Thursday, Aug 2- Friday, Aug 3, 2012
I cheated. The objective with Day 1 was to get to Canmore from North Battleford to stay my friends Laura and Matt there. However, I wanted to get a little creative and take an entry into the Rockies that I’ve never taken before- the David Thompson Highway from Rocky Mountain House to Saskatchewan River Crossing.
To accommodate this I left the night before and rode to Edmonton to stay with my brother Sean- so Day 1 actually started the night before it was supposed to. It was a long day at work that day, and as soon as the day was over I rushed home to find Silver already packed from the night before.
It was great to be back on the road. It was wise to break things up because it always takes a few days to get the butt and legs accustomed to hours on the bike. I had to take a few short stops to stretch out but after a few hours I rode into Edmonton at around 9pm. Sean and I went to a pub near his place and enjoyed a few drinks before an early bedtime in anticipation for a big day the next day.
I woke at 7 the next morning and by 7:30 I was on the road. Since my focus is to take routes I haven’t been on before, I took the Yellowhead west to Entwistle and took a sharp turn south through Drayton Valley to Rocky Mountain House.
At Rocky Mountain House I grabbed a sandwich for lunch and prepared myself mentally for what was about to happen. The entry into the mountains is an exciting moment for me. It instantly makes me feel like a kid again and humbles me as the mountains slowly rise and close in around me.
I was also getting fatigued. Riding for hours on end really takes it out of you. By the time I reached Nordegg- just as the foothills turned into mountains- I was started to fall asleep. I had to stop for about a half hour to have a sleep on the grass behind a gas station. Not glamorous- but necessary. Even a few minutes to rest and close your eyes makes all the difference.
Riding west from Nordegg was an amazing experience. Abraham Lake and my North Saskatchewan River (yes, MY river) straddle the highway and the water is a deep turquoise colour from the minerals the water collects as it cascades down the mountains from the Columbia Glacier. I took many stops and just soaked in the scenery. The sleep I took in Nordegg proved to be a good idea because it gave me my second wind so I could enjoy every minute of my entry into the mountains.
I reached Saskatchewan River Crossing at around 6pm and rode south down the Icefields Parkway. No picture can effectively capture the beauty here. High, snow-packed peaks wrapped in glaciers, deep green forests, and deep turquoise lakes. Absolutely breathtaking.
At around 8:30 I finally reached Canmore and settled in with my friends for an amazing dinner of BBQ ribs and potatoes and salad. It hit the spot after a long, exciting day on the road. My friend Kyle and his girlfriend Erica from Fort McMurray were also there, and we enjoyed some good conversation in the cool night mountain air before retiring to bed at around 1:30. It took me about 30 seconds to fall sleep after lying down. What a big day.
BC Bike Tour 