Aug 26 Wigwam to Home

This morning is was much warmer than any of the previous mornings and I only needed two shirts and a wind breaker.  However it was much also much smokier.  The tour is now directly north of the Washington state forest fires.  There are a lot of web pages which seem to indicate that these fires are the largest fires on record.   It is really no wonder considering the record hot summer coupled with a lack of rain.    The tour is going to have to be diverted around one of the major fires in Washington as the area is closed and on fire.   All of these fires and the smoke is really kind of scary.

So we loaded up camp and there were lots of sad farewells as I was now on my way home and would not see the riders again or at least until the next tour.  You always wind up meeting them somewhere as this is a small community.  Sean promised me a free weeks ride in the future and although I was sad to go that was a very generous parting gift and one I fully intend to hold him to. 

The drive out of camp and back to the highway was pretty uneventful and I found my car exactly as I had left it in Elko one week before.  I went into the store where the car was parked and found the owner and thanked him for storing my car.  He just couldn’t imagine riding a bicycle from Banff to Apache Wells New Mexico.   Just plain crazy to use his words.

The seven hour drive from Elko to Kelowna turned out to be close to nine as there was so much traffic on the road and there were a lot of delays due to highway construction.  I think that every bridge along the Rogers Pass is being worked on.   At one spot I was stopped behind this little car which had this huge dog in it.  The window was down and this huge dog head would appear.  It was pretty funny. 

As I got closer to home the smoke just kept getting thicker and thicker.  Going through the Roger’s Pass you could not see the mountains and in Revelstoke you could not see the other side of the river.   The radio was calling Kelowna the Smokanagan rather than the Okanagan.

Although I have run a few of my own tours this was really my first tour where I was strictly a crew member.   It was a pile of really hard work and really long days.  However watching the riders coming in with great big smiles on their faces made it lots of fun and a great experience.   So I want to thank Rob from Bike Dreams and Sean from Bike Adventures for giving me this fun trip.  I also want to wish all of the riders a successful tour to Apache Wells.

Terry

Aug 25 Sparwood to Wigwam

Today was a really huge day for the riders.   It was a 135 kms day with two passes to climb.  Before lunch they had a 35 kms section of pavement and then a 15 kms climb to a around 6300 feet which was a 1500 ft climb followed by a 20 kms section of washed out road which was all loose boulders.  Some of the riders wound up walking a lot of it. 

In the mean time I am driving the big Ford 4X4 van around to meet up for lunch.  I head down the highway about 40 kms and take the turn and find that the bridge across the Elk River is out.  This means a 45 minute drive around to Elko where the only other bridge is.  Now I am pressed for time to make it to lunch as I have about 60 kms on this gravel road which has these huge logging trucks on it.  I have to get as far over as possible and just stop.  When they go past there is so much dust you cannot see 5 feet in front of you for 3 or 4 minutes.   I have one of the riders with me has he decided to sag the first half and it was really great as he was able navigate for me.

We got to the lunch spot with 15 minutes to spare before the first rider showed up.  It was a beautiful spot beside the river.  Everyone had a good lunch and was having a great day as it was perfect riding weather. 

After lunch we followed the riders into camp down the road.  The riders were actually faster than the van even though they had a second pass to climb.   It was pretty slow going as they wanted to let one of the other crew practice with the van as I was leaving the following day.  She was pretty bad and we didn’t get into camp until around 7:00 Pm. 

The Wigwam campground was a pretty basic place with one pit toilet and no water.  However I was glad to be in as it was a long day.   My tent and sleeping bag were a welcome place to curl up in. 

Terry

Aug 24, 2015 Elkford to Sparwood

It was cold this morning but not as cold as it was the morning out of Banff.   I had left my sweatshirt in the van so I had to get make a run out to get it.   The sky was so smoky you could hardly see the hills. 

The ride was only 42 kms down the side of the road.  I was driving down the highway and it was only 36 kms.    I had to make a stop at the grocery store with the chef.  

The grocery store turned out to be directly across the street from the big truck in Sparwood. This truck is the world’s biggest dump truck.   The big truck is a Titan which was built in 1969 by GM.  It was powered by a 3300 hp diesel electric motor and could haul  350 tons of coal. It ran from the pit to the main processing facility.  It took only 12 minutes to make the trip and the truck ran 24 hours a day seven days a week.  While it was a big work horse it was a one of a kind machine and every breakdown meant special custom made parts and a turbo charger failure finally ended its career. 

The campsite is right off the main highway so it looks like it is going to be a noise night. 

Sadly the other Canadian staffer has decided to leave today so I get to drive him into Fernie.   Alan will be missed.

On an up beat note Sofia our cook prepared a fabulous meal of pork chops (one of my favorites) with salad, rice and stir fried vegetables.  There was a lot of cheering around the camp for her tonight.   

Tomorrow is one of the biggest and most difficult on the tour.  It is 148 kms with two passes to climb.  I will not be able to follow with the 4X4 so I will have to take another route into meet the riders for lunch. 

Terry 

Aug 23, 2015 Kananaskis to Elkford BC

It was really cold last night even in my Arctic down sleeping bag.  In the morning I pulled on four shirts to keep warm.  It was really cold last night even in my artic down sleeping bag.  In the morning I pulled on four shirts to keep warm.    Although I didn’t see any frost on anything I am sure it was well below freezing.  

The morning was a lot of work for the crew gathering up bags and loading luggage for the ride.  I barely was able to gulp down a bowl of cereal before it was time to get on the road.  

The group ride took the riders across the Elk Pass which was 80 kms.  It had a short 10 kms climb and then a 70 kms downhill.   It looked like a great ride. Unfortunately the pass is closed to vehicles and so I had to drive the big van around the highway.   This took me all the way over to Longview and then down the Cowboy Trail to the Crowsnest Pass.  This turned out to be a 5 hour drive and I just arrived in time to get the picnic out for the riders as the first of them rolled into Elkford.

Tonight we are camped in the Elkford Community campground.   It is really very nice except that there is no wifi. 

Tomorrow is a short ride down to Sparwood which for the van is only 35 kms.  So I will have an easy day.  Maybe even get a run in.

Terry  Although I didn’t see any frost on anything I am sure it was well below freezing.  

The morning was a lot of work for the crew gathering up bags and loading luggage for the ride.  I barely was able to gulp down a bowl of cereal before it was time to get on the road.  

The group ride took the riders across the Elk Pass which was 80 kms.  It had a short 10 kms climb and then a 70 kms downhill.   It looked like a great ride. Unfortunately the pass is closed to vehicles and so I had to drive the big van around the highway.   This took me all the way over to Longview and then down the Cowboy Trail to the Crowsnest Pass.  This turned out to be a 5 hour drive and I just arrived in time to get the picnic out for the riders as the first of them rolled into Elkford.

Tonight we are camped in the Elkford Community campground.   It is really very nice except that there is no wifi. 

Tomorrow is a short ride down to Sparwood which for the van is only 35 kms.  So I will have an easy day.  Maybe even get a run in.

Terry 

Aug 22 2015 Banff to Canyon Campground Kananaskis

We were all up and down at breakfast by 7:00 am.  It didn’t take long to get to get the toasted bagel down and get out to the trucks.  The riders were already cuing up to load luggage by 7:15.  However there seemed like a tremendous amount of milling about before everyone finally got on their bikes and rode off. 

I was driving the big Ford 4X4 van which serves as the lunch truck so I departed as quickly as possible.  The van is pretty thirsty so we stopped and filled it and were going to hit Tim Hortons but the lineup must have been 100 deep so we drove on down to the lunch spot.

I was really concerned that the riders were in front of us when we got down to the designated lunch spot as we did not see any one on the road.  However the riders did take a section where we couldn’t go and sure enough they all rolled up about 20 minutes later.  The riders all pulled out about 11:00 except for 4 riders who were not there yet.   Three of them showed up at about 11:30.  Sean had some paper work to do and was coming later so we waited for him.  It was 3:30 by time he got there.     

Yesterday’s cold and storm covered the mountains with a light dusting of snow and they looked absolutely stunning against the bright blue sky.  It was just a wonderful sight.  The storm also had the effect of reducing the dust on the road.  So it was a pretty nice day for a drive in the mountains.

We rolled into camp about 4:30 and helped with supper.   

Tomorrow is all single track so I have to drive the truck around the long way to the Elkford Bc.

Terry 

Aug 21 2015 Banff Preparations

This morning I was up at 6:45 and got ready for an early morning run.  I was meeting Sean and Marca for a 50 minute run.  It was pretty crisp at on 10C but after a few blocks it was great.  Not running in 22C was really nice.  We took the path way along the river and there was nobody out that early.  I really enjoyed the run and my Piriform/Sciatic   was not bothering at all.  Hopefully that injury is behind me.

After the run Gordon, Alan and I set out building a partition in the Penske to keep the luggage on one side and the food and kitchen stuff on the other.  We had to drive into Canmore to find a lumber store and get some plywood.  I was driving the big Ford 4X4 van and it is a monster to handle in the narrow and crowded Banff  streets.  While getting out of Banff we saw a small herd of deer eating flowers from someone’s flower pots.  Those guys have must love it here in town, with all the wonderful salads prepared for them.

By the time we got back from Canmore with some plywood and 2x4’s it was just pouring rain.  When we opened the back of the Penske we found that the roof was leaking and a lot of the luggage which had been stored in the truck was soaked.  So we set up a bunch buckets inside the truck and set about building the partition.  Because of the rain we had to shuffle all the stuff around where we working.  It took twice as long as it should have.

At 4:00 Pm was the introductory rider meeting and Rob got up and introduced the ride and every one then he handed out ride jerseys.  I was more than a little surprise to get one as I will be helping for only 9 days.  It is really nice.  It shows the details of the ride at 2745 miles and is the world’s longest off pavement cycle ride. 

It was a long day.  We started work at 8:00 am and finished 8:00 pm.   

Tomorrow is the first ride day it is 93 kms and with all the rain we got to day it is going to be a mud bath.   The forecast is for 1C at 7:00 am tomorrow and I believe it as there is a lot of snow piled up on the mountains around Banff.  So a long, cold, muddy day,  I am glad that I am doing picnic. 

Terry  

Aug 20 2015 Great Divide Getting ready in Banff

There were four of us bunked into the one hotel room last night.  I got lucky and won the coin toss and got one of the two beds.  The pull out sofa looked really bad and the cot not much better. 

This morning started early with a typical hotel breakfast of toasted day old bagel and cream cheese, watery orange juice and weak coffee.   

Sean who is one of the tour leaders came in last night and took my advice and made looking into the sick Penske van a priority.   We went out and there was a huge puddle of automatic transmission fluid under the van so he phoned them and within twenty minutes they had a repair truck on site and a quick determination was made to get a new van. 

I got in the big Ford 4X4 16 passenger window van and headed off to Calgary to pick up Rob and the chef.   Just a few miles into the trip there were a bunch of lighted warning signs say that because of paving operations to expect major delays along Highway 1.  So I wheeled the truck on to the Exshaw exit and went over to the 1A.  It is a much slower and winding road but with no delays. 

Rob who is one of the owners of Bike Dreams and Sofia the chef were waiting for me in the Marlboro Walmart with 5 huge shopping carts of groceries and supplies for the trip.  So we spent the next three hours sorting, arranging, assembling and testing equipment.  Every so often we would discover we needed something else and would send Rob back in to get it. 

It was well after 3 by the time I was ready to head back to Banff.   Sofia and I drove back and took the 1A to avoid the paving.  On the way we saw a huge herd of mountain goats alongside the road.  So far I have seen wild turkeys, a black bear and the herd of mountain goats.  The sky was looking pretty threatening and tomorrow looks like a very rainy day.  When we got to the hotel the new Penske was waiting and we transferred  all the stuff into it.

This evening Sean took the crew out to an Irish pub for supper and an organization meeting.  It was a pretty lively discussion as there are a lot of new hands on the crew.   However everyone has a great spirit and I think it is going to be a great trip. 

Terry  

Aug 19 Great Divide Ride

I was up at 5:45 this morning and it was cold in the tent.  I am not use to crawling out into 40F temperatures.  However I needed to get my act together and get down to the border to meet the bike crew coming up from Denver. 

I quickly broke camp and packed my gear into the car and jumped on my mtn bike. It was 37 kms down to the border and the bike has no computer so and I had never ridden this bike so I had no idea how long it would take.  It was a strange ride bouncing along on the great big 2.1 inch tires inflated to 50 psi.   The first few kms I felt like I was over steering all the time.  However  by time I hit the 18 km sign post I had it figured out. 

It took me 110 minutes to cover the 37 kms.  So I made pretty good time and I was sitting in the Canadian Customs office by 8:30 Am.   By 11:45 the customs guys came out and told me that I couldn’t wait any longer in their office.  So I jumped back on my bike and rode back to Elko.  I made the return trip in 97 minutes and it was into the wind. 

From the camp ground I phoned and talked to the guys on the ride and found out they would not be at the border until after 3:00 Pm.   This time I drove my car and waited at the border.  They got in at 3:15 Pm. 

From there we drove up to Banff.    Arriving in Banff at 8:45.  A really long day.

I think the Penske I am driving has a serious problem. 

Terry 

Aug 18 Camping at Elko BC

I am meeting the ride at the Roosville border crossing tomorrow.  Roosville is close to 700 kms from my home in Kelowna so it was going to take me 8 hours to drive from my house to the meeting place.  In order to accomplish this I had to leave a day early and then camp at a crossroads called Elko.  It is 37 kms from the border.  So in the morning I will get on my bike and ride down to the border.  

I should explain a couple of things.  This ride is being put on by Bike Dreams and runs from Banff Alberta to Apache Wells New Mexico.  They needed a couple of Canadians to work on the Canadian side as they did not have work permits.  So I am going to help out for a week.  It should be lots of fun seeing a ride from the other side.  I will be working until Aug 26.  Then I will camp that night and drive home in the morning.

I am not sure how long this is going to take as this is a borrowed mountain bike and it does not have a speedometer. I have never ridden it so it could be fun.  On the up side I did install my road bike saddle and a pair of road bike clips.  At least the SPD’s will keep me connected to the bike.

The 700 kms  drive started out looking like under 7 hours but then after I got  about 10 kms out of town there was a sign saying highway 33 was closed due to the forest fire down at Rock Creek.   So I had to turn around and go the long way through Golden.  It is now 750 kms and there is construction and slow moving motorhomes everywhere.  However I made it and got checked into the camp ground. 

Terry