Mother

June 17 2007
52 39.641N 117 52.584 W
Today 107.3 Total 1834.2
I don't think I've been this cold since last August long weekend. (A little inside joke for Chris. We went hiking and got caught in a blizzard.) I left the hostel full of vigor.

Coming up the pass.

I managed to make it up the highest pass gaining 650 metres of elevation, taking a half hour break, and still doing 40 km in 4 hours. I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Whoo hooo. Its all down hill from here. Ha ha ha. Then mother nature decided to be a mother &%$@. It felt like I was in a hurricane. Driving rain and winds. The freezing cold rain felt like ice pellets hitting me. I couldn't see a thing. If you would like to duplicate how I felt put some spandex on. Take a fan into your bathroom and turn it on high. Cover your sunglasses with Vaseline then turn the water on full to straight cold and jog in place for three hours trying to stay warm. Take a fifteen break (do not leave the shower) and eat something. Then start jogging again for another three hours. It took me 6 hrs to do 67km with an elevation loss of 800 meters. Nasty. I managed to injure my left Achilles heel somehow. Its pretty sore but I'm taking a partial rest day tomorrow in Jasper so hopefully that will help.Edith Cavil Mountain; Kelly style.

P.S. I'm still glad I'm doing this. Every day is a new lifetime. Enjoyable, punishing, and fulfilling.

Cyclists

June 16 2007
52 02.565 N 116 51.813 W
Rain again today. I started my day with a side trip to the actual lake of Lake Louise.

Lake Louise.

27 min up and 5 down. Whee. I saw bears #2,3 and 4. They were all surrounded by the paparazzi, so I sailed on by. I did the Bow summit today. It is the highest or second highest one I will do so it felt pretty good to get it done. I am staying at the Rampart Creek Hostel. Lots of cyclists here. I met a young guy who started out from Montreal 47 days ago. He gave me a great cycle map of Laval and Montreal. Great info. Most of the cyclist are a bike group from Edmonton doing training. They did the Icefield Summit today and are doing the Bow summit tomorrow.

Moose

June 15 2007
51 25.676 N 116 10.988 W
Today 104.3 km Total 1626.4
I was up early again today. Today was mammal day. I saw my first bear. He was happily munching away on clover and totally ignored me. I also saw my first and second and hopefully my last moose.
Every cyclist will tell you about the cow phenomenon. This is when a cyclist goes by a herd of cows they all stop what they are doing and stare. Then in unison, they turn their heads and follow you until you are past. (Try it some time it's a riot.) Deer do somewhat the same thing but their bodies are pointed away from you poised for flight. Moose kind of do the same thing but if you picture cows as hound dogs behind a fence, and deer a cowering whippets, Moose are rottweilers with no fence. The first one had just shied away from a truck and trailer when she saw me and her whole attitude changed. She leaned forward, her ears came forward and there was a look in her eye that had me saying to myself, "Oh shit." (Why do these encounters always happen when I'm peddling up hill?) Luckily at that moment another truck and trailer came by and scared her into the bush. The second one was bull moose that came to full attention when I showed up. It is very unnerving to have that much attention from something that big and angry looking. A couple in a small white car with bikes on the roof rack saw what was happening pulled a U-turn and escorted me past him. I waved thanks, they waved back and left. My knights in shining armor.

At the Continental Divide.

Hmmm think it was windy?

Weather wise it was another brutal day. Rain, sleet, hail and more rain. It was puking rain it just doesn't show up on the camera.

I was frozen to the core. I think I was still suffering from the after effects of the chicken wings because I was light headed and dogging it all day. I am staying at the hostel in Lake Louise for $10 more than a campsite I have a roof and hot shower. I'm happy as clam.

Revenge of the Chicken Wings

June 14 2007
Today 33.4 km Total 1522.1
Brrrrrr. The day started with me packing up in a rain storm, riding in the rain, visiting the hot springs in the rain and then riding in the rain again. I had planned on riding a lot farther but most of the campsites are still closed due to the early date. I could have stayed at the lodge but I thought I would get camp set-up early and relax. I am staying at the McLeod Meadows there are 98 sites of which 8 are occupied. They have special locker so cyclist can store their food so I threw everything of mine in. So far I've seen a pine martin, a pika, a ground squirrel, and three mule deer without even leaving my campsite. I was hoping to wander more but the chicken wings are still having their way with me so the only place I'm wandering to is the facilities. I was washing my hands when I looked in the mirror. Brown hair, brown shirt, green vest and green face, they think I'm really ugly tree. As long as one of the mule deer doesn't start nibbling on my ear I'll be happy.

Info Booth?

June 13 2007
50 35.190 N 116 02.275 W
Today 145.2 Total 1488.7
I slept in today so by the time I had everything packed up I had the big decision: push hard and get to Radium late or lallygag and spend the night in Fairmont at the hot springs. Lallygagging won. I had a late breakfast and then I stopped at Skookumchuck for a very nutritious snack of dill pickle chips, skittles and red bull. I guess it was the body wanted because the next 55 km flew by. I was just getting fatigued as I pulled into Fairmont. It was only 4:30 but I decided to call it a day and spend some time in the hot pools. The road to Fairmont is two km off the beaten track so I stopped at pub at the bottom the hill. Being Wednesday wings were on special so I ordered twenty. I also had two Guinness. If any one has every driven up to Fairmont they can attest to the fact that it is up, straight up. It had to be at least a 9% grade. Doing it cold was insane. Doing it after a trip to the pub was ludicrous. The spicy Thai wings sat somewhere between my stomach and my throat with the Guinness rumbling away underneath.
I had stopped at the Info booth on the way into town. They did mention that it was two km up the hill to the hot springs. What they neglected to mention the campground doesn't allow tenters, (it was fairly obvious I wasn't pulling a trailer.) They also neglected to mention that the hot pools were closed for maintenance.
All information I would have appreciated at the bottom of the hill.
They were going to let me stay in a grassy field with no amenities for the bargain rate of $24. but I declined.
I hopped back on my bike and did another 35km getting this side of Radium. All the while the Guinness and wings slowly protested it's way through my digestive system.
Red Bull + cycling = good
Guinness + cycling = very bad

Song Birds

June 12 2007
49 30.564 N 115 45.557 W
Today 132.8 km total 1476.3 km
I didn't sleep well last night . A rest stop is not a good place to encamp too many nocturnal visitors. I was up and on my way early. I haven't put my headphones on since Castlegar. As flowers were to the island, song birds have been to the Kootenay's. It sounds like a rain forest with all the different song birds. Red winged black birds, black birds, robins, sparrows, meadow larks, chickadees to name a few. Even chickens, ravens and eagles have added to the mix and on percussion the northern flicker and the peleated woodpecker. These are just the ones I can name there were a host of others.

In to Creston.

I had second breakfast in Creston. So far it wins hands down for being the friendliest town. I'm suffering from second day fatigue syndrome. The road from Yank to Cranbrook was brutal. The shoulder was rough with a huge rumble strip with no breaks in it. It was very difficult riding.

Catch Up

June 11 2007
49 17.995 N 116 39.680 W
Today 136.5 Total 1343.5
I got a late start from Dad's but even with that and a lengthy stop in Nelson with the help of a strong tailwind I made it the 76 Km to the Balfour ferry by 1:45. I had to wait for the 2;50 so I had lunch at the Docker's Pub. The first hill coming off of the ferry was a dandy, especially trying to do it with cold muscles. I had planned on staying at the Kootney Kampground but it was closed. I've run out of steam and I'm trying to stealth camp at Kuskonook, I'm just waiting for a family with two vicious dogs to leave. They are oblivious to my presence. Unfortunately the mosquitoes and no-see-ums know exactly where I am even with the bug spray on.
The roads from Nelson to the ferry were great with a smooth , wide bike lane. After the ferry the whole road was rough but the drivers have been very courteous.