Mountain Shadow Campground, Sparwood, B.C., Canada to Ram Wigwam Campground, Flathead River Valley, B.C., Canada

Statistics

Distance: 85.35 miles (rode 81.6, van 3.75) 

Average Speed: 10.66 mph

Hours Riding: 8 hours

Calories: 4446

Total Ascent: 6430 feet

Total Descent: - 6473 feet

I got up at 6:15 a.m., as i didn 't hear my alarm go off at 6:00. I had cereal, yogurt, fruit and milk for breakfast.

I got on the road by 8:00 a.m. and biked with Harry Brown for much of the day. We were riding on pavement at first, and during those parts, we made good time. But then parts of the road converged with a river bed and it was so bad that it was best to walk the bike.

We had lunch at the Lower Harvey Creek Recreational Site. I had a turkey sandwich, a hard boiled egg, and Fig Newtons. I also took along some Cliff bars.

We saw some birds that a crewmember from Canada told us were called prairie chickens. He said he used to hunt them as a young man.

At about 75 miles, just prior to the final pass, I started feeling weak and unfocused. The van came along and offered me a ride to the end, or for a distance of my choosing. At the time, I was thinking that I would ride in the van to the end, but after some food and drink, I felt better so I got off at the pass and rode mostly downhill for the next 15 miles. I felt fine after the ride, so I concluded that i was dehydrated and my blood sugar was low.

We met up with the rest of the group at the Ram Wigwam Recreational Site. It is a primitive site with only a portable toilet. The river was right there for those that wanted to brave the cold water to clean up.

Our chef, Sophia, is creating better dishes every day. Tonight we had shepherd's pie with green beans and salad. She also served beer for those that were interested.

Elkford Municipal Campground, British Columbia, Canada to Mountain Shadow Campground, Sparwood, British Columbia, Canada

Statistics

Distance: 30.8 miles

Average Speed: 10.1 mph

Hours Riding: 3 hours 1 minute

Calories: 1555

Total Ascent: 1870 feet

Total Descent: - 2379 feet

Breakfast did not start this morning until 8:00 am, so I got up at 6:45 am. I had eggs with sausage and veggies - it was very good!

We saw a mama deer and her two littles ones in the campground. The young ones were kicking up their heels and chasing one another, while the mother was licking some residue off a plastic bag.

We started riding at about 9:00 am. The initial climb was long and steep, and then we turned onto a dirt trail. I came to a fork and was unsure which way to go. Norm and Michael came along and by trial and error, we figured it out. From the dirt road, we turned onto some single track that was quite steep and narrow. Portions of it we needed to walk.

We passed a large decommissioned coal truck in Sparwood that I remember reading could hold up to 50 tons of coal. We rode into camp at about 1:00 pm and had a nice spread of food in front of us. The soup was vegetable with ham. The cook, Sophia, normally works in a large kitchen where she feeds 1000 people per day, with the help of 50 people that assist her. She said this job on the Great Divide is harder, but she feels privileged to be here.

Tomorrow, we ride to Flathead River, British Columbia

Canyon Campground, Kananaskis Lake, Alberta, Canada to Elkford Municipal Campground, British Columbia, Canada

Statistics

Distance: 54.8 miles

Average Speed: 9.5 mph

Hours Riding: 5 hours 43 minutes

Calories: 2508

Total Ascent: 3465 feet

Total Descent: - 4941 feet

I woke at 6:00 am to the sound of my watch alarm. I dressed, and packed my bags and took down my tent. The temperature was 30 degrees F. It was cold at night, so I put on more clothes and broke out the sleeping bag liner.

I rode my bike to the breakfast spot and had some cereal with yogurt and fruit. We also needed to make our lunch because there would be no place for the van to meet us for lunch. I made a couple of turkey sandwhiches, and brough Cliff bars and some fruit.

We left at about 8:30 am. The scenery was spectacular. The first two climbs were steep enough that I needed to walk my bike. I rode most of the day with Harry Brown of Austrailia. He is in the process of retiring from the Austrailian Department of Defense. He is going on another Bike Dreams trip to Africa.

A bunch of us stopped at a picnic area for lunch by a stream with the peaceful sound of the water relaxing us as we ate. We came across some domestic horses and mules grazing.

I had a mishap with my bear spray as I rode down a steep hill. When I hit a bump, my canister flew out of my handlebar bag and the safety came off, never to be found. I fashioned a makeshift safety out of cardboard, duct tape and shock cord.

I rode into town and found the municipal campground at around 3:30 pm. It didn't appear the campground had wi-fi, so I went in search of some free wi-fi. At a restaurant, a young Chinese girl exteded her personal wi-fi to me so I could make a Skype call to Lorraine. I thanked her for her kindness and she said, "Family is important." I was quite moved by her generosity.

I had the opportunity to take a shower which was an amazing treat!

Tomorrow, we bike to Sparwood, British Columbia.

High Country Inn, Banff, Alberta, Canada to Canyon Campground, Kananaskis Lake, Alberta, Canada

Statistics

Distance: 52.1 miles

Average Speed: 8.3 mph

Hours Riding: 6 hours 11 minutes

Total Ascent: 5023 feet

Total Descent: - 4121 feet

We started out at about 9:30 am, and Lorraine and I had a bittersweet goodbye. I must add that I have an incredible wife.

The sights were beautiful, and our surrounding is remote. It is like a hiking trip with the added benefit of covering more ground on the bike. I had my bear spray at the ready, but there were no bears. I did see a large female deer on the side of Spray Road which had little fear of me.

I rode half the day with David and Gordon, who are both originally from London. Gordon now lives in Aspen; he is also part of the crew. He is our bike mechanic but he does a bit of everything, like most of the crew.

The first part of the day was a dirt trail. Instead of continuing on that dirt trail after lunch, we needed to take a detour to the east side of Spray Lake per the request from the rangers because of the abundance of large predators on the west side. Spray Road is a gravel road.

I rode with Marka and Sean for the second half of the day. They are both part of the crew. I paced myself and took quite a few rest and snack breaks.

We stopped at the visitor center to see where our tent sites were in Canyon Campground. After setting up my tent, I found out there were only two tents allowed per campsite so I had to move it. The arrangements were not ideal because the sites were far from the main gathering and eating area. I was about one quarter mile away so lugging gear around was inconvenient.

We had lentil soup for the post-ride meal and ziti with shrimp and vegetables for the main meal. There was no power at the sites so they set up a charging area in the gear truck. Two grizzlies were spotted near the visitor center and campsites.

Tomorrow, we bike to Elkford in British Columbia.

Banff, Alberta, Canada, day two

We woke at about 6:30 am and continued organizing for the trip. I put my water bottle cages on the bike as well as all my bags. I tightened all bolts and put on my air horn and mirrors too.

The day was a rainy one so we decided to visit the Fairmount Banff Springs hotel which was built in 1888. It is a humongous structure and reminded me of the hotel in the movie "The Shining".

We stopped at the information center and talked to a ranger about using my air horn to alert bears of my presence. She said that is what we used to use before bear spray. She advised using it in places where the path ahead is not visible and when decending quickly.

We had a group meeting at 4 pm. We reviewed logistics, received our maps and riding jerseys and discussed some changes to the original plan. Today, I met Ton and Marga, Harry and Fred from the Netherlands as well as Michael from NJ. We meet for breakfast tomorrow morning at 7 am, get our bags loaded and then we head out.

Banff, Alberta, Canada, day one

We went to bed at 9:30 pm local time, so we woke early as well - 5:45 am. I opened my boxes and started to get things organized. Then we did some research on places to visit and then headed off to breakfast at EI Toro. Lorraine had raspberry crepes, coffee and some water. I had a Spanish omelet, sausage and a glass of orange juice.

We drove up Route 1A until we came to Johnston Canyon. We hiked along the river which flowed through a deep channel.  We came to the lower falls and followed the path through a tunnel. We were close enough to feel the spray.

On the way out we came across two rangers with a table with a grizzly pelt on it, so we stopped talk to them. They told us this grizzly (which looked to be a small one) was killed on the TransCanada Highway. He said it is important to drive the speed limit to reduce these types of tragedies. I asked him about the land bridges that I had heard about. He said they were very helpful in reducing animal deaths on the highway - 95% reduction for ungulates and 80% overall. He recommended bear spray to be used with a bear that is stalking. He also recommended talking to the bear because their prey do not speak to them. They do not see us as a food source, but talking reinforces that view. Also very important is to make noise in bear country so as to not startle the bear. He also said at 100 meters you can take pictures, 30 meters if you are in a car. Problems occur when you are within 10 meters. Then you need to be careful. Back up slowly and don't run. If the bear stalks you need to stand your ground and be ready with bear spray.

We stopped to see Castle Mountain and Cliffs and then we made our way to Lake Louise. The lake was beautiful with a monster glacier as backdrop. We gave some money to a couple who were singing a cappella to support their trip around the world.

When we got back to the hotel, we met some of the crew for the trip. We met Gordon, Allen and Marka. We then went out to Chili's for dinner. We shard chili for an appetizer and I had a strip steak, broccoli, and cole slaw. Lorraine had a shrimp bowl.

When we came back the hotel, Sean, one of the organizers suggested that I bring my bike outside to put back together.  I was relieved to see that all the parts were there and the bike was in good shape. Gordon put my Bike together. He is from London by way of Aspen Colorado.

After the bike was assembled, we went downtown to pick up some bear spray and check out the stores as well as other dining possibilities.

Travel from home in York, PA (USA) to Banff, Alberta (Canada)

I finished packing last night, and Lorraine helped me to weigh and tape the two cardboard boxes. The boxes, which needed to be less than 50 lbs. each, were 46 lbs. each and measured 24" x 18" x 18" (a U-Haul Large moving box). The bike box weighed in at 42 lbs. and measured 57" x 31" x 9".

We woke to the alarm at 4:00 am, and took our boxes and bags outside when Peter Khane, our driver, pulled up. We said goodbye to Norman and Fred and gave them a consolation prize of catnip which soothed their long faces and sad eyes. I will miss my two boys.

First we flew to Denver and then caught a connection to Calgary. We then picked up our Volvo SUV, loaded up the bike, boxes and bags and we were off. We stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant for some food, as we were both famished.

On the way to Banff, I tried to call Lorraine's parents while Lorraine drove to let them know we arrived safely only to be greeted by a busy signal. At first, I thought there was something wrong with my phone. As it turns out, I don't have cell service in Canada. I did find out that I could use Skype or other over-the-internet protocols when I have access to WiFi to make calls. I will only be in Canada another week, so I will make due. I am very relieved that it wasn't phone that was bad!

We finally arrived at the High Country Inn, in the city of Banff located in Banff National Park. It was a very long and trying 17 hours on the road, so we were so very glad to have arrived.