Bob on BAC Canadian Rockies 2007

Glaciers on the Way to The Crossing

We were up at 6:30 and had orange juice, coffee and granola in our room. After watching part of the TDF, we packed up and went to the mall for a muffin and a sandwich for lunch. I started riding at 8:40. The weather was cool but it was warming up. The sky was hazy. We thought that it might have been caused by fires in BC.

The road was mostly uphill rollers until we got to Bow Pass. This was the highest point on our ride. Its altitude was 6788 feet. The walk to its viewpoint took us up to 7000 feet. When I got to the viewpoint there were lots of tourists that had just arrived in tour buses. I noticed one group speaking Chinese and taking lots of posed pictures. The panorama from the viewpoint was spectacular - Bow Lake and many glaciers. Back at the parking lot, I ate my sandwich on the move trying to evade the mosquitoes.

Mistaya Canyon

Down the road, I stopped at Mistaya Canyon. This is where the river has carved a deep, very narrow canyon through solid rock. I could feel the water slamming down through the slit.

I got to the The Crossing Motel around 1:30. I showered and then had another sandwich in the motel's cafeteria. When Dick arrived, we had a beer in the pub. Dinner tonight was in the pub. I had a cook-your-own buffalo burger. It was very lean meat so it didn't get full flavor from the coals. While we were eating, we watched the TDF on a large-screen TV.

The Crossing is a traveler's waypoint. It has all services including gasoline, store, gift shop, cafeteria, restaurant, pub, spa and rooms. For a cyclist, it is located perfectly between points on our journey. The rooms are adequate. After being in the pub for so long, my shirt smelled like smoke. I hung it outside under the light by the door. The next morning, it was covered with moths. I shook it out, but had to put it into the dirty clothes bag.

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