Day 36: 6/25/19: Calgary to Lac des Arcs, AB

I had a large breakfast buffet at the hotel before I left this morning.  I was on bicycle pathways for about 13 miles before I had to get back on the Trans-Canada Highway.  While I was on the bike path, I was passed frequently by folks I assume were heading to work.  A couple of guys stopped me and asked me about my trip, and gave me advice on a route to Hwy 1.  I have found the people I have run across in Calgary, and Canada as a whole, to be very friendly and helpful.

I had to snap a pic of this neat pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the Bow River.

I went past Olympic Park, pictured below, on my way out of town.  I bet it would be a hoot to ride a bike down one of those ski jump ramps. Some of those X-games guys and gals would probably give it a go.

Pic of Canadian Rockies about 60 miles in the distance.

At about 10:30 a.m., it was time for 2nd breakfast.

Below are some pics of the Rockies as I got closer.

I made it to my campsite at the Lac des Arcs Campground, and was greeted by this sign.

There are 8 metal canisters at the campground entrance, and that is where my food will be hanging out.  I don't think I'll be eating tuna or anything in my tent tonight.

Below are a couple of pics of my campsite.

I'm about 11 miles from Canmore, where I will be meeting Lisa and Hannah tomorrow morning.  A closer campsite to Canmore was already full.  There is another one, a first come, first serve campsite, about 4 miles closer than the one where I'm staying. I was concerned I would arrive too late to get a site at that campground, so I decided to play it safe and reserve a site at this one.

Total miles today: 61.9

Day 35: 6/24/19: Strathmore to Calgary, AB

It was another light riding day today. I met my oldest daughter, Hannah, in Calgary, and I will be staying in a hotel again tonight.  It will be great seeing a familiar face again. I haven't seen anyone I know face to face for about a month.

I have been on the Trans-Canada Highway for a few days.   Today I realized I did not have a pic of it's sign, so I snapped a pic.

I took the pic below because I like the green, blue and white in the scenery.

I made it to Calgary.

I decided to do some sight-seeing of the city centre.  It is definitely different from all the other towns/cities I have been through on this trip.  City pics below.

Olympic Plaza

I rode out to the Calgary Stampede venue.  They are gearing up for the stampede, which is a 10 day festival that celebrates their Western heritage.  I think rodeos around here are as big as NASCAR in the south.  Below are pics around the venue.

Mural depicting first Calgary Spring bull sale in 1901.

Saddledome

Grandstand

I met Brad and his daughter, Katie, while riding bikes on one of the cities many bike pathways.  He has done some bicycle touring, and offered to allow me and Hannah to stay in his extra bedroom tonight.  Too bad we already had a hotel booked. That was a mighty generous offer.  He gave me his business card and told me to let him know if I need anything.

Below is a pic of one of the bike pathways I was on.  Calgary has a nice bicycle pathway network, including pedestrian/bicycle bridges over some rivers/creeks and major highways (also pictured below). The city also has a bicycle/pedestrian avenue called Stephen Avenue Walk.  It was very enjoyable seeing the city from the seat of a bicycle.

Stephen Avenue Walk

Below is the pic of the Calgary Tower.  A local told me that Calgary officials lied  about the height of the tower, saying it was shorter than it actually was, so that future attempts by other cities to build a taller tower would come up short.

Hannah took me out to eat at Cactus Club Cafe for Father's Day (pic below).

Total miles today: 48.4

Day 34: 6/23/19: Bassano to Strathmore, AB

I woke up this morning about 5 a.m., and was packed and ready to go at about 6:15.  The only restaurants in Bassano that opened for breakfast did not open till 7 a.m.  I didn't want to wait around for them to open, so I began riding aware that Strathmore, about 60 miles away, would be the first town with restaurants.  I had no tailwind by any means, but the wind wasn't nearly as bad as the last few days. It felt really good to be able to consistently go about 10-12 mph again with some coasting.

After about 15 miles, I stopped and ate a bagel and banana.  After about 30 miles, I ate a banana and granola bar with peanut butter smeared on them. Those snacks powered me to Strathmore.

I rode through several chilly rain showers enroute to Strathmore.  When I got there, I called the nearest campground, and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Do you have tent sites?
Campground (CG):  Any what?
Me:  Tent T-e-n-t sites.
CG: You will need to reserve on line.
Me: Can you tell me the price?
CG:  Depends on the size hookup you want.
Me: I'm on a bicycle and need a tent site.
CG: We have 30 amp, 20 amp...
Me: All I need is a tent site, no hookups.
CG: Our smallest is 15, and that is $35.

I just gave up.  Obviously this campground just caters to the big rig setups.  I didn't want to pay $35 just to pitch a tent among a bunch of RVs.  So I called Lisa to see if she would check on hotels in Strathmore.  She found one for a reasonable amount of points, so all my stuff and I are living in luxury tonight at the Days Inn (pics below).  I'm going to miss all the little small towns and their free to $20 campsites that are actually good for tents.

After I checked in to the hotel, I went to Strathmore Station for a Sunday brunch buffet.  Since I had not really eaten a meal today, I felt like I had to make up for lost time.

First plate

Second plate

Third plate with dessert saucer

I left there very sated.

Total miles today: 58.7

Day 33: 6/22/19: Brooks to Bassano, AB

Let's just call this a rest day.  I left Brooks at about 9:30 a.m., after having breakfast at Denny's, going to the grocery store and then going by the bank.

The wind continued to blow hard all night, and was still doing it this morning.  After yesterday afternoon's misery, I was procrastinating starting my ride this morning. When I finally got to rolling, I was not disappointed.  It began like it ended yesterday. The pic below is becoming the norm.

That was about my average speed for the entire ride today.  I saw another touring cyclist heading east today and he/she looked all relaxed and happy.  I wonder if that had anything to do with the 20+ mph wind behind their back?  I would like to give that a try someday.

I made it about 30 miles to Bassano, and it took me 4 and 1/2 hours to get there. Now I had a decision to make, the next town was 30 miles away and it would be about 8 p.m. or later when I arrived there.  Should I proceed on, or just camp at Bassano tonight and hope the wind calms down tomorrow.  I decided to stay in Bassano and take somewhat of a rest day.  Hopefully the wind will calm down tomorrow.

Below is a pic of downtown Bassano.

Bassano has a nice campground. The entrance of the campground is pictured below.  It has a nice clean shower with plenty of hot water.  Today is the first shower I have had in a few days.

As I was setting up camp, a truck with a camper on it pulled into a site next to mine. I met the owners, Pete and Flo, pictured below.  They invited me to have supper with them (even before I had my shower), and I quickly jumped on that generous offer.  Pic of my supper below.  They are from Calgary and have been in Bassano this weekend for the rodeo in town. We talked for quite awhile after supper. Pete saw a couple of other touring cyclists last night at the campground who also started in Brooks, and stopped in Bassano due to the wind.  It was good meeting and talking to these generous folks.

My campsite for the night.

Oh yeah, Lucky found him a companion on the road today.  Meet Daisy...

Let's discuss a dilemma I am having riding in this terrain...

I need to drink a lot of water while riding, which means I will need to relieve myself occasionally. I'm riding on pretty much an interstate, busy highway with no trees or bushes.  The towns are commonly 30+ miles apart.  The pull offs (rest areas) have a garbage can and recycling bin but no "wash rooms" as they are called in Canada.  This sometimes makes finding a spot to relieve myself challenging. I could always put up my tent and get my special bottle, but that procedure would certainly turn into a nevermind moment.  Any suggestions??

Total miles today: 37.3