Lake Louise to Canmore

August 3, 2023

It wasn’t enough that Kirsten and Lyle welcomed us into their lives for a few days and planned an exceptional banquet for this evening. They also planned out our agenda for us today: a one-way escorted ride from Lake Louise back to Canmore. They checked out this idea with us in advance to be sure it met with our approval, but it was an easy call - what’s not to like about an offer of a lift up to Lake Louise and the start of the quiet 1A, the alternate old road east that generally parallels the busy TCH?

We’re all up early, putting away caffeine and breakfast and watching the puppy parents putting Levi through his paces. By 8:30 designated driver Lyle is loading three bikes into the back of his pickup and we’re soon off on the fifty mile drive west. It’s nearly an hour’s drive to Lake Louise, and we want to be back before around three when there’s the chance of thunderstorms in the forecast.

We obviously can’t all bike today. For one, someone needs to be the designated driver; and besides that Levi is too young to be left alone for four or five hours yet. This is one of Kirsten’s favorite rides so she’s our guide on the road. Lyle drives, and Levi’s along for the ride as part of his training.

While Lyle finishes cinching up the bikes I admire the Prairie Slayer, the gorgeous tandem that flew them across the endless prairie on their ride across Canada.

We don’t get far. A few blocks from the house we’re stopped at the tracks, waiting for the end of another interminable freight train to come into view. It finally passes on though and we’re underway for real this time, driving west toward Lake Louise on the TCH and admiring what we can see of the impressive peaks surrounding us. It’s not the best of times today but it’s not the worst of them either - visibility is blurred by a modest smoke screen, but it’s dry and nearly windless.

An hour later we’re at the high point on the 1A, just above Lake Louise. Bikes are unloaded, words of appreciation are spoken, last pats on the head are administered, and finally three riders coast off toward Canmore, fifty miles to the east and nearly a thousand feet downhill. There are a few low rollers between here and there, but for the most part it’s a long, gradual drop.

Interminable freight trains that split the city are a feature in Canmore.

Unloaded, leashed up, ready to go. Do you think Levi’s ready for a fifty mile run yet? Maybe not.

On the road. It’s (almost) all downhill from here.

We don’t get far. After coasting fairly steeply for a few hundred yards we come to a leveling in the road and Rachael and Kirsten pull off to the side - I think because Rachael’s Varia light isn’t registering, or maybe it’s for a GoPro adjustment. I coast on another hundred yards and then stop and wait, positioning myself for a shot when they approach.

They don’t approach though. It takes me a minute to realize something’s gone wrong, and when I zoom in I see that Rachael is wrestling with her bike and then suddenly she’s in a tangle on the ground. I bike back up of course, and when I arrive I’m alarmed to see she’s tending a badly scraped knee. What happened?

What happened is a mechanical problem. We don’t know for certain, but the theory is that the quick release on her handlebar stem hooked on a strap or something in the truck and became disengaged. Her handlebars are twisted about 30 degrees and the stem is loose. Thinking back, we don’t believe we’ve ever had one of the Bike Fridays transported like this, and likely Lyle has never loaded and unloaded one either. Something to learn from and remember in the future.

Fortunately Rachael’s got all the right first aid materials at hand, and after she’s bandaged up the bleeding soon stops and she declares herself good to ride.

Not good. We’re so lucky this didn’t happen on that first short descent.

Once we’re on the ride, it’s brilliant. It’s no surprise that it’s one of Kirsten’s favorite rides. Let’s look:

Video sound track: Another Day in Paradise, by Classic Dream Orchestra

The Bow River. We’ll follow it the whole way to Canmore, though it’s usually out of sight down in the gorge.

Madame Butterfly sheds a layer and reveals her wings.

Kirsten isn’t the only butterfly along the trail today.

We’re on Highway 1A for about the first thirty miles - essentially all the way to Banff. For the most part it looks like this, with very little traffic.

Pretty hazy today, but it’s still a beautiful ride. It must be really amazing on a clear day when you can see forever.

A few miles west of Banff we come to the scenic Vermilion Lakes. Behind is knife blade shaped Mount Rundle.

It’s nearing three when we’re on the Legacy Trail approaching Canmore. The wind has suddenly amped up, so remembering that there was the threat of thunderstorms about this time we pick up the pace and make it in dry:

Video sound track: Hanuman, by Rodrigo y Gabriella

The Banff Legacy is a paved, separated bike path that runs from Banff to Canmore. It it intermittently gated like this for wildlife control.

Some wildlife still manages to make it through in spots.

The threatened thunderstorms never materialize - in fact conditions steadily improve for the rest of the afternoon, which for us at least results in a very relaxed, serendipitous affair spent first in sitting around on the back porch working on the blog and listening to puppy parent zoom class; and then watching on in admiration after Lyle and Kirsten’s son and partner arrive and start performing their culinary wizardry on the long kitchen counter - chopping local vegetables to prepare the side dishes for the black cod Lyle is grilling, while simultaneously canning some fruit; and finally sitting down in the backyard to partake in this exceptional feast.

It was all such a fine production, better than a good movie. There should be video, but we’ll do our best to remember. Thanks again, Lyle and Kirsten - the whole day was a real highlight of the trip, and one I’m sure we’ll be talking about for a long time.

We enjoyed a relaxed afternoon lounging on the back deck recovering from our battle wounds.

#178: Black-billed magpie. I was surprised looking this one up to see it’s a different species than the magpies in the southwest, which have yellow bills. I’ll have to remember this when we drive south to Tucson this winter.

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Patrick O'HaraHope your wounds are not to serious, Rachael.
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9 months ago

Rachael AndersonThanks. There healing.
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9 months ago

____________________

2023 Bird List

178. Black-billed magpie

Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 1,154 miles (1,857 km)

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Lyle McLeodRachael & Scott,
It was a real pleasure to get together with you. Maybe next time we can all get out for a ride together! It was a little bit of ‘crazy time’ with the new puppy and the ‘fly-by’ canning session, hopefully we didn’t scare you away from a return visit some day. The Canmore - Nordegg -Lake Louise - Canmore loop beckons!
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9 months ago

Rachael AndersonTo Lyle McLeodWe had a wonderful time at your place and really enjoyed watching the canning session and dinner prep! I was an only child with just my mother so I love seeing a happy family. We would love to meet up again and get a chance to ride with you.
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9 months ago