Valemount

July 27, 2023 to July 28, 2023

The drive

It was a late-breaking decision to stitch Valemount into our itinerary for our two day gap between Revelstoke and Jasper. We’ve been booked to stay at the lodge at Sunwapta Falls on the Icefields Parkway, but the closer the time came the less sense it made since you can’t really bike far without coming up against a pass I shouldn’t really be testing myself with.

And it was a really late realization that the long six hour drive passed through Kamloops, the home of our friends Ken and Judy whom we last saw back before Covid when our paths crossed in northern Portugal. Fortunately it wasn’t too late though. They’re in town, they had the time, we met for lunch at a golf course north of town, and we parted speculating on whether our bike itineraries might intersect in Spain this fall.

In a major fail though I didn’t think to bring out the camera at lunch. As a substitute then, here they are crossing the bridge at Ponte de Lima on their way north to Santiago.

So that’s the big news of the day. The only news really, since the drive consumed most of the rest of it. The less said of the drive the better, other than it was made more tedious by the highway resurfacing project that intermittently strangled traffic for the last hundred miles.

We arrived in Valemount just in time, as it was just beginning to sprinkle and the mountains ahead were fast disappearing behind a dense white veil. After we checked in to our room for the next two nights I headed right out again to the local brewery for some chips and an IPA to help wash the drive out of my system. It was pouring! As I drove by the front of the motel I saw Rachael standing in the doorway, preparing to make a dash to the convenience store next door for a sparkling soda. I urged her to hop in and gave her a lift to spare her a soaking.

There are mountains behind that wall, mountains we could see twenty minutes ago.

In Valemount

It’s nice to see Valemount again, a place we stayed our last time through the region. Toward the northern end of the Rocky Mountain Trench, it sits in an intersection of three mountain ranges: the Rockies to the east, the Cariboos to the north, and the Monashees to the west. We couldn’t see any of them when we entered town last night but today brings a pleasant surprise. Rain has been in the forecast, but this morning the report is that there’ll be some clearing and we have into the early afternoon before they’re due to arrive. Rachael plans a hike up Swift Creek, and I’m thinking I’ll bike northwest on the back roads until their end. First though I want to explore Cranberry Marsh, a small wetland just south of town. It’s got a three and a half mile loop around the marsh and the promise of some wildlife sightings, so I head over that way with the Raven as soon as the fog lifts and the mountains start breaking through.

It’s a lovely little hike that I take slowly because there is so much to stop and look more closely at - it takes me nearly three hours before I make it back to the car, and by the end the surrounding mountains are visible in all directions. I’d recommend it if you’re in the area - the trailhead is behind the Best Western.

The fog lifted just before I left for this walk, and views of the mountains gradually cleared up. Here we’re looking east toward the Rockies.

The northwest side of the loop is more developed and wheelchair accessible.

I wouldn’t bring a wheelchair to the east side though. My shoes and socks were well soaked by the end.

Probably here too, if Andrea doesn’t offer one first.

The views to the mountains steadily open up more as the morning wears in.

#174: Dusky flycatcher? There’s a set of flycatchers that are notoriously hard to distinguish, but dusky seems the most likely to me.

Some birches, I assume. Or maybe alders? I’m not sure I really know the difference.

A yellow warbler, a bird we saw down near Sonoma last spring but get a much better look at today.

Rachael’s walk

I got out early to beat the predicted rain on the Swift Creek Trail which mostly followed Swift Creek starting at the level of the creek but then climbing above it. At the high point of the trail there were beautiful views of the mountains. After about 5 miles, I turned back and returned along the same route ending up with a total distance of 10 miles and 1100 feet of climbing. It was a beautiful hike and I didn’t run into any bears!

A beautiful picnic spot at the top with spectacular views!

A beautiful bridge to cross after dropping back down to the river.

Scott’s ride

In a surprise, the rains never do come today. Even though I’ve frittered away an hour or two after getting back from my walk, there’s still time and weather for the ride I’ve been envisioning - a roughly 30 mile out and back past Jackman Flats to Old Tête Jaune Cache Road until the pavement ends. Generally flat and quiet the whole way, it looks like the sort of left behind road that might hold an interesting ruin or two. I’ll need to keep on task though - as I step out the door Rachael sternly reminds me that she expects me back in time for dinner at the Caribou Grill at about 5.

As it turns out though, time isn’t an issue. The ride turns into a minor disappointment when I get a few miles out Jackman Road and am enjoying biking past freshly shorn wheat fields when I come to another road resurfacing project. This one has consumed the whole road shoulder to shoulder, and it’s covered with a fresh layer of gravel in preparation for the asphalt. Work crews are about, and even if I wanted to spend the next half hour plowing through gravel I don’t really feel right about cutting a tire track into their project so I turn back short.

Back at the hotel, there’s another unpleasant surprise when I realize I’m experiencing a minor arrhythmia episode while I’m lifting my bike into the car. Maybe the heat and humidity triggered it? In any case, I head straight upstairs and lie down to wait it out. A minute later Rachael brings me a glass of water, leans over to give me a kiss and then asks if that made it go away. Yes, I reply - truthfully. Just like that, it’s stopped. So there’s a serendipitous new therapy to play around with.

Later, after dinner I pretend to be having another episode, but she’s too quick for that ruse and isn’t fooled. Rats.

Looking north along the Cariboo Range, I see how lucky we’ve been with the weather today. We wouldn’t have to get far out of the valley here to get rained on.

In a disappointment, I’m forced to turn back short of the goal on Blackman Road, unless I want to bike several miles on fresh gravel and tar.

The McLennan River, from Crooked Creek Road.

Heart

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2023 Bird List

174. Gray catbird

175. dusky flycatcher?

Today's ride: 18 miles (29 km)
Total: 1,040 miles (1,674 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	11
Comment on this entry	Comment	8

Carolyn van HoeveAnd you thought you needed an operation when a kiss is the cure 😊
We’ve booked tickets to Frankfurt, early September! Buying bikes, following your trail to Vijlen and then going rogue in Belgium, ending in Haut-de-France a month later to drop off the bikes. So another short tour but hopefully longer next time. Spain in October was also in the running, but Germany/Belgium won out this time. Spain will be great for you now that you’ve found the new therapy for the arrhythmia episodes!
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9 months ago

Keith AdamsKeith Adams
"Back at the hotel, there’s another unpleasant surprise when I realize I’m experiencing a minor arrhythmia episode while I’m lifting my bike into the car. Maybe the heat and humidity triggered it? In any case, I head straight upstairs and lie down to wait it out. A minute later Rachael brings me a glass of water, leans over to give me a kiss and then asks if that made it go away. Yes, I reply - truthfully. Just like that, it’s stopped. So there’s a serendipitous new therapy to play around with."

But isn't she *supposed to* make your heart go pitter-pat? Seems counter-intuitive as a therapy.
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9 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Carolyn van HoeveGood for you! I wondered if you’d be on the road again this fall. Looks like a beautiful spot to be in September. I’d never heard of Hauts-de-France and had to look it up, but we’ve been there. We especially liked Amiens and Beauvais. Where will you end it?
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9 months ago

Patrick O'HaraThe love of your best friend is certainly the best medicine. Funny thing, it always works for me too! Thanks for reminding me what a beautiful country I live in!
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9 months ago

Carolyn van HoeveTo Scott AndersonYes! We're going to Amiens and Beauvais! Cycling in the area around the Somme River with all it's history. Have you got a trip journal with those particular stops that I could look at?
We're ending in Boubiers (tiny place about an hour away from Paris) where we've got someone that's able to store our bikes for us which we're so happy about and such a convenient location.
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9 months ago

Scott AndersonYes, we were there in the spring of 2022 (Three Seasons Around France: Spring). The last section of that tour was a ride from Paris to Calais.

We keep thinking about whether we should change our model and find a place to park our bikes over there between tours too. It’s a pretty attractive idea.
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9 months ago

Carolyn van HoeveOh yes I remember reading that and thinking at the time it looked lovely. I will have another look!
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9 months ago

Carolyn van HoeveTo Scott AndersonI just looked up your Amiens/Beauvais entry and we're booked in the same Hotel de la Cathédrale in Beauvais. Happy to read you rated it highly. The ride looks gorgeous except we're doing it in reverse. I'll know to avoid that bit of rough track you encountered. I've just realised much of our trip is heading into the prevailing wind. Darn it. Here's hoping for light winds and some of that TA sunshine.
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9 months ago