August 19, 2024
Day 1
Day 1
Stats:
Morning temperature: below 9C
Distance: 118km (108 of the actual route since we started from the campground)
Climbing: ~1694m
Start time: 7am
Finish time: 5:15pm
Bears: 0
We packed up and were on the road by 7am; the morning light on the mountains was magical. We rolled down the hill from the campground and hit McDonalds for a perfect load of calories where we could eat with our bikes in sight and charge the devices a bit.
The actual trail started a few minutes out from McDonalds but first involved riding past the Banff Springs Hotel, an ultra-luxurious contrast to what we were doing.
Words to describe how amazing the views were for most of the day are hard to find. If you’ve ever passed through Banff you know how spectacular the scenery is, but once you’re heading away from the highway the views keep changing while staying as amazing, but with a wilder feel.
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https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spruce_Grouse/species-compare/#:~:text=Similar%20SpeciesWhite%2Dtailed%20Ptarmigan&text=Female%20White%2Dtailed%20Ptarmigan%20are,white%20markings%20on%20the%20belly.
4 months ago
The trails and surfaces were mostly excellent: beautiful double track through the forest and open dirt roads initially. Then it was on to the Smith-Dorian highway which is a gravel road that was washboarded but usually had a smooth strip we could ride. I gather it can be busy with recreational traffic, but as it was Monday there was only a car every five minutes or so.
Our lunch spot couldn’t have been nicer, so to keep us from dawdling we set a timer.
After that we got into an amazing stretch of paved bike paths in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. A few big climbs that reached 15% grades forced us to hike-a-bike for a few tough sections.
We crossed from Alberta into British Columbia at our high point after 103km and then enjoyed fast downhill sections until we camped at a nice recreation site with a few picnic benches and a creek for water.
Some washing up in the creek and a huge bowl of ramen, followed by planning for tomorrow, bike maintenance and stretching closed out our day.
We’re both very happy with how everything has gone so far. We’re still learning ways to be more efficient about packing, filling water bottles, managing snacks and clothing, etc. but that’s just refinement.
Day 2 and 3 will have a lot of net elevation loss to the border but there will still be lots of climbing along the way.
Today's ride: 108 km (67 miles)
Total: 108 km (67 miles)
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