All you could ever want for: Day 14 - Lake Louise to Canmore - And Then We Pedalled...... Cross Canada 2015

June 16, 2015

All you could ever want for: Day 14 - Lake Louise to Canmore

We've done this ride many times before and it felt very familiar, but in one main sense so very different.

At the end of this ride we're not putting the bikes away and going on with the busy things of modern life. We're getting back on the bikes and doing what is now our life, pedalling across this vast country. We're like a tortoise, moving slowly and carrying our home on our back (ok, bike).

Today we were joined by our good friend from Canmore, Gaye. She boxed up her bike and took the bus out to Louise to meet us. Bike unloaded and put back together (her nice carbon road bike weighs about what one of our rear panniers does!) we set off down the 1A towards Banff.

This is one of the most pleasant rides you can do. There is very little traffic, it's moderate downhill all the way with just a few small ups, and the scenery is sublime. It's also a major wild life corridor so you are guaranteed to see something.

Kirsten and Gaye road ahead chatting and catching up on events over the last few weeks, and I stopped along the way and took pictures.

One of our favourite things about this ride is that right at lunch time, whether you are coming from the Banff end or the Lake Louise end, you end up at Johnson Canyon. On this surface this is a pretty horrible tourist over-run establishment, but in behind the gift shop, tucked out of the way, is a great little three booth diner that serves up great sandwiches, burgers, and real milk shakes in the metal cups!

It's our regular lunch stop on this ride and it came through in spades again today. Fully satiated, we continued our ride into Banff and then to Canmore along the flood rebuilt Legacy Trail. Although most of Canada is really lacking in cycle touring infrastructure, the 85 km from Lake Louise to Canmore on the 1A and Legacy Trail is one of the most cycle friendly routes there is. We need more of this!

Pulled into Canmore mid afternoon, checked out the renovation progress, decided that the sea can has to stay packed for a while longer, and then pitched up at Gaye's place where beer and Gin & Tonic's were consumed on the deck under the watchful eye of the Three Sisters.

Once again another great day that was extra special since we got to share it with one of our good friends.

P.S. We also met back up with Bill. He was on a bus that passed us just as we were reaching Bow Summit. He made it into Canmore, investigated his hub problems, and determined that his trusty 11 year old Phil Wood hub was pooched. He'll not be joining us for our run into Calgary tomorrow but he did join us for dinner so we could put a good end to this first leg of our trip.

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Song of the Day:

My Beautiful Friend by The Charlatans .... a little dreamy / electronic style number. Seemed perfect for the mellow but beautiful ride. We were also sharing this with one of our very good friends, and just as this was playing we were on a part of the 1A that Kirsten says is her favourite road of all to ride, a lovely winding section through forests (and it's one way with virtually no traffic)

Gaye's Song of the Day:

Crawl by The Kings of Leon ..... 'You've got to learn to crawl....' when you're riding a carbon Canondale Synapse alongside the fully loaded Panzer division.

Historic monument of the Day:

The memorial to the WW I intermnent camps and their inmates, that were set up in the Bow Valley. German, and Ukrainian immigrants were rounded up and interned here in 1916 through to the end of the first world war. They were put to work building a good portion of the then young national park's infrastructure. Not a glorious time in our countries past.

Breaking camp and drying the tent. Anothr gorgeous June morning

Gaye getting her bike unboxed and reassembled

heading south on the 1A Bow Valley Parkway - the Home run. This is the old original trans Canada highway. On weekends there are more bikes than cars, speed limit is 60 km and hour and the vehicles largely obey this (some of the roadies exceed this on their carbon steeds too)

Commemoration of the internment camps set up in the bow valeey during the first world war.

Statue of Ukranian prisoner from the camp

Castle Mountain - aptly named, dominating this section of the bow valley. The ominous looking clouds held off and cleared later in the day

Kirsten and Gaye getting ready to pedal on down the road

A section of Kirsten's 'favourite' ride. This is what we were riding when he Charlatan's came on the boom, winning them song of the day

A flock of Big Horn Sheep getting some salt by the roadside.They look a little mangy this time of year as they are losing their winter coats. Kirsten says my hair is starting to look like this too.

The Bow river heading to Banff, Canmore and then Calgary. Usually in mid June the river is pretty murky, but spring runnoff has been much lighter this year so the river is already clearing up. By july is will back to the clear blue it's famous for

The end of the 1A and the start of the Legacy bike trail that runs from here to Banff and then on through to Canmore

Mount Rundle and Vermillion Lake just west of Banff. Canmore is on the other side of Rundle, and has a more dramatic view of the mountain (IMO)

Leaving Banff on the legacy trail, canmore 22 k away

Had to wait for the train to pass. Caught this shot of the Three Sisters

The Three Sisters again looking across Spring Creek. This creek runs behind our house

The new bike bridge over spring creek at the end of our street

Another shot of the Three Sisters, one of Canmore's defining mountains. The white metal box in the driveway of one of the houses on the left is our Sea Can, full of furniture and house hold stuff. The plan was to unpack and move it into the 'finished interior' of our house over the next two days. Plans change after first engagement with the enemy ( I think this is attributed to Dwight Eisenhower) and the unpacking has been postoned again

Today's ride: 86 km (53 miles)
Total: 1,329 km (825 miles)

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