Day’s distance / Total trip distance: 342 miles / 643 miles
I woke up way early and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I was one of the first hotel guests downstairs for breakfast at 6am. I was happy to see it was dry outside and relatively warm, a temperature of 55.
The Weather Channel was on the TV in the breakfast area. The channel seems to highlight the most extreme weather anywhere on the planet in a highly dramatized way. I don’t normally watch it and don’t plan to do so regularly.
I bring it up because Nova Scotia was impacted by the hurricane Dorian last weekend. I’ll have to dig into that issue a little further in the days to come.
The bike was packed and I was on the road by about 7:30. An early start was almost a requirement today, as I had a longer day in the saddle and I lost an hour with the timezone change.
Much of the day was spent on Hwy 1, aka the Trans-Canada Highway. At times, it was one lane each way with an occasional passing lane while at other times it is a two-lane divided highway. There was a pretty steady mix of construction sites along the way today.
I took the photo below about an hour east of Kamloops.
The stretch of highway between Kamloops and Revelstoke was new to me. I passed through many small(er) town, like Sicamous, known as the houseboat capital of Canada!
Honestly, I probably would not have noticed except there is a public rest area toilet just out of frame. The coffee I had earlier was really going through me. 🙂
There was a significant construction delay getting into Revelstoke, where I stopped for fuel and second breakfast. I was last in Revelstoke on my ride to Alaska last year. The weather was a little bit drier today, but as cool and cloudy as that day in June. I was told by a resident that it does, on occasion get sunny there. <yeah, right>
Continuing along now familiar roads, I traveled through Golden without stopping, making my way to Lake Louise by about 4pm, local time.
Topping off with fuel once more, I grabbed some trail mix and eventually made my way to the Visitor’s Center to grab a day pass for the Bow Valley Parkway, part of the Banff National Park.
I debated getting an annual pass, given I was going to see a lot of Canada on this trip. It would make sense though only if I spent more than seven days total in the parks. I didn’t think I would – we’ll see.
The Bow Valley Parkway, Hwy 1A, parallels Hwy 1 but has little traffic and slow speed limits. I found it very relaxing.
It was scenic, as well.
By the time I had completed the hour-long Parkway ride, it was 5:30, so I skipped a tour of Banff and traveled past directly to my hotel for the night.
I had a light dinner, really just an appetizer and a beer. I chose to try the Prime Rib Yorkies, which I discovered were mini Yorkshire puddings stuffed with roast beef and horseradish. Delicious!
Tomorrow I ride over Highwood Pass, the highest paved road in Canada, on my way to Medicine Hat. Woo hoo!