Day 8 Kamloops to Cache Creek

 

It was already pretty warm by the time we were ready to leave the parking lot of the Plaza hotel in Kamloops this morning and it was headed for 28 C. So no leg warmers, arm warmers or anything else. Just shorts and a sleeveless jersey this morning.

 

We pulled out of the parking lot and headed up Columbia towards the highway and there were stretches along this grind out of town which hit 13.5% grade. The average over the 6.5 kms to the highway was 5% and so we had gained 335 m in elevation.  This was just the beginning of what would prove to be a day of big climbs and big descents.  I believe one of the riders said we climbed 1150 m today in the 85 km ride.  We stayed along the residential routes as long as we could in Kamloops and finally took the last exit on to the #1 west. Fortunately there was only a couple of kms to the Coachella turn off and then we had the road almost to ourselves.  

There was one of the huge climbs at the 35 km mark up to this view point at the end of the Kamloops Lake.  The view down the valley to Kamloops was stunning. Although much less stunning was the blue haze which was hanging over Kamloops.  So After a few photos we pushed off towards lunch, which was at the 48 km mark. Lunch was at the Steelhead Provincial campground just 48 km west of Kamloops. It is right on a point where the Thompson river flows out of Kamloops Lake.  We could not have had a more beautiful lunch site on the grass looking out over the lake. It was so hard to get moving the entire crew just hung there for well over an hour, snacking on lunch.  There were three killer climbs after lunch and even though we had a good rest were now a struggle in the heat.

Ed and I arrived close to first and we took one look at each other and rolled on down the last km into town for a DQ Blizzard. When we finished we rolled on into camp and were immediately set upon. Apparently our bikes had been spotted in the DQ parking lot.

What a great ride it was today. 

 

Terry

Day 7 Rest Day in Kamloops

 

It was great to sleep in this morning. Pulling on pants and not riding shorts, going for a breakfast buffet, drink lots and lots of coffee. Having a rest day is great. I can hardly wait to get back on the road.

Agnes and Julie went up to Costco and stocked up groceries for the week. We are going to have sausages, pork chops, burgers, chicken and steaks. Wow are we going to eat well. And speaking of eating well we joined Ed and Julie on a patio for a great lunch of soup and quesadilla.  I took Ajax for a big walk around the town and down the pathway. Ajax went for a little swim in the river. It cooled him down which was great as today was pretty warm.

 

After a quick rider meeting Agnes and I walked down the street with the Teagues and had a wonderful meal on patio.

Not a bad day off.

Terry  

Day 6 Salmon Arm to Kamloops

The fellow who offered me ear plugs for the train wasn’t kidding.  When a heavily loaded train with several helper engines came pass it rattled the fillings in your teeth out.  Trains notwithstanding, it was a very nice place to camp under the giant cedar and ponderosa pines.

The hotellers showed up early and we were ready to go when they got there so everyone pushed off together, well except for Earnie who had been chopping at the bit and left early.  With only 100 kms to ride, there was no panic to get down to Kamloops as the hotel rooms would not be ready before 3:00 PM.  So naturally we roared off with wild abandon charging down to Chase where lunch was at the 45 kms mark.

Early on a Sunday morning the only people on the road were the golfers who were hurrying to an early Tee time. It was very pleasant with not a breath of wind and full sun. There were several steep but short climbs of less than a kms, and lots of descents of a several kms or more. The day was generally downhill. Before you could blink an eye we were in Chase which is a small town along the river and I think it is kind of a retirement community although at one time it was important stop for the paddle wheelers. Lunch was in the very nice road side park which was attached to the local travel info center and as usual was great with lots of cold cuts, cheese, and fresh vegetable for making wraps. Desert was brownies which had been in the sun were warm and sticky just like they came fresh out of the oven.

 I was originally thinking that we should sag into Kamloops as the last 30 kms into town is down a very busy 4 lane freeway. However being a Sunday there was very little traffic and with a slight tail wind and being downhill we covered the distance in less than an hour.  Naturally we were in the hotel shortly after 12:00 and told that it would be 3 hrs before the rooms would be ready. So we had a bike party in the parking lot. Bike stands came out along with cleaning supplies and the bike party was on. Public ordinance against drinking in public was ignored. Laundry was sorted and people crossed the street and got that business taken care of. 

Tonight we are in the historic Plaza Hotel in down town Kamloops. It has been lovingly restored and is a great place to stay right downtown. There must be 30 places to eat within a block, Bike shop one block down, laundry one block, beautiful city pack two blocks.

 
Tomorrow is a rest day. Agnes and Julie are off to buy groceries so I know we will eat well in the upcoming week.

 

Terry  

Day 5 Revelstoke to Salmon Arm

To days ride was pretty short at only 110 kms but everyone was keen to get going so we were out of the campground at 7:45 Am. Not that this was a bad thing as this got us down the road just that much further before the traffic started.

It was a beautiful day and I was out and on the road with Ed who has the same pace as I do so it is really easy to ride along with him.  We are riding west on the TransCanada so for the most part we a very nice wide shoulder. In fact we hit this new section where the road had been widened and the new pavement was some of the smoothest I have ever ridden. Unfortunately it didn’t last and soon we were back on the old pavement. Some of it had this really rough shoulder which made you hug the white line where it was smooth. But then a bunch of vehicles would pass and you would be right back on the rough shoulder. 

We passed the Three Valley Gap Resort to day and it reminded me of the Rockies I tour. On Rockies I tour everybody stopped and went in and wandered through the lobby of this tourist trap but not today everybody just rolled through. 

 Tonight we are in Pierre’s Point camp ground which is right on the beach.  So Ajax and I pulled on our swim shorts and went for a swim I think we were the only ones.  It is a beautiful spot looking out over the Shuswap Lake. The beach is just gorgeous. However the train tracks are less than 75 ft. from our camp site. It is a slight uphill grade and the trains are accelerating out of town. The campground operator offered me ear plugs when we checked in.

Supper tonight is my favorite – Pork chops  -- Yahoo!

Terry   

Day 4 Golden to Revelstoke

 

Day 4 Golden to Revelstoke 

 It was chilly this morning and everyone had jackets and leg warmers on.  We made quite a sight standing around the breakfast table warming our hands on with the coffee cups. Liam left directly from his hotel really early and Earnie left camp about 45 minutes early as well.  I had to help Agnes back the motorhome out so I left last. Then wound up turning around as I decided I wanted a different jacket.  However once on the way I warmed up quickly and as soon as the sun clear the mountain top it was very pleasant. In fact this was a perfect day for a bike ride. No wind, not too hot and not too cold.

The days ride from Golden to Revelstoke is 154 kms and takes you over the Rogers Pass. The Rogers Pass is the last pass though the Selkirk Mountains.  While just under a century ride this is an extremely challenging ride however as there are two serious climbs involved. The road is very nice over all with only a few very minor patches where the shoulder is broken.  

This ride is definably one of beauty as the mountains tower above you on both sides. The first climb starts 30kms out of Golden and gives you sweeping vistas of the valley below.  This climb is followed by 20 kms of short climbs and descents. Then over a 7 km stretch you drop 400 meters before the final climb to the summit which takes you through a number of snow sheds. The sheds are quite short and open on the down slope side. The one shed which is not open is lighted so visibility is not a problem. Only one shed is dark however it is quite short. This is kind of disconcerting as you cannot see anything so the only choose is to just ride straight and hope for the best.

The summit was quite chilly and a stiff wind was blowing and although there was a great lunch spread in front of the riders we grabbed a quick lunch and hurried on.  Ed and I were riding together and it was really great out riding with a good friend. The down slope has three sheds but going downhill is so much easier they just fly pass.  In fact I hit 63.8 kms/hr on the down slope today.

We went out for pizza tonight which was great as everyone was so exhausted after such a big day.

 

Terry

Day 3 Field to Golden

 It poured rain most of last night. When we awoke there was still a heavy set of clouds hiding the tops of the mountains.  Everyone had leg warmers and tights on and while it was not raining, it looked and felt eminent.  Ken C had his full rain suit packed in the trunk of his bike and had forgone butting sun screen on. This proved to be a charm as we never did see the forecast rain.  In fact by 10:00 Am it had cleared off and was a beautiful sunny day.

Liam kept up his wildlife spotting streak with a herd of bighorn sheep. 

I had a puncture today from one of the little wire needles left but the steel belted tires when they blow.  However the two Kens are well out in front with 4 flats.

It was only 60 kms down to Golden and so I was in by about 11:00 am which beat the motorhome in.  Having the afternoon off was great I got laundry done, bike cleaned and pedals lubed , and worked on my blog done. 

Tomorrow is the big day through the Rogers Pass.

 

Terry

 

Day 2 Banff to Field

The riders were all pumped this morning as today we are going to ride the Bow Valley Parkway from Banff out to Lake Louise. These 60 kms are some of the most beautiful 60 kms to ride anywhere.  The Parkway is a winding road with the smoothest pavement, incredible scenery, very few cars, no trucks, reduced speed limits, all kinds of wildlife. It is one of my favorite rides anywhere in the world. Ok I am biased.

The weather was very cooperative and we had a beautiful sunny day with almost no wind.  I spotted an elk and a coyote. Liam and Ken T spotted a grizzly bear.

 
We had lunch in the Lake Louise Plaza parking lot and we had one of the support cars drive the riders up to Lake Louise which is about 10 kms above the main town site.  It is a real gong show up at the lake with all of the tour busses and other tourists. However this is a must see. There is a bike shop in the Plaza which has a great selection of Canada jerseys so I bought a bright red and white jersey.

The extra kilometers down to Kicking Horse came right off of the next day’s ride and it was still only 80 km from Banff. Most of them are downhill as you pass the big grade coming into Field. As I came down the hill which is something like 11% the head wind was so vicious I had to pedal as hard as I could to make any headway.  Then it started to sleet/hail and it just pounded all of the riders.  Luckily it was a short cloud burst.

I had originally planned on staying in Lake Louise but there was a bear warning so the campsite was closed to tents.  So we had to ride on to the Kicking Horse campground in Yoho. Wow was it ever nice. After camping in Tunnel Mtn where it is just crazy with people we had a beautiful grassy site which amazing vistas of all of the mountains.  Riding the extra 20 kms was so worth it. 

A marvelous day topped off with a great supper of barbequed chicken breasts.

Terry

Day 1 Calgary to Banff

The first day is now in the books.  I thought things were going to be more confused than they were.  I think that things came off with very little problems. Everyone was ready to ride and last minute preparations were pretty minimal. We were able to push off at 8:10.  

We rode out the back way out of town and found ourselves at the top of 12 mile coulee road and headed west on the 1a west.  It was a beautiful day. Big sky country was really living up to its name; gorgeous blue sky with the mountains framing the skyline and a vicious wind out of the west.  We were at  Seebee for lunch at 12:30 Pm.

The floods in mid-June had closed the 1A West of Seebee but they were now open with only 50 ft section where it was not paved. So four of the riders elected to take the 1A in and Ed, Liam and I took the #1 into Banff. It was still 55 kms and Liam was feeling pretty tired so we took it easy.  I was hoping to get on the Legacy Trail from the Banff Park gates into the town site the floods had washed out the trail. What was a little creek was still a raging torrent. The last climb up the road into Tunnel Mtn campground and I was glad to get out of the saddle. 135 kms into the wind up hill was a tough start day.  

A tough start day but we had these enormous burgers for super and everyone felt lots better.

Terry

 

T Minus 24 Hours And Counting

Here it is the day before the big Rockies II bike ride.  The tour is going to be 1900 kms and is seventeen ride days and two rest days.  There are a total seven riders and four non-riders.  My wife Agnes is driving the big motorhome which is the cook house and luggage vehicle. Ed’s wife Julie is driving the sag/sweep vehicle. Two couples have elected to do a motel option and are sharing a car. Liam’s wife and Ken’s wife are driving that car.

The ride leaves Calgary out of my house and goes west to Banff. After Banff we follow Hwy #1 west to Cache Creek before turning north to Prince George. From Prince George we head east to Jasper down the Yellowhead to Jasper and then back to Banff and home.

There is lots of work to do and packing to get accomplished. It is kind of scary how much there is to do.  So having said that I better get going.

Terry