Bob on BAC Canadian Rockies 2007

Morning View of the Lake


Cyclists and Wildflowers

We got up again around 6:00 and had the breakfast buffet at the lodge. This time we didn't order orange juice. I left the lodge around 8:00. The weather was clear and cool so I wore arm warmers and a light jacket. The route followed the lake and then its river in a gradual downhill to Babb. This was the same route that we took going into the lodge when it was a slog. It was much easier today. I stopped along the way to take some wildflower pictures.

After Babb it started to get warmer, so I took off my arm warmers and jacket. The route began a gradual and then steeper uphill for the next 10 miles. Then it was ups and downs until the Canadian border at mile 30. After crossing the border, I stopped at the Canadian border's office and ate a sandwich joined by Chip and Kathy Sterling and Mike McMahon. The cheese in my ham and cheese sandwich had melted, so it tasted like it had been microwaved. We tried to fill up our water bottles here, but after drinking a cup or two we noticed a sign that said it was not potable. The border patrol people said that they drank it all of the time, so we shouldn't worry. Don't believe them!

Mike and I left at the same time. He and I seemed to have similar riding styles, so we stayed close the rest of the day and on some other days later. The first 4 miles was a screaming downhill - a nice wide road, good pavement and almost no traffic. After that we had a 6-mile climb. I stopped to take pictures at a rest stop that was labeled "Where the mountains meet the prairie". We had another steep downhill before we made the turn for Waterton. We paid the senior rate to get into the park, fought a headwind for 6 miles and arrived at the hotel at 12:30. It was too early to check into the Bayshore Inn so Mike and I went for a beer and a second lunch. I had a mediocre Thai salad. After lunch, we perused town until 2:30 when we checked into our rooms. I showered, washed my cycling clothes, got Canadian cash from an ATM and bought yoghurt from a grocery store. I tried to use my laptop, but discovered that I had squeezed the screen and cracked it. All I could see was a big white rectangle. So much for blogging. Waterton is a small tourist town on the lake. It has lots of dining spots and shops.

Our room for two nights was a typical motel room except we had a ceiling fan and a balcony overlooking part of the lake and the Prince of Wales Hotel. The ceiling fan came in very handy because there was no air conditioning. It turned out that none of the hotels in any of the US and Canadian parks had air conditioning. The hot weather that we were having was very unusual.

Dinner tonight was at an Italian restaurant. I had pasta carbenara. It was spicy and used ham instead of bacon.

Bed again at 10:00.

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