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...
