Survived the Rockies!

So I left the Okanagan last Sunday. I started out in the morning from Sicamous and was heading to Revelstoke. My dad, brother, Auntie Clarice and friend Andi rode with me for the first hour and a half and then I was officially on my own; its definitely a different kind of trip this way. I travelled about 80km that day, arrived in Revelstoke having just missed the rain, and was warmingly greated by relatives of my mom's friend. They picked me up downtown and had a feast of a dinner cooked.

Monday was only about 70km but I had some climbing to do. Revelstoke to Roger's Pass- there were definitely a few big hills there and a couple snow sheds. Half way through the day another cyclist caught up to me. He was from Quebec and was clearly moving faster than I was, but he taught me how to draft behind and I made it to Roger's Pass with lots of time to spare. There was a bit of headwind that day too, so he was a great help. We parted ways in Roger's Pass and he continued on for another 50km! I stayed at a hotel that night generously funded by Jack Gareb. There really isn't much to do in that area for an evening but the scenery is gorgeous!

Tuesday I was headed to Golden. The morning was awesome! I coasted downhill for many many kilometers. Its almost frustrating to think about how many hours it took to go up that distance on the other side. The snowsheds were pretty fun too. The shoulder was nice and wide but the way the sun shone through the gaps in the side, it kinda felt like I was on a rollercoaster or something :) I arrived in Golden around 3pm and thought I was doing great. I went to grocery store to stock up a bit, and then I found out that the place I was staying was about another 20km out of town. So, back onto my bike and off I go. That day was a total of about 105km. I stayed at a friend of a friend's place who was actually out of town, but had the door opened for me. I don't think I'll stop being amazed at how trusting and generous everyone has been. (Jan if you're reading this I think I forgot a pair of socks on your couch haha, don't worry about it. I just thought you might be wondering where they came from)

Wednesday, I doubled back that 20km out of Golden, got back into town and back onto the Transcanada. There were a couple scary moments that day. Heading out of Golden was a pretty steep and narrow hill, but I got through it. Then I was riding though a canyon for quite a while. It was absolutely beautiful and I wanted to take pictures, but there wasn't really space to stop on the side of the road, so...no pictures, but I'm glad I got to see it :) After the canyon was a massive bridge and a 10 mile hill! (its actually called the 10 mile hill). The rest of the day was a lot of up and down and fairly windy, but I made it to Field by about 4pm and after riding a total of about 80km. Field is the cutest little town I have ever seen! I was staying with a family I contacted through a mutual friend. They own and run the pottery studio in town, and just like everyone else I've met so far were very welcoming:)

Thursday I was supposed to be riding to Banff, about 85km. I arrived there around 3:30pm, picked up my tent that my mom had sent to the Greyhound station there since I didn't need it yet, then decided to continue on to Canmore- another 20km. It made the next day a bit shorter. I arrived in Canmore just fine, found a hostel, checked in, but then as I was heading out to find dinner I got my first flat tire...:( So I had dinner anyways since I was starving, then went to work in the evening fixing it. I guess because my tires are skinnier than what I'm used to, I had a bit of trouble getting the bead back onto the frame so in the morning I brought it over to a bike shop, it was done in no time and I was off to Calgary!

The ride to Calgary was a bit longer than I expected and I had a pretty strong headwind almost all day. It wasn't until the end of the day when the wind finally changed direction and a rain cloud was chasing me. In about the last hour of my ride it did start to rain on me. I think I've been pretty lucky though; that's the first rain I've experienced yet and it was just before I was arriving to a nice comfortable house where I finally get to rest! I arrived at my cousin's house around 5pm pretty much soaked, but I made it through the Rockies, and I have now travelled over 1000km! The ride for the day was about 110km.

Today is now Saturday, and I'm still in Calgary resting up :) It's been sunny and warm. My bike has been down to a shop for a tune-up; I also bought a handlebar bag, and I just finished catching up with an old friend from highschool. Tomorrow I'm moving on through the Prairies.

I did see a bit of wild life in the past six days. I had a moose cross the highway about 50 yards ahead of me. I also saw a group of mountain goats on the side, I couldn't tell if they were real until they started moving.

A lot of people have asked me what I think about during all those hours on the road, but to be honest I don't think about a whole lot. I look around, try to take in everything I'm passing by. I think about what I'm going to feel like four or eight weeks from now. I find that its almost easier to not think, otherwise I might starting thinking too much about how far it is until I reach my destination or...how much my butt hurts haha.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me out so far, given me lots of encouragement, and donated to my shopping page on the imagine1day website. Please keep it all coming!

Happy peddling!