August 4, 2024
Day 10 - Radium to Marble Canyon Campground
No Service Day
Day 10 - Radium over Sinclair Pass to Marble Canyon
This day started out from a highly recommended Orchard Hostel. The hostel didn't look like much from the road, but really clean and comforting inside. I had the private Spartan Bunk and slept like a baby. Google it.
Leaving the hostel it is all uphill over the Sinclair Pass. The first couple of miles are tight and twisty, but traffic was light so it was fine. You basically pass through caverns of rock cliffs that hug the road into the Kootenay National Park.
The initial climb is daunting for sure, but the road is beautiful and has great shoulders. In fact this whole route is amazingly to bike. As you start up past the hotels ending out of town you pass through cliffs of rock that line the narrow shoulders. The twists it way up eventually turning to views of trees.
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Reaching the summit of the Sinclair Pass was epic for me.
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The descent is fast and twisty with scenic views that make it hard to navigate.
The remaining miles rolled along with a mostly uphill gradient of 6 - 8 percent; nothing major, but the legs fit. The roads were in great shape, the challenging part was there wasn’t much for services or shade.
I had a first-hand look at wildfire aerial operations. It looked like such a daunting task for these two little helicopters. This appeared to be a small fire, can't imagine what Jasper was dealing with.
The beauty of towering mountains continued all day. I passed through several burnt out sections of forest that sat just off the roadside. Almost scary to see and imagine what it looked like on fire.
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What was encouraging was the beauty of the wild flowers that were marking the new beginning against the blackened forest. So cool.
I met six guys from Calgary at a pull off at a bend in a river. We sat in the rocks chatting about my journey. What was really cool was their kindness to fill my water bottle and to offer me a roadside Coors! How cool! It tasted so good (the "roadside" beer).
What was also cool was that one of them was a truck driver. I told him the background for my ride - the Highway Thru Hell heavy towing services of Canada - and he knew what I was talking about. He said he's seen the green heavy rescue trucks in the winter. The green heavy tow trucks are the kings of the mountains! He said, "so I guess you are a fan!" I said yes sir.
We all traded hand shakes and I pedaled away - must admit - a little tipsy.
The night at Marble Canyon brought a forecast for severe thunderstorm and rain. I prepared the best I could and climbed into the bag. Rained all night, but I stayed dry
Today's ride: 56 miles (90 km)
Total: 361 miles (581 km)
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3 months ago