Heading South Again (stage
4)
It
felt good to take a vacation from the vacation as this cycling business feels
like a working holiday at times (although
tax free). The ultimate goal though was to be on an adventure close to
nature, so it was just as nice to get rolling again. Kristie was kind enough to
give me a ride out of town, away from traffic and trucks. Pushing the pedals
hard up route 11, from Rocky Mountain House toward Banff National Park, was a
reminder again of what bicycle touring is all about: dealing with the elements.
The effort was well worth it, as I was rewarded with fascinating views. The
wildlife didn’t disappoint either, as there were more black bears strolling
through the grass next to the road just before Saskatchewan Crossing.
Taking
a left turn onto the Icefields Parkway toward Bow Summit and Lake Louise, I
experienced one of the most awesome and scenic roadways there is. It was a long
uphill ride to Bow Summit, but I never really got tired as with all this
natural beauty I had to keep stopping to look around and take pictures. The
climax came with the Summit Overlook, with the most breath-taking views in quite
awhile: Jagged mountains with their glaciers, the milky glacier lakes down
below and a green lush valley as far as the eye could scan.
It
was almost hard to leave this overlook, but there would be plenty of pictures
to look at later. Then it was all downhill to Lake Louise, only the short climb
up to the Chateau was the real muscle burner of the day. Gone was also the
peace and quiet, as the place had to be shared with hordes of tourists arriving
by the busloads. While I was sitting at the water’s edge, I enjoyed the view of
the lake and glacier for awhile; then I raced back down the hill to set up the
tent at the campground. The presence of an electric fence circling the entire
campground was also a reminder that this was still bear country, but it gave
comfort to the mind. Another soothing item to the soul, was the lack of
mosquitoes. Ever since riding up the Eastern slopes of the Rockies, there were
fewer and fewer of those nasty biters around. The same went for the West; they
all seemed to be on some kind of reunion in the East.
After
a rainy night, mixed with thunder, lighting and more rain in the morning, it
was almost noon by the time I got going. Following the Bow River from Lake
Louise to Castle Junction was an easy ride with a view. As it has it, cycling
in the Rockies the down-hills don’t last forever and soon came the climb over
Vermillion Pass, followed by the crossing of the Continental Divide and into
Kootenay National Park. The Marble Canyon Campground showed up just in time as
the clouds gave in to their heavy load. Although the sign read; “No Camping in Shelters”, I unloaded the
gear inside where it was dry and since there weren’t any other campers around,
I couldn’t resist pitching the tent inside as well. As all sites provide food
lockers to store all eatables to keep bears out of campsites, I was very happy
to comply with that requirement.
For
once I didn’t have to wait for the tent to dry out before packing up! Just
coffee, a two-day old scone and the bicycle wheels were rolling over the
pavement again. As it was still early, riding was very peaceful through the
N.P. without the customary tourist traffic. I rode over Sinclair Pass and down
to Radium Hot Springs, where I checked into a Hostel, as some raindrops were
present again. The town got its name from the slightly radioactive springs.
That day I got a dreaded phone call from my old work buddy Mike, who had a job
prospect. I had to decide whether to ignore the offer, or to cut the trip short
and expedite my way back to Salt Lake City.
As
it was, I opted for the less inviting option, but more interesting for the bank
account.
Two
days later I crossed the US border, which went rather smoothly. What was rough,
though, were the road conditions. It almost came as a shock, as there were no
more shoulders at all to ride on, which meant that I had to compete with RV’s
& trucks for the pavement. On top of it, I had a flat, got rained and
hailed on, all of this on the first day (welcome back). On the plus side, I had
a tail wind, nice camp site and a lovely Thai meal in Kalispell.
The
last couple of days were rather pleasant, riding down the west side of Flathead
Lake down to Missoula and from there via rental car back to Park City. Although
the trip wasn’t completed as intended, it was still an exciting adventure with
more life lessons learned and many more lasting memories.
Until
next time from a bit farther down the road,
Tony
Bike
No comments:
Post a Comment