DIARY - Week Five
DIARY - Week Five
Kicking Horse pass is our last big obstacle before the flatlands. As with Rogers pass we decided to scout ahead. It was just as well that we did as the road is undergoing major reconstruction. With narrow roads and no hard shoulder in most places the road is totally unsuitable for the bike for the first half of the way to Lake Louise. We chose to go from Golden to Lake Louise by Greyhound. (a bit of a cheat for 50 miles but we were able to see more of the countryside).
It was cold but sunny when we left Lake Louise and climbed out to the Parkway, or, highway 1A. The old highway has been designated slow and quiet which suited us perfectly. The road rolled gently downwards following the Bow river to Banff. We met several cyclist, tourists (including some from England) and some wildlife. Deer, Elk and mountain sheep quite close up. The last 12 miles was back on highway 1 so we flogged on to Canmore and found accommodation downtown where we were spoilt for choice of restaurants. Whenever possible always stop at the visitor information centre when you hit town, they are always helpful and will steer you towards good accommodation.
Today we left the Rockies and headed towards Calgary back on highway 1A. With quiet roads we were able to relax and enjoy the ride. The roads were rolling up and down but the climbs were more gentle and we also had some flat roads which made the going much easier. To compensate we had a head wind. The day was more relaxing and we had a good stop by Gap lake and a lunch break beside the Bow river, it was a day for enjoying the sunshine and scenery as the Rockies slowly sank towards the horizon behind us. We have arranged to collect the camping kit in Calgary but will rest up here until we can confirm that the package has arrived.
Rest day. We took a walk around town, did the laundry and had a walk along the river bank. Also looked at the hill out of town, Long and Steep!
We have used up our first month of the trip.
The climb out of town took us an hour but when we got to the top the roads were kinder and we made good time to the outskirts of Calgary. We then picked up the cycle trail system and rode all the way to the city centre on cycleways, brilliant. They have the most inclusive system I have seen. We stopped at the bus depot to collect our camping gear that had been forwarded on by Greyhound from Kamloops by Jim. We then took the cycleway out of town to highway 1A to continue eastwards. The traffic was very heavy and we even had a car wing mirror hit my thigh as the car forced it's way past (women driver). When we got clear of the city we started to look for accommodation, the nearest being Strathmore an additional 25 miles down the road. With the afternoon headwind it was a long 25 miles. We were pleased to book in and take full advantage of the hot tub and pool to relax the muscles.