BIke Dreams Great Divide Aug 14-18

Aug 14, 2017  Canmore to Kananaskis Lower Lakes Group Campsite  Alberta       

It was a relatively short day for the riders so there was no need to get an early start. However before the official start there was the mandatory group photo.  The site chosen for this auspicious event was the bear statue in front of the hotel.  Apart from videos and the zoo none of the riders (save for Wallace) had actually seen a bear so everyone had mounted canisters of bear spray and bear bells on their bike.  The excitement in the air was so heavy that one could have used a knife to cut it.  So photo taken and the riders are off down the Spray Lake road and headed south.

After so much preparation work it was hard to believe that this was actually going to launch.  Having said that I don’t know when a better prepared expedition had every started.  The big Penske truck I was driving had real shelves which were filled with clear plastic bins which were all labelled and all of the supplies had been checked and triple checked to ensure that everything was operational. 

The two chefs walked over to Safeway to purchase the food for the evening meal and I drove the truck over and filled it with diesel. At Safeway all the goodies were loaded and we were off.  It was only a  56 mile (90 kms) down to the campsite so we were there early. 

I spent the afternoon chopping broccoli and preparing the potatoes.  Doesn’t sound like and exciting afternoon but the two chefs turned out a fabulous meal and  it was so worth it. By time all the dishes were washed and put away it was bed time. No wifi and so no blog however I was too tired to write one anyway.

Aug 15, 2017  Kananaskis to Elkford BC

The Elkford pass is closed to vehichular traffic so both the lunch van driven by Ken C and the Penske had to drive around.  This is a 186 mile (330 kms) drive.  You have to drive the length of the Kananaskis Park taking the Kananaskis pass which is truly spectacular. Unfortunately it was so smoky that you could not see the mountains.  They were just these huge blueish blobs even though you are right in the height of the Rockies.  Down the Cowboy Trail which is one of my favorite rides and one I did often when I lived in Calgary.  Across the Crowsnest Pass to Sparwood.  Naturally we stopped at the Frank slide to catch a few photos.  There was not time to visit the Frank Slide visitors center which tells the story of how the mountain collapsed and buried the little town of Frank.   We stopped in Sparwood and purchased groceries for the evening meal.  I was just amazed at how much food was purchased.  However as you are feeding a total of 31 people and 24 of them just rode over a mountain pass on mountain bikes it takes a lot of food. 

The major high light of the day however was not the drive but in the morning there was a Grizzly bear in the camp.  He was totally unperturbed by this bunch of campers and was just minding his own business.   He was just filling himself with the berries which were on the bushes surrounding camp.   While I have seen lots of bears and lots of Grizzlies, I have never seen one which just went on about his business as though we weren’t even there.  Bears are generally such reclusive animals the best you can hope for is a fleeting glance as the disappear into the woods.

By time dishes were done and everything was packed away it was 9:00 pm and I was beat.  However Rob who is leading the tour wanted to have a staff meeting in the pub across the street.   By 11:00 pm the meeting was done and so was I. 

Aug 16, 2017 Eklford to Sparwood BC

It was a short day for both the Penske and for the riders as it was only 24 miles (35 kms) down the highway to Sparwood. The riders however had closer to 35 miles (55 kms) as they were taking the trails.  I had a light day however Ken had to drive one of the riders into the hospital in Fernie as he had developed an infected finger.  Then back to Elkford to pick up a rider who had had enough and needed to be picked up.   In all Ken put in  130 miles (220 kms).  

Driving was light however there were lots of vegetables to chop and more potatoes to prepare.  Being a driver on the Penske has a ton of other duties.  So by the time it was all said and done I never had a moment to sit down and write the blog and I fell into my tent around 10:30 exhausted.

Aug 17, 2017 Sparwood to Wigwam BC. 

This was one of the hardest days on the tour as the ride was 137 kms and took the riders over two mountain passes.  Fortunately I didn’t have to ride a bike down this trail but I had a huge diesel Penske to ride and I could take the highway down about half way before turning off on to a gravel  logging road.

As it was such a long day the riders were off at 7:30 am and we packed up the truck and went to get groceries. 

The road got narrower and narrower and ever more pot holed as we head down it.  Finally I realized we had missed the turn to Wigwam as the road was headed east and we should have been going south.  By now the one side is a sheer cliff face and the other side is a 300 foot drop into the canyon below.  After  a few kilometers I find a place which is a few feet wider than the Penske is long.  So now I have to make a u-turn in a spot which is no more than 7 feet wider than the truck is long.  It must have taken 50 back and forth iterations before We were able to head back down the road to find the correct road to Wigwam.   We did find it and 19 miles (30 kms) later we rolled in to Wigwam.

Wigwam is a primitive campsite on the Great Divide trail. It has no water, one long drop and a few campsites.  Forget showers, cell service, wifi, even level ground to set tents on. 

The first riders rolled in at around 5:00 pm and the last at around 7:30 pm.   I cannot imagine spending 11.5 hours hauling a mountain bike over tow mountain passes.  These riders get my admiration.  We ate at around 8:00 pm and it was well after dark by time we closed the back door on the Penske.   

Aug 18, 2017 Wigwam to Eureka Montana

It was only a 50 mile (80 Kms) for the riders and a short drive for the Penske so it was a leasuirely start in the morning and I think that everyone was glad to get the extra sleep. 

I piloted the big rig back out of the woods and out to the highway to Elko where Ken and I had stashed our vehicles the week before. 

In Elko I handed the keys to the Chris who was the US driver and said my goodbyes to the crew.  Ken and I then drove on down to Cranbrook where we are going to do a few spoke rides.

The week of work with Bike Dreams was really hard with a lot of long hours.  However it was totally worth it.  Rob and Sean are absolutely wonderful people and working for them is great.  The food prepared by the two chefs Gerdi and Emily was totally over the top.  The riders themselves were really exceptional.  I was amazed at how many came up to me to thank me for coming out to help. All of the smiles and warmth was over whelming.  Maybe a person can feel good in that you put something back into the system when for so many tours I have been helped by various people along the way.  Was I pleased to be asked to do this?  No I was honored.    Would I do it again?  Absolutely!

Terry