Thursday, July 22, 2010

Today presented the worst riding conditions of the tour so far. Even cold and the rain through the Kootenays did not compare to this…it was colder, the rain was heavier, and it was constant. It was certainly a test of my resolve- especially the dramatic conclusion!

I woke up in Valemount and decided to delay my departure in the hope that the rain I saw outside would subside. At about 11am local time I gave up and hit the highway. The real disappointment of rain in the mountains is not just the discomfort or even that riding becomes so much more dangerous. The disappointment is that the clouds block out all of the scenery, so you can’t really see any mountains. Even Mount Robson- the highest peak in the Rockies- was hidden behind clouds nearly all the way to the bottom.

Crossing the Yellowhead Pass and descending into Jasper was a challenge. The temperature was about 5 degrees and the rain was constant. I had to stop in Jasper just to grab a bite and try to warm my fingers up. Even with two layers of gloves- my leather gloves and then neoprene gloves over those- my fingers were still freezing, which makes it difficult squeeze the clutch or the brake. I chose the Whistle Stop- a little pub that I have had many meals at on every single tour except for Ryan & Silver’s Excellent Adventure 2007.

After a half hour break I headed further east. There was a brief respite from the rain as I entered Hinton, but it picked up again between Hinton and Edson. In Edson I fuelled up and checked the forecast on my phone. There was a severe thunderstorm warning in Edmonton. I jumped on Silver and hurried down the highway- I wanted to beat that storm!

As I neared Edmonton I could see that there was no way I was going to beat it. I could see the dark clouds to the east and there was lightning all over the sky. This was going to be one heck of a storm, and I was riding right into it!

It might have been a mistake to proceed, but I wanted to take on what nature had to throw at me. For a solid half hour I was treated with lighting all around me, rain coming down in sheets, and to top it all off it began to hail. As the tiny chunks of ice pelted my face I had no choice but to wince and take the pain. It was actually kind of exhilarating. The wind was howling and it became difficult to see. Cars were pulling over at the side of the road because visibility was so bad. I guess their wipers couldn’t keep up- luckily I didn’t need wipers!

Just as I got to Edmonton the rain stopped. I had made it through the storm, but I could not stop because it was now following me east. I headed to Leduc where I was staying with my friend Laura. About twenty minutes after my arrival the storm caught up to me- only this time I was safe and sound inside.

I had a very heavy sleep that night. A solid 6 hours of riding through the rain and a major storm really took it out of me. Tomorrow would be a relax and ‘catch up’ day in Leduc, and I will be heading south to Calgary for a surprise de-tour. More on that tomorrow…