2016 Canada Bike Trip

Best Day Yet . . .

August 7, 2016 rick wojack

We were all up by 6:00am. Breakfast was not until 8:00am but they had coffee makers in the rooms and they gave us extra coffee packets packets. The highlight of the morning coffee discussion was the G’s description of how a mouse ran across his face as he slept on the floor in Cabin 8!!!! “I could feel the claws across my face and I set an Olympic high jump record”, he stated. Hope he has a tetanus shot!!! Cold continental breakfast but we all ‘carbo loaded’.

The ‘G’ was an accountant when he was on the job and in fact started long enough ago that this is the type of machine he used to balance the State of Wisconsin budget. They are still using it at the resort!!!!

Our cabin resort was so far out in the bush there was no electricity available and the resort had their own generator. Ran 24/7/365!!!!

Brittany and Lisabeth were ready to clean up after the mess we left behind! It’s Brittany’ second summer at the resort and Lisabeth’s first. They are two of the four staff that live on site with the husband and wife team owners. Not sure if they ever get a day off and if they do where do they go!!!!

Everybody else bailed on the ride yesterday when it started raining, except me. They turned north in the van and headed back 10 miles for their start. I turned south from the cabins and headed south to Radium Hot Springs. It was the PERFECT day. Downhill, the sun was bright, no wind and NO TRAFFIC. With Asleep at the Wheel on the headphones I headed south. THE PERFECT DAY!!!!

. . . only way it could have been better is with my Smoochie riding by my side. Next trip!!!!

Very few car killed critters along the road. As I pedaled along I saw what looked like an orange with a snake head attached to it. In Canada??? Implementing my 5 second rule ( if I am still thinking about a potential photo five seconds after I ride by, it I go back), I turned back. No Snake . . . but their was an an orange peel and some critter had pooped on it. Nature at it’s best!!!

Lot’s of traffic on the road in the afternoon. Here are the remnants of one less vehicle on the road. Burned down . . . hopefully the driver got out OK.

Nice view over my shoulder. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up every morning, get your cup of jojo and sit our on the porch with my Smoochie and the D, and admire this view.

The Provinces do quite a job of fencing their interstate/major roads with a six foot fence. But how does wildlife get from one side of the road to another? I noticed these breaks in the fence and thought they hadn’t finished the installation . . .

. . . I finally look at the other side of the road and there was a matching setup.. The critters walk out on one side of the road, cross the road, and through the one the other side to safety. Of course only if they don’t get hit by a car.

Kootenay Crossing . . . 60 miles from nowhere. Maybe one of the loneliness outposts of the Canadian Parks system.

A LONGGGGGGGGG climb resulted in summiting Sinclair Pass. What a view. How could it be improved?

. . . add one happy old guy retiree, beaming from ear to ear, because of the ‘zen like’ state he is experiencing!!!!

I had reached the top of the climb, as my Garmin shows. I’m ready to drop off the side of the world!!!!

Yessssssssssssss . . . .

. . . they even had a map of the 7.5 mile downhill into Radium Hot Springs.

That’s me . . . the tortoise!!!!

These run outs are a lot steeper that in this photo. If an eighteen wheeler loses braking power the driver takes this 60 percent ride to defeat gravity and speed of their runaway truck.