July 13, 2005
Day 57: Many Glacier to Waterton
Beautiful sunrise this morning. The mountain crests were all blood red. I had oatmeal at the cafe. The waiter was from Jasper, Arkansas. He was surprised that, not only did I know where it was, but that I had biked through.
I had a last look at Swiftcurrent Lake, then a quick ride with a tailwind down to Babb where I caught up on all my calls, bills, and mail before I left the U.S. of A.
The climb up Chief Mountain Highway wasn't too bad. A Trek tour group - all outfitted in lycra - zoomed downhill in the other direction. We waved, but there wasn't much of a connection. At the border I was pulled aside for "further examination." It was the worst experience I have ever had entering Canada. The guard barked questions and when I didn't even understand what he was asking, I was ordered inside. Odd that he didn't hardly ask a single question to the car drivers. After a grueling half hour having to prove who I really was and discovering that they had searched my bike outside without informing me - in violation of Canadian regulations - I was allowed to continue on. Canadians hate to hear this, but it seems like they are becoming more and more like Americans - at least on the border.
Fortunately, I met Ivan from Switzerland a few kms into Alberta. He is doing an Alaska to Patagonia run. We pulled off to the side of the road in a shady spot and talked for an hour. Then it was down into Waterton - very fast downhill, but slow going with a killer headwind into the townsite.
The first thing I did was to stop at the little grocery store to see the cats, but Paulette told me that the kitties stay at home more now. She promised to bring the black & white one in tomorrow.
I had a windblown lunch on the lakeshore, strolled about town, and watched the tour boat come in. I went over to the town campground to store my panniers in bear boxes and met Don who was getting ready to hike up to Mount Robson. He's from Manitoba. We talked American and Canadian history and politics. He was increasingly disturbed by America's actions in the world - as are so many Canadians. I apologized.
I had to quickly finish packing for my hike to Bertha Bay. It's only a 2 1/2 km hike to this backcountry campsite, but it was getting late. The trail on the west side of the lake was completely in shadow, but the peaks on the east side were still bathed in sunlight. Empty trail, empty campsite on the bay. I sat on a pebble beach - millions of stones - grey, black, pink, tan, and white - rounded by Waterton Lake's wind-driven waves. And as the last light faded from Miche Wabun, I set up my tent and went to sleep.
Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 2,997 miles (4,823 km)
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