Day 4 cont._ Lake Louise and the Icefields Parkway

Lake Louis is about 2 kms from the start of the Icefields parkway (it is a junction of the Trans-Canada and Highway 93. I decided to have a bit of a rest here and then start the climb up 93. It is a 40km gradual climb to Bow Summit but I was going to save the for tomorrow. My destination for today would be Mosquito Creek about 26kms up the highway.












Not sure why it was called Mosquito Creek; there weren't too many of the little buggers around. It was a nice enough campground but for 14 dollars , was still overpriced. Spent the evening getting set up, boiling water (they seem overly paranoid about the water in the parks these days) and making dinner. I went next door and checked out the hostel to see if they had anything to drink, as I was fresh out of water. They were closed and advertised it with a 'don't come near me' sign that said something like: " We are not here and we have nothing to do with the campground next door so piss off". At least that's how I read it...




Mosquito Creek Campground



Cooling off my water....



A little back step... as I walked to my favorite hostel, another cyclist rode into Mosquito Creek Campground. We greeted each other with the usual 'Hey' and nod as he rode by. Later, after I returned from the neighbouring HOSTEL, I spoke with Aviam who was on his way to Edmonton from Vancouver. He, like me, was very new to all of this long distance road riding.

Turned out Aviam was working in Korea and was on his way to see his sister in Edmonton.

Day 4_This is what I am talking about

Had a bit of a late start. Got talking with another cyclist (Adam)that apparently got in Tunnel Mountain around 10 the night before. He was coming up from San Francisco and was 5 weeks into his trip. I wish I had taken pictures of his bike. He had an extended frame, with a skateboard base that was basically his rear rack and huge panniers. The solar charger for his iPod was cool....

I rode into town and got a few supplies from Safeway (granola bars, bread, cheese and an apple--- I still had some pasta to last a few days). Then I was off, back on Highway 1 towards Lake Louise. I decided to take 1A because of Adam's recommendation. He said it was quieter, meaning no cars blasting by at 120! He was right. Once I got onto 1A, as I have mentioned to many people, I finally felt REALLY good about riding. It was extremely peaceful, the air was fresh and no one else around me. It was truly what I was waiting for. Although the scenery was not spectacular, it made up for it with the smells and the silence. There was something truly awesome about this leg of my trip.

Day 3..Banff or Bust (or should I say puncture?)

After a good feed with Daryl and his family and a good nights rest, I left the next day around 8 a.m. for Banff. The ride out of Calgary was pretty much all downhill, which made for a nice start. It seemed as though I was going to have nice weather and soon enough I would be able to see the mountains more clearly (I hadn't been able to see them yet as it seemed rather smoky).

An hour or so outside of the city I got my first flat. I had been waiting for this and to this dayI am not pleased with my choice for tire sizes ( I originally had 23C's on but changed to 25C before I left and still feel those are too thin). Changing a road tire is quite easy once you get the actual wheel off. With panniers, sleeping bag, tent, etc in the way, it proves to be a bit of a challenge the first time. By the way, it seems people driving by need to honk their horns at you while you wrestle with the bike in the ditch.

Shortly after getting back on the road, I was finally able to get a decent picture of the mountains....









A Japanese film crew creating a fishing show.



Banff was about a 105 km ride from Calgary and was not a very difficult day. There was a bit of wind coming off the Rockies but nothing too bad. I set up camp at Tunnel Mountain campground just outside of the town ( Not worth the 21 dollars a night thats for damn sure. Or was it more than that? ) and then headed to the Magpie and Stump for some Mexican food and a 'couple beers'. Then it was back UP the road to the campsite where I settled in with an Outside magazine and a couple Labatts Blue.

Day 2_Calgary. Beer, beef and UFC

I rolled into Calgary late morning but still had to get to Daryl's place (friend of mine from school). It had been awhile since I had been in Calgary but knew roughly about where he lived. Country Hills....no problem. It is on the outskirts of town... Well, after another 11kms, uphill, in the blistering heat, I found his place. Of the 306 kms I rode in those 2 days, they were the toughest ones yet (missing the turn-off didn't help).

My trusty steed with about 45 pounds of gear.

Leaving

July 19 was my proposed departure date. I was really not thrilled about riding down Highway 2 right before the weekend, as the road gets pretty busy with plenty of stupid drivers, but I didn't want to delay.

I got away at about 6 a.m.. Here is a quick snap of me before I left. I was actually feeling a bit of anxiety, nervousness at this time... the reason for the fake smile maybe??

I headed out of town and it was about 11kms before I actually fe
My first rest came at 50kms into the ride. It was starting to warm already and was supposed to be a high of somewhere around 33 degrees for the day. I propped my bike up against some garbage cans at a road side pullout and sought some shelter from the sun beside a rig that was parked there. After a light bite to eat and a bit of time to get off that saddle, I was back at it.
lt like I was out of the city. The shoulder just outside of Edmonton, although wide (11foot?) only had about 3 feet that I could ride on due to all the gravel and crap left from the previous winter (I assume...). So for the first part of my journey I was cycling along, on the left side of the shoulder with cars speeding past at 120 km/hr+.

As I said, I really had no idea how far I was going to be able to go in a day. I do lots of downhill mountain biking and have to exert a fair amount of energy riding up to the trail heads but I have never done anything long distance like this. I was hoping for about 100 kms a day at least. Today I was shooting for Red Deer for the night.

After another break for lunch I reached Red Dear and had a bit of a rest at the Mohawk Gas station. It was good to take my shoes off and let them air out for awhile. I decided to bring sandals at the last minute and man, am I glad I did. As I sat and drank my gatorade and snacked on a granola bar I contemplated my next move. I was already past the campsite at Red Deer and it was still early enough I could still get a a fair bit of road out of the way. I decided to move on some more. I had already done more than 140 kms....why not keep going?

I pulled up to this rest area/campground at Bowden and decided to call it a day.202 kms for day one was definitely enough. I had gone much further than planned and would be able to reach Calgary around noon the next day. I was quite pleased with myself and surprised at the distance I covered in a day. Here is where I spent night one....

2007 The Rockies--In Preparation

In the spring of 2007, I started thinking more seriously about doing a ride though the Rocky Mountains. Since elementary school, I have always though about either ride out to Jasper, from Edmonton, or ride from Jasper to Banff via the Icefields Parkway. This year past year I did both....not necessarily in that order....

Almost immediately after returning to Edmonton for the summer (I reside in Fukuoka, Japan) I went out bike shopping. I was really surprised to find out the tour bike industry does not really exist in Edmonton. I visited most major bike stores in the city and finally found a bike I felt would do the trick. At Revolution Cycle I purchased a Specialized Tricross (not exactly a touring bike) for about $1200 and a few hundred dollars worth of gear (rear rack Aviom panniers and a few other things). A visit to MEC also saw my wallet empty as I bought a tent, sleeping bags and other necessities. I think all said and down I spent about $2500 on gear (including bike).

Initially I was planning to ride to Jasper first but changed my mind for a couple of reasons.... The first was that I wasn't too excited about riding into the wind right from the get go. It is approx 365 Kms to jasper from Edmonton and I really wasn't sure how far I would get my first day. Secondly, the ride down Highway 2 (or id Queen Elizabeth? Gateway? Calgary Trail..??) to Calgary is anything but exciting and figured it would be nice to get that out of the way first... So that was the plan. Ride to Calgary in 2 -3 days, then to Banff, up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper and then return to Edmonton on the Yellowhead....