This is the first day that I didn't see any other cyclists. It was a relatively hard ride, but very enjoyable. Rolling, with relatively short steep ups and downs. It was steep enough that it was easy to hit 35 mph on the downhills without pedaling, and to need to use my lowest gear on the uphills. The morning started with a combination of mountains and prairie - ranch country, very beautiful.
Route 6 through Pincher Creek was pleasant, with little traffic. I stopped in Pincher Creek for lunch. Peanut butter just didn't seem to interest me today. Traffic picked up after lunch, but there was a pretty wide shoulder so it really wasn't an issue. The road pulled away from the mountains, then headed back toward the mountains and Crowsnest Pass. It seems to be a somewhat odd pass in that it is pretty low. I believe I'm part of the way up it now, and I'm 14 miles from the top. I went through a major rockslide area. 30 million cubic meters of limestone came off of the mountain and partially covered the town of Frank. It's amazing that there is a town still sitting here.
I planned on staying in either Bellevue or Blairmore. The first campground in Bellevue was pretty gross - on the highway (if you can call this 2-lane road a highway, but it's the only road around). It was at a wayside chapel with a public restroom. It didn't give me a good feeling, so I continued on to Blairmore. I'm staying at Lost Lemon campground. I really prefer the public campgrounds (they seem to be in much nicer locations), but I'm taking advantage of the laundry to have totally clean clothes.
There is still a lot of interest in my bike and in my trip. I stopped in Lundbreck for a cold drink and one of the folks running the store came out to ask about it. He also told me that the couple from the UK that I met outside of Kalispell passed through here yesterday on their way to Banff. He said that they headed up Highway 22, so I don't think I'll be likely to run into them.
I walked through town after dinner - probably walked about 3 miles up and down the main street.
The campground seems strange to me. The people 5 sites down have a tarp up with electric lamps on their picnic table. All the comforts of home... It's quite a difference from Waterton and Glacier where most people were hiking and wandering through the park; this seems to be a place where people come to sit and use the pool.
I think the hills are starting to take a toll on my knees - just a bit cranky this evening. I'm using ibuprofen. Hopefully I'll be ready to ride in the morning.
