It was a bittersweet morning.  I was not thrilled about leaving the Kootenays…but this is the Tall Towers episode, and with a name like that it could never be complete without a total ride through the Rocky Mountains…up the Icefields Parkway and along the Continental Divide…where I would see some of the most fantastic scenery on the planet before meeting my brother Sean in Jasper.

I told Sean I’d be there around 4 or 5 so I had to get an early start.  I was out of bed at 7 and managed to get packed and loaded and on the highway at 8am.  After a brief breakfast and fuel up in Revelstoke I was headed east through the northern end of the Selkirks up to one of the most famous mountain locations in Canada:  Rogers Pass.

The pass is only about 4,365 feet, but it climbs high out of the Columbia River valley in the west, up over the Selkirks,and then descends back down into the Columbia River valley again on the other side.  It was made famous because it was the most challenging part of completing the National Pacific Railway…the mountains are steep and sharp and snowfall is heavy.  In the winter this is a serious avalanche area, and in the summer the snow pack is still on the sides of the highway.

I reached Golden at around 10:30 am after a few stops for pictures along the pass. It was a far more enjoyable ride than on the Fellowship of the Road…where Greg and I rode through the dark and the rain the entire trip.  The weather today was sunny and the air was crisp.  In Golden I refuelled and took a time to say goodbye to the Kootenay ranges. I was about to head back in to the Rockies, and it was only a week ago that I crossed over them about 100km south of here in Radium.  Hard to believe it was only a week ago.

The ride from Golden to Lake Louise over the Kicking Horse Pass is rather impressive. I took some time to check out a few of the Park’s side-trips, including a few of a natural bridge and the spiral tunnels…tunnels carved in a circular pattern through a mountain so that the CPR line could gain elevation at a more moderate grade.  It’s amazing just to think about…a spiral rail tunnel carved through a mountain.

The ride from Lake Louise to Jasper is absolutely breathtaking.  The Icefields Parkway is aptly named…there are snow covered peaks and glaciers throughout the duration of the highway, and the highway itself climbs high up into the Rocky Mountains.  Bow Summit, about a half hour north of Lake Louise, is the highest elevation highway in all of Canada at a whopping 6,790 feet.  It doesn’t feel as high as the Kootenay Pass, mostly because the ascension is not nearly as abrupt as the latter.

I rode at a leisurely pace and encountered some rain south of Jasper before reaching the townsite at around 5pm.  Sean was already there and waiting for me when I reached the Athabasca Hotel for check in.  I quickly unpacked my gear and had a quick shower before heading out for some food and a few drinks with my brother.  We finished the night early at about 11pm,and had planned to be up early for tomorrow’s touring around the National Park.