Canadian Homebase - Friday 14 September 2007

We would never have known how magical the arctic was; how wild and beautiful the north of north america was; or how the road would again test us if we hadn't have gone there, but having been there and been tested by the road and mother nature, our lives have been enriched and changed forever, our senses sharpened and brought alive and our appreciation of life re-enforced. So here we are, 10 days after arriving back at our Canadian homebase, recuperated and ready to continue our 3 oceans on 3 wheels tour.

After a rest from the road that had tested us more than we thought it would, the fat lady has climbed back down from the stairs to the stage and has left the building without uttering a note. Our break at the home of our good friends Murray and Joyce has a been an interesting, yet most important one. Most of our time was taken up with relaxing, absolutely no riding (other than a post maintenance ride), trike and other equipment maintenance, repair and changes, pondering and answering the question of "do we continue, go somewhere else in the world or go home?", trying to figure out why this trip was harder than we imagined, investigation of possible alternative routes, final route selection and budget review, all of which was overseen by good advice and love and friendship from family and friends.

This time off the road allowed us time to reflect and review and space to get it together. So now we are ready to hit the road again. So where2pedalto? We are heading towards the West Coast of the United States, specifically towards Portland, Oregon.

Ride Statistics thus far.

Total Distance Ridden:
3,592.4 km's

Average Distance:
55.3 km's per day.

Total time pedaling:
295 hours, 59 minutes, 11 seconds.

Average Time Pedaling:
4 hours, 33 minutes, 13 seconds.

Weight Lost:
Andrew: 8 kg's
Joanne: 4 kg's

Sunday 16 September 2007

Leaving our Canadian homebase rested, gear sorted and trike maintenance complete we bid farewell to Murray and Joyce who, as usual, had been wonderful hosts to us. Choosing a Sunday to get back on the road was supposed to allow us some respite from the traffic as we left the NW quadrant of Calgary and hit the main highway, the busy Trans Canada Highway. The beautiful weather however had everyone out and about enjoying the last warm days of the year as winter approaches.

We were riding into a cool westerly wind as we made our short run along the Trans Canada Highway before turning off onto the Old Banff Coach Road, the sprawling City of Calgary that sits along the banks of the Bow River and surrounding hills disappearing as we turned off, the view of the Rocky Mountains ahead shrouded by the suns glare on smoke from a fire and spoiling our entertainment.

Taking the undulating back roads that run through farmlets and estates filled with expensive home we were passed by many of the lycra set out on their speed machines as they too enjoyed the sunshine that was bathing all around us, the trees beginning to turn in colour as more and more of the golden yellow replaced the green leaves of summer and the damp, musty smell of rotting leaves permeating the air told of colder times ahead.

Arriving in Bragg Creek we enjoyed lunch sitting on a table near the car park of the shops, their frontages straight out of a western movie and adding character to the place, though with no horses in sight except for the cars and dozens of motorcycle enthusiasts who had stopped for a bite to eat, a coffee and a chat whilst out for a ride. The same large group of bikers mixed with anyone who owned a sports car, would then pass us all afternoon as they rode up and down the highway enjoying the climbs, twists and turns on a brilliant sunlit day.

Leaving Bragg Creek we rode through some of the most beautiful country we have been lucky enough to see, the farmlands awash with more golden yellow trees and the magnificent vistas they starred in. Finding a campsite was exceptionally hard in this area because the farmers had their fences right up to the road, and so, without meaning to do so, we ended up in Turner Valley and the small campground in the middle of town. Thankful for being able to stop we unpacked and settled in for the night after what had turned out to be a larger than anticipated ride.

Today's Stats

From: Our Canadian Homebase

To: Turner Valley

Ride Time:
5 hrs 52 min's

Distance:
87.4 km's

Av Speed:
14.9 km/h

Max Speed:
63.6km/h

Max Altitude:
1471m

Av Climb: 2 %

Max Climb: 10 %

Weather: 4-29 deg C.
Sunny.

Camp Location:

N: 50°40'34.2"

W: 114°16'40.4"

Monday 17 September 2007

Waking to grey skies and rain we slept in way past our normal time courtesy of the long ride yesterday and the rain drumming on the tent. Emerging from the tent around 9 am to a 6 deg C morning when the rain had eased, we used the break in the rain to quickly pack up and get ourselves on the road. A few kilometres later we arrived in the town of Black Diamond, named after the black diamonds that come out of the ground and are sold by the barrel. Climbing out of town the road made us work hard for our distance, the long gradual climbs somewhat soul destroying as we inched our way to the top, sweating inside our wet weather clothing and other layers on the way up and then freezing as the sweat turned to ice cold rivers as we descended. Time and time again we climbed and sweated then descended and froze, all the time the sky was getting darker and darker as the weather built up over the mountains, the countryside around us turning yellow and the bleakness of winter becoming visibly evident as autumn sets in.

Nearing the top of a hill we stopped to read the monument to Little Chicago - Royalties where back in 1934 crude oil was found under the ground and another oil town was born. Nothing remains of the town now except the historic marker and an oil production plant nearby but it was quite a place in its day. Cresting another hill a few kilometres on we caught our first glimpse of the town of Longview, and the long view ahead where we are yet to ride.

Longview was today's designated stop, and so with the dark clouds forming we pulled into the small campground and decided that we would stay, despite the exceptionally short distance from our last camp. Spending the rest of the day relaxing and talking etc after both of us had enjoyed a nice long warming shower that put the warmth back into our bones and certainly justified paying the huge price of $10 to camp.

Today's Stats

From: Turner Valley

To: Longview

Ride Time:
1 hrs 39 min's

Distance:
20.9 km's

Av Speed:
12.6 km/h

Max Speed:
52.6 km/h

Max Altitude:
1253 m

Av Climb: 3 %

Max Climb: 8 %

Weather: Overcast and rain. 6-13 deg C

Camp Location:

N: 50°32'05.2 "

W: 114°14'02.0 "

Tuesday 18 September 2007

I knew it was cold this morning even before I got out of the tent, and the reason I knew that was because both of us got dressed in two or three layers of clothing whilst still under the sleeping bag. It was 7am and 0 deg C outside, any moisture that wasn't frozen yet was not far from it, the tarp covering the trikes was molded to the items underneath it with little white spots and needing to be carefully peeled off to save damage to it or the item it was joined to. Touching anything resulted in wet, cold fingers, which is not good when you are wearing gloves as they stay wet and cold. This was our coldest morning yet, the grass was not quite crunchy to walk on but the air was cold and fresh against any exposed skin. The view out to the mountains one of cold, wet or snowy weather, the clouds of varying darkness evidence of an interesting day in the mountains, the view ahead cloudy with the sun trying its best to get up above it all, and to warm us up. With everything frozen, packing up was an interesting experience and standing there in the cold to eat breakfast another cool event. The good thing about it though was that the water used to make the milk was also cold, providing us with a bowl museli and exceptionally cold milk.

Heading out of town as the kids were arriving at school earned us some waves before we descended down to the river, the layers of clothing protecting us from the cold blast that was hitting any exposed skin and making it feel like it was burning. Of course once we had crossed the river it was time to climb out of the valley, normally something we would not relish because of how warm that energy expenditure would make us, but today we were looking forward to and relishing it, despite what our legs were telling us.

We were in Cowboy Country as the signs told us, and that meant cattle ranches, few if any trees, long open vistas of plains and rolling hills, the colour of the vegetation changing from green to the yellows and reds of autumn, and the road often long and straight.

Riding through the open range we came to a fence that was the border to a large cattle ranch, the posts adorned with a hat or cap of some type, possibly left by the cowboys, but more likely by passing motorists. Stopping for a look we found where a cowgirl had obviously wanted to keep her hat so deposited her bra instead.

Eventually coming to the end of the hats we determined that there was 2.5 kilometres of fence posts adorned with headwear which makes one heck of a hat collection in anyone's books.

The day began to warm up and we began shedding layers as we went, the sun was making headway despite the heavy clouds that were forming all around us, especially over the mountain range off to our right - the Rocky Mountain range. There was also a very cool wind blowing at our backs which was causing us to add a layer or stay in the saddle to use the trike as a wind break when we stopped for a rest or for something to eat.

With clouds building and looking like they were going to dump on us, we arrived at the Chain of Lakes Provincial Campground and investigated it for a lunch spot, hoping also to find a shelter should those clouds above decide to rain or snow on our day. Eating lunch by the lake we listened intently to the weather forecast on our little transistor radio, taking special interest in the broadcast when they forecast rain and flurries (snow) overnight.

Leaving our lunch spot we rode through the camping area and eventually found the fully enclosed shelter, complete with a large 16 burner gas stove, lighting and power. With the weather forecast in mind, and with not so much as a blink of an eye we parked the trikes nearby and took up residence inside - today's ride was over. Later in the afternoon another cyclist - Andy, came in and joined us inside. Andy is from Manchester England and is riding across Canada heading for Vancouver. So with the prospect of unfavourable weather the three of us spent the rest of the afternoon discussing cycle touring and our respective rides before setting up our beds for the night and settling in. Bed time came not long after Roy, a vehicle camper, had left after spending some time with us.

Today's Stats

From: Longview

To: Chain of Lakes Provincial Park

Ride Time:
3 hrs 3 min's

Distance:
41.89 km's

Av Speed:
13.70 km/h

Max Speed:
58.8km/h

Max Altitude:
1380m

Av Climb: 3 %

Max Climb: 10 %

Weather: 0-13 deg C Overcast and Cold.

Camp Location:

N: 50°12'23.1"

W: 114°11'27.2"

Wednesday 19 September 2007

Sleeping in the shelter last night was a blessing as we could hear the rain falling during the night, but the real bonus was when we awoke and realised that the rain had turned to snow.

Like kids on Christmas morning we eagerly got up and out of our nice warm beds, and without putting on any extra clothes to ward off the cold, we enjoyed the novelty of snow outside, taking many pictures of our newly changed surroundings as the snow turned the trees and shrubs into strange icy sculptures, and and the trikes into two white mounds in the snow. Also setting in was the realisation that we would not be riding today thanks to the snow that continued to fall.

Looking outside at the trikes with the snow built up on them we were glad that we were not out there in the tent, though the experience would have been an interesting one.

Our frozen popsicle trikes.

The trikes as we saw them when we awoke.

The snow is getting thicker...

Our temporary bedroom.

Joanne and Andy in the kitchen.

Later in the day as the snow was melting another cyclist came into the cyclists hilton. Ralph, a German cyclist from Frankfurt was on his final few days of a ride before heading back to Calgary and heading home.

Chain of Lakes Campground.

Weather: Snow.

Thursday 20 September 2007

Being in the community hut we had accepted the fact that we might have to share it with others, but when two men came in around 11pm we began to wonder about our friendliness. The two sat there in the hut drinking and talking while we tried to sleep. We managed to figure out that they were two Americans going Elk hunting, that this was going to be their base and it was our bad luck that they were there. They eventually decided to get some sleep around 3 am when they asked if they were disturbing us and got avery gruff reply from me, so they promptly set their alarm clock and slept on the floor, snoring their way off to sleep.

Waking to the American hunters alarm clock at 5am we were plainly more than tired and were wondering how well we would ride today. The hunters left without so much as a 'have a nice day', leaving us to snuggle back into try and grab some sleep before we headed out onto the road.

Eventually packing up and heading off, our roller coaster ride with many climbs for the first 20 km tested us, but we were riding quite well, snow was still on the ground and visible on the tops of buildings and even the hay bales, the sign on the side of the road telling us we were riding the Cowboy Trail.

After eventually descending down into a river canyon with the wind howling and going right through us, quickly followed by rain. Arriving at Old Man River we were severely disappointed with the camping arrangements, open, windswept and cold, so we moved on, meeting Andy who had caught up to us. Seeing what looked like a service station we rode over in search of some shelter from the rain and wind, only to be told by a man who just wanted to enforce his "Private Property" status, to leave.

Open flat grazing country for the rest of the way to Lundbreck, herds of Buffalo in the paddocks reminiscent of the days when they freely roamed the land and were sometimes being driven over the nearby buffalo jump by the Indians. Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump is a fabulous interpretive attraction to visit and is very informative regarding the native Indian's relationship with the Buffalo. We had visited there back in May before we flew to Alaska and enjoyed it very much.

Arriving at the Lundbreck Falls Provincial Park we met up with Andy again and set up camp in the community hut after the campground manager gave her approval - seeing that it was out of season and they were not that busy.

Getting some firewood we got the wood stove going and that allowed us to add to the warmth and somewhere to cook. Once again we were warm, dry and in shelter - hopefully with no late night visitors this time.

Today's Stats

From: Chain of Lakes Provincial Park

To: Lundbreck Falls Campground

Ride Time:
5 hrs 48 min's

Distance:
78.3  km's

Av Speed:
13.5 km/h

Max Speed:
51.5 km/h

Max Altitude:
1500m

Av Climb: 3 %

Max Climb: 14 %

Weather: 6-13 deg C Overcast, Rain, strong wind and Cold.

Camp Location:

N: 49 °35'06.4"

W: 114°12'14.3"

Friday 21 September 2007

Waking to another cool morning we headed off towards Crows Nest Pass, the 1,358m pass which is the most southerly highway pass in Canada. Running parallel to the road was the old highway, now the 3A. This road took us from the campground and back to the main highway via the Lumbreck Falls, a nice double waterfall on the Crowsnest River.

The sun was out and the road was uphill, but right from the start it was the extremely strong westerly headwind that kept our speed down and ensured that our legs worked hard, especially on the top of yesterdays tougher and longer ride than expected. Arriving at a dead looking tree on the side of the road we learnt that the tree was named the 'Burmis' Tree, Burmis being a town that was in that location back in the early 1900's. The interesting thing about the dead looking trunk and branches was that it is estimated to be around 700 years old and marked the boundary of Crows Nest Pass. The tree died and fell down in the late 1970's but the people of the area refused to let it remain that way, so they re-enforced it with stainless steel poles and stuck it back up again in its original position. The mountain range that makes up the Crows Nest Pass was ever present as we rode, and the closer we got the more of it we could see, its tall craggy peaks covered with snow, providing not only the gradient for us to climb but also keeping the wind cold and burning any exposed skin.

Continuing to work our way along the road we came to the area known as Frank Slide, a place that on initial thought could be named after a person by that name, but an informative sign explained that it was named after a kilometre long piece of rock that fell and buried the town of Frank back around 1906, killing around 70 people. The area on the mountainside is visible still to this day and the area below is still all rocks.

Passing through the town of Blairmore we were struggling against the wind when we spied a Tim Horton's coffee shop, so we pulled in and enjoyed not only a nice toasted chicken roll, doughnut and coffee but a rest from the wind. Reluctantly leaving the warmth of the coffee shop we again tackled the road and wind. With our speed down to between 6 and 9 km/h it was going to be a long day, strong gusts of wind hitting us head on were strong enough to take our breath away and to drop our speed down to 3 km/h.

Leaving the town of Coleman at the top of the pass we slowly moved closer and closer to the magnificent vista's of the surrounding snow covered mountains and the Crowsnest Mountain itself. The wind was still trying to belt us into submission and was forcing us to pedal downhill at a speed that we would normally pedal uphill.

Eventually arriving at the Alberta Visitors Centre we found the building closed and all boarded up, so taking advantage of the sheltered doorway we were about to have lunch when we spied Andy riding down the road. Yelling out to him was vocal cords exercised for no reason because he couldn't hear us, but he had had enough of the wind and turned in anyway. All three of us sat under the eve of the doorway and enjoyed soup with rice in it and some peanut butter covered crackers for lunch.

Hoping the wind would abate we spent the afternoon talking and wandering around looking at the weather, hoping for a break in the cyclonic winds - but it never came. So with the place to ourselves we set up the tents using the rocks from the nearby garden to anchor the tents in position in the doorway where we had been sitting and enjoyed the warmth and shelter that they provided, the tourist building blocking most of the wind.

Today's Stats

From: Lundbreck Falls Campground

To: Alberta Tourist Information Centre near the BC Border

Ride Time:
3 hrs 46 min's

Distance:
36.6 km's

Av Speed:
9.7 km/h

Max Speed:
30.5 km/h

Max Altitude:
1391m

Av Climb: 3 %

Max Climb: 11 %

Weather: 3-13 deg C Overcast with strong wind. Cold.

Camp Location:

N: 49 °37'49.7"

W: 114°36'33.6"

Saturday 22 September 2007

We had been left alone during the night and throughout the night the wind continued to blow and eventually the rain came into play as well. Our tents were doing their job and we were dry and warm in the tent, the tourist information building was still blocking the cyclonic winds, which we would find out later had gusts up to 100 km/h. We awoke to an overcast day, the rain continuing and the wind slightly less than yesterday.

Packing up and leaving our campsite we were immediately into the hills and the headwind, not as strong as yesterday but strong enough to sap our energy and to force us to pedal downhill. Heading downhill towards two lakes we passed through a rockslide area where looking up showed the trees on the top of the hill perched precariously near the edge just waiting to fall. The rain continued to fall, stinging our faces as we rode, the chill in the air adding to the elements that were robbing us of our enjoyment.

Passing over the Alberta/BC border and the Continental Divide (for the second time this trip) we came into an area of beautiful autumn colour, the golden leaves of the deciduous trees contrasting against the green of the evergreens and providing splotches of colour on the mountainsides. Cresting a hill we could see the valley ahead and then the descents began, and continued for most of the trip to Sparwood. The road was parallel to the river and for once the river was going the same way that we were. Passing alongside the river we continued to ride through Autumn colours, the road often secured on the side by large concrete barriers that were too close to the rumble strips for us to ride on the shoulder forcing us out onto the road with the traffic.

Arriving in Sparwood we rode under the electronic sign above the road, its sign informing us to watch for bears. Riding over to the tourist information centre we found it closed and Andy nowhere in sight. Riding over to the A&W hamburger store we found Andy and went inside for some coffee and something to eat. Returning to the tourist information centre we settled on staying in a nearby B&B where we managed to get our trikes into the garage, ourselves into a shower and our clothes into the washing machine. We had not gone far but after not having had a shower for a few days and needing a little luxury, our stop today was more than needed and welcomed.

Today's Stats

From: Alberta Tourist Information Centre near the BC Border

To: Sparwood

Ride Time:
1 hrs 43 min's

Distance:
28.32 km's

Av Speed:
16.5 km/h

Max Speed:
46 km/h

Max Altitude:
1471 m

Av Climb: 2 %

Max Climb: 8 %

Weather: 3-15 deg C Overcast and rain with strong wind. Cold.

Camp Location:

N: 49 °44'03.3"

W: 114°53'17.2"

Sunday 23 September 2007

Waking this morning in a large comfortable bed was very nice, and the huge breakfast of pancakes, sausages, bacon, egg pie, rockmellon, oranges, berries, maple syrup, yoghurt and real coffee that came with the price of the room, was just as nice. The weather forecast for our destination - Fernie was snow, so leaving our overnight stop with overcast skies was a little bit of a gamble, but the weather seemed to be holding as we made a run for it. We did however begin to wonder if something was telling us to stay put when we discovered that Joanne had a flat front tire. Fixing the problem in the shelter of the garage was a godsend but again the weather held. The cause of the flat tire being a split in the valve stem, the second in recent times. Using a rat tail file I smoothed the valve hole in the rim and used some electrical tape to cushion the new stem in place, crossed my fingers and put it all back together again and we set off down the road.

Leaving Sparwood behind we climbed the small hill out of town as the rain and mist began to build up in the valley ahead of us, eventually forcing us to stop and don our rain gear once more. Generally flat with some small downhill runs we were making good time and skipping along quite nicely, despite the rumble strips forcing us to ride with one wheel in the dirt or brave the often busy traffic flow. Joanne mentioned that there should be less trucks on the road today and that seemed to be the case until about halfway to Fernie, when there were quite a few cattle trucks passing, covering us in a cloud of spray which was a mixture of rain, water off the road, and of course cattle muck from their trucks.

Arriving in Fernie we found the Tourist Information Centre closed but a helpful list of places to stay in pamphlet form. Riding through the reasonable size town we arrived at the Raging Elk Hostel where we joined back up with Andy and took a bed in the 6 bed dorm that he had to himself. The hostel is clean, has nice rooms, goodablutions, a secure place to put our trikes, a very large commercial kitchen, lounge, tv room and of course a free high speed wireless internet connection. - everything a person could want.

Today's Stats

From: Sparwood

To: Fernie

Ride Time:
1 hrs 46 min's

Distance:
31.4  km's

Av Speed:
17.7 km/h

Max Speed:
47.9 km/h

Max Altitude:
1154 m

Av Climb: 1 %

Max Climb: 4 %

Weather: 6-13 deg C Overcast and rain.

Camp Location:

N: 49 °30'27.7"

W: 115°03'45.0"

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