Bob on BAC Canadian Rockies 2007

Everyone got up early this morning because of the anticipated long, hilly day. Dick and I were up at 5:00. We breakfasted on food that we bought the day before. It was not a lot, but it got us going. I started cycling at 6:00 and immediately began the 6.1 mile 1500 foot first climb. The weather was clear and cool. I wore my light jacket. The climb was very scenic and parts of it reminded me of Blewett Pass in Washington, especially the section that went through rocky cliffs next to each side of the road.

Wild Daisies on the Roadside

The 7 mile downhill after the climb was much cooler than the uphill and the level to slightly uphill stretch after it was cold. I was thinking that my arm and leg warmers would have been appropriate. My attention was diverted, however, by the thousands of daisies on each side of the road. What a beautiful sight! At one point, I stopped by the side of the road for a nature call. As I was eating my banana, I was attacked by swarms of mosquitoes. I hopped back onto my bicycle and sprinted on. I haven't mentioned mosquitoes earlier, but be assured that they were out in force most of our ride. Our hotel window were screened so they didn't bother us in our rooms, but they were very noticeable on the side of the road.

I was out of fuel at 9:00. Fortunately, we had a check-in spot at a lodge at Vermillion Crossing. I checked off my name and went into the lodge for its breakfast buffet. I had orange juice, coffee, scrambled eggs, bagels and cereal. It was a perfect meal at a perfect time.

I continued along the daisy-strewn road at 10:00 and reached Castle Junction at mile 63. Along the way, an RV pulled to the side of the road. This is an indication that wildlife is spotted. I saw two animals scurry into the bushes. They looked like they could have been bobcats. Before I got to Castle Junction, I was not reading my route sheet and accidentally got onto the Trans-Canada Highway. I was just following the sign that pointed to Banff and it was downhill, do what else would I do? I noticed my error quickly, crossed the median and took the exit ramp to Castle Junction. I stopped for a drink and chatted with a family of cyclists that were on the way to Banff. The parents were riding while the kids and grandparent rode in the sag van. They were all from Calgary and told me about some of the local rides in the area.

Wildflowers Along the Bow River Parkway

By this time, Mike McMahon had caught up with me, so we rode on to Banff together on the Bow River Parkway. What a marvelous road! It had some moderate rollers, the pavement was good, the traffic was minimal (most of the traffic was on the Trans-Canada Highway),the road was lined by forests and wildflowers, and the views were remarkable. It looked like prime territory for spotting wild animals, but we were thwarted again.

At the end of the parkway and at the entrance to Banff, there were Texas gates. These were like cattle guards, but the guards were spaced much farther apart. They were passable, but we walked across them to be safe. Besides, I didn't want to shake off my GPS or any other thing that could have been loose on my bicycle. At the first Texas gate, we chatted with a couple that were on a supported trans Canada ride. They were doing the segment from Vancouver to Calgary.

I got to the hotel at 1:30. Our room at the Ptarmigan Inn was large and had separate bedrooms. It was very hot in Banff and the room had no air conditioning - just a table fan. I showered, had a Subway meal in a shopping mall food court, wandered around town and used an internet café to catch up on my email.

Dick and I had dinner in the mall's food court. We were joined by Denny and Claudia Brua, Bill Keckler and Jim Woo.

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