Tour Pacific - The 2003 Trip

Pat Buckley, Ottawa, Canada, July 2003

Tour Pacific is a bicycle tour organized by CycleCanada. The tour is through the mountains of western Canada over a period of two weeks. The tour starts in Langley that is near Vancouver and ends in Calgary. The tour takes an indirect route to Calgary:

  1. Ride east along the Fraser River toward Hope, and camp at Harrison Hot Springs.

  2. Turn north with the Fraser River at Hope. Camp at Boston Bar on the second night.

  3. Continue north along the Fraser River to Lytton where the Fraser River is joined by the Thompson River.

  4. Travel further north along the Thompson River to Spences Bridge where camp on the third night.

  5. Go south east along the Nicola River to Merritt where camp on the fourth night.

  6. Turn north to Kamloops where rejoin the Thompson River. Rest in Kamloops for a day at the University College of the Cariboo. The Thompson River splits into the North and South Thompson Rivers in Kamloops.

  7. Follow the North Thompson River further north, on the Yellowhead Highway, to Little Fort, Vavenby, Avola and Albreda. Camp in this stretch at Birch Island and Summit River.

  8. Continue north and east on the Yellowhead Highway through Yellowhead Pass to Jasper where rest for a day.

  9. Turn south from Jasper and ride the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise. Stop to camp along the way at Wilcox Creek Campground in Sunwapta Pass. Spend a night in Lake Louise at the Hostel.

  10. Continue south on Bow Valley Parkway to Banff, and camp there.

  11. Sprint east along the Bow Valley Trail to the finish in Calgary where stay for the final night of the tour at the University of Calgary.

I ride this tour in June and July of 2003 with twenty other cyclists: Bob, Bruce, Carman, Carmon, Chris, Deb, Don, Doug, Frank, Jim, Kerry, Len, Mike, Nadia, Pat, Phil, Risa, Rodney, Sarah, and Virginia. The tour support crew consists of Ann and Craig.

The weather varies from warm to freezing and sunny to pouring. We feel it all. We get to know the mountains. Sometimes the wind is in your face and a few miles later it is at your back. One morning is freezing, but that afternoon is hot.

This is a tough road tour. There are very few flat stretches on this tour. There are successive days with climbs of one thousand meters. The first five days are a warm up. The next three days of travel are long and hilly.

The scenery is picturesque. There are mountains, glaciers, rivers, canyons, clouds, rock faces, semi-deserts, etc. The side trips possible are endless. I try to see it all and experience everything.



Day

Destination

My Daily Total

Distance on CycleCanada Map

0

Langley

100

0

1

Harrison Hot Springs

120

86

2

Boston Bar

116

106

3

Spences Bridge

123

63

4

Merritt

112

76

5

Kamloops

112

97

6


45

0

7

Birch Island

147

145

8

Summit River

173

165

9

Jasper

154

148

10


67

0

11

Sunwapta Pass

108

111

12

Lake Louise

148

125

13

Banff

123

62

14

Calgary

165

142

15

(2 days in Calgary)

114

0

Totals


1927

1326



Saturday, Day 0: Meet in Langley

On the day before the tour, I fly from my home to Vancouver. I bicycle 65 km with loaded panniers from Vancouver airport to Vancouver, and then to Langley, the start of the tour. In Langley the tour stays in a residence of Trinity Western University.

The highlight of the day is meeting the other riders and starting to learn a bit about them. They all seem cheery and friendly. This should be a fun tour. I have supper with some other riders at a restaurant in the village of Fort Langley. Some are awfully chatty. My conclusion: there should be no problems with surprising bears. They will hear us coming?

I ride around Fort Langley after supper, find the reconstructed fort which is a National Historic Site, and read the plaque. The plaque says that the fort was a fur trade post for just a short while and then a supply base for the Hudson Bay Company. During mid-1800s, this post supplied other outposts by having fields with crops, fishing salmon, etc.

Sunday, Day 1: 120 Kilometres to Harrison Hot Springs

The Tour goes from Fort Langley to Harrison Hot Springs on roads along the Fraser River. The main town is Mission. I take a side trip to see Mission. It is built on the side of a hill. There are softball games in progress at the city park this Sunday morning. After Mission, the ride follows a main road so there is more traffic. One diversion from the main road is Nicomen Island Trunk Road. Only one car passes me on this ten-kilometre stretch.

One of my first pictures is of a train with the Fraser River in the background. Trains keep us company through most of the tour. At times there is a train every five minutes. There is rarely an hour goes by without a train.

Today's highlight is bathing in the therapeutic pool at Harrison Hot Springs. The water is from the Hot Springs. In olden times, the rich travelled here for regeneration. The tour travels here to get everyone's body ready for a great tour, eh? At least it is a great place for the riders to become acquainted. I have a long chat with Doug and Debbie.

The competing highlight of today's tour is a ride up a steep hill on a dirt road. Shortly into today's ride, I follow a local rider along the Fraser River and go past a recommended turn so I can stay beside the River a bit longer. The local rider reassures me that there is another road going my way and I can make it. The route goes up this nearly vertical dirt road that has switch backs. It is steep and soft in spots. I have to stop once since I think I am about to fall. I remove my foot quickly from the pedal and hit the ground just as I am getting that falling feeling. Not this time, eh?

Monday, Day 2: 116 Kilometres to Hope and Boston Bar

Today's highlight comes early. It is a side trip through Hope at the point where the route turns left onto Highway 1. Hope is this cute little town nestled alongside the Fraser River. Hope is the chain saw sculpture capital of Canada. There is a town square park that has lots of trees and about ten wooden sculptures that were cut with chain saws.

Another feature today is appreciating the power of the Fraser River. I am impressed by the amount of water when I view the Fraser River from the bridge in Hope. There is lots of turmoil in the river – current and eddies. The water is coloured green. Later on today's route is Hell's Gate Canyon. It is the narrowest part of Fraser River. The rapids are very fast. Before Hell's Gate, there is a plaque at Yale indicating that Yale was the northern point of transportation on the River in the 1800s. Above Yale, a road was built for a stage coach route that followed the river. It provided transportation to the Klondike gold fields.

A hazard today is riding through a series of tunnels on the highway. I scream all the way through the tunnels. I do ride the tunnels with other riders. We flag down a car and get it to follow us through a curved tunnel. We walk on a sidewalk through the longest tunnel. It is a good thing that I am travelling here on an organized tour. If I were riding by myself I might take the highly risky route of just riding through all the tunnels and taking no steps to alleviate the potential dangers.

Today is not a day for taking pictures since it is raining most of the time. It is good riding weather though since the temperature is warm enough to ward off the effects of the rain. There is sunshine and clear skies in the evening so we hope for better weather tomorrow.

The traffic on Highway 1 consists of large trucks and a few motor homes. There are many large tandem trucks with wood on them coming toward us. Truck drivers drive like they own the road. One almost crashes into me on a narrow bridge where there is little room. Debbie almost gets hit by one in a small tunnel that is straight so drivers can see? Most of the time, there are smooth, wide, paved shoulders where it is easy for cyclists to ride.

Tuesday, Day 3: 123 Kilometres to Thompson River RV Camp, South of Spences Bridge

Today's highlight comes midday when the tour's route goes by the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers at Lytton. The Thompson is clear; the Fraser is muddy. Both Rivers are moving quickly. All riders take a short diversion to a town park that overlooks the joining of these Rivers. The site is definitely worth a stop. There is an impressive amount of water. I eat my first lunch at this park. After lunch, I take an extra side trip up the Fraser Valley on Highway 12 all the way to 14 Mile Ranch. This road has less traffic, but crazier hills that are steeper, constant, and have broken pavement. After my ride on Highway 12, I eat my second lunch in another small park in Lytton. It overlooks the railroad bridge at the south end of Lytton.

The landscape is much drier north of Lytton. It is a semi-desert area that gets 20 cm (9 inches) of rain a year so vegetation is much sparser – sassafras, pine, tumble weed, and small cactus. Our tour is lucky and has temperatures of about 20 C. This region does sometimes hit +40 C in summer. On this year's trip, it is cool (almost cold) in the late afternoon and evening when the sun goes behind a cloud. There is very low humidity.

I have trouble erecting my tent since one tent pole is cracked. Duct tape comes to the rescue and the pole is no more problem on this trip.

Sometimes the food on these CycleCanada trips is exciting. One of those moments occurs this evening. There is a surprise desert of strawberries and ice cream delivered by Craig at supper. This appears to be a Canada Day surprise as Craig says "Happy Canada Day" when he delivers the ice cream.

The drawback today is that there are of lots of trains going along the Thompson River near the camp site this evening. There is a one-track line on the west bank of River, a two-track line on the east bank, and train wheels squeal as they go around the curve on the east bank. There are CN trains running almost continuously on both banks. Throughout the night we have trains in stereo plus trucks competing to be heard over them.

Wednesday, Day 4: 112 Kilometres to Merritt

My diary says: I feel a bit groggier this morning, than previous mornings. I did not sleep well. I cheer up as the day progresses.

At the start of today's ride, my first side trip is a circle route in Spences Bridge. This side trip of a couple of kilometres, takes me across the Thompson River on the main highway and back across the River on the old one-lane bridge. Spences Bridge consists of 50 houses, a gas station, and a motel up on banks on both sides of the river. It's quite stark due to the lack of vegetation. The river banks are a light brown sand. There's still lots of water in that River. Where does it all come from? When I complete my tour of Spences Bridge, Doug and Debbie tell me about a bald eagle chick in a nest that is just back a few hundred metres on another road. I go see it. It is about to fly? Just amazing. I take pictures of it and the one-lane bridge.

At Spences Bridge, the route of the tour turns onto Highway 8 that goes up the Nicola Valley. This valley is another semi-dessert. Some fields in the valley bottom are irrigated. The preferred form of irrigation here are long aluminium pipes on huge hollow wheels that are made of aluminium pipe. These are rolled across the fields. More fields are irrigated closer to Merritt. The Nicola River is not as big as Thompson, but both have rapids.

We are soon in Merritt where we stay tonight. Merritt has three wood processing plants that make lumber. Today's highlight is finding a hill, just south of the campground, which overlooks a large wood processing plant. This view helps me appreciate the industrial activity in this region. I take pictures of the lumber plant.

Today I help make supper by chopping up vegetables in a speedy way so we can all have large falitas on time. I think some people deem I am a bit obsessed and high on risk taking due to the speed that I wield the knife. It is a panic. I drink two bottles of cider while helping prepare supper. The cider has a sweet taste. I always drink more alcohol on these trips than at any other time.

Thursday, Day 5: 112 Kilometres to Kamloops

The day starts pleasantly enough. The highway is much flatter than the last few days. The route is around five large, scenic lakes. There are small hills between the lakes. The wind at our backs propels us along. Today's route is more into cattle country. There is more open range land and less irrigation. The route passes one guest ranch and there are signs for others many kilometres down dirt side roads. There are people fishing in the lakes. One contains the Kamloops Canoe and Kayak Club.

The day is wonderful until THE HILL 10 kilometres before Kamloops. This is the first big climb of this trip. This huge, steady, steep hill goes up constantly at an 8 per cent grade for 4 kilometres. Many cyclists on this tour have trouble climbing this hill. Somehow, we all feel very hot going up this hill. I know when the hill is about to end when I hear a truck's engine level off a few hundred meters ahead of me. After the hill, the road goes down again into Kamloops. Kamloops is built on hills that have very steep slopes.

The tour stays at University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops. The dormitory is on a hill. After washing my clothes at the College, I go down the hill to a store called Surplus Herbies. The store is on the flats on the north shore of the Thompson River. The store has every piece of junk that you could ever want and much, much more. There are tent poles, as promised by many local citizens. I get a tent pole that might do. It almost fits. I decide to carry it as a spare. I find out that I have a two and a half kilometre climb back up the hill to the College after I get the pole. Was it worth it? Sure makes me hungry for supper.

The highlight of today's tour is the view out my window of the residence at the University College of Cariboo. Half the tour has a view looking uphill at a street. I am lucky. My view is of Kamloops in the valley of the Thompson River.

Friday, Day 6: 45 Kilometres in Kamloops

This is the first rest day of this tour. I decide to see some of Kamloops after checking the internet and having a nap. My short tour of Kamloops starts with going downhill along Columbia Street to downtown Kamloops. Columbia Street has stores, houses, and a hospital on it. Shortly, the ride is in the east end of Kamloops and I decide to swing back through Kamloops along the Thompson River.

My trip back along the River encounters the Kamloops Historic Railway, the Red Bridge, a paddle-wheel boat unloading tourists, a garden with a plaque to Kamloops' sister city of Uji in Japan, a few children swimming in the River at Riverside Park, and a “Dew Line” relic. The latter is a preserved radar antennae that was used for monitoring enemy aircraft during the cold war.

There is a good bicycle path by the River. The path goes up a ramp to the Overlander Bridge to North Shore and I go there. This is the first bridge of my three-bridge circle-tour of Kamloops in a clockwise direction. The Overlander Bridge takes me from the south shore of the Thompson River to north west Kamloops. The span of the bridge is at least half a kilometre. The River is that wide.

The Overlander Bridge has a cement bike path attached to its side that looks like it is a recent addition. The bike path is well used. There are always people walking or cycling on it. At the end of the Overlander Bridge I turn right and take a bike path along the river to the Halston Bridge. This is the newest bridge. It takes me over the North Thompson River to north east Kamloops.

North east Kamloops is an industrial area and contains the horse track and fair grounds. The track is freshly groomed. There are a few horses in the barns. At one point near the track, I try to ride a trail of wood chips that must be a foot thick. Trucks have obviously driven here. The bike sinks into the wood chips and slows down. "Is it time to walk?"

The last bridge of the three-bridge tour is the Red Bridge. I ride on it over the South Thompson River back to the south shore. The Red Bridge is definitely the oldest. It has a wooden bike and walking path attached that is very narrow. The car lanes are also very narrow. They need a new bridge here for local traffic although the newer bridge of the Trans Canada Highway parallels the Red Bridge about a mile up stream.

After doing the three bridge tour, my route follows the Thompson River to the west of Kamloops on Mission Flats Road. I ride past the two large Weyerhauser wood processing plants. One is for boards; the other is for pulp. I am soon across the River from the airport and decide to turn around. Supposedly this road is a dead end, but I do not get that far.

On my trip around town, I notice that when it tries to rain, no one panics. No one puts on a raincoat or puts up an umbrella. After all, it is a semi-desert. What rain does fall dries off in the next five minutes. I also notice that most buses have bicycle racks on the front – the easy way up the hill?

Saturday, Day 7: 147 Kilometres to Birch Island

My route out of Kamloops is on yet another bridge across the South Thompson River. This is the bridge of the highway that the tour follows up the North Thompson River. The river has a wide valley most of the way today. There is room for the highway, local roads, farms and ranches. Today's route is mostly flat with just a few rolling hills. Most of the highway has wide paved shoulders.

As usual, I go through all the towns and take "Old Highway" roads whenever possible since these roads have no transport trucks, fewer motor homes, and much less traffic. One such road is the Old Thompson Highway through Clearwater. Downtown Clearwater consists of four buildings. Clearwater looks like a quaint place with a few summer homes and lots of year round residents. This town has potential. It is a place that tourists have not really hit yet.

Today has great weather for cycling. The temperature must be in upper teens and low 20s centigrade. There is a bit of rain early in day, and a shower that is strong enough to get one wet when I am at Little Fort. There is a tail wind most of time, but the wind is fickle around the mountains and sometimes becomes a head wind for a few kilometres.

The ranches have cows and cattle today. The ranches were empty yesterday and the day before. They had lots of equipment, but not much else (no animals). Were the cattle away browsing somewhere else? The ranches have some irrigation today, but not as much as yesterday.

Today's highlight occurs after I get to the campground. I am content at looking at the surrounding landscape from the campground until I see other cyclists walking up a trail. They tell me that this trail leads down to the River. I take the trail and discover the unincorporated town of Birch Island.

The feeling and scenery in Birch Island are a million times more than I expected. It is so quiet that I can hear the rippling of the River. There is a small village of less than ten houses, a one lane bridge over the North Thompson River, and a pretty pair of sandbars in the River. The one lane bridge is wooden with a superstructure above the road as the bridge is just a few meters above the River. The island of Birch Island is just behind the sandbars. It has many white birch trees.

What a view to have outside your front window. There is a house for sale. Is this tempting? I spend a few minutes standing on the bridge and taking in the whole scene.

The owners of the Birch Island Campground have pets like in a petting zoo. They have: seven Labrador dog puppies, three goats, and a pen with ducks, chickens, hens, and other similar birds. One can enter the pen and make friends with the birds. One goat does not like eating straw when given some; the other two munch away and like it very much.

Sunday, Day 8: 173 Kilometres to Summit River

The big highlight today is that the trip is getting into real mountains. The ride today follows the North Thompson River on the Yellowhead Highway through a valley of mountains. Some mountain tops have jagged peaks and snow. The forest is denser than yesterday as we are now out of the desert. The first large glacier of this trip appears about 5 kilometres before camp. Cyclists who did not turn around and look at it on their way to camp can see it from camp. We are truly into the mountains.

My most dangerous and exciting moment so far occurs early in the day. I am taking a picture of a railroad bridge at the top of a 100-meter deep canyon that contains the fast moving North Thompson River. There is very little room between the two lane road and the canyon. If I were driving a car, I would not see this picture. There is too much junk in the foreground of the picture. I decide to stand on a cement pylon at the edge of the road to get all the bushes and tall shoots of grass out of the picture. I get up on the pylon, and start getting relaxed and steady to take the picture. Out of the corner of my eye I notice two large transport trucks rapidly approaching on my side of the road. The draft from these trucks could easily throw me off the pylon into the gorge. I hesitate no longer, take the picture quickly, jump down from the pylon, crouch at the side of the pylon, and feel the ground shake as the trucks speed by.

Todays route includes side trips to two towns that each have about a hundred houses. The first town is Vavenby. It is 15 kilometres from start of today's ride. I ride through Vavenby to the point where the pavement ends and the dirt road begins on the far bank of the North Thompson River. Vavenby has: a one lane wooden bridge high above water with the superstructure underneath; one surviving convenience and general store; a baseball diamond in a town park called Centennial Park that looks like it has weathered life since then; and three people out for a walk at 8:30 Sunday morning.

The second town is Blue River. It is 100 kilometres into today's ride and is a base for heli-skiing. This town has dynamic features that set it apart. There is a small lake where children are swimming in an area supervised by a life guard. The swimming beach is in a revitalized park that has a new washroom. Beside the park is a freshly painted baseball diamond. Most houses are freshly painted or new. I fill a water bottle with Blue River water. It powers me on.

Tonight's camp is right beside a one track railroad line. A few trains have gone by. I wonder how many will go by when we rest tonight. The campground this evening has lots of mosquitoes so I am writing this diary in my tent.

Monday, Day 9: 154 Kilometres to Jasper, Alberta

The hardest hill today occurs midmorning. It is a 5% grade for 8 kilometres at the start of Robson Park. Robson Park is on the British Columbia side of Yellowhead Pass. On the other side of the Pass is Jasper National Park in Alberta.

Before Robson Park is a visit of Valemont. It is the first tourist trap we have been through in awhile. The main street looks awfully crass in comparison to the real country that we were in for the last few days.

Shortly after the big hill at the entrance to Robson Park is the walking trail to Overlander Falls. I ride my bicycle part way down the trail and walk the rest of way to falls. The falls are not too tall, but have lots of water.

The highlight of today's trip is riding through Yellowhead Pass. It is the first big mountain pass of this trip. This pass was chosen over others as the route for the Canadian National Railroad since the pass has a gentle grade. Today we experience that grade. The grade makes the Yellowhead Pass a lot easier than I expected. Riding down the Alberta side is a blast.

My lunch stop is at Moose Lake in Robson Park before I reach Yellowhead Pass. There is a prominent cascading waterfall on the mountain across the lake. Don and Carman catch up with me. They blast by. I pass them a bit later when they are having lunch, and continue to trade places with them until the end of day. We meet up at the entrance to Jasper town site and tour it together. As we part they say, “We're looking for the right bar.”

The tour stays for two nights at Whistler Campground which is a mile and a half from Jasper town site, on Highway 93. The elk think they own the campground and stay well beyond their welcome. They leave by night fall. There are also many frisky chipmunks.

Other cyclists report seeing deer, elk and bears along today's route, but I do not see any. One group reports seeing three bears just ahead. One bear rose up on its hind feet to smell the air. The cyclists were a bit worried until all the bears scampered off into the woods.

The down side of today is seeing the Japanese Internment Memorial on Yellowhead Highway in Robson Park. The memorial is for the residents of Canada's Japanese Internment Camps during World War 2 (1939 to 1945). The residents of these Internment Camps built much of the road that is now the Yellowhead Highway.

Tuesday, Day 10: 67 Kilometres Near Jasper

Today is a rest day so I wash my clothes in the morning after cycling with them along the Athabasca River on the old highway into the town of Jasper .

Jasper is the junction of 3 Rivers: Athabasca, Miette, and Maligne. I try to satisfy the spirits of each river by visiting them all: the route into Jasper yesterday was along the Miette River; the route out of Jasper tomorrow goes up the Athabasca River, and I visit the Maligne River today.

A hike in the Maligne Canyon is definitely my highlight of today. My route to the Canyon from downtown Jasper is across the Athabasca River and through the grounds of the Jasper Park Lodge. It has a palatial golf course. The old road by the Lodge is no longer open to cars but is accessible by bicycle. The old road winds around Lake Beauvert. A few kilometres later, the road is near the Athabasca River. The view is expansive from the top of a small cliff that overlooks the river flats 30 metres below.

After Jasper Park Lodge, I turn right and go along the Maligne River to the Maligne Canyon. I am soon at Fifth Bridge. I walk from there to Maligne Canyon with my bicycle. At first, the trail along the Maligne River is beside the fast-moving water. The River soon narrows to a canyon that gets very deep. The trail goes above the Canyon and there are walking bridges over the Canyon. I can barely see the water of the River way, way down from one of these bridges. It is awesome.

Heavy rain and thunder start just after my hike of the Canyon. Luckily, I am now at a Lodge at top of the Canyon and keep safe and dry under its awning.

I go to the Maligne Canyon right after washing my clothes in the morning. I return to our campsite in the early evening after carrying my laundry in a bike bag on my tours of Maligne Canyon, the town of Jasper, and Patricia Lake. In town I gawk at Jasper's tourist shops, eat twice, and ride through all the suburbs. On the short trip to Patricia and Pyramid Lakes, the road just keeps going up and up and up. Finally, at the end of the paved road, there is a fire road that goes to a great view after 10.8 more kilometres. I skip the fire road on this trip as I do not want to get too tired. There is more rain during my visit of Patricia Lake. Patricia and Pyramid Lakes look great and are worth the climb to see. Today, their magnificence is over powered by my experiences in Maligne Canyon.

The other members of the trip are not into riding today. I meet some at the Laundromat and others later in downtown Jasper. They are going on the gondola ride that is 4 kilometres up a side road from the campground. They take the bus from downtown Jasper. They feel a bit cold as they, too, have yet to return to the campsite and the weather has become much cooler during the day. By now, I am wearing my jacket.

Many other campers go to a smoke free bar in downtown Jasper and hear live music in the evening. They enjoy it. They tell me that all the other bars in Jasper allow smoking. This is not quite like at home.

It is time, after writing this diary in the evening, to go searching again for the campground's centralized showers. I got there once before by plodding on for over an hour down some bush trails. “There they are on this campground map.” It looks like I should head for the other end of this large campground that must be at least 5 kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide. It looks like the showers are not too far along the right trail through the bush. “Which trail is a big question?” I give up and take the park roads. This is supposedly, the long way to get to the showers. Finally, “There is another building and those do look like signs for showers?”

Wednesday, Day 11: 108 Kilometres to Wilcox Campground in Sunwapta Pass near Columbia Ice Fields

Today's route is along the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park. This is truly a fun day in the mountains. The day ends with a big climb up Sunwapta Pass.

The route up Sunwapta Pass is a big, huge hill that climbs 1,000 meters vertically. The road climbs at seven to ten per cent grade for seven kilometres. I have to stop once on the way up since my heart is beating too fast. It slows down in about a minute and I continue.

Beside Sunwapta Pass is the Columbia Icefield. The glaciers are accessible. There is a road to their foot from which there is a marked path that goes up onto the glacier. Those who do not want to walk, take buses out on to the glacier at $29 Per person.

The highlight of today is camping in Sunwapta Pass at Wilcox Campground. The campground is on the side of the pass three kilometres from the Columbia Icefield. The large size of the pass and surrounding mountains is apparent from the campground. "If you love mountains, you'll be wild about this campground." There are good views from all the campsites as the trees and other vegetation are sparse and the campground is on a slope so each row of campsites is elevated from the preceding row.

I make a fire at the campground to keep the bugs away and keep us warm. There is lots of firewood. Sitting around the fire is a good place to tell tales about the mountains. People tell tall tales about other mountains and other bicycle trips. "Is this your hardest trip yet?" Later we get to try out our cold weather gear for sleeping as the temperature goes below freezing at night. I keep warm by wearing a wool cap and pulling the string tight at the top of my mummy sleeping bag. A true mountain experience?

Earlier today, I stopped at Athabasca Falls. At the falls, there is a small canyon cut through the rocks. Below the falls I see rafters starting their trip down the Athabasca River. Someone points to the river bank 300 meters away and says "A bear." They persist. They are certain. The bear turns out to be a person in a brown jacket. It is amazing how a bent over person looks like a bear when you are looking for bears?

The weather in the mountains does change quickly at times. There was heavy rain last night for extended periods so I packed a wet tent this morning. Today is overcast. The clouds thin out later in the day, but there is a short shower during supper. The wind is mostly at our backs, but does change direction at times.

I see wild animals today: goats, moose, and chipmunks. There are goats on the side of Icefields Parkway. The goats are just over the hill from a sign warning for goats. The goats walk across the road. These are very photogenic goats who pause to let tourists take pictures. A bit later, cars are stopped on the road to view a cow moose with her calf in the flats of the river. There are many aggressive chipmunks at the campground this evening.

One drawback from an otherwise wonderful day is that the shoulder of the road (the Icefield Parkway) is rough at times. In the rough sections there is a large rut every meter. It looks like the Park did recovery work on the road a few years ago, but did not redo the paved shoulders. These bad shoulders appear about a quarter of the time today and do put a sour face on an otherwise wonderful day.

Thursday, Day 12: 148 Kilometres to Lake Louise

Today is another great day of riding through the Rocky Mountains. The ride starts in Sunwapta Pass. It is very cold with frost on ground. Initially, the ride is downhill from the campground. This is followed by a short climb to the top of Sunwapta Pass. I start the day wearing long pants, gloves, and synthetic Polarguard sweater. I stop a short time later at the Sunwapta Pass sign. I add booties, wool hat, and Goretex jacket.

The ride is even colder going down Sunwapta Pass. The first valley is still dark and very cold. It is warmer in the places where the Sun is shining. The Sun warms up the thin mountain air very quickly. The difference in temperature between the shaded and sunny areas is marked. After an hour and a half of riding, the valley is sunny and warm, and it is time for warm weather clothes – a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt over another T-shirt and shorts.

The ride is relatively flat along the valley floor after the descent from Sunwapta Pass. I am saving strength and energy for the BIG climb of Bow Pass at the 80-kilometre mark today. I stop when I hear a familiar voice yell "Pat" from the side of the road. Somehow while paying attention to cars and scenery, I did not notice Doug and Debbie and Pat at the side of the road. They are having some nutrient before attacking the pass.

Within five kilometres we are in Bow Pass and climb for seven km, almost constantly at a seven to ten per cent grade. I leave the others behind going up the pass. This is our second BIG climb in two days. At the top of the pass I go up further and further for one and a half kilometres to a parking lot for buses. From the parking lot, there is a short trail to a lookout over Peyto Lake. What a magnificent view of the Lake and Bow Summit. There is a sign showing that in 1880, the Peyto Glacier was just in front of where I am now standing. I can see just a bit of the glacier when I look far to the left. This extra climb to Peyto Lake is truly worth it. The lake has a special charm.

On my descent to the highway, I find a couple of other tour members and tell them about Peyto Lake. I leave quickly since the bugs are swarming and I do not want to use insect repellent.

I put on my Goretex jacket before going down Bow Pass so I will not get too cold on the descent. The descent is in stages: descend a bit, then flat, descend some more, another flat stretch, etc.

At the bottom of Bow Pass, is Bow Lake. At the north end of the Lake is Bow Glacier. It has a relatively symmetric look. A bit further down Bow Lake is Crow's Foot Glacier. It has multiple outlets that make it look like a crow's foot.

Ten kilometres after Bow Lake, I stop in a camping area and have a short snack while sitting beside a bubbling brook. I talk to a bicycle tourist who is headed north. He (and a party of others) started in South Dakota 5 weeks ago and hope to get to Alaska by August 26 when he starts teaching again (in South Dakota). I rest at this campsite for a while as it is a wonderful, peaceful place. I suddenly decide that the time has come to get to the next campground, jump on my bike, and hammer. The route is mostly downhill at five to six per cent grade. By pedalling lots and quickly, I pass six other cyclists from our group and almost pass two more. I get up to a speed of 68.2 kilometres per hour.

In Lake Louise, our group stays at the Hostel. Each room has six people. In my room are: Pat, Pat, Don, Carman, Doug and Debbie. Doug and Debbie take the double bed up over the bathroom and doorway. The rest have bunk beds. I have an upper bunk. This will be my first life time sleeping experience in an upper bunk. I put my bag on the bunk and leave to ride around the town of Lake Louise.
There must be a bear problem here. The campground is bear proofed with: an electronic fence of a number of horizontal (and vertical) wires, a three-meter wide Texas Gate1 at the entrance for cars to drive over, and special gates for campers who are walking.

An interesting site in town is the old railway station that is converted to a restaurant. There are two old railway dining cars that are hooked up for classic dining. It looks like air conditioners are attached – a modern luxury added to an old-fashioned car?

It is now 4:30 pm. so I decide to go to the lake of Lake Louise that is 3 miles or 4.5 kilometres away since supper is 6 pm. at the earliest. Supper is in the kitchen of the Hostel where other people staying at the Hostel are also cooking and eating.

The road to Lake Louise is tough with lots of eight to ten per cent grades. It is almost all uphill. Lake Louise looks as wonderful as ever. Chateau Lake Louise, a historic CPR Hotel, still looks grand and has neat flower gardens and lawn. Other Lodges are near by. My return trip to the Hostel is easy and fast, but I need to apply the brakes a lot since I cannot trust a road that has rough spots and large bumps. Cycling conditions are degraded further by the bumper-to-bumper tourist traffic along this 2-lane road with small to not existent shoulders. This is a mountainous road, as the warning sign says.

I walk around trails near the Hostel after supper. The trail leads to a small mall where I meet other tour members and have an ice cream cone. There are lots of walking trails like this one on the town site of Lake Louise. After a short walk, I feel very tired and go to bed. Some tour members go to a bar across the street for live music. Others cyclists take a taxi at $6 per person to the lake of Lake Louise and walk back on a path along a stream.

I wake up a number of times during night. I feel restless in the upper bunk. I do not fall out this time anyway.

Friday, Day 13: 123 Kilometres to Banff

The day starts with a side trip to see Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. This is another big climb up and up and up some more on seven to ten per cent grades. This side trip of 28 kilometres (14 kilometres each way) is truly worth it. I feel the Valley of Ten Peaks is more beautiful than Lake Louise. There are already canoeists out on Moraine Lake. There are not too many tourists at this early hour, but I see the crowd growing when I am on my return trip. Again, as on the return from Lake Louise, the road is rough in spots. I need to apply the breaks so I do not spill on the bumps. I need to be able to see the really bad spots soon enough so I can swerve out of the way.

Before going up to Moraine Lake I stop at a local bakery and have a good tasting blueberry muffin and coffee. I meet other cyclists from our tour at the bakery.

Today is only sixty-five kilometres to Banff, and I have already added twenty-eight more on a side trip to Moraine Lake. The Bow Valley Parkway to Banff is more downhill than uphill. "Wow, another fun day of cycling in the mountains." Better yet, I am in a mountain valley going downstream with the wind at my back.

A highlight along the way to Banff is a stop at Johnston's Canyon. I decide to go to the High Falls after I meet another trip member, Rodney, at the entrance and he has encouraging comments on the High Falls. The High Falls is much more stupendous than Low Falls. The High Falls have water falling through a rock sluice. My trip to High Falls and return takes forty-five minutes. Is this a record time? It is 3 kilometres each way and I visit both upper and lower lookouts at the High Falls. I speed walk up to falls and jog back down from falls when this is possible. At times there are bumper-to-bumper tourists so I must walk. I do notice the colourful rocks on the canyon walls during one walking break.

The route is along the expressway of Highway 1 for the 6 kilometres before Banff. There are Texas gates to get on and off the expressway and to get into the town of Banff. A Texas gate consists of two to three meters of parallel metal bars (like railroad tracks) that have large spaces between them. The Texas gates are in place to keep large animals like elk, moose, and bear out of town and off the expressway. Today I walk the Texas gates. Tomorrow I will ride quickly across the Texas gate when leaving Banff.

In Banff, I explore areas that I have not seen on previous trips. My route initially goes across the Bow River. I visit Canada Place which is a rock garden around the Park Administration building. I ride through the property of Banff Springs Hotel, another famous CPR Hotel. There is a new statue which was erected in 1991 of Van Horne who was the old leader of the CPR. His famous quotation is on the statue: "Since we can't export the scenery, we shall have to import the tourists."

After the Hotel, my route follows a road through the middle of the hotel's golf course that is beside the Bow River downstream from the Banff town site. This road has a long one-way loop after the end of the golf course. The loop goes through an undeveloped area (or previously developed area that has returned to nature). What a good feeling being on a quiet country road after all these roads of tourists near Banff.

I stop at Bow Falls on my way back to town and take pictures. In town, I follow side roads along the Bow River and go under the bridge on a bicycle trail. Next, I see horse stables, co-op housing, and the old hot springs, the Cave and Basin.

There is a memorial at the Cave and Basin to a First World War Internment Camp of east European aliens who were mostly recent immigrants. Cave and Basin was their the winter camp. Earlier today, I saw a memorial along the Bow Valley Parkway, at the site of their summer camp. There were four internment camps that did much of the labour behind the infrastructure of the current national parks in Canada's Rocky Mountains. For example, members of the camps built the road from Banff to Lake Louise. These Internment Camps decreased in size as the war progressed and people got classified as OK and were released.

Next I go back across the bridge over the Bow River into downtown Banff where I ride slowly down Banff Avenue and almost cause a few accidents. Banff Avenue is the one big main street in Banff. It has less than a kilometre of stores. There are stores on a couple of other streets and cross streets for a couple of blocks. Amazingly, in this small space, there is a small to medium sized store of many chain stores and recreation companies.

After my trip down main street, I ride through side streets, get lost, and end up back at the police station where I originally entered town. More side streets take me to the park that is beside bridge. I ride under the bridge on a bike trail and continue to the end of this trail where signs on side streets lead me to the Tunnel Mountain campground.

The campsites of CycleCanada are in Section D of Tunnel Mountain campground. This section is set up for groups with vans, like ours. There are three other groups here this evening.

Saturday, Day 14: 165 Kilometres to Calgary

The day starts out with getting lost. I seriously lose my way on a trail near the Hoodoo's in Banff Park. I am pretty sure that there is a large animal fence around Banff so I am not too worried. At worst, I will eventually find the fence. However, this little side trip could last for hours. I go up and down mountain bike trails with 25% grades for what seems for ever. I slide down hill sides pulling my bike sideways so it does not go down too quickly. Luckily, I keep the bike under enough control that I do not get hurt. I follow trails that look used hoping that they will eventually lead to a road. They do after a bit too much time. My bicycle computer tells me that I had more than 6 kilometres of being lost.

When I finally find a road, I decide to return to Banff town site. My route out of the town of Banff starts at the bridge over the Bow River and goes east along the main street, Banff Avenue. I take in all the stores, the children's playing park, the motels and hotels, and the park information office (that is in the same building as it was as on my last visit many years ago). I think of all the history buried along this street, and the fights over the growth of the town of Banff with Parks Canada. It looks like the height limit in Banff is three stories.

The first city outside Banff National Park is Canmore, Alberta. I take time to look around Canmore and climb the hill on the road to the Nordic Ski Center - developed for cross-country skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Canmore is a vibrant and growing community.

After Canmore, the ride is through valley land and foothills. Riding just hills is a let down after the mountains. I feel sorrow saying good by to the mountains. "When will I return to the mountains?" The weather is quite warm today, some would say hot, with a very strong tail wind. I stop at a grocery store (IGA) in Cochrane and get milk and orange drink. I drink the milk and fill my bottles with the orange drink.

I do the big hill at Cochrane Alberta and enter Calgary on Highway 1A, the Bow Valley Trail. The road splits to a divided highway about 5 kilometres from Cochrane and has a huge paved shoulder all the way into Calgary. This is obviously an OK route for cycling since other cyclists are training here. The quality of cycling deteriorates in Calgary when more "improvements" are added to the same road - paved shoulders, cement gutters, and clover-leafs. First, the room for cycling is markedly decreased when the paved shoulders change to cement gutters. Bicycling becomes even more treacherous when I am further into Calgary. The same road is transformed into one with clover leafs at the intersections. The clover-leafs have multiple entrance and exit ramps. There are cars flying everywhere. How do cars and bicycles get around here safely anyway? We will see tomorrow. I need to travel to see some relatives at the other corner of Calgary.

One relative lends me a bicycle trail map. That helps a lot. A bicycle trail map IS a necessity for bicycling in Calgary (or, you can use Calgary emaps if you carry a computer). They do not want bicycles on their roads.

Today's destination is Kananaskis Residence at University of Calgary. I keep looking for directions for University of Calgary and only see one, way back, pointing ahead. I stop and take out a map of Calgary when the clover leafs start on the Bow Valley Parkway. The map shows the University of Calgary just a few blocks away. It is not on the Bow Valley Trail. I get off this increasingly dangerous road and use side streets.

The University of Calgary is enormous. First, I encounter the large research park that is north-west of the University. I ride through the University and find lots of large recreation facilities just south of the University: McMahon football stadium, a baseball park, an athletics field, an arena of hockeycanada.ca, and an office building for Olympic volunteers. The athletics field has a 400-meter running track and other athletics facilities like pits for high jump. It looks like this field is devoted to athletics and the infield is not used for other sports.

Our group of bicycle tourists have supper in the common room of the residence. Those riders that remain reminisce enthusiastically about the trip. I take out my train whistle and blow it a few times in memory of our comrades during the first part of the trip.






1A Texas gate consists of two to three meters of parallel metal bars (like railroad tracks) that have large spaces between them.