiking just didn't appeal to me today, and I really feel like I had a rest - and an easy day - in spite of the 42 miles. I've been pretty careful about letting the Backroads leaders know where I'd be so they wouldn't think they'd lost me, and they don't have a problem with my wandering.
A little red squirrel just came over to me - he stood up and looked at me. When I asked him what he wanted and told him I wasn't going to feed him people food, he turned around and went the other way. (Yes, I do talk to animals!)
It's been interesting being with a group but still doing my own thing. There are a couple of other people in the group who seem to be avid cyclists - but they aren't up to the same level of intensity or drive that I am. Except for Craig, who is too intense even for me! But people have been really nice, and it's been good to have a built-in group of people to talk to.
Saturday, August 8, 1998
Two provinces: Two Jack campground to Lake Louse, plus...
Another good day - starting out by being spoiled by being handed a cup of hot coffee while I was breaking camp!
The longest riding option today was 42 miles. Most of the group decided to stop at Johnson Canyon to hike. I decided I really wanted more riding, so I took a side trip back to Vermillion Pass, which added 16 biking miles to my day. What a rush coming down from there! The pass was about 4 1/2 miles uphill, then another 3 at a slightly downhill grade. I still think it's odd that the road doesn't switch up/down directions at the continental divide. I hit 39 mph coming back down. I almost caught up with a bus in front of me.
Most of the ride today was in the trees with a couple of open vistas.
We're in Lake Louise (the town), but haven't seen the lake yet. Tomorrow...
The supported tour is definitely a different experience after 3 weeks on my own. It's nice having someone else cook, and it's a nice change to ride without packs - but I like the independence of self-supporting touring. I was lucky today that I knew the roads well enough to find myself some extra miles. Although I have to say that this would have been my stopping point today even if I'd been on my own. I want to see both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and both of them are uphill from here with no campgrounds right at the lakes (this is the closest one). So no way would I have continued on a loaded bike. Tomorrow is a short riding day - only 20 miles - so I will probably do some hiking.
...Looked at my maps. I may ride across the continental divide and into Yoho National Park to see the Spiral Railroad Tunnels. I'll see how I feel in the morning. The hikes are supposed to be nice, but the nice point is the viewpoint at the end - the hikes themselves are in the trees. As much as I like shade, I prefer hiking and riding in the open so I can see the mountains!
I went over to the ampitheatre program. I guess the Tunnel Mountain bird presentation that I went to wasn't a fluke. They seem to use skits rather than serious presentations. I much prefer the evening presentations in the US parks. I'm sure that I'm learning something in those presentations. Here I'm constantly trying to figure out whether the presenters are serious or not.
I discovered something interesting here. As much as I enjoy camping, I really dislike campfires and the smell of smoke. (I know, I know, I'm a little odd!) It seems like there is a fire going here at almost every campsite. This place really reeks of smoke in the evenings. And speaking of smoke - the fires in British Columbia are still not controlled. Last night Grant said that 2/3 of them are uncontrolled. There is still a haze hanging over the mountains.
The longest riding option today was 42 miles. Most of the group decided to stop at Johnson Canyon to hike. I decided I really wanted more riding, so I took a side trip back to Vermillion Pass, which added 16 biking miles to my day. What a rush coming down from there! The pass was about 4 1/2 miles uphill, then another 3 at a slightly downhill grade. I still think it's odd that the road doesn't switch up/down directions at the continental divide. I hit 39 mph coming back down. I almost caught up with a bus in front of me.
Most of the ride today was in the trees with a couple of open vistas.
We're in Lake Louise (the town), but haven't seen the lake yet. Tomorrow...
The supported tour is definitely a different experience after 3 weeks on my own. It's nice having someone else cook, and it's a nice change to ride without packs - but I like the independence of self-supporting touring. I was lucky today that I knew the roads well enough to find myself some extra miles. Although I have to say that this would have been my stopping point today even if I'd been on my own. I want to see both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and both of them are uphill from here with no campgrounds right at the lakes (this is the closest one). So no way would I have continued on a loaded bike. Tomorrow is a short riding day - only 20 miles - so I will probably do some hiking.
...Looked at my maps. I may ride across the continental divide and into Yoho National Park to see the Spiral Railroad Tunnels. I'll see how I feel in the morning. The hikes are supposed to be nice, but the nice point is the viewpoint at the end - the hikes themselves are in the trees. As much as I like shade, I prefer hiking and riding in the open so I can see the mountains!
I went over to the ampitheatre program. I guess the Tunnel Mountain bird presentation that I went to wasn't a fluke. They seem to use skits rather than serious presentations. I much prefer the evening presentations in the US parks. I'm sure that I'm learning something in those presentations. Here I'm constantly trying to figure out whether the presenters are serious or not.
I discovered something interesting here. As much as I enjoy camping, I really dislike campfires and the smell of smoke. (I know, I know, I'm a little odd!) It seems like there is a fire going here at almost every campsite. This place really reeks of smoke in the evenings. And speaking of smoke - the fires in British Columbia are still not controlled. Last night Grant said that 2/3 of them are uncontrolled. There is still a haze hanging over the mountains.
Friday, August 7, 1998
Alberta: around Banff
Today was a nice leisurely day. Breakfast at the B&B was excellent, even though it was a bit disorganized since they cooked everything to order. I shared a table with a couple from the UK and a couple from Australia (who are currently living in Houston). They were both interesting.
I went to Cave & Basin, looked at the exhibits then did a short trail walk - probably 2 or 3 miles. Then I headed over to Vermillion Lakes. As I was riding by the train station I noticed a Backroads van, so I stopped to see if I had the meeting time wrong. I didn't - they were just dropping off bikes. Vermillion Lakes was pretty, and flat. Next stop - the Mailboxes Etc. to pick up my by now expensive package. While I was repacking my panniers two climbers stopped by to talk. It's a small world. It turns out that they met Ron & Mandy (the couple from the UK who I met outside of Kalispell) at the hostel here a couple of nights ago.
I picked up a sandwich for lunch and headed over to the river to sit for a while. (See, I can sit still sometimes....)
I met up with the Backroads group at 3. It seems to be a good group of people. There are a couple of groups of 2 or 3 that came together, but everyone seems to be friendly. I felt like I was absolutely flying on the ride to Two Jack campground - it's the first time on this trip that I've ridden without all of my gear on the bike when I wasn't already tired from a 50+ mile day. I don't think I'll mind taking the weight back on the last day, but it's going to be a treat to ride some serious hills without the panniers.
One thing I found interesting when we all introduced ourselves to the group at dinner. One of the other women said that she finally grew up enough to take an organized tour instead of touring on her own. And I said the exact opposite! I've gone on a lot of organized tours and finally felt like I wanted the freedom of self-contained touring. I still think there is a place for both kinds of touring, and right now I'm leaning toward self-contained as my favorite. Of course, I'm sure I'll still enjoy the support this week!
I'm absolutely stuffed from dinner right now - what a treat to have someone else cook. We had tomato bisque, salmon, salad, cornbread, and berry cobbler for dessert. Yum! It will be interesting to see if I still wake up starving in the morning.
I went to Cave & Basin, looked at the exhibits then did a short trail walk - probably 2 or 3 miles. Then I headed over to Vermillion Lakes. As I was riding by the train station I noticed a Backroads van, so I stopped to see if I had the meeting time wrong. I didn't - they were just dropping off bikes. Vermillion Lakes was pretty, and flat. Next stop - the Mailboxes Etc. to pick up my by now expensive package. While I was repacking my panniers two climbers stopped by to talk. It's a small world. It turns out that they met Ron & Mandy (the couple from the UK who I met outside of Kalispell) at the hostel here a couple of nights ago.
I picked up a sandwich for lunch and headed over to the river to sit for a while. (See, I can sit still sometimes....)
I met up with the Backroads group at 3. It seems to be a good group of people. There are a couple of groups of 2 or 3 that came together, but everyone seems to be friendly. I felt like I was absolutely flying on the ride to Two Jack campground - it's the first time on this trip that I've ridden without all of my gear on the bike when I wasn't already tired from a 50+ mile day. I don't think I'll mind taking the weight back on the last day, but it's going to be a treat to ride some serious hills without the panniers.
One thing I found interesting when we all introduced ourselves to the group at dinner. One of the other women said that she finally grew up enough to take an organized tour instead of touring on her own. And I said the exact opposite! I've gone on a lot of organized tours and finally felt like I wanted the freedom of self-contained touring. I still think there is a place for both kinds of touring, and right now I'm leaning toward self-contained as my favorite. Of course, I'm sure I'll still enjoy the support this week!
I'm absolutely stuffed from dinner right now - what a treat to have someone else cook. We had tomato bisque, salmon, salad, cornbread, and berry cobbler for dessert. Yum! It will be interesting to see if I still wake up starving in the morning.
Thursday, August 6, 1998
Alberta: Banff to Castle Junction to Banff
I decided to ride to Castle Junction and back just for exercise. Nice ride - mostly an uphill grade on the way out, downhill on the way back. I saw some big horned sheep and an elk on the way out. I could have happily strangled some of the drivers though. They saw the animals, stopped their cars in the middle of the road, and got out of their cars to get closer. I really wish that more people understood that this is the animal's habitat, not ours, and that we should respect their space. I forgot to mention it the other day - but on my first trip from Castle Junction to Banff I saw what I think is a family of fox or wolves. They had big bushy tails, gray coats, larger animals than the red fox that I've seen at home. My first thought was that they were wolves, but the bushy tail made me think they could be fox. I'll try to stop by the visitor center in Banff later to see if I can talk to a naturalist. I also saw some osprey - which I saw again today. They have a nest on top of a utility pole by the railroad tracks. The tracks are in a dip below the road, so I could see several birds in the nest.
It was very hazy and smokey today. I asked someone in Castle Junction about it. It turns out that there are two big fires in British Columbia that started with lightening strikes two day ago. Apparently they were evacuating people yesterday. One fire is in Kamloops, and I'm not sure where the other one is. I hope they get the fires under control soon - both for the people the fires are affecting, and for my selfish wish for a clear view of the mountains! The person I was talking to about the fires said that this happens every summer.
Back to Banff. I checked into the bed & breakfast at about 2. (I had made reservations for 3 nights of my trip - the first night in Lewiston, ID, tonight in Banff, which is the night before the start of the Backroads portion of my trip, and the last night in Edmonton, AB.) The B&B is lovely, and just a short walk across the river into Banff.
I walked into Banff to pick up the package I had shipped to myself at Mailboxes, Etc. Unfortunately, when I got there I was told that the package was in Calgary because I owe duty on it. I should have known better - I should have taken the time to find a UPS office in Lewiston instead of asking the hotel to ship it for me. I almost told Mailboxes Etc. to tell UPS to ship it back home, but then realized it would cost me more to replace the contents here than to pay the duty. UPS has promised a morning delivery tomorrow. The package only contained personal belongings, but without the right paperwork they charge duty. I could probably straighten it out if I had enough time, but it just didn't seem worth the effort. So I paid the $15 (US) to get my duffel bag for packing everything in for the plane trip home, along with the extra sunscreen, contact lens solution, and a couple of books I'd thrown in for the plane trip home. I also took the opportunity to ship my cooking gear home since I won't need it for the rest of the trip - with the appropriate government paperwork for unaccompanied belongings this time!
Right now I'm just waiting for my laundry to finish, then I'll wander around town for a while and find some dinner.
...after dinner I went to a presentation on bears at the visitor center. After the presentation I talked to an interpretive ranger about the animals I saw yesterday. She said that the fox here are small too. At first she said that the animals might have been coyote - until I told her they were gray, fairly large, and that there were 5 or 6 of them. She's pretty sure that they were wolves. It's pretty unusual to see wolves, but they were the wrong color for coyotes, and the coyote is a solitary animal where the wolf travels in packs. And there is a wolf pack in the area. I guess I was very lucky. It was early in the morning so there weren't any cars on the road, and the bike is so quiet that I didn't scare them.
This B&B ended up being in a great location for me. It's a ten minute walk to town. They had me put the bike in their garage, which has a central support post that I could use as a "locking post".
Tomorrow I think I'll start at Cave & Basin, and then I'll probably ride the Vermillion Lakes area. I'm not sure what else I'll do - besides stopping at Mailboxes, Etc. at noon to pick up my package. I meet the Backroads group in the afternoon, so I'll still have plenty of time to sit by the river and relax.
It was very hazy and smokey today. I asked someone in Castle Junction about it. It turns out that there are two big fires in British Columbia that started with lightening strikes two day ago. Apparently they were evacuating people yesterday. One fire is in Kamloops, and I'm not sure where the other one is. I hope they get the fires under control soon - both for the people the fires are affecting, and for my selfish wish for a clear view of the mountains! The person I was talking to about the fires said that this happens every summer.
Back to Banff. I checked into the bed & breakfast at about 2. (I had made reservations for 3 nights of my trip - the first night in Lewiston, ID, tonight in Banff, which is the night before the start of the Backroads portion of my trip, and the last night in Edmonton, AB.) The B&B is lovely, and just a short walk across the river into Banff.
I walked into Banff to pick up the package I had shipped to myself at Mailboxes, Etc. Unfortunately, when I got there I was told that the package was in Calgary because I owe duty on it. I should have known better - I should have taken the time to find a UPS office in Lewiston instead of asking the hotel to ship it for me. I almost told Mailboxes Etc. to tell UPS to ship it back home, but then realized it would cost me more to replace the contents here than to pay the duty. UPS has promised a morning delivery tomorrow. The package only contained personal belongings, but without the right paperwork they charge duty. I could probably straighten it out if I had enough time, but it just didn't seem worth the effort. So I paid the $15 (US) to get my duffel bag for packing everything in for the plane trip home, along with the extra sunscreen, contact lens solution, and a couple of books I'd thrown in for the plane trip home. I also took the opportunity to ship my cooking gear home since I won't need it for the rest of the trip - with the appropriate government paperwork for unaccompanied belongings this time!
Right now I'm just waiting for my laundry to finish, then I'll wander around town for a while and find some dinner.
...after dinner I went to a presentation on bears at the visitor center. After the presentation I talked to an interpretive ranger about the animals I saw yesterday. She said that the fox here are small too. At first she said that the animals might have been coyote - until I told her they were gray, fairly large, and that there were 5 or 6 of them. She's pretty sure that they were wolves. It's pretty unusual to see wolves, but they were the wrong color for coyotes, and the coyote is a solitary animal where the wolf travels in packs. And there is a wolf pack in the area. I guess I was very lucky. It was early in the morning so there weren't any cars on the road, and the bike is so quiet that I didn't scare them.
This B&B ended up being in a great location for me. It's a ten minute walk to town. They had me put the bike in their garage, which has a central support post that I could use as a "locking post".
Tomorrow I think I'll start at Cave & Basin, and then I'll probably ride the Vermillion Lakes area. I'm not sure what else I'll do - besides stopping at Mailboxes, Etc. at noon to pick up my package. I meet the Backroads group in the afternoon, so I'll still have plenty of time to sit by the river and relax.
Wednesday, August 5, 1998
Alberta: Kananaskis to Banff
The ride back wasn't as bad as I'd expected. No wonder I had trouble with the section on Highway 40 yesterday - it was almost totally downhill today coming back out to Transcanada 1. So it was uphill with a strong headwind yesterday after riding 50 miles. Transcanada 1 back into Banff was a slight uphill grade most of the way, but really not too bad. I pulled into Tunnel Mountain campground at about 2. Interesting approach - windy road totally uphill. I should have guessed that one by the name of the campground. There are actually two Tunnel Mountain campgrounds, one for tents, and one for RVs. The tenting sites are beautiful, in the trees. There are bear lockers across from the bathrooms. Showers - like the ones in Waterton that I almost couldn't figure out how to turn on! There is an unmarked knob (really more of a button) that spins around to adjust hot and cold water mix. To turn the shower on you push the knob in, and the shower runs for about 10 seconds (I'm not kidding!). It's really interesting trying to get the soap out of your hair given the short time. But I'd bet this mechanism stops people from taking long showers!
I rode a couple of miles towards town to pick up something cold to drink. Then I stopped at the Hoodoos Trail for a short hike/walk. I met a couple from Ontario there who were just aghast at my trip. In fact, she told me that she has a 45-year old son, and she wouldn't allow him to take a trip like mine. I asked her if she thought he'd listen to her ultimatum - but I got the sense that he would because he yelled at them for not calling home enough, and they're traveling by car and staying in hotels. I think they're afraid of their own shadows - they told me that I should be carrying a gun!
I came back to the campsite and met a guy from Holland who is traveling on a recumbent. I asked him about the bike - and it turns out that he is pretty unhappy with it. He said that it is great at home and on the flats, but he isn't happy with it on the uphills. He said he's had to walk up many hills that he was able to ride on his "upright" bike. He's taken a year off, and is spending 3 months in North America, primarily following Adventure Cycling's Great Parks route. He's decided to ride into Calgary and rent a car for the remainder of his trip - driving and doing day bike rides. He said he started out by riding every day, but then switched to alternating between a day of riding and a day of hiking.
I've ridden eight days in a row - maybe I should follow his example and take a day off. But I'm just not ready to get off of the bike.
As much as I've enjoyed staying at hostels the last two nights, I'm really enjoying the solitude tonight. I've talked to a few of my neighbors, but I've also had some quiet time to myself.
I picked up a couple of good bagels yesterday when I passed through Banff - one multigrain and one focaccia. And although I've been on a mad hunt for good bread this entire trip (the last and only good bread before this was that great little bakery in Missoula!) - it really hit home today that good bread is the one thing that I've really missed. Funny how the little things are the ones that stick out..
I think I'll sit here an read for a little longer, then head over to the campfire program.
I rode a couple of miles towards town to pick up something cold to drink. Then I stopped at the Hoodoos Trail for a short hike/walk. I met a couple from Ontario there who were just aghast at my trip. In fact, she told me that she has a 45-year old son, and she wouldn't allow him to take a trip like mine. I asked her if she thought he'd listen to her ultimatum - but I got the sense that he would because he yelled at them for not calling home enough, and they're traveling by car and staying in hotels. I think they're afraid of their own shadows - they told me that I should be carrying a gun!
I came back to the campsite and met a guy from Holland who is traveling on a recumbent. I asked him about the bike - and it turns out that he is pretty unhappy with it. He said that it is great at home and on the flats, but he isn't happy with it on the uphills. He said he's had to walk up many hills that he was able to ride on his "upright" bike. He's taken a year off, and is spending 3 months in North America, primarily following Adventure Cycling's Great Parks route. He's decided to ride into Calgary and rent a car for the remainder of his trip - driving and doing day bike rides. He said he started out by riding every day, but then switched to alternating between a day of riding and a day of hiking.
I've ridden eight days in a row - maybe I should follow his example and take a day off. But I'm just not ready to get off of the bike.
As much as I've enjoyed staying at hostels the last two nights, I'm really enjoying the solitude tonight. I've talked to a few of my neighbors, but I've also had some quiet time to myself.
I picked up a couple of good bagels yesterday when I passed through Banff - one multigrain and one focaccia. And although I've been on a mad hunt for good bread this entire trip (the last and only good bread before this was that great little bakery in Missoula!) - it really hit home today that good bread is the one thing that I've really missed. Funny how the little things are the ones that stick out..
I think I'll sit here an read for a little longer, then head over to the campfire program.
Tuesday, August 4, 1998
Alberta: Castle Junction to Kananaskis
It was 45 degrees this morning. It may have been that cold for a few days, but this was the first time I saw a thermometer.
Late-sleeping crew at the hostel. There were still quite a few people sleeping when I left at 8:15.
I headed into Banff. Spent a while talking to a somewhat eccentric guy in front of the post office. He's hanging out here until September - he recently came into what he said was a lucrative inheritance and has just cut himself loose from the business world. He told me that biking to Canmore wouldn't take long, and it is only about 20 kilometers. And he confirmed that Kananaskis Country would be worth the trip. I shipped a stack of maps home, visited a bike shop to borrow a floor pump, picked up a book, some bagels, and some fresh fruit. I also stopped in the visitor center to pick up a map showing the route to Kananaskis, and was told it was 74km to the village. Of course it turned out to be 50 miles, which is more like 85km. Not that big a difference, but on a hot day (again!) with a headwind, it did make a difference. I think what got to me was about 5 miles further than I expected on the highway (Trans Canada highway 1 - which was the only way to get from point A to point B). Riding on the highway wasn't bad since the shoulder is actually wider than a driving lane. But it was noisy, and there was still a bit of a pull when the big trucks went flying by. I finally got to the exit for route 40 and found that it was uphill most of the 27 km into Kananaskis Village with most of the ride into a strong headwind. I must admit that there was a time when I considered turning around. But I didn't, and the ride was definitely worth doing. It's beautiful in here.
I ended up staying at the Ribbon Creek hostel because most of the campgrounds are quite a bit further in. I passed one group campground, and one lodge/campground that sounded a little odd to me. They actually rent teepees!
I haven't decided what to do tomorrow. I'll either stay here and do an out and back bike ride without any panniers and then ride back to Banff on Thursday - or I'll ride back to Banff tomorrow and do a ride in that area on Thursday. I'm afraid the ride back is going to be a hard one. I believe that most of the 30 miles on Highway 1 are at a slight uphill grade.
Had a nice dinner tonight - ate with a woman who is moving from Wisconsin to California. She's actually from California but has been living in Wisconsin for the past year. She's taking a month to drive back. I told her about Glacier National Park, and she decided to go there tomorrow. She's actually meeting some friends in Idaho, so continuing down 40 to 22 and then to Glacier actually makes a lot of sense.
Later on...
A family of four from Edmonton joined me in the common area. 2 girls - 2 and 6. Their parents have done a fair amount of biking and are pretty familiar with Kananaskis. I asked him about the road going south, and he said it is pretty much the same as what I've already seen. There is a lot of good hiking in the area - but that's not what I want to do tomorrow, so I guess I'll head back to Banff. Friday will be a light day, and I'm thinking I should really ease off tomorrow too. I do know that I'm going to have to come back to Kananaskis someday to do some hiking here. It just doesn't seem possible for me to be happy with going to a beautiful place only once!
Late-sleeping crew at the hostel. There were still quite a few people sleeping when I left at 8:15.
I headed into Banff. Spent a while talking to a somewhat eccentric guy in front of the post office. He's hanging out here until September - he recently came into what he said was a lucrative inheritance and has just cut himself loose from the business world. He told me that biking to Canmore wouldn't take long, and it is only about 20 kilometers. And he confirmed that Kananaskis Country would be worth the trip. I shipped a stack of maps home, visited a bike shop to borrow a floor pump, picked up a book, some bagels, and some fresh fruit. I also stopped in the visitor center to pick up a map showing the route to Kananaskis, and was told it was 74km to the village. Of course it turned out to be 50 miles, which is more like 85km. Not that big a difference, but on a hot day (again!) with a headwind, it did make a difference. I think what got to me was about 5 miles further than I expected on the highway (Trans Canada highway 1 - which was the only way to get from point A to point B). Riding on the highway wasn't bad since the shoulder is actually wider than a driving lane. But it was noisy, and there was still a bit of a pull when the big trucks went flying by. I finally got to the exit for route 40 and found that it was uphill most of the 27 km into Kananaskis Village with most of the ride into a strong headwind. I must admit that there was a time when I considered turning around. But I didn't, and the ride was definitely worth doing. It's beautiful in here.
I ended up staying at the Ribbon Creek hostel because most of the campgrounds are quite a bit further in. I passed one group campground, and one lodge/campground that sounded a little odd to me. They actually rent teepees!
I haven't decided what to do tomorrow. I'll either stay here and do an out and back bike ride without any panniers and then ride back to Banff on Thursday - or I'll ride back to Banff tomorrow and do a ride in that area on Thursday. I'm afraid the ride back is going to be a hard one. I believe that most of the 30 miles on Highway 1 are at a slight uphill grade.
Had a nice dinner tonight - ate with a woman who is moving from Wisconsin to California. She's actually from California but has been living in Wisconsin for the past year. She's taking a month to drive back. I told her about Glacier National Park, and she decided to go there tomorrow. She's actually meeting some friends in Idaho, so continuing down 40 to 22 and then to Glacier actually makes a lot of sense.
Later on...
A family of four from Edmonton joined me in the common area. 2 girls - 2 and 6. Their parents have done a fair amount of biking and are pretty familiar with Kananaskis. I asked him about the road going south, and he said it is pretty much the same as what I've already seen. There is a lot of good hiking in the area - but that's not what I want to do tomorrow, so I guess I'll head back to Banff. Friday will be a light day, and I'm thinking I should really ease off tomorrow too. I do know that I'm going to have to come back to Kananaskis someday to do some hiking here. It just doesn't seem possible for me to be happy with going to a beautiful place only once!
Monday, August 3, 1998
Two provinces: Radium to Castle Junction
I was amazed that everything didn't smell like smoke this morning. People here seem to be into big campfires. The campground had fire pits and free wood, which probably contributes to it. I'm surprised at this based on the fact that all of the fire warning signs around here are set to high.
It's hard to think back to the beginning of the day. The first hill from Radium to the hot spring pools ended with an 11% grade. That part of the hill was very short, only a half of a kilometer. I almost made it, but I ended up walking the very top of it when my legs and knees complained loudly. I'm sure I would have been able to ride the full hill if I didn't have all of my gear on the bike. It really wasn't as bad as I'd expected. I think I let the "11%" freak me out. The first pass, Sinclair Pass, was shorter than Logan Pass, only about 7 miles - but it was pretty tough. The grade ranged up to 8%. It took me an hour and 25 minutes to ride the first 8 miles today. After that was a whale of a downhill - for 20 miles! I stopped at Vermillion Crossing for lunch - had a hot dog and an ice cream sandwich. My diet has definitely been different on this trip, especially since I tend to lean toward a fish and vegetarian-style diet. But what I'm eating seems to be working from an energy standpoint.
Another day of beautiful scenery and a quiet road.
I stopped at the Paint Pots trail and talked to some backpackers for a while. Then I walked out to the Paint Pots. It was fascinating seeing the red soil (ochre) there. (In fact, after I had my pictures developed I almost thought the shots there must have been from a totally different trip!).
I pulled into Marble Canyon campground at about 4:30 do discover that the water there needed to be boiled. It's too hot to be boiling water for drinking, and I need too much water to keep hydrated, so I decided to push on. (I didn't bring a water filter with me because I believed that there was drinking water in all of the campgrounds. This was the only night that wasn't true.)
From Marble Canyon, I knew I was only four miles from the pass, and I figured there had to be a fair amount of downhill after that. No problem with daylight, since it stays light quite late here. It turns out that Vermillion Pass was sort of a "non-pass". There weren't any steep sections - the only surprise was that the uphill continued for 2 miles after I crossed the Continental Divide back into Alberta. Just past the divide I passed a family of mountain goats eating on the side of the trail. They didn't even budge as I went past. Seeing animals like that on the side of the road makes me glad that a bicycle is such a quiet mode of transportation.
I came flying down hill, again hit close to 40mph. I did use the brakes at times, based on the curves and road surface, and I had to stop once to let the rims cool down. But so far the only downhill that sort of freaked me out was Logan Pass, and I think a good part of that was the poor road surface, and the traffic.
I stopped at the gas station / store in Castle Junction to get something cold to drink. The woman working there told me that Johnson campground was full - which of course was where I was hoping to stay. I didn't really want to go all the way into Banff, which would have added another 20 miles to my ride today. She told me about another campground, and also told me about the hostel across the way. I went over to check out the hostel and ended up staying there. There was a very nice common area with sofas and window seats around a central fireplace, along with a well-equipped kitchen. The dorms are typical hostel dorms (with bunk beds stacked 3 high!), and there is a washer and dryer. Clean clothes! It was novel to cook dinner on a regular stove and to eat from a plate instead of from the pot.
I'm going to head into Banff in the morning, then play it by ear. I haven't decided yet whether to take an easy day tomorrow then head for Kananaskis on Wednesday morning, or whether to go there tomorrow.
It's hard to think back to the beginning of the day. The first hill from Radium to the hot spring pools ended with an 11% grade. That part of the hill was very short, only a half of a kilometer. I almost made it, but I ended up walking the very top of it when my legs and knees complained loudly. I'm sure I would have been able to ride the full hill if I didn't have all of my gear on the bike. It really wasn't as bad as I'd expected. I think I let the "11%" freak me out. The first pass, Sinclair Pass, was shorter than Logan Pass, only about 7 miles - but it was pretty tough. The grade ranged up to 8%. It took me an hour and 25 minutes to ride the first 8 miles today. After that was a whale of a downhill - for 20 miles! I stopped at Vermillion Crossing for lunch - had a hot dog and an ice cream sandwich. My diet has definitely been different on this trip, especially since I tend to lean toward a fish and vegetarian-style diet. But what I'm eating seems to be working from an energy standpoint.
Another day of beautiful scenery and a quiet road.
I stopped at the Paint Pots trail and talked to some backpackers for a while. Then I walked out to the Paint Pots. It was fascinating seeing the red soil (ochre) there. (In fact, after I had my pictures developed I almost thought the shots there must have been from a totally different trip!).
I pulled into Marble Canyon campground at about 4:30 do discover that the water there needed to be boiled. It's too hot to be boiling water for drinking, and I need too much water to keep hydrated, so I decided to push on. (I didn't bring a water filter with me because I believed that there was drinking water in all of the campgrounds. This was the only night that wasn't true.)
From Marble Canyon, I knew I was only four miles from the pass, and I figured there had to be a fair amount of downhill after that. No problem with daylight, since it stays light quite late here. It turns out that Vermillion Pass was sort of a "non-pass". There weren't any steep sections - the only surprise was that the uphill continued for 2 miles after I crossed the Continental Divide back into Alberta. Just past the divide I passed a family of mountain goats eating on the side of the trail. They didn't even budge as I went past. Seeing animals like that on the side of the road makes me glad that a bicycle is such a quiet mode of transportation.
I came flying down hill, again hit close to 40mph. I did use the brakes at times, based on the curves and road surface, and I had to stop once to let the rims cool down. But so far the only downhill that sort of freaked me out was Logan Pass, and I think a good part of that was the poor road surface, and the traffic.
I stopped at the gas station / store in Castle Junction to get something cold to drink. The woman working there told me that Johnson campground was full - which of course was where I was hoping to stay. I didn't really want to go all the way into Banff, which would have added another 20 miles to my ride today. She told me about another campground, and also told me about the hostel across the way. I went over to check out the hostel and ended up staying there. There was a very nice common area with sofas and window seats around a central fireplace, along with a well-equipped kitchen. The dorms are typical hostel dorms (with bunk beds stacked 3 high!), and there is a washer and dryer. Clean clothes! It was novel to cook dinner on a regular stove and to eat from a plate instead of from the pot.
I'm going to head into Banff in the morning, then play it by ear. I haven't decided yet whether to take an easy day tomorrow then head for Kananaskis on Wednesday morning, or whether to go there tomorrow.
Sunday, August 2, 1998
British Columbia: Skookumchuck to Radium Hot Springs
This time it didn't rain all night, but the rainfly was still soaked when I packed up the tent. I packed everything up, then headed to the restaurant across the street for breakfast. Pat was already there, so we had breakfast together. I learned from his order though. He had ordered a "pancake sandwich". Sandwich was just the name though, everything was served separately on a plate, 2 eggs, bacon, 2 pancakes. I ordered the same thing, but requested only one pancake, and a smaller one at that. The standard size pancake here is larger than a dinner plate! The quantity of food they served at that restaurant was pretty impressive.
Not a bad ride today, but somehow it was 7 miles further than I'd figured. I followed the map and took Westside Road which gets you off of the highway for 15 miles. It also cut about 6 miles from the route, but I'm not sure it was worth it. It was a very quiet road, which was nice, but the road surface was lousy. There were some short, steep hills on both ends, plus a mega-steep hill climbing back out of Invermere. I think I might have actually been happier on the highway. (I never thought I'd say that...) I don't know what the temperature actually was today, but by late afternoon if felt very hot.
I arrived in Radium Hot Springs (the town, I didn't go up to the pools) to find all but one of the campgrounds full. And unlike last night they wouldn't bend the rules and allow an extra tent in. I might have been able to share a site at one of the public campgrounds, but the closest one is 1 1/2 miles up a very steep hill, and I was just too lazy (or tired) to ride that without knowing there was a space for me. When I stopped at a gas station in town to ask about campgrounds, the woman running the station was kind enough to call around for me to find an available campsite. The only one available was at a place called The Prospector. It's another funky roadside campground, but it works! It was run by a young guy, who suggested that I take one of the sites by the road because they are quieter... he kind of figured I'd want a good night's sleep (and he was right!) so he steered me away from the rowdier inhabitants. Unfortunately, they recommend that the water here be boiled - so I walked back into town to get some bottled water. Guess this type of place is what you end up with then you pull into town on the Sunday night of a holiday weekend without reservations! The campground is odd, but the people are not. My neighbors at the next site are pretty nice, and of course I've met all of the people with dogs - which is natural for someone who likes animals!
Tomorrow is going to be a tough riding day - starting with a very steep hill. Here's hoping I fall asleep quickly tonight.
Not a bad ride today, but somehow it was 7 miles further than I'd figured. I followed the map and took Westside Road which gets you off of the highway for 15 miles. It also cut about 6 miles from the route, but I'm not sure it was worth it. It was a very quiet road, which was nice, but the road surface was lousy. There were some short, steep hills on both ends, plus a mega-steep hill climbing back out of Invermere. I think I might have actually been happier on the highway. (I never thought I'd say that...) I don't know what the temperature actually was today, but by late afternoon if felt very hot.
I arrived in Radium Hot Springs (the town, I didn't go up to the pools) to find all but one of the campgrounds full. And unlike last night they wouldn't bend the rules and allow an extra tent in. I might have been able to share a site at one of the public campgrounds, but the closest one is 1 1/2 miles up a very steep hill, and I was just too lazy (or tired) to ride that without knowing there was a space for me. When I stopped at a gas station in town to ask about campgrounds, the woman running the station was kind enough to call around for me to find an available campsite. The only one available was at a place called The Prospector. It's another funky roadside campground, but it works! It was run by a young guy, who suggested that I take one of the sites by the road because they are quieter... he kind of figured I'd want a good night's sleep (and he was right!) so he steered me away from the rowdier inhabitants. Unfortunately, they recommend that the water here be boiled - so I walked back into town to get some bottled water. Guess this type of place is what you end up with then you pull into town on the Sunday night of a holiday weekend without reservations! The campground is odd, but the people are not. My neighbors at the next site are pretty nice, and of course I've met all of the people with dogs - which is natural for someone who likes animals!
Tomorrow is going to be a tough riding day - starting with a very steep hill. Here's hoping I fall asleep quickly tonight.
Saturday, August 1, 1998
British Columbia: Galloway to Skoomkumchuck
Well - the day started in the rain, and ended in the rain...
It was about 10 last night when I put my book away and went to sleep. I woke up at midnight to the sound of a downpour. The road noise was pretty much gone by then. I woke up every hour and a half or so all night long - still raining. I had intended to get up at 6, but just couldn't face packing up in the rain. Finally the rain slowed almost to a stop, but it was almost 8am. I packed up - no cooking this morning, figured I could get by on a couple of Nutrigrain bars, which I later supplemented with a Pop Tart (what's happening to my good nutrition?)! I spoke with the campground owner for a bit when I returned the restroom keys. She offered me the use of one of her cabins - free! - if I wanted to stay here today instead of riding in the rain. She said that all of the cabins were booked for the rest of the weekend, but that one woman took a cabin only for last night. Her cleaner doesn't come until Monday, but she suggested that I use the other (unused) twin bed. She also told me that she almost came out last night when she saw it was starting to rain to tell me to move into one of the empty cabins. I thanked her, but told her I thought I should move on, even if I only make it another 30 miles. It's nice to know that there are kind people in the world.
I stopped at a store in Jaffrey just a couple of miles down the road to get some hot chocolate - and a Pop Tart. I think I'm regressing in my eating habits - but anything for calories! I met a couple from Ontario there. They were biking from Vancouver back to Ontario. They said that they have to be home by August 22nd. It sounds to me like they have a huge amount of ground to cover in just 3 weeks. I don't know which side of the province they are headed for. But it sounds like they're planning on putting in some long mileage days on the prairie, and hoping for a tailwind.
I followed the Adventure Cycling directions and took Wardner-Fort Steele road instead of the highway. It was nice to be away from traffic for a while, but it was a bit isolated. At one point I thought that some cows were about to chase me... I stopped to take their picture, and they started bellowing. Maybe they just don't like cameras, but since the cows and I were on the same side of the fence (open range country) and since they were considerably larger than I am, I quickly moved on.
The rain stopped about when I turned onto Wardner-Fort Steele road, but it still continued drizzling every now and then. I rode with the camera in my panniers and my rainjacket tied around my waist in case the weather deteriorated quickly. I picked up a sandwich at the Fort Steele campground store, then turned onto 93/95 again. The road surface wasn't great, but it was much better than the very bumpy shoulder, so I stayed on the road whenever possible and pulled onto the shoulder only when I heard traffic coming. I didn't realize how tired the road surface was making me until I got to the intersection with 95A. As I turned to stay on 93/95, both the road and the shoulder surfaces became perfectly smooth again. What a difference!
I stopped at a local farm stand to pick up some fresh local cherries - and spent about 15 minutes talking with the farmer. I'm still finding that people are very interested in talking with me about my trip. I got the same reaction from people when I pulled off at a rest stop.
The sun came out when I was eating lunch in Fort Steele and pretty much stayed out for the rest of the day.
I pulled into Springbrook Resort Motel & Campground in Skookumchuck and was pretty much befriended by the owners when they saw I was traveling alone. The campground was totally full, but they showed me a couple of spots I could have in the regular campground - then suggested that I set up camp in their yard or in a small clearing down the hill from their yard next to the river - which is where I ended up. They told me that there was another biker here, so I found him to say hello before I set up camp. Took all of about 10 minutes for my completely wet tent to dry - that's how strong the sun was! (By the way, it didn't leak - the wet was from rolling it up with a soaking rain fly.) I set up the tent, showered, and rinsed out today's cycling clothes, thinking they would dry in the sun. I was working on cleaning & re-lubing the bike when Pat (the other cyclist) came by to see if I was interested in joining him for dinner in the restaurant across the street. Of course I was! The town seemed to consist of the motel/campground, with a gas station, store, restaurant combination across the street. Definitely convenient.
Wouldn't you know it started to pour again right after we walked into the restaurant. I guess it's a good thing that Pat stopped by - if he hadn't I would have been cooking dinner when the rain hit. It was nice to have someone else cook, and to have company for dinner. Pat is from Tuscon. He started riding in Spokane with 3 other people, but ended up on his own. The other 3 were moving much too slowly - he said at about an 8mph average speed. He had originally planned to get to Glacier & Waterton, but those had dropped out due to time constraints when he was with the group. After our conversation, it sounds like he is going to try to get to both parks. I was able to give him some information on the route since I just came from there.
I got back to the campsite and wrung out my wash since it was now wetter than when I went to dinner. Marti - one of the campground owners - came down to see how I was doing, and offered me the use of her clothes dryer. Of course I took her up on it. She went back to the office, leaving me at her house with her father and another family friend. We had a good conversation - and I once again had dry clothes. They were about to barbecue hamburgers and offered me food too, but I declined since I'd already had a pretty big dinner. The people I've met on this trip have been incredible. I'd like to be able to take this "people interaction" (particularly with strangers) home with me - but I'm not sure that it translates well to the northeast!
All in all it was a great day. I'm just hoping that the rain does it's thing tonight and goes away in the morning. Although I have had pretty good luck with the rain so far. My biggest weather problem on this trip has been the heat, not the rain.
It turns out that this is a 3-day weekend. Monday is a provincial holiday, so the campgrounds and hotels are absolutely packed. Yet there wasn't any question about the availability of a tent site here...
It was about 10 last night when I put my book away and went to sleep. I woke up at midnight to the sound of a downpour. The road noise was pretty much gone by then. I woke up every hour and a half or so all night long - still raining. I had intended to get up at 6, but just couldn't face packing up in the rain. Finally the rain slowed almost to a stop, but it was almost 8am. I packed up - no cooking this morning, figured I could get by on a couple of Nutrigrain bars, which I later supplemented with a Pop Tart (what's happening to my good nutrition?)! I spoke with the campground owner for a bit when I returned the restroom keys. She offered me the use of one of her cabins - free! - if I wanted to stay here today instead of riding in the rain. She said that all of the cabins were booked for the rest of the weekend, but that one woman took a cabin only for last night. Her cleaner doesn't come until Monday, but she suggested that I use the other (unused) twin bed. She also told me that she almost came out last night when she saw it was starting to rain to tell me to move into one of the empty cabins. I thanked her, but told her I thought I should move on, even if I only make it another 30 miles. It's nice to know that there are kind people in the world.
I stopped at a store in Jaffrey just a couple of miles down the road to get some hot chocolate - and a Pop Tart. I think I'm regressing in my eating habits - but anything for calories! I met a couple from Ontario there. They were biking from Vancouver back to Ontario. They said that they have to be home by August 22nd. It sounds to me like they have a huge amount of ground to cover in just 3 weeks. I don't know which side of the province they are headed for. But it sounds like they're planning on putting in some long mileage days on the prairie, and hoping for a tailwind.
I followed the Adventure Cycling directions and took Wardner-Fort Steele road instead of the highway. It was nice to be away from traffic for a while, but it was a bit isolated. At one point I thought that some cows were about to chase me... I stopped to take their picture, and they started bellowing. Maybe they just don't like cameras, but since the cows and I were on the same side of the fence (open range country) and since they were considerably larger than I am, I quickly moved on.
The rain stopped about when I turned onto Wardner-Fort Steele road, but it still continued drizzling every now and then. I rode with the camera in my panniers and my rainjacket tied around my waist in case the weather deteriorated quickly. I picked up a sandwich at the Fort Steele campground store, then turned onto 93/95 again. The road surface wasn't great, but it was much better than the very bumpy shoulder, so I stayed on the road whenever possible and pulled onto the shoulder only when I heard traffic coming. I didn't realize how tired the road surface was making me until I got to the intersection with 95A. As I turned to stay on 93/95, both the road and the shoulder surfaces became perfectly smooth again. What a difference!
I stopped at a local farm stand to pick up some fresh local cherries - and spent about 15 minutes talking with the farmer. I'm still finding that people are very interested in talking with me about my trip. I got the same reaction from people when I pulled off at a rest stop.
The sun came out when I was eating lunch in Fort Steele and pretty much stayed out for the rest of the day.
I pulled into Springbrook Resort Motel & Campground in Skookumchuck and was pretty much befriended by the owners when they saw I was traveling alone. The campground was totally full, but they showed me a couple of spots I could have in the regular campground - then suggested that I set up camp in their yard or in a small clearing down the hill from their yard next to the river - which is where I ended up. They told me that there was another biker here, so I found him to say hello before I set up camp. Took all of about 10 minutes for my completely wet tent to dry - that's how strong the sun was! (By the way, it didn't leak - the wet was from rolling it up with a soaking rain fly.) I set up the tent, showered, and rinsed out today's cycling clothes, thinking they would dry in the sun. I was working on cleaning & re-lubing the bike when Pat (the other cyclist) came by to see if I was interested in joining him for dinner in the restaurant across the street. Of course I was! The town seemed to consist of the motel/campground, with a gas station, store, restaurant combination across the street. Definitely convenient.
Wouldn't you know it started to pour again right after we walked into the restaurant. I guess it's a good thing that Pat stopped by - if he hadn't I would have been cooking dinner when the rain hit. It was nice to have someone else cook, and to have company for dinner. Pat is from Tuscon. He started riding in Spokane with 3 other people, but ended up on his own. The other 3 were moving much too slowly - he said at about an 8mph average speed. He had originally planned to get to Glacier & Waterton, but those had dropped out due to time constraints when he was with the group. After our conversation, it sounds like he is going to try to get to both parks. I was able to give him some information on the route since I just came from there.
I got back to the campsite and wrung out my wash since it was now wetter than when I went to dinner. Marti - one of the campground owners - came down to see how I was doing, and offered me the use of her clothes dryer. Of course I took her up on it. She went back to the office, leaving me at her house with her father and another family friend. We had a good conversation - and I once again had dry clothes. They were about to barbecue hamburgers and offered me food too, but I declined since I'd already had a pretty big dinner. The people I've met on this trip have been incredible. I'd like to be able to take this "people interaction" (particularly with strangers) home with me - but I'm not sure that it translates well to the northeast!
All in all it was a great day. I'm just hoping that the rain does it's thing tonight and goes away in the morning. Although I have had pretty good luck with the rain so far. My biggest weather problem on this trip has been the heat, not the rain.
It turns out that this is a 3-day weekend. Monday is a provincial holiday, so the campgrounds and hotels are absolutely packed. Yet there wasn't any question about the availability of a tent site here...
Friday, July 31, 1998
British Columbia: Blairmore to Galloway
I got dressed and broke camp this morning in 55 minutes - a new record for me, but partly helped by the fact that I didn't cook (or eat) breakfast in camp. Last night when I was walking around I noticed a restaurant in the motel across the street, so I had breakfast there. Orange juice, coffee, french toast, and bacon for $9 Canadian (about $5.60 in US dollars) - a pretty good deal.
Is this Crowsnest Pass?
Crowsnest Pass was really just a passage through the mountains, not a major climb. There was a little more up this morning, but nothing steep. My second crossing of the continental divide on this trip - and my first entry into British Columbia. Downhill into BC, with a wicked headwind on and off. Coming to the west side of the divide is very different from the east. On the east side is seems that the mountains drop away very quickly. On this side they seem to stay around. It appears that the road here dipped south to get through the mountains and eventually went through a tunnel to cut through.
I stopped in Sparwood BC - which bills itself as being the home of the world's largest truck! (http://www.sparwood.bc.ca/titaninf.htm) It was pretty big. My only regret is not getting a picture of my bike next to the truck, but the plain truck picture will just have to do!
This is billed as the world's largest truck. Is it?
I saw one cyclist today going in the opposite direction. He was coming down from Jasper, Banff, and Kootenay. He's heading for Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, and Canyonlands national parks - on a 10-week trip, from Europe.
Strange weather day. It was clear this morning until I crossed the pass, then it looked like rain. I stopped in Fernie to eat something - it sprinkled there, then turned into bright sunshine. After I left Elko it clouded up again. It sprinkled while I was setting up camp, but now it's dry again. Hopefully it will blow over - I hate packing up wet gear in the morning!
When I stopped in Fernie I also stopped at Fernie Sports to ask if I could borrow a floor pump. I just can't seem to get the tires up to full pressure with the frame pump. They loaned me a fabulous pump - that made me realize that it's time to replace my floor pump at home, since this one worked a lot better than mine does. It was a Blackburn pump with both Schrader and Presta valve attachments.
I ended up in a very funky campground in Galloway. There are some cabins at a gas station / store with a grassy area for tents. I bypassed the first place I passed in Elko (with a similar setup) at 3:30 in the afternoon after I heard there was another campground 12 miles down the road. There is a small creek that runs through here, then the grassy area, the cabins, the road, and the railroad tracks. I set the tent up behind one of the cabins so it's not too obvious from the road. The bathrooms are locked (each camper is given a key) - so I won't run into some stranger from the road in the middle of the night. The woman who runs the place seems really nice.
I still need to figure out my goal for tomorrow. It will probably be either Skookumchuck or Canal Flats. I'll see if I can find out which has a better campground.
Two trailers with kids and dogs just pulled in to the campground - probably a good thing. This way it's not just me back here.
Grocery shopping is a little disconcerting here. There are a lot of the same product that I see at home, but they have been repackaged for the Canadian market. And the vast majority of the packaging doesn't include any nutritional information - which makes me realize how much I use that information.
I made a comment to the campground owner about the 2 dollar coin. It's a good looking coin - with a silver ring outside and a brass center. She pointed out that it's "the queen with a bear behind" (which sounds funnier than it looks, "bear" vs. "bare"). It has the face of the queen on the front, and a picture of a bear on the back. They call it a tooney (twoney?), and call the $1 coin a "looney" for the picture of the loon it bears. The smallest bill is $5, and they are apparently talking about changing it to a coin too. Ouch - too heavy!
It's going to be a noisy night between the road and the railroad tracks. Three long freight trains have gone by in the last 3 hours.
Is this Crowsnest Pass?
Crowsnest Pass was really just a passage through the mountains, not a major climb. There was a little more up this morning, but nothing steep. My second crossing of the continental divide on this trip - and my first entry into British Columbia. Downhill into BC, with a wicked headwind on and off. Coming to the west side of the divide is very different from the east. On the east side is seems that the mountains drop away very quickly. On this side they seem to stay around. It appears that the road here dipped south to get through the mountains and eventually went through a tunnel to cut through.
I stopped in Sparwood BC - which bills itself as being the home of the world's largest truck! (http://www.sparwood.bc.ca/titaninf.htm) It was pretty big. My only regret is not getting a picture of my bike next to the truck, but the plain truck picture will just have to do!
This is billed as the world's largest truck. Is it?
I saw one cyclist today going in the opposite direction. He was coming down from Jasper, Banff, and Kootenay. He's heading for Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, and Canyonlands national parks - on a 10-week trip, from Europe.
Strange weather day. It was clear this morning until I crossed the pass, then it looked like rain. I stopped in Fernie to eat something - it sprinkled there, then turned into bright sunshine. After I left Elko it clouded up again. It sprinkled while I was setting up camp, but now it's dry again. Hopefully it will blow over - I hate packing up wet gear in the morning!
When I stopped in Fernie I also stopped at Fernie Sports to ask if I could borrow a floor pump. I just can't seem to get the tires up to full pressure with the frame pump. They loaned me a fabulous pump - that made me realize that it's time to replace my floor pump at home, since this one worked a lot better than mine does. It was a Blackburn pump with both Schrader and Presta valve attachments.
I ended up in a very funky campground in Galloway. There are some cabins at a gas station / store with a grassy area for tents. I bypassed the first place I passed in Elko (with a similar setup) at 3:30 in the afternoon after I heard there was another campground 12 miles down the road. There is a small creek that runs through here, then the grassy area, the cabins, the road, and the railroad tracks. I set the tent up behind one of the cabins so it's not too obvious from the road. The bathrooms are locked (each camper is given a key) - so I won't run into some stranger from the road in the middle of the night. The woman who runs the place seems really nice.
I still need to figure out my goal for tomorrow. It will probably be either Skookumchuck or Canal Flats. I'll see if I can find out which has a better campground.
Two trailers with kids and dogs just pulled in to the campground - probably a good thing. This way it's not just me back here.
Grocery shopping is a little disconcerting here. There are a lot of the same product that I see at home, but they have been repackaged for the Canadian market. And the vast majority of the packaging doesn't include any nutritional information - which makes me realize how much I use that information.
I made a comment to the campground owner about the 2 dollar coin. It's a good looking coin - with a silver ring outside and a brass center. She pointed out that it's "the queen with a bear behind" (which sounds funnier than it looks, "bear" vs. "bare"). It has the face of the queen on the front, and a picture of a bear on the back. They call it a tooney (twoney?), and call the $1 coin a "looney" for the picture of the loon it bears. The smallest bill is $5, and they are apparently talking about changing it to a coin too. Ouch - too heavy!
It's going to be a noisy night between the road and the railroad tracks. Three long freight trains have gone by in the last 3 hours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
