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.
