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The Red Lobster Bicycle Tour of 2006 - Radium - Wasa - Fernie - Bellevue - Longview - Mt. Kidd - Banff - Radium - apr. 800km.
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| Our Route |
Thursday, August 10
Dave Dixon, Chuck McCafferty, Ken Willis, and I had driven to Radium the day before and we set out on another adventure with our bikes. We go fully loaded with tents, sleeping bags, and credit cards.
We set out by 6:00 am with the first hints of dawn on the eastern mountain tops. The cycle to Fairmont Hotsprings was cool and low clouds clung to the hill sides. The section to Canal Flats was sunny but it was still not that warm yet, except when grinding up the occasional hills. There were good shoulders on the highway, but there was a lot of traffic. We had lunch at Skookumchuck and it was around there that I started getting quite tired. I drank as much as I could to avoid dehydration and I kept on nibbling on my Eatmore bar. We got to Wasa with dark looming thunderheads off to the west. Chuck wanted to stay at the provincial campsite, but our desire for a shower at the "Hitchin-Post" campsite won out. Nature then put on a terrific lightning storm with lots of strong gusts of wind. We waited for a break in the rain and cycled out to the highway for supper. I felt tired and had a tender "but". Tomorrow was going to be another long day, but we had motel reservations in Fernie! :-)
Friday, August 11 - Wasa to Fernie - 113 km
It was a nice morning ride to Fort Steele where we ate and stocked up on food and drink. I looked forward to the secondary road that would give us a respite from the traffic. When we got back on the main highway, we had a long hill and a lot of traffic again. It was like the Lougheed Highway at rush hour! We had a nice lunch at a pub in Jaffray and then continued on into a thunderstorm downpour. Fortunately it didn't last too long. Eventually we got to Elko with thirty kilometers still to go before we got to Fernie. Dave and been really suffering from a sore knee and was not looking forward to the remaining distance. He was seriously contemplating getting to Fernie and then going home because of the pain. I ate most of a cinamon bun and had some milk. I was fueled up again. We headed off and before we got to the little tunnel, Chuck had a flat. Thank goodness he is good at patching tubes because as soon as he was up and cycling, it was raining again! We caught up with Ken who was waiting at the tunnel to take video of us, but he had given up waiting and was just about to cycle again. It the proceded to POUR RAIN!!! I think somebody undid the zipper at the bottom of the black cloud above us because it was a real deluge. It wasn't pretty at all. Cycling in the gravel strewn area between the rumble strip and the edge of the road was not fun in the downpour. Dave's knee was very painful and after the cloudburst we talked Dave into going to get my CRV and doing a supported ride. Getting to the motel in Fernie was a welcomed occassion.
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| Stocking up in near Fort Steele. |
Saturday, August 12 - Rest Day
Boy did I need a rest. Laundromat, afternoon sleep, showers, and blisters on both feet for some strange reason, and a pub supper rounded out the day. Dave was to catch the 3:00 am bus to Cranbrook where he would catch a connecting bus to Radium and get the car. Ken, Chuck, and I would leave most of our gear at the motel where Dave would pick it up with the car and then proceed to catch up with us on our bikes.
Sunday, August 13 - Fernie to Bellvue - 90 km
Dave and my alarm went off at 2:00 am and Dave got up and went off to meet the bus. I reset my alarm for 5:15 am. That time came all too soon. When it did, I got up and Chuck and Ken and I went off to the adjacent all night gas station for a coffee and something to munch on. With our rear red lights blinking, and my little headlight shining off into the misty morning gloom, we were off cycling by 6:30. It was COLD and foggy! I put on my goretex overmitts, and since Chuck didn't have full finger gloves, his fingers quickly became numb. It was a nice time of day though, as there is little traffic and the lighting as the sun comes up is beautiful. About half way to Sparwood a "Bell" blimp flew overhead, bringing attention to the clear blue sky and last night's near full moon still shining proudly in the sky.
Breakfast in Sparwood was at the A&W as on our last ride through two years before. After that, we started the slow gentle climb to the Crowsnest Pass. Once on the other side we had a tailwind! :-) As we approached Coleman, it was strong enough that I think I broke the 50 km speed limit entering town! We stopped for lunch at the "Rumrunner Pub", hoping that Dave might catch up with us there. The Italian sausage soup and pulled pork in a bun was washed down with some Kokanee Gold. Yumm.......
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| Chuck and Ken rehydrating. |
Dave caught up with us at the Frank Slide. Things had gone well for him. We headed for the Hiawatha Campground, about two kilometers south on highway 507, then up a hill and gravel road. It was off the highway quite a bit and far from any restaurant, but it had a shower. :-) And, oh yea, we now had a car! :-)
Supper - The "Outpost" restaurant in Lundbreck essentially offered us no service, evidently had no bacon, and the kussing man with the cowboy hat in the kitchen was not in the best of all moods it seemed. We got up and left and went to Bellevue where we discovered the Moose Mountain Grill. What a find!!! Great service and great food. What a great place to eat in little ol Bellevue. Who would have thought! I had lavender rose homemade ice cream for dessert and it was worth the trip in itself. To top it off, I was able to get Lynn on the phone. :
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| A great restaurant! |
Monday, August 14 - Bellevue to Longview - 123 km
We left the Hiawatha campground about 6:30 and headed up highway 22. It wasn't as cold as the morning before. The sun was coming up and the big windmill before Lundbreck was spinning in the breeze.
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| Ken |
Dave drove to Pincher Creek and besides getting some fruit and liquids for us during the day, he got us breakfast! :-) He delivered coffee, bacon and eggers, along with hashbrowns. Boy was that welcomed. We had put in close to thirty km by that time.
This supported bike trip was looking better all the time. Dave cycled a number of times and either Chuck, Ken, or myself would wait in the car for about twenty-five or thirty minutes before catching up to the front rider where we would have a break and allow someone else to drive. Dave's knee was not bothering him nearly as much.
At Chain Lakes Park, we had ice cream cones and I realized I was over heating in spite of drinking lots. Fortunately, Dave asked me to drive as he wanted to cycle again, so I missed out on about eleven km of cycling and had a chance to cool down and feel better. Cycling the hills on the last fifteen km before Longview were still unwelcomed though, and especially the very last steep hill into town felt like a last test of perseverence.
We got a campsite in Longview with oil donkey Brown no.2 standing like a mute sentinel in the middle of the campground. We showered and then went to "Memories" restaurant for a good meal.
Impressions of the day - Three deer bouncing across the road in the morning light. Dozens of windmills beyond Lundbreck churning the air. Coyote carcasses rotting on the side of the road while live ones skulked through farmers' fields. Traffic was less, but still there. Ken and Dave reading by the low slanting rays of the soon to set sun.
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| Cycling in the cool mornings are great. |
Tuesday, August 15 - Longview to Mt. Kidd - 122 km
We got up at 5:15 and I easily and surprisingly willingly did so. We went to a little restaurant for breakfast and were on the road by 6:30. I felt tired right from the start but just paced myself. It was cold. I wore my fleece vest over light polypropylene underwear with goretex faced tights and that helped to keep out the chill.
It was gently uphill going till Highwood House where we stopped and ate. All my clothing was wet with sweat in spite of the coolness of the air. I was able to strip down to my cycling shorts here though as it had warmed up. The next section started with some climbing and generally the climbing increased before you got to Highwood Pass. This side of the pass is not nearly so steep as the northern side. Dave took turns cycling, and we all took turns driving. I cycled the last seven or eight km up to the pass with Dave, avoiding one group of sheep who refused to get off the highway, and as you can see in the picture below, it felt good to get to the top of the pass.
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| Highwood Pass Summit |
The run down the other side can be a very fast one, but a headwind slowed us down and groups of sheep strewn over the road and refusing to move for anyone made one cautious during the descent.
The Mt. Kidd campsite was full so we had to stay at the Eau Clair campground instead, about six km south of Mt. Kidd. Fortunately this didn't stop us from driving to Mt. Kidd and having showers, and then driving to the Kananaskis Country Golf Course for supper!
Impressions - More headwinds today, like so many other days on this trip. Whenever I am faced with a really draining challenge, as with cycling in the heat of the day, and trying to drink enough to stay hydrated, a lot of thoughts and feelings go through my mind. Distant mountains sometimes feel an impossible distance away. Sometimes my level of physical tiredness drains me both physically and mentally. It takes rests, cooling down, eating a little, and drinking to regain composure and perspective. My weight certainly contributes to this condition. In spite of these feelings, it is obvious throughout that unless one is willing to go through some discomfort, a person does not achieve nearly as much as one is capable of.
Wednesday, August 16 - Mt. Kidd to Banff - 96 km
It rained during the night. Our little Hummingbird 3 tents which were newly bought have done well. Parts of my butt were sore. Other parts of me had chafed a little as well. Let's here it for penaten cream! Dave snored again last night and he had is ear plugs in because of my snoring so it was challenging for me to get him to roll over and snore facing away from me. I contemplated getting up and sleeping in the car, but he had the keys! I finally turned around and slept with by head by his feet hoping his snoring would be harder to hear. Strange dreams of partying with Robin Williams ensued. Go figure!
The alarm went off in the morning and I did not want to get up. I was ready to accept any pretext to sleep in. Quite a change from the morning before in Longview. We had discussed possibly sleeping in and doing a shuttle with the car if it was raining in the morning, but as Ken said, "Well, it's not raining." We got up.
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| But no rain. :-) |
The road was wet and low clouds again clung to the mountain sides. Cycling by places that Lynn and I had visited evoked fond memories. With his citizen's patrol nose, an abandoned car caught Ken's eye, and he went off to investigate it. Someone had tried to cover it with branches but had done a pathetically poor job of it. We had breakfast at the golf club again and it was great to sit in cushioned chairs and be served like we belonged there.
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| Not just Warcraft! |
With Ken and Chuck faster than me, and with Dave there with the car with Ken, I cycled on ahead while Ken put in a new inner tube to replace one that was slowly going soft. Surprisingly, I felt quite good this morning, and after I put on my goretex jacket for more warmth when the car caught up to me, I felt quite good considering the previous draining days and less than ideal sleep the night before. Ken caught up with me a few kilometers before the Trans Canada Highway. A lot of this past section of thirty-six km was gently downhill.
The wind gods looked favourably on us this day as the winds were gently blowing from the east - a tail wind for us! The ride to Canmore therefore went quite quickly and easily. We had a Quizno's sub and visited the adjacent liquor store and perused their fine selection of single malts. As we had a car, some purchases were made. ;-)
The twenty-four km to Banff also had a gentle tailwind and it wasn't too hot either. The worst part was the climb up to the Tunnel Mtn. campground. After setting up camp and having showers we drove down into Banff, did some strolling, and a beer and natchos, and finally went to a Greek restaurant for supper.
We spent the last part of daylight reading in the car where it was warmer than outside and writing in my diary. The mood of the group was to do the 140 km to Radium tomorrow. I wished it wasn't so long, because depending on conditions, it could be a bit of an ordeal, especially if it was hot. The possible saving grace was having the car and the ability to travel in it, but I didn't want to treat it that way. Time would tell how the day was going to be.
I would like to comfortably do things and not rely on the car for what I have trouble doing. Doing shorter distances each day would deal with this, but some sections of the trip, like Bellevue to Longview, you don't have a choice. Physical abilities, or rather, their differences are also another factor. Ken and Chuck are a lot faster than Dave or me and I think we look upon physical challenges quite differently. But tomorrow was going to be another day and the most distant mountains can be reached by persistence and breaking things into chunks.
Thursday, August 17 - Banff to Radium - 140 km
I am writing this day's entry in my kitchen and it is August the 25th., so I am looking back and relying on my memory for this day's entry.
We went to Starbuck's for breakfast and it was a cold clear morning at 6:00 am when it opened. I drove the first stint. It's my favourite part of the day as I have mentioned before as it is quiet, crisp, and clear.
I cycled up Vermillion Pass and it went well as the grade is not too steep. I had to use first gear only once in the middle section of the climb. A slight tailwind helped us get into Kootenay Park Lodge for a bite to eat. Traffic had picked up by this point.
After Kootenay Park Lodge and the small climb up and over to to the Kootenay Valley, we enjoyed a gentle tailwind. As you can see in the picture below, it was a very nice day.
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| Chuck enjoying the Kootenay Valley |
By the time we started climbing up towards Sinclair Pass, the day had warmed up. I was heating up, and tried to keep myself from over heating. My last stint in the car was welcomed as this was the time of day when I started to suffer from the heat. The cycle up to Sinclair Pass was punctuated with stops whenever there was shade so I could briefly cool down. A very short stop in the shade made a big difference. When I get tired and over heated like that I find myself single mindedly looking for ways to cool down and not being very social about it. Yes, I guess it's the troll coming out in me.
The run down the steep twelve km hill to Radium went fine, but it is a sobering experience. Feeling that you have a twelve km hill below you and it is at least 6 percent with a lot of 8 percent with some 10 percent at the bottom with no flat sections makes you check your brakes before you start down. Having ore and logging trucks going down at the same time adds to the adventure! It feels very good to come to the stop light in Radium at the bottom of the hill. It feels even better to pack your things into the car, put the car on the bike rack, and sit down on a soft seat in an air conditioned car for the drive to Golden where a motel awaits.
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| Worth getting! |
Thoughts - A good trip with good friends. Long daily sections with most sections with a lot of traffic, with paved shoulders making it okay. The car, with most of the gear it it made it easier but most sections were still demanding.
The total distance, although hard to be precise, was very close to 800 km.
Would I do this ride again? Considering the traffic, headwinds, long daily sections, probably not. Am I glad I did it? Yes. It was an achievement that makes me feel good. Would I do a trip again with these friends? Absolutely.
Icefields Parkway again anyone?
Abbotsford to Chilliwack via South Parallel Road - August 2006
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| Chuck enjoying the quiet roads. |
Dave Dixon, Randy Wheating, Chuck McCafferty, and Keith Rajala went out for another cycle in the flat farm land of Abbotsford and Chilliwack. The tradition of a leisurely breakfast at the Crossroads Cafe and the goal of a restaurant in Chilliwack makes for an enjoyable social time. Thanks to Randy for the photo. :-)
The UBC Lookout
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| Chris enjoying the view. |
One of the pleasures of living in Maple Ridge is the proximity to forests and mountains just to the north. The University of British Columbia Research Forest allows us to have a hike in the forest within a few minutes from home. One of our favourite hikes is a short one to a lookout with a picnic table less than an hour from the car.
