July 21, 2005
Day 65: Jasper to Mount Robson
Markus didn't get up until after 10:00 and all my thing were in the room. That really put me late starting. You would think he would have accommodated me a bit since not only did I let him "share" the room, but I gave him the bed. Kinda took a little luster off the rose. I ran a number of errands and made a few phone calls - then I sat down and had lunch in front of the old, historic Jasper Visitors' Centre.
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I finally took off in the afternoon for Mount Robson. After raining all night it was a perfectly blue day with just a hint of a breeze.
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The ride up Yellowhead Pass was easy since it is the lowest pass in the Rockies, but then you don't get any downhill on the other side, either.
I had a little headwind as soon as I got into British Columbia, but thankfully, the wind died down as I was riding along the shore of Moose Lake. I thought I was losing my oomph, but it was probably being out in the sun all day for the first time in a week or more. It was not until I came tearing down the hill to the main park entrance that I saw Mount Robson - and it took my breath away. Never before have I seen it so beautiful. The entire mountain was etched against a deep blue sky - its layer-cake, snow-encrusted face illuminated by the afternoon sun. Was all the rain worth just this one moment?
I dashed into the visitors' centre and got my backcountry pass for Kinney Lake. I stopped by the cafe and had an ice cream cone and chatted with the owner, Anne. Then I was off on the dirt road along the Robson River - frothing and turquoise with glacial silt. Kinney Lake was as lovely as ever - with sheer rock walls all about and waterfalls cascading down.
I met a couple from Belgium, Danni and Jan, who were cycling much the way I do. Too bad we were going in opposite directions. I gobbled down my usual peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cookies, sat by the lakeshore as the twilight dimmed, climbed into my tent, and went right to sleep.
Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 3,488 miles (5,613 km)
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