Day 51

We woke up just after 8am today. We wanted to hit the road just after 9am to avoid the commuters. It was a draining ride. The winds weren't in our favour, and we just wanted to rest in Winnipeg already! And the signs didn't tell us the distance to the city center, as all the other signs did until now. Instead, it measured the distance to the perimeter highway. So when we reached the preimeter highway and realized we had another like 30km until we got to Nicole's house, we were disheartened. And it turns out, the roads were wonderful! We probably could have cycled it last night (but wouldn't have, for safety reasons!). But everyone's advice didn't seem to match with what we saw. There were really good shoulders coming into Winnipeg. In the city was another story though. The shoulders were all gone, and the roads were NOT well maintained! Instead of going straight to Nicole's, we went straight downtown so Michael could go to the bank. We went to the Forks area of town. The outskirts of Winnipeg weren't very nice, but the downtown was. It was so brutally hot too! After the bank, we went to pick up some supplies at MEC, then we booted it to Nicole's. She had only a small window when she would be home (she works two jobs and only had between like 3:30 and 4:30 that she would be home before having to go back to work). We got a bit lost, then got redirected. As we were pulling up, she was pulling out, taking her little sister to practice(?). She quickly told us where things were, and then took off. She wouldn't be back until 9pm. In that time, Michael and I set up our tent to air out, and lay out our sleeping mats and sleeping bags, showered, and did laundry, along with a few other errands. We were definitely not idle until Nicole came home! When she came back, we decided to go out for dinner. We went to Earl's because Michael and I keep seeing it everywhere out west, but we've never seen it in Toronto or Montreal (or out east in general). The food was good, but you definitely don't get your money's worth in portion sizes! We were going to go out and get a drink (as we haven't properly celebrated being done Alberta or Saskatchewan), but we were so tired! We went straight back to her house, and stayed up and talked to her and her dad (her parents just got home from a week in Jamaica. We didn't meet her mom because she had already gone to bed before we came back). Her dad was very friendly (and obviously so is Nicole). Then we went to bed!

Day 50

Last night, Michael and I heard dogs? (or wolfs or coyotees? Do they bark?) barking. There was also another animal sound (deer? I don't know what) that was being scared away. Michael and I were scared because the animals were RIGHT outside our tent! We had our bear spray at the ready (actually, since the night we heard random singing, we sleep beside our bear spray, dog spray, air horn, and leatherman). We weren't about to stick our heads outside the tent (obviously), so we fell back asleep after hearing no more barking for a while. When we woke up this morning, at 3am Saskatchewan time, 4am Manitoba time, Michael stuck his head out the tent and noticed it was still dark. We figured we would sleep in another hour (for safety reasons. Cars wouldn't expect to see a cyclist so early in the morning, so if it's dark or if the sun is in the driver's eyes, they wouldn't think to look for anyone cycling at the side of the road. We got up at 5am Manitoba time and got all packed. Just as we were ready to leave the tent, we heard barking again. We finished all the packing, then I put my head out and didn't see any dogs. When I went out, I saw them in the distance, and they saw me, and then they started running to me. I bolted into the tent SO FAST! They came up and surrounded our tent, walking around it in circles. Now, as most people know, I am not good with dogs. But they weren't barking anymore, so we figured they might be friendly. Only the mesh part of the tent was zipped so we could see them, and we called them over. They came over obediently (without barking) so we figured they were friendly, and probably a local farmer's dog. So, I went out of the tent first (another example of Michael being a gentleman). They jumped up on me, but they were friendly, so it wasn't too bad. They wouldn't leave us alone to pack (which dog people would see as cute, but in reality, they just got in the way). So after our one hour sleep in, and the dog interruption, we finally hit the road at 5:30am, Manitoba time. The dogs followed us. At first we thought they wouldn't be able to stay with us for long, but turns out they have stamina! They followed us for just over 10km, traveling at an average of 24km/hr. I hope they can find their way home! But it was a fun way to start the day! We first busted it to Moosomin to use the washrooms, then another quick break at the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border for a photo (where we met the two girls from Trail B.C. The guy in Indian Head was telling us about! They cycled from Trail and are headed to St. John's as well. They cycle less than we do per day, but they don't take days off. They were very friendly.) then straight to Virden for our first break of the day, and for second breakfast. We stopped into Tim Hortons and had the sandwich/donought/coffee deal. We talked to a few locals who were very friendly, and were impressed with our trip. They told us that in the paper, they talked about how Manitoba drivers are the friendliest drivers, and most biker friendly in the country (we never found this to be true. In fact, it was quite the opposite!). They also told us to be careful because a few years ago, two cyclists who were also cycling across Canada were killed about 5km east of where we were. When we cycled past, we saw a little shrine, with a white bike and two headstones. It was kinda scary to see, and although we were always aware of the risk of cycling on the roads, it's still an eye opener to see. We continued, without break, to Brandon. It started getting REALLY hot, so we had to delayer as we ate lunch (peanut butter sandwiches to finish off the heavy jars to make ourselves lighter for our long trek of the day). We obviously also had chocolate milk! When we were just about to leave, Michael got a text from Nicole telling us that it's pouring in Winnipeg! We talked to a few people who just finished driving from Winnipeg and they said it's brutal up until about 30km away from here. Michael and I figured we would keep cycling west and deal with the rain when we get to it. Worst case scenario, we have to call it a night early. The cycle was alright. The roads were less than ideal though. The worst section we have dealt with all day, and all trip for that matter, was about 60km west of Portage la Prairie. There was NO shoulder and the roads were all ripped up and full of pot holes! We spent as much time looking in our rear-view mirror as straight in front. Anytime a car was coming, we were ready to swerve into the ditch if need be! Thank god we didn't need to! But it was a tiresome stretch! Our arms were hurting from trying to keep our handle bars straight! A little ways after that, another cyclist flagged us down. He was spending ten years cycling around the world. He started in New Zealand, and cycled 37 countries and is now in Canada. He said he cycles no more than 100km/day. Spending so much time on your own wouldn't be my cup of tea, but good for him! We were a little confused though, why, after so much time, he didn't want to ever do MORE than 100km/day (it would be so much quicker!), and why, after so much experience, he wasn't cycling from west to east (for the prevailing winds, that we have not really experienced yet...maybe he knows something we don't!). But it was fun to hear a bit about his experiences! He gave us a whole bunch of advice for places to stay along the way towards Montreal, but he threw out SO many names, we didn't remember any of it! We got into Portage around 8pm. We finished cycling just over 300km! That's huge! And it's our biggest day so far! Michael wanted to continue all the way into Winnipeg. I was leaning more towards not. We've been told by NUMEROUS sources that the stretch of highway 1 into Winnipeg is the worst in the country. We didn't know how lit up it would be, or how the drivers would be. By the end of the cycle, we had a wave of wicked tail wind and were flying (over 30km/hr)! That is, until the last 20 or so kms. Then the winds changed, and we were tired. We were only cycling at about 15km/hr at the end. We decided to stay in Portage for safety reasons (both to avoid bad roads at night, and to prevent injury). We stayed at Hiway motel. It was very cute and clean! And they gave us a small discount, which was amazing! We felt we earned the hotel after the long day! The plan was to wake up, and get into Winnipeg in the morning! We met another cyclist who was going from Quebec city to Vancouver, but he didn't think he would be able to continue because he hurt his knees (he has been in Portage for the past 5 days and they still aren't better!). We planned on hanging out after Michael and I showered and ate dinner, but after we did that, we just passed out! We were so tired (the long day mixed with the sun is a deadly combination!).

Day 49

Our original plan of waking up at 5 turned into 6 so we could sleep in a little. We got all packed up, and got our bikes from the storage. While Michael did some bike maintenance, I made breakfast (I found a microwave and made the rest of the oatmeal we had). Michael finished fixing his broken spoke and we hit the road at 9am. It was such a hot day! We were flying! We changed our route around though. At first we were going to go north, through Fort Qu'appelle, then Melville, and then Russell and down into Winnipeg. We decided to, instead, take the Trans Canada straight to Winnipeg. It was about 100km shorter, and although Agnes recommended the Fort Qu'appelle route, we figured we already saw the Qu'appelle valley coming into Moose Jaw, and we could save ourselves a day if we went via highway 1. And we would rather spend that extra day in northern Ontario, or on the east coast. So we gunned it! We decided we would have second breakfast in Indian Head. The kilometers seemed to pass by pretty quickly, which was good! It was a nice day, and the wind wasn't too bad (not quite a tail wind, but it didn't hinder us!). When we got into Indian Head, we asked someone working at the gas station where to find the grocery store. He told us, and also said there were two girls that passed through two days ago cycling from Trail B.C. (which we've never heard of) to St. John's. We headed into town, and bought some lunch. This lunch included some fresh fruit, and chocolate Lucky Charms. We couldn't say no! We also had some peanut butter and honey sandwiches (and we also bought supplies for the next few days as well. Enough to last us into Winnipeg). While in the grocery store, we heard someone in a different isle wish his friend a happy father's day. We then realized it was Sunday already! We made a note to call home later today! We also asked the cashier what time the Rough Riders were playing. Being in Saskatchewan, we felt it was necessary to see at least part of a game! She said 1pm, so we decided to head to the nearest next town and find a pub and watch the game. The next town, Wolseley, was 33km away, so we gunned it for there. Along the way, we passed a very slow moving older man cycling across Canada. We saw him for kilometers before we caught up, and talked smack behind his back about how slow he's going. Maybe we have an ego problem, but whenever Michael and I see another cyclist (specifically another touring cyclist) ahead, we assume we can not only catch up, but pass that person! We were right (at least in this case). We easily caught up (while obviously talking smack the whole way up) and soon saw he was older (like grandparent's age). He was cycling on his own, and a little odd. We talked for a bit, then Michael and I shot off to go catch the game. The old man then drafted off us for the LONGEST time. It was super awkward because he was just THERE, and he never once took the lead, until at one point, he was getting cocky, and took the lead, but instead of taking the lead so we can draft, he took the lead and shot off. He didn't go fast for long though, and we soon caught up, passed him, and then he fell back fast. I think we wore him out (keep in mind he probably had no idea of our smack talk, or our competition to take the lead and leave him far back either. But we won in the end, and that's all that matters!). When we made it into Wolseley we went to the gas station to ask where the best place would be to see the game. Apparently they don't televise pre-season games. We were gutted so decided to instead buy an ice cream (it was BOILING hot outside and we saw someone walk out with one, which made us really want one too!) and listen to some of the game on the radio in the store (when in Rome, right?). We took a longer than expected break there just because of the heat! Then we hit the road again. We made one more little stop in Grenfell to buy a Manitoba map, then another stop in Whitewood to call Dad for father's day. We were just under 20km shy of doing 200km that day, so we thought we would at least do that before calling it a night. We started looking for a site after cycling 200km and found a nice spot between the road and the railroad tracks. It was a nice spot with tons of room between the road and tracks so we were safe in both directions. It was also flat, and there wasn't any visible water around (all along the highway, there were pools of water in the ditches at the side of the road from the rain from the past few days). So although we were strategic in minimizing our mosquito exposure, we were still surrounded! We QUICKLY set up our tent and went to bed, with the intention of waking up at 4am (Manitoba time) to do a 300+km day tomorrow! Maybe, if we're lucky, we'll be able to get all the way into Winnipeg! But for now, early bed!

Day 48

We woke up early today so we could hit Moose Jaw at a respectable hour, and then make it into Regina. We woke up at 4:30 and hit the road by 5:30. The wind was in our favour, at first, and the roads were empty, which is nice! It was a good thing we left so early because highway 11 is the major highway connecting Saskatoon and Regina, and it's Saturday! We definitely noticed the roads get busier the later in the day it became! But it was really nice in the morning! Towns were spread roughly 15-25km apart, so it kept the route interesting. At first, it took a while for the sun to come out, but eventually it did, and it was quite hot when it did! Unfortunately, the winds kept changing into a headwind, which was not cool! But for the most part, it was a fairly pleasant ride. It was about 100km from where we camped to the turnoff to highway 2 into Moose Jaw. The roads there SUCKED! They were not well maintained at all! But it was fairly scenic (the most scenic being when we dropped into the Qu'appelle Valley). There were little prairie dogs everywhere, and it's a wonder there were so many! They're not overly smart. One ran out right in front of me, then decided NOT to move out of the way. I swerved, and then it ran at the last second (towards the direction I swerved, might I add), and SOMEWHOW I didn't run it over! Don't know how, but it scared the hell out of me! But about 55km later, we were in Moose Jaw. There was a street festival of sorts going on downtown (it was very populated, and VERY spaced out!). Michael and I had to get off our bikes and walk through the crowds to get to the tunnels. They were very nice there, and let us store our bikes in their building while we did the tours. We decided to do both tours (“the passage to fortune” and “Chicago connection”). The first we did was very good and informative. We weren't allowed to take pictures, so I'll do my best to spoil the experience with just a written description. The guide flipped back and forth between being our guide, and acting like a character from the past (the past being when CP was building our railroad). Basically, the tour talked about how poorly Canadians treated the Chinese. It was really good to see the tour didn't try to hush over Canada's ugly past. We as a country have come a long way! But using drama and fictional characters, they told the story of how it would have been for a Chinese immigrant in those days trying to make his fortune in Canada (specifically Moose Jaw). In the States, the railway company hired a bunch of workers, then decided to give the Chinese a try. They were so impressed that they hired a whole bunch more, and Canada decided to follow their lead. They brought a whole bunch over and got them to do the really shitty, and really dangerous work. They were seen as replaceable, and if anyone died, they felt they could just get more. After the railroad was built, the Chinese had a hard time getting work due to the racial discrimination. There was one buisiness in Moose Jaw that decided to capitalize on their desperation and hired them to wash clothes. They worked underground, and lived underground (in horrible conditions which they had to pay dearly for). They worked like 16hrs/day 7 days/week. Our government had a law saying a Chinese couldn't hire a white woman to work for him. They also kept increasing the head tax to prevent more from coming over, and then went so far as to forbid them to come (only 25/yr were allowed in). The Chinese were the ONLY race to have a head tax or to be banned. Then they lifted all the unfair rules and made it even for anyone entering our country, and the government formally apologized and is repaying the head tax to people if they are still alive. But it was an insightful tour that took us through a bunch of underground tunnels that run all through the city. It was cool. The second tour was more like a bunch of drama students who were so excited to be given their shot. It was another tour through different tunnels, where Al Capone allegedly hid when smuggling alcohol past the border during prohibition. The problem with that tour is that Al Capone being in Moose Jaw is all hearsay, so any info (the little they had), was all second-hand from grandchildren of people there, or from rumours. The fact was that there was a very corrupt police squad, and people claim to have had dealings with Al Capone (there just isn't any proof. So it is very likely it did happen, but the tour didn't really talk about it much). The tour was just a bunch of actors living it up in Moose Jaw, sparing no expense to be over the top. But it was still fun to go through the tunnels, because underground tunnels are cool, no matter what anyone says! And if Al Capone was in Moose Jaw, that's a pretty cool story! But after the tours, and after eating, we set off for Regina. I had a flat on the way (my second of the trip), and we used the CO2 pump for the first time (the mosquitoes were so bad we wanted to pump the tire and get moving AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!! and the bugs don't seem to bother us when we're actually moving, only when we're standing still). It was really sunny by this point, and really hot! About 25km away from Regina, we looked up and noticed some buildings off in the distance. We figured it must be Regina, because there was no other city between Moose Jaw and Regina (esp not one that would have any high rises). But we were so far, we didn't know if it could be Regina. Turns out it was! We could see it VERY far away! We weren't even looking for it, so maybe we could have seen it for kilometers prior as well! It was crazy! But we headed to the university to stay in the dorm because we were told dorms are really cheap! Turns out one res was fully booked, and so we tried our luck at another. Steve (the guy working there) was SO nice and set us up nicely! We were so tired and sweaty, that the shower, laundry, and bed were SOOO nice! We did 233.1km today, and so Steve's hospitality made us so happy, words cannot describe it! Needless to say, we passed out immediately after our heads hit the pillow!!!

Day 47

Today we slept in a little. We set the alarm for early, but didn't want to start cycling through the rain. So we woke up at around 6:30, saw it was still drizzling a bit, then went back to bed for an hour. We got up, got everything packed up, at the continental breakfast offered at the hotel (it was dismal at best, but it's exactly what we expected based on the room). Before heading out, we had to do a bit of bike maintenance, which pushed back our departure time to about 11am. My back brake was rubbing against the wheel, and when Michael went to loosen it, he noticed one of the screws was stripped so luckily we had extra bolts to fix the brakes! So it was fixed! But at closer inspection, we noticed that there was in fact rust on my new chain! Not cool! But after our bikes were all sorted out, we hit the road! The rain had stopped, although the ground was still wet. And we had a wicked cross-tail wind! We were averaging between 35-30km/hr! We busted through to Rosetown (which, we realized would have been BRUTAL if we attempted it yesterday with the wind, but which was nice and quick with our wind change!). We didn't stay there long, and went down the 5 for a few kilometers until we hit the 15. Saskatchewan looked much nicer without the rain! It was very nice and very green. It was a very enjoyable ride because it was fast, and the scenery was, although flat, pretty in a different kind of way. It wasn't stunning, but more of a peaceful, subtle pretty. The grass was very green, and the sky very large and blue. In BC, the mountains are the scenery. In Saskatchewan, the sky becomes the scenery, contrasted with the green grass. It was quite enjoyable! On the 15, at one point, I thought I heard my front pannier rub against my front tire, I adjusted it a bit, but as I did a gust of wind came, and I swerved a bit, which in a normal situation would be alright. However, there were cars coming, so to avoid swerving into them, I quickly changed directions and lost control of the bike (and not wanting to risk hitting a car, I heard Mike (the warden's) words go through my head: “DITCH!”). So I flipped over my handle bar (which has NEVER happened to me before! In fact, I've never had a real fall on my bike! I only ever fell from clipping in or out (while more or less stationary) when I was learning to use my clips AGES ago!). My helmet cracked, and I somehow (don't know how) managed to unclip and do a front roll of sorts (based on my lack of injury, and where my helmet cracked, my form was pretty good (I would like to think)! Must be a fluke or I'm just a pro-star at front rolls!). But in all seriousness, I didn't have a scrape on me! My helmet took the brunt of it! One of the cars turned back to see if I was alright, which was really nice! Michael checked to see that my bike was alright, while I checked to see if I was alright, and then we were off again! Being a giant baby, I jumped at Michael's idea to have a treat in Outlook (when kids get hurt, their parents give them treats, this was my equivalent!). So we stopped off, went to the grocery store, and had lunch/dinner, and then some ice cream and Saskatoon berry pie! (When in Rome, so we HAD to have Saskatoon berry something before we left Saskatchewan!). While we were eating, a cyclist (who we never got his name) came over to talk to us. He saw our panniers, and figured we were cycling across Canada. He did the trip the year before, and was very excited to talk about his trip, and tell us how much fun we will have on ours! When we were saying how much fun we've been having so far, he was excited to tell us it will continue all the way through! He said if he could, he would jump on his bike and join us! It was fun to talk to him! One thing he warned us about, was Manitoba. He said the roads were worse in Manitoba than anywhere else in Canada (even worse than northern Ontario, which has a bad reputation). And, he said the Manitoban drivers are the worst for giving space to cyclists. When we said we heard that Hwy 1, coming into Winnipeg was the worst section in Canada (our dentist who cycled across Canada a few years back told us that), this guy agreed. He also told us about Hwy 1, just outside of Medicine Hat, over the border into Saskatchewan. Apparently like 8 miles are completely under water! They are derouting the trucks (which is why there are trucks on this highway. Usually there aren't really any that come up this way). But it's a really good thing we didn't take that route! It could have been disastrous! The worst we had was a storm, during which, we just stayed inside! After a nice, long break, we hit the road again. We stopped just outside of the turnoff to highway 11, and camped at the side of the road (the cyclist told us he knows all the farmers from Outlook to the turnoff, and none of them would have a problem if we just camped out at the side of the road! So we did!). When we stopped, we were SWARMED with mosquitoes though! The rain from the past few days must be responsible! But it was brutal! We threw together the tent as fast as we could, and quickly unzipped the tent, threw in a bag, then quickly zipped it up again (and then repeated the process). Since we were in such a hurry to both get everything and ourselves in fast, while avoiding getting any mosquitoes in the tent, we unfortunately ripped the mesh in the tent. When I was putting in Michael's pannier, the hook on it caught and tore the mesh. We temporarily repaired it with duct tape, but will have to do some proper repairs when we get a sewing kit! But on the plus side, we had our longest day today (just over 200km!). We probably could have gone longer if we left earlier, but we were pretty happy about our 200!

Day 46

We were so tired this morning! I didn't even hear the alarm go off (for once Michael actually heard it). He pressed snooze, and apparently accidentally turned it off (or we just never heard it go off again and it gave up on us). I woke up at 6:30 and checked the time and realized we slept in! We fell asleep last night at around 9pm, that should have been tons of rest! However, we had a long day of pure headwind yesterday (and the day before, and the day before). But, that only played a small role in our fatigue. The biggest reason was fear. We camped out at the side of the road last night (Bruce told us the other night that it wouldn't be a problem at all through the prairies to northern Ontario if we just camped out at the side of the road and we shouldn't waste our money paying for camping! People are nice in this area of Canada (unlike his experience in Toronto, where he and Lyanne felt people were more like cattle, and even the cattle out here is friendlier). So, that's what we did! But both Michael and I were woken up at midnight (exactly. Michael checked) by someone walking around outside, chanting. It was a weird melodic chant that was a different language (I thought it sounded almost like a native chant). We were freaked because there was NOTHING around (we were just on the outside of a field, but the farm or house was FAR off in the distance (and you can see FAR in the prairies!). There was NO reason for someone to just be walking around in the dark, alone, at midnight. We didn't hear a car start (but one might have) after the chanting was gone. I thought it was a woman's voice (which would be weirder I think), and Michael thought it was a man's voice. It was just so soft and melodic, almost eerie. It was the first time we thought, instead of being afraid of wildlife, we should be afraid of humans while we're sleeping. It sucked too because after the person was gone, because the winds were SO strong, it sounded like someone was walking around the entire rest of the night. I took out my bear spray and had it at the ready (literally right beside me all night), and put on my headlamp to check outside to see if people were actually walking around. No one was there (keep in mind this was probably like 10min after the chanting stopped, so that person would have been long gone. It was to check out to see if people were walking around the tent). As consolation, Michael pointed out that the chanting sounded very non-threatening, so it was as if either, he didn't realize we were there, or wanted to let us know he was there (to not scare us), in a non-threatening manner. Still scared the shit out of us. So Michael and I were awake for a large portion of the night, with bear spray at the ready, and a plan of attack in our heads in case we needed it (and don't worry, Michael checked before we even set up camp, he had cell reception, so we could have called 911 if necessary). But thankfully, it turns out it was nothing! And all it did was scare us, make us lose sleep, and make us re-think staying at the side of the road where we're in plain sight in the prairies (at least in BC, most of Alberta, and Ontario eastward, we can hide in the trees so won't be bothered by anyone, and if we keep food far from the tent, won't be bothered by animals either). But now onto today. We woke up early to get a big, long day of cycling in. We needed to cover some ground! Unfortunately, the wind didn't agree! It was just as bad, if not worse than yesterday (so many times during the night, we were woken by the howling winds, and would wake up with the thought of “oh fuck, we'll have to face that tomorrow!”). It took us just over 2hrs to only do like 33km! In that time, the rain started, and the wind was relentless! We were going to stop at the info center to ask about the weather for the next few days (to plan our route to best optimize tail winds, which we have seen none of lately!). But, we got distracted by a Tim Hortons and decided to stop in to warm and dry ourselves up a bit. We ordered a hot drink (tea for me, coffee for Michael), and a 20 pack of timbits. Outside the weather just got worse! People in the tables beside us were talking to us and impressed with our cycle (and impressed we were cycling through this weather! Everyone recommended just taking the day off because 5 inches of rain is expected for the day, and it's a brutal wind that goes back and forth between a headwind and a northerly wind (traveling at 50km/hr). When we finished our drinks, we weren't ready to hit the road yet so we ordered more food, and with it came another hot drink! In that time, about 2-3 different groups of people came and went in the tables and chairs beside us, and we ended up talking to all of them. Some showed us the weather and wind reports for the next few days. Then, the last group of people we met belonged to the Saskatoon cycling club. They were headed down south of Calgary for a three day, 100km/day tour where their gear was being transported separately and their accommodation was already arranged. One of the guys holds the record for the most recorded kilometers cycled (with the club, he has clocked over 100,000kms!). They also recommended taking the day off. It was fun to talk to them about our trip, and hear about their different experiences! It was great! After they left, we realized if we wanted to cover some ground, we had better hit the road! Once we stepped outside, we realized we should take everyone's advice because the winds were brutal, and the rain was just pouring! We started cycling to the info center to find out the best place to stay, when it felt like something was pulling me back and I realized my rack broke already! When Aaron did it, it took weeks of cycling before it broke, and while it was installed it was SECURE. It didn't move around at all. Even when the duct tape and zip ties were make-shiftedly used, it was secure. But about 100km after leaving Calgary, I noticed the rack was VERY wobbly! And look, it lasted what? Three days after they “fixed” it!? What a waste of $400! I would definitely not recommend that bike shop! But we quickly tied it together with a zip tie, until we could properly fix it somewhere dry (and by properly fix it, I mean without blowing tons of money and using duct tape and zip ties again). We were miserably wet and cold! We found the cheapest hotel room (we asked the girls working at the gas station where they would recommend and they said it's a really expensive town because of all the oil being pumped around here, so the cheapest room we could find would be crossroads or somewhere else. Crossroads was cheapest, so we went there). Let me tell you, you get less than you pay for! That's for sure! The room is shabby at best! The carpet is stained, the bathroom door doesn't close, the wind keeps opening the door leading outside (we put a chair and table in front of it to keep it shut, and we lock it with the chain lock), need I continue? But it's the cheapest place in town (surprised?). So, although we could be very productive out in town, we haven't left the motel because it's so terrible out! The area is expected to have 75mm by tomorrow, with prevalent winds at 50km/hr (with wind gusts at 57km/hr). Did I mention headwind? So clearly, we stayed indoors, called home, watched some TV, updating our blog, etc. So, time for bed before a big day tomorrow! (hopefully...unless there are horrible headwinds again!).

Day 45

This morning we were woken up by the rooster at around 6am. We slept for another hour because Michael didn't want to get up yet. We packed up and had eggs for breakfast. Bruce and everyone was so nice to us we left this morning on such a high note! The day looked really nice! The sun was shining, it was really warm, and it seemed the thunderstorm from yesterday was gone. Once we hit the road around 9:30, everything started becoming less peachy. First of all, we had a brutal headwind. Not cool! It just kept getting worse and worse as the day went on. We made our first stop of the morning in Cereal just to use the washrooms (and no, we didn't eat cereal in Cereal because we wanted to cover some distance!). Our second stop was in Oyen to get Saskatchewan maps. We stayed in the info center for quite a while to rest our legs a bit, and also because we didn't really want to face the howling winds outside! But eventually we had to face the fact that we needed to cover some ground! The clouds up ahead did not look very friendly so we put on our raincoats to keep warm, and to be one step ahead of the weather. Turns out it was necessary! The winds just kept coming, and the rain was getting really bad! We thought we would stop in Sibbald to dry off for a bit, and maybe grab a drink to celebrate the end of Alberta. We rode up the one street (and I swear there were only like 6 houses), and at the end was a Town Hall of sorts and a REALLY seedy looking strip club. It was so random (and we CLEARLY did NOT stay. We jumped back on our bikes and went back in the pouring rain). I guess everyone in the “town” (?) works there. I don't know. But about 10km later, we were at the border! So we are officially done Alberta and now in Saskatchewan!!! The rain died down a bit, but the headwind persisted. We were initially planning on making it all the way to Kindersley today, but the winds were too much of a struggle, we decided to camp at the side of the road about 30km away and we'll wake up super early tomorrow (and hope the winds have either died or changed to a tail wind!!). So, bed at 8pm!

Day 44

This morning we woke up in Drumheller at 8am (actually just past). Michael really wanted to sleep in, so we did. Unfortunately that meant we only hit the road at around 11am. As we got on the road, my chain started skipping. Not cool! Especially since I paid (way too much) to get a new chain and a new cassette! That is just not supposed to happen! Fortunately, after the first few hundred meters it stopped and didn't skip again, but it really makes me feel like “Ridley cycle” ripped me off! Our stuff was drenched, but the weather was looking nice enough so we weren't too bothered. We did, however, have a headwind. It wasn't as bad as yesterdays though, which is good! It was kinda funny how right when we got out of the badland valley of Drumheller, it was as if it never was. The scenery went right back to the prairie-look as before. It's almost like we imagined it! Our first goal of the day was to get into Hanna for some Alberta beef! (on the map it looked like the biggest town to the border so figured it was our best shot!). As we planned on (hopefully) hitting the border tonight, we didn't want to leave Alberta without a proper steak! We stopped off at the Esso station to ask where the best place in town for a steak was. We went and ate at a little restaurant in front of the Super 8 motel. The steak was not that great at all. We were a little disappointed, but we were nice and full! So after a supermarket top-up of chocolate milk and peanut butter, we hit the road again. The sun was nice and warm, even though the headwind wasn't so wonderful. As we cycled, Michael ended up breaking a spoke. Because it was warping his wheel, we decided to get it fixed the first chance we got! Unfortunately, we were essentially in the middle of nowhere so there really didn't seem to be any options! Finally we found somewhere (Michael didn't have to cycle too long with a warped wheel rubbing against his brakes, making it difficult!). It was a little hamlet located between Hanna and Youngtown. We cycled up and asked if we could use an adjustable wrench (the only tool we were missing that we needed to change the spoke!). A woman with two kids went and asked for us and we were ushered back into the yard. Two men who were doing work on the houses came to meet us and give us the tool. They were very friendly. It turns out that one of the guys, Bruce, and his wife, Lyanne, bought the hamlet and planned on turning it into a restaurant, petting farm (there were tons of animals!), ponny rides, ice cream store, and campground. It was still under construction (they ran out of money for the project and are desperately looking for help/investors! They went on Dragon's Den and will be aired in the fall sometime. On the show, he has a parrot on his shoulder). As Michael was fixing his spoke, Bruce asked if we wanted to stay the night. He said he would cook us dinner, we could use the hot tub and pool if we like, we can do laundry, whatever. It was so nice! He said that's what he's about. Just good (Albertan) hospitality! He's not after people's money, just looking to make a living. But he was so amazing! Then Lyanne showed us some of the animals and gave us a tour. Then Kim (the first woman we met with the two kids) showed us where we would be sleeping (we laid out our matts in the unfinished restaurant), and showed us how to use the laundry machine. We did all the essentials first (bike repair, showers, laundry) then offered Bruce and Jason (Kim's husband) a hand, and Bruce said to just relax and enjoy. So we went into the hot tub. It was amazing! It was SO big and had so many jets and functions! (It even had a tv with a dvd player as a feature!). It was so nice after a day of cycling! Then they made us dinner, and talked about their plans with the place. It really sounds amazing, and I really hope they can get the funding they need! It's in the middle of nowhere, on a busy enough highway that I'm sure they would do really well! And if tonight was any indication of how people can expect to be treated, they are in good hands! I would definitely go back there again (and hopefully I will when it's all finished....eventually.... middle of nowhere Alberta is REALLY far from Toronto!). But if anyone is cycling/driving through Hwy 9 between Drumheller and Saskatchewan, I highly recommend stopping by! And if anyone wants to donate/invest/find out more, their info is:
“The Cute and Cuddly Corner”
Bruce & Lyanne Hembrough
Box 147 Youngstown., AB
1-403-779-2552
lyannej-h@hotmail.com

Michael and I had a wonderful dinner, and stayed up until around midnight, talking and enjoying their company! Bruce then told us to help ourselves to breakfast tomorrow morning (and added seriously, not to think we're imposing! This is the kind of vibe he wants the place to have. Good hospitality, where things like the petting zoo would be free, and if people like us, cycling across Canada, were to stop by, he wouldn't even charge for camping. Just because he's such a nice guy. I think I would be hard pressed to find someone like that in Toronto...). We were so impressed by their kindness and generosity and we really hope they find the funding to finish it!

Day 43

This morning we woke up at 7 to get a nice jump on the day. We didn't finish packing last night because it was so late we couldn't be bothered! We got everything packed up and Mrs. O'Farrell made us the best, biggest sandwich for lunch. Both Mr. and Mrs. O'Farrell were so lovely and fun to be around! Staying with them was a really nice way to finish this chapter of the trip (ie. The chapter involving Travis, mountains, and the west). Travis woke up to see us off, which was nice, and sad to say goodbye. Then we hit the road. It took a little while to get out of Calgary. We went the way Travis recommended and once we were out, we had light rolling hills all the way through to Drumheller. Because of the killer northerly headwind (we were travelling north or east, so either we had a brutal straight-on headwind, or a brutal cross-wind) we didn't know how long it would actually take us to get to the Tyrell museum. The good news is that at least it was sunny (mix of sun and cloud, turning into mostly sun by the time we got into Drumheller). It was open until 9pm, so we knew we would make it there, but we hoped we would make it with enough time to see the museum tonight! Turns out, we (painstakingly slowly) got there at 5pm (after leaving Calgary at around 9:30am, about 140(give or take)km ago!). We went straight to the Tyrell museum (obviously!). There weren't tons of cars, and so there was an entire back parking lot without any cars, and out of the way. We decided to tie up our bikes there because, from the main lot and the museum itself, our bikes would be hidden behind some trees. Right as we finished locking everything up and left the lot, we noticed a car going into that lot. That seemed really weird to us because there was NO reason for anyone to park so far away from the museum. There was nothing there other than the museum, and there were TONS of spots closer (and let's be realistic, people are intrinsically lazy!). So Michael kept watch while I went inside the museum to ask if we could put our panniers anywhere inside (although we can lock up our bikes, there is no security for any of our gear in our panniers. We always take out our valuables (ie money, cards, electronics, etc), but we would still be screwed if our “non-valuables” were taken. They were super nice and let us use this one hallway, only for staff, so everything would fit! Then we locked our bikes up outside. Maybe we were just being paranoid (and we might have been.... even after we moved our bikes, the car was still there, so who knows what they were up to, and they may have still been opportunists and taken our stuff if we didn't move it, but maybe not. We just couldn't take the chance!). But after Travis scared us by hiding our bikes, I NEVER want that same feeling of panic again, ESPECIALLY not on this trip! Then we paid the (only!) $10 admittance into the coolest museum ever! I mean, people only go to museums for the dinosaurs anyways, right? So why not JUST make the museum about dinosaurs?! (I'm only partially kidding). But it was really cool! And it was nice to do something different! We haven't yet been to a museum on this trip, so it was really cool! The badlands themselves were really cool too because it went from stereotypically prairie scenery (only, slight rolling hills, not SUPER flat (still very flat though)), to all of a sudden, down into a valley with sand-dune looking humps of rock and shrubs everywhere. Unfortunately we couldn't see the Hoodoos because it would have been about a 50km detour, and that was just too far to justify (and we have to draw the line somewhere on this trip or we'll never get across!). After we left the museum (and re-packed all our gear onto our bikes), we cycled out of the parking lot, and even before we hit the road, we were BLINDED by a flash of light (I've never seen lightning so bright and blinding before in my life!). We decided to just get to the first campground we can find (instead of the original plan of trying to get some distance out of Drumheller. We thought it would just be too dangerous to cycle in a storm!). We unfortunately had to cycle a good 6km before we hit anywhere, and in that time got SOAKED! We pitched our tent as fast as we could (it was the first time we actually had to pitch a tent WHILE it was raining!). We just ate bars for dinner in the tent and passed out! We were originally thinking of getting a hotel room to dry out, but decided to opt for the cheaper route (especially after spending an arm and a leg on my bike!). We were glad we did because we were really comfortable and dry in the tent!

Day 42

We heard Mr. and Mrs. O'Farrell upstairs, as they went to drop off their friends at the airport and then they came back and left again to play golf. Because the basement was so dark, we didn't realize what time it was and had a nice sleep in until about 9-10am. We didn't want to sleep in too late because we were having such a short stay in Calgary, we wanted to make the most of it and get all our errands done! Michael and Travis drove to Costco and Future shop (Future shop to get me a bigger memory card for my camera, and to get two radios with a transmitter so we can safely listen to music while we cycle (without earplugs because it's too dangerous!)) while I stayed back and worked on the budget (entering in all our spendatures to see who owed who before we parted ways). Then I went over to the bicycle store to pick up my bike. They told me I needed a new wheel because the axle broke (something about the hub (or whatever term they used) was rotating when it should be fixed). They told me I didn't really have an option BUT to replace it. So I did. They said they talked to their manager and he gave me a discount, which was very nice. They said it was really rare for that to happen, and they don't know how it happened or when (could have been really recent or been like that for a while). So I emptied my bank account, so -$400 and something later (and a six pack of beer later), I had my bike (hopefully in perfect condition now!). I then met up with Michael and Travis at MEC, got my ripped pannier (just a small tear) sewn up, and bought stuff Michael and I would need for the next leg of the journey! Then we quickly went back to Travis', got gear rafting gear and set out for the Bow River. According to Travis, this was a must-do in Calgary. We didn't have much time because dinner was supposed to be ready in like an hour (we definitely took like 2 hrs to do this though), but the three of us tightly got onto Travis' three man inflatable raft! It was quite a process where we dropped the bike off at the supermarket on 10th St, bought some watermelon and other fruit, then drove to 32nd? Or something like that, and then rafted down stream with our fruit and beer. It was so nice and relaxing! And it was SUCH a nice day for it! The sun was shining, and although it was really hot earlier, it was cooling down, so it was really comfortable! When we were done, Michael and I packed everything up while Travis went to bike down and get the car. We then had dinner with Travis' parents. They made a DELICIOUS meal of salmon, salad and rice! It was unreal! Then we got our things together, started packing, and I uploaded all of Michael and Travis's receipts and we paid each other what was owed. We ended up staying up until past 2:30, just packing (and Travis faxing stuff for his job that starts on Thursday). Then we went to bed! Unfortunately, I couldn't see Julie today because we were so busy with all the errands (and emptying my bank account, and sorting out bills). I was really disappointed. And I didn't get to meet up with Wade or Kaylee either (not having internet from Jasper to Calgary didn't allow me to give ANY warning so neither of them got my fb messages in time).

Day 41

This morning we woke up at 7am, and started packing! Dave left the house earlier than we did, so we said our goodbyes and thank yous (we were so grateful!). Then we hit the road just after 9am. We had a wicked tail wind, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky (later, we noticed there was one very small one that ruined our cloud-free day!). But we made amazing time into Canmore, where we decided to stop off for some fudge! Since the store closed before we could get any in Banff, we thought we should try our luck today. It was so good! And it was a nice little stop! Then we hit the road again, straight to Calgary. We were going stupid fast! When we were drafting, we reached up to 45km/hr. Gotta love the tail winds! Then, unfortunately, the winds changed and we had a headwind coming into calgary for the last 50+kms. It was SO hot out! Summer has finally arrived! Michael informed us he broke a spoke, but he would be fine until Calgary. I then broke my chain (it just snapped in half. Don't know how or why, just happened). And, as our bad bike luck happens in threes it seems, Travis inevitably got a flat. These slight delays caused us to only get to Travis's house around 4pm. We had to hurry to get our errands done so we could just enjoy the day tomorrow. Unfortunately, we couldn't get them all done, so we will have to do some tomorrow. But I did go to the bike store. When I went to get a new chain they convinced me to get a new cassette as well (because they said mine was worn etc). I know mine was still fine for a bit longer, but it may not be fine all the way to Winnipeg, so out of peace-of-mind, and because we were in a rush (both in Calgary, and in a rush to get to Montreal), I didn't want to take the chance. I also got a new rack (or rather, the attachment piece. I still had to buy the entire rack though and just gave it to Travis in the end so I didn't have to bother with the shipping etc). My make-shift duct tape and tie wire job was working quite well, but just to be safe (and to avoid future delays) I figured it would be best to do it right. They also convinced me to do a full clean (ie take apart and clean all the bearings and joints and gears). I really wanted that done since we had a LOT of rain/snow/shitty weather through Alberta that I thought it was a good idea before hitting long hauls of nothingness through the prairies. It was stupid expensive, but again, we were on a tight time-line so I didn't want ANY problems while we needed to gun it! Because they were all booked up, they told me they could get someone to look at my bike if they were bribed (ie if I bought them beer), and then it could be ready for tomorrow. I didn't really have an option, so I said alright. After I was done (and after Michael bought some spare spokes) we didn't have time to hit up MEC so we went back to Travis'. We showered, and met two of Mrs. O'Farrell's friends who were visiting from Toronto. They were lovely, and we had such a nice dinner (they made the most delicious pizza!). It was so much fun! Then Julie came over and we watched Jurassic Park. Me, being predictably lame, fell asleep almost immediately after the movie started. It was so nice to see Julie! I hope to meet up with her again tomorrow before I leave Calgary! (But unfortunately I might be lame company with errands :().

Day 40

This morning we woke up to a full agenda! Thanks to Julie, we had tons of options for the day! And we did just about everything on her list (she said there's no way we could do it all, she just wanted to give us a list of options....and she didn't even give us all the options that Banff had to offer! We saw it as a challenge to do it all. We almost won...). Dave drove us to the gondola around 11am (it was too cloudy to see anything, so we spent the morning doing laundry etc) and got us tickets for the gondola up to sulphur mountain (note: spelt the British not the American way. Chemistry nerd). That was so amazing of him! And it helped cross off more things off the list (not hiking up freed up more hours of the day!). It was so nice up there! Such a nice view of the town and mountains all around! Banff really is a nice place! Then we took the gondola down, and went to the Upper Hot Springs. It was so hot outside that we couldn't last for more than 45 minutes. Then we were going to take the bus back into town, but it was a 20min wait and we were told it takes about that to walk down. So, we took the path that the bell hop at Rim Rocks told us to take. Turns out, it leads to Banff Springs, so was actually longer than a 20min walk, but we eventually made it back to town. We went to the museum where Julie used to work (Whyte museum) and learned all about a very important man in Banff history. It was a small, but really cool museum! Then we walked around downtown for a bit (Travis bought a cheap, warm plaid jacket). We then went and got our bikes to go to Miki's for all you can eat sushi. It was SO good! They had so many options too! And tempura and ice cream were included in the all you can eat (danger!). We ate enough to be very full, but not in pain (we could have, but we were quite content so didn't really want to be uncomfortable! We really didn't want a repeat of the Dup's phatty incident!). Then we cycled to Surprise Corner, Cycled to check out the Caves and Basin (which was closed so we had a quick look around) then headed up to Banff Springs, where we went swimming. Lake Louise Chateau was nice, but Banff Springs made it look like nothing. Banff Springs is a castle. Period. Lake Louise, although called a Chateau, is not. This whole route we took so far really show us how important the railroad was in Canadian history, and how important these Chateaus (which were built to promote certain areas of the country to offset the cost of the railway, which nearly bankrupted our country!) were as well. It's really cool to have that appreciation. I mean, in school you learned about how important it was to link East to West, but until you cycle (or I guess drive or take the train for most people) through towns that existed soley BECAUSE of the railway (ie Jasper... initially. It's still a railway town, but now has a lot of tourism as well), or areas that were first discovered because of it, or iconic symbols that were built for the sake of it, and all the people that played a role in it's history, it's really amazing. Now back to Banff Springs. Wow! Unreal! Dave gave us a tour. It's unreal really! We swam in the outdoor pool, and lay in the hot tub. We met two girls who work at Lake Louise (they get discounted rates at all Fairmounts so they thought they'd spend a night in Banff. We asked them about the man who capsized in the canoe and they said they didn't hear anything, so I'm assuming he's alright or they would have heard. I hope!), and a couple from Oklahoma. Then, after we got kicked out of the pool area (it closes at 10pm) we chilled upstairs in a lounge for about an hour, then headed back to Dave's (we went to get fudge from the store we saw earlier, but it was closed. We didn't buy any fudge when walking through town initially because we were SO hungry that we would have eaten all of it and spoiled our appetite for sushi, and after sushi we were too full for fudge!) and went to bed.

Day 39

I have a really hard time sleeping in! I woke up a few times around 5-6am, then around 7:30 I just couldn't fall back asleep. Since we decided well ahead of time, that today would be a sleep in day, I didn't want to miss one of the few opportunities (and I didn't want to wake up early just to wait around for the boys, then be too tired to do anything tonight!). So, I forced myself to stay in bed until I couldn't handle it anymore. I quietly got my journal and some pop tarts and then found a nice spot in the hotel to just relax and write. I also delayed our check out time to 1pm (that was the latest time we could checkout without being charged extra!). I went back to the room at 11 to wake the other two up. We went to walk around the lake. It was overcast, but at least not raining like yesterday! As we were near the end of the trail, we noticed one of the canoes had tipped. There was one guy clinging to it (with most of his body under water). We thought it was weird that there was only one guy we saw, and hoped the other was alright. Then we noticed the canoe beside him also had only one person in it, so figured they were friends and each decided to take their own? Not sure how it happened because Lake Louise is very calm, and canoes are pretty hard to tip if you're just paddling along. Our first instinct was to run back and get help. Even though we were a little ways away from help, we would be MUCH quicker than anyone out paddling on the lake. But we quickly noticed the lifeguards were coming in a motor boat. We talked to an American couple (on their honneymoon) who were also watching what would happen. They said the guy was there for a few minutes and they were told you can only survive in the water for 7 minutes before you would get severe hypothermia and die. He seemed to be alive though when they brought him into the motor boat, so I guess he was only in the water for a minute or so. (But, this was all witnessed at a distance, so who knows what the deal is). The couple was also saying that the hotel only has the one motor boat and one year there were like 12 people capsized one year because there were a bunch of people out on the lake and a killer storm hit, and since they only had the one boat, the had helicopters come to help rescue. Don't know the technicalities, or where they called the helicopters in from, or if they were able to save everyone, but it's kind of crazy! And that water is COLD! We were running out of time, so quickly headed back to our room, got packed up, and checked out. We spent another hour chilling and writing in our diaries or reading the paper then headed out for Banff. On our way into town, we made a detour to Moraine Lake. The detour took MUCH longer than we thought it would (it was like 12km out, pretty much all uphill). We did a quick hike there. I was feeling VERY pressured for time because I didn't realize we wanted to do two hikes before hitting Banff, and I had never met Julie's dad before, and he was nice enough to let us stay at his house. So I didn't want to get there too late and keep him up late waiting on us (especially since I didn't know what time he woke up for work, so for all I knew, he woke up at like 6am). I later felt bad for this, but at the time I rushed Michael and Travis so we didn't spend too much time at the lake (which was too bad because it's the lake on the twenty dollar bill, which is cool!). The lake itself was much smaller than I thought it would be. But it was gorgeous! Then we headed back into Lake Louise (and got pelted with rain!) to eat before we hit the road. I called Mr. Moberg to ask what time he wanted us there, and he was VERY nice and said it didn't matter. Even if we show up at midnight, we show up when we get there, and it would be alright. I was so happy he was so nice, but felt even more guilty for rushing at Moraine Lake (but still didn't want to show up too late out of politeness so I was glad we didn't spend TOO long there...). We went to the hostel for food (Julie said it was the best and cheapest food in town). The food was average price (around $13 after tax and tip) anywhere else, but because Lake Louise was SO expensive, it seemed cheap in comparrison. It tasted really good though. After eating, we hit the road. Travis recommended going the Bow Valley Parkway. He said it was nice and scenic, with rolling hills the whole way. He was right. It was gorgeous, with very little traffic. It was cloudy for most of the ride, but cleared up near the end of the highway. It was really cool because every so often there was a little information area where they would talk about the area, the wildlife, or the history (ie. The internment camps). It was pretty cool! We also did a hike (the Johnson Canyon) which was really cool! The path was bolted into the side of the canyon at times, so it looked really cool. We went to the lower falls (we didn't have time to go to the bigger, upper falls), and walked through a small rock tunnel to get a closer look at the falls. Then we hit the road and gunned it for Banff. At the second last information booth, I noticed a sign that said to stay off the roads past 6pm because there is a lot of wildlife in the area, and less traffic gives them a chance to safely cross the roads to get food, and to mate. It was too late now (we left Lake Louise around 5, so we were unintentionally disobeying for a while), and we were so close to the end that we (having no other choice) obviously finished. Not long after seeing the sign, we saw two deer up ahead, where the road forked (where people who were going south went to one side of the forest and people heading north on the other side). Travis and I cycled past, and Michael hung back to take a picture. Travis and I were slowly cycling (mostly to not have to unclip while we waited for Michael). Travis was only a few meters ahead of me, and then, all of a sudden, we saw a bear just bolt across the road only like 10m ahead of Travis! We both gave each other a look, and called Michael. We needed to get off that highway quick to not have anymore wildlife encounters! Especially not any THAT close! But that brought our bear tally up to 14! We only had like 10km left in the highway, and we didn't have any more wildlife sightings until the end, where it met back up with highway 1. All I heard was Travis yelling “Antlers!” from behind. It took a bit, but finally I saw them ahead. There were two male elk sitting RIGHT at the side of the road. Realizing that the male elk could destroy us (we later found out antlered animals aren't bad now, but in the fall it's their mating season, so watch out! This is good to know, but a little disconcerting as we'll be in Newfoundland probably at the start of mating season, and they have quite a few antlers there!). We decided to stay together, in a pack, to look big to them, and we cycled on the other side of the road (obviously aware of traffic coming in our direction), and made as little noise as possible to not spook them. We were fine, and Michael got his wish of the day (he wanted to see antlers). Then we got into Banff just as dusk was beginning. It was easy to find Julie's house because Banff is really small (and a really cute town!). Julie's dad I guess heard us outside because he came out to meet us. We put our bikes away, and he gave us a tour (and he told us not to call him Mr. Moberg, but call him Dave instead). He was so nice and funny and quirky. I got a long e-mail from Julie with a bunch of things to do, and I talked to her on the phone which was fun! Then we had a quick snack and went to bed.

Day 38

I wanted to wake up early this morning so we could get into Lake Louise and use the chateau as much as possible! Unfortunately, the two rowers don't like mornings. Actually, to be fair, Travis had a BIG day yesterday and so was obviously tired! But they also like to sleep in. But, not having a big breakfast, we hit the road around 9:30. Although we were camping out on a gorgeous site, with mountains all around, all we could see was the lake. The clouds covered ALL of the mountains. It would have been so much more scenic if we could actually see the mountains we were cycling through! But they never cleared the entire day, so we just had to cycle uphill without any (or at least without most of) the scenery! Our first 17km were uphill. We had to summit the second peak of the Icefield parkway. It was a higher altitude than the Columbian Icefield, but it was definitely a less steep incline! On the way up, we were stopped by a car of Americans who told us that there was a grizzly with her two cubs up ahead, if we wanted to take a look! We were really excited to see a grizzly, but kinda scared that there was a grizzly with her two cubs (that's like in the handbook of what to avoid!). Before we hit the grizzly area, we did a side trip to Peyto lake (pronounced Pee-toe). At the start of the hike, there was a sign explaining the lake and the area. It said that this was the bluest lake in the area. I didn't actually know what that means! The least green? The darkest? The brightest? Is baby blue more blue than navy? Right when I saw the lake I knew. It was definitely the bluest. It almost looked fake. It was a bright, unreal tarp-coloured blue. It was so cool! As we hit the road again, we thought the grizzlies might be gone because we passed a lot of cars. Turns out they were still there! They were FAR in the distance, so we were a safe distance away. There were tons of cars parked at the side of the road, and tons of people were out with their telephoto lenses. We stopped to take pictures, then headed over to the service station where we hoped to dry off (as it had started to hail and rain), warm up, and get some food (we didn't have a big breakfast at all!). It was a small log cabin type hotel with a cafe where we could warm up! Bow lake was still frozen! It was literally still winter! We were wearing all our winter gear we brought (hats, mitts, scarfs, etc). We had a bowl of chili, and some tea. Then we hit the road straight to Lake Louise. The weather was miserable, but we were heading to the Chateau so it was only a matter of time before we warmed up! It was a net downhill into the town, which was nice! We saw another grizzly at the side of the road, and another black bear. This was the most amount of bears we've seen in one day so far! Five in one day, four of which were grizzlies (which count for SO many more cool points!). That brings our tally up to 13! We bought some food in town, then headed straight up the 4km solid uphill to the chateau. Michael was VERY tired, and only later realized his brakes were rubbing the entire way up! Michael and I waited (in the rain) by the lake while Travis checked in. The lake was gorgeous (a really cool, unreal light blue colour). We couldn't really see the mountains around unfortunately because of the clouds. Travis' friend was able to get us a discount, which was wicked! We didn't want to clutter up the front of the hotel with our bikes. The bell boy brought all our (very wet) gear up to our rooms for us and they put our bikes away in their storage. The first thing we did was get out of our wet gear, and then we showered! Then we went swimming and went in the hot tub. It was so nice! The hotel was gorgeous! The rooms were really nice, and the bathroom had a double door so every time you were done in the washroom, you felt like you were making an entrance back into the room! It was funny (and posh). We wandered around the hotel and shops for a bit before we met up with Travis' friend for dinner. It was crazy expensive, but what do you expect? At the table beside us was a group of guys, around 50ish years old who were watching the game (last game of the stanley cup it turns out). One guy was from Thunderbay who told us about the roads in northern Ontario. We've heard a few horror stories, so it was good to get more info! He said the main route that goes through Dryden was more direct, more hilly, and more dangerous (because of all the trucks), but probably more scenic. He said the other route was mostly through the forest, so boring. The lonely planet disagrees. We'll probably go the route through International Falls because it's safer, and we're assuming more scenic. Turns out, this guy was also a HUGE Pittsburgh fan (always has been). It was so funny because he was out of his chair cheering and taunting his friends when the Penguins tied the game, bringing it to overtime. He was so funny! Then we went to our super comfortable beds and planned not to wake up early at all tomorrow!

Day 37

This morning, we woke up at 6. Mike had a pot of coffee ready for us as we packed everything up. He offered to drive our gear up to the Icefield station so we could tackle the hill without all the extra weight (which was so nice of him, and made the cycle so much better!). He told us that, without pushing too hard, and without gear, it takes him 2hrs to cycle to Icefield station. He called ahead and found out that the glacier hike (the glacier tour he recommended. He said you really get your money's worth, and because we're active to do that one rather than the one where they drive you out. He said it's so much better) started at 11am, so Michael and I planned the day accordingly. We ate oatmeal (he had oreo oatmeal, which was wicked! And delicious!), loaded our things into his truck, then had a go on his recumbant bike. It was so funny and such a novelty! I realized (as I realized with downhill mountain biking) that I'm not good at non-road biking! I fell. Michael made sure to document that in picture form. I tried a few times and kinda got the hang of it, but not really. Michael caught on much quicker. But it was tons of fun still! Then we hit the road at about 9:30. It was a really nice, fairly flat route up until the start of the hill (since we saw the route yesterday, it was really easy to plan our route and know how much time to give ourselves for each section. It also really helped that Mike told us how long it takes to cycle to the base, and up the hill). We kept stopping to take pictures and videos because it was just so stunning! Then we got to the hill. It wasn't so bad because there were a lot of lookouts along the way, and we didn't have the gear. That being said, the hill was steep and fairly long (especially for being so steep), but totally doable! At the first lookout, a bus pulled in just after us, and a group of older men and women came off the bus and crowded around us, asking about our trip. They were so impressed with the fact we were cycling that hill, and the fact we were cycling across the country. It was kinda funny and cute. It was almost as if we were celebrities for a minute (without the fame, fortune or anything else really). Then we continued up and made it to the Icefield Center with ten minutes to spare for the tour! While Michael locked up the bikes, I ran ahead to sign up and pay. The woman behind the counter said that that group left 10 minutes ago, and that even if we showed up an hour ago, it didn't matter. It was full. We were so disappointed. We told her we cycled all this way and called ahead and timed it so we could do the trip! She took pity on us and offered us the other tour (where we take a monster truck type thing onto the icefield...so kind of the lazy person's way of seeing the glacier) for half price. So that's what we did. It was a lot of fun! We learned about the glacier on the way up, then had about 20min to walk around (the designated area). Our first order of business was to fill up our water bottles. Then we went looking around. It was so fun! And it started snowing (which continued the trend of us not really seeing summer yet!). When the tour was over, and when we got back to the Icefield Center, we were starving. Since Mike had not yet arrived with our gear, we decided to have lunch upstairs in the cafeteria and then go down to get our stuff. We talked to him for a bit as we loaded our gear. We were about to do the hike he recommended, and he was off to check on an outhouse on one of the mountains beside the glacier that had apparently blown away. He said he has not yet seen Travis, but that's not really a surprise because it would have taken Travis a bit to get up to the Icefield, but he probably wasn't too far off, we reckoned. We then said bye to Mike and went to do the hike. It started to rain and it was very cloudy. Since we knew the weather in this area changed every minute, we still went up and hoped the view would be nice when we got there! Turns out, we made the right call! It was clear and beautiful! We went as high as we could until we came to a small stream crossing. We decided not to cross because we didn't want wet feet for the rest of the day (we still had another 80 or so kilometers to do before the day's end!). It also started snowing at the top! We made a quick Inukshuk for Mike and then headed down. We randomly happened to see Mike as we were getting onto our bikes again (and apparently the toilet DID blow away!). We talked for a bit, then he said we had better hit the road if we want to make the campground (as we had a while to go and it was 5pm already! We didn't realize it was so late! He also warned us that we would probably see some bears near the Saskatchewan River Crossing as a Ranger was sent out to scare them away earlier.). We said our goodbyes again and then we were off! We had a bit of ups and downs until we hit the killer downhill! It was SO fast! I had my brakes on and was still clocking over 60km/hr! Then at the bottom, we hit this wall of wind, which slowed us right down until we finished the loop around so the wind became a tail wind, and subsequently, our best friend! We just flew! Not long after the downhill, we saw two bears ahead crossing the road. They looked young enough (not cubs, but not quite adults). We were careful when passing in case the mother was around, and decided to tag behind a car for safety. There were rolling hills, but before every up there was a down and a wind that just pushed us easily over. We saw another bear at the side of the road as well! That brought our tally up to 8 bears! All black though, but still quite a bit! We made such amazing time that at the Saskatchewan River crossing, we decided to take a break and buy some chocolate milk and cookies at the little store they had there. We also decided to stop off at the Banff warden's office to let them know to keep an eye out for Travis (there is no cell reception on the parkway so there was no way for us to get in contact with him! I was worried about him all day!). Unfortunately, the warden wasn't there and there wasn't a number to contact him, so we kept going. Not long after the office, we were cycling and a deer just bolted out in front of us (far enough away to not be dangerous, but close enough to scare/impress us!). Just past the deer, there was a hike that we decided to do. It was only 300m down, so we decided not to change out of our bike shoes. I forgot my valuables in my pannier, and although I've done that before, this was the first time I had a bad feeling about it. Michael must have thought I was so annoying because I kept saying how worried I was, and kept asking if he was sure it would be alright. He kept assuring me it would be fine, and on the way back I told him to run ahead and check on the bikes. He said he didn't want to run ahead and not have me in sight (as we just finished seeing three bears in one day in the area!), which made sense to me. So when I could have him in sight up to our bikes, I told him to run ahead. Then I saw him sprint and yell "they're gone!" Panic struck! I screamed out "I knew it!" and smashed my helmet on the floor! It was such a horrible feeling! The image of a pickup truck with an opportunist of a driver loading them up and just bolting flew through my head. There was no cell reception to call anyone, and the warden's office was a km or so back, and no one was there right now anyways. We were freaked until we saw someone come out of the bushes saying the bikes were there. It was fucking Travis! All day I thought when I saw him I would hug him because he was safe. Now when I saw him, I hit him. What a jerk! Funny in retrospect, and the perfect opportunity, but he's still an ass! (also, when I slammed my helmet, I broke the light on it.... I realized it later). But once I knew my bike was safe, I was glad to see Travis was safe! We sat and rested for a bit (poor boy didn't have any breaks all day! He was gunning it because he left late. But he had a BIG day of uphills so was tired! I would have been more sympathetic if he didn't hide my bike!). Then we finished the 15 or so kms to the campground. It was also closed, so again, we had the place to ourselves! We picked a spot right on the lake, made tea, tried to find phones (to let mike know we're safe, but there were none!), and went to bed! Now that we're all together, we can make it into Lake Louise and just relax in the chateau tomorrow!!!

Day 36

We woke up this morning planning to make it all the way up to the Icefield, if not further. We were up fairly early (around 6) in order to bust through the day! Our first stop was the hotel we stopped at last night to fill our water bottles (so much easier than to filter!). They were very nice and let us fill the water with ice water at the bar! Then we went to check out the Sunwapta Falls. We didn't realize they were so close to the hotel at first, so we overshot the road at first and had to backtrack. The falls were nice, but not overly spectacular (don't get me wrong, they were really nice, but not as stunning as some of the other falls we've seen so far). It was really cloudy out (you couldn't tell we were in the mountains, which sucked! Since we saw where we were yesterday, we knew what we were missing out on! Not long after leaving the falls, it started raining! We only cycled like 10km before a white SUV type vehicle stopped about 200m ahead of us. As we cycled past, we said hello and he asked if we were the people who called the warden last night. We then realized his car said "Parks Canada" on it. We stopped and started talking, and he asked if we drink coffee. We said we did, so he said to come to the warden's office, which is just down the road (no more than 10km away) and he would have a pot of coffee ready for us, and that way we can talk out of the rain! We got there and he asked about our plans for the Icefiled, and for our cross-canada cycle. It turns out, he cycled across Canada about ten years ago, so he went over our route with us and made some suggestions and told some stories. He also pointed out some suggestions for the Icefield, and told us that some of the hikes we planned on doing were a no go because it was still covered in snow (which was good to know!). We also told him about Travis, that he would be traveling on his own, and meeting us in Lake Louise, and asked if he could look out for him. He took our info, and Travis' and said he would keep an eye out for him! He then said that he didn't check on us because he was obligated, but because we were honest and decided to call in to let them know we were there. He then said because of that, he will make a suggestion. He said, if we wanted a day off (especially in this rain), we are more than welcome to stay at his for the night. We can eat, do laundry, watch tv, call home (he has a good long distance plan), shower, do some bike repair, etc. the offer was way too good to refuse! He showed us around the house, and told us to keep our food for the road, and just eat his. He was so nice! He then went to work and let us hang out. We first made lunch (we were so hungry!) then did laundry, called home to let them know we were safe, wrote in the journal, showered, and then watched a movie! Neither Michael or I have seen "Million Dollar Baby" and I thought it might be a good movie (I've heard good things, and they reference it a lot, and I thought, I'm a girl who does karate, she's a girl who wanted to get into fighting, maybe I could relate). What a depressing movie! Oh my god! And I do NOT want to relate! What a brutally depressing movie! Not going to lie, I cried. Just as the movie was finishing, Mike (the warden) called and asked if we talked to Travis. He offered to pick Travis up from Jasper and bring him over to his house so we could all three be together for the rest of the ride down the Icefield (for safety reasons, and so we don't miss each other along the way). But, since Jen still had another day off, he decided to stay in Jasper for the night and leave early. Fortunately, since we didn't cover too much distance yet, it would make it easier for Travis to catch up to us sooner (when Michael and Travis talked on the phone, we told him about the first National Parks booth, and where to meet up tomorrow night. We would stay at a campground called Waterfowl Lake). Mike then came back with food for dinner. He was such good company! We were so glad we stayed for the night and got to meet him! For dinner we had burgers and sausages (Michael was in charge of the bbq), and home made potato chips (which we burned) and fries (to make up for the chips). He offered us beer (he had President's choice beer, which was actually pretty good! I had no idea they even made beer! What don't they do?! And he also had Budlight lime, which was SO good! That's what I opted for the rest of the night!). Dinner was really good! We talked about our plans, and listened to his stories about his cross-Canada trip, and he told us a bit about his job. He is essentially getting paid to do what Bruce does with the North Shore rescue team. Apparently the rescue where the victim is air lifted by helicopter was invented (or started) in the national park, which is really cool! But he said in the winter he does the avalanche reports, closes roads, etc. His job sounds really cool! He's such an interesting person! Then, after dinner, he brought out his bike stand and his tool box with everything we would need to clean and lube our chains and do any other maintenance necessary. Just as I was starting my bike, I was called off it so Mike could take us for a drive and show us the hill we would meet tomorrow. Not too far from where we were staying tonight was "the hill." It was a pretty steep 5-ish km hill up to the Columbian glacier. We drove up, and the clouds had more or less cleared. It was gorgeous! We were so glad we waited the day out at Mikes so we didn't have to miss the scenery! He also pointed out a good hike for us to do tomorrow and took us to the base of the glacier. We walked up to it (but not on it). Along the way, he pointed out an Inukshuk and said those things breed and multiply. So, he kicked it down. He said he has to otherwise they would be all over the place (and by had to, I think he more meant he really enjoys it). It was so funny! We helped with one or two! But along the glacier, he told us about some of the glacier-related deaths and rescues. The glacier can be one scary place! But we had a really good chat on the way back, where he left us with some words of wisdom for our trip, and life in general. And he said in return for his kindness, he asks only that we do the same for someone else when they are in need, and we would know when that time came (and he said he was doing this and had this same philosophy before the movie "pay it forward
" came out). He also lent me "Three cups of tea," which I have wanted to read for a while! He said I can mail it back to him when I'm done. I can't wait to read it! When we went back to his house, I finished cleaning up my bike, he gave us some frozen yogurt, and then we went to bed (and set the alarm for 6am).

Day 35

We woke up at 8am this morning, showered, and packed up all our gear. Because Travis wasn't coming with us when we hit the road today (he was staying back in Jasper with Jen while we hit the road so we could do hikes and not waste too much time (we don't really have many days to waste because Michael needs to get into Montreal sometime between the 5^th and 19^th of July so he can get his thesis signed off to graduate!), it took a while to rearrange and redistribute the gear. We met Travis and Jen in town for breakfast (more like lunch). We went to Loulou's for pizza (which was really good!). Travis and Jen were spending the night at the Fairmount Lodge, so we didn't have too long of a lunch (they needed to check in and return the car by 2:30 or something). We went grocery shopping and then hit the road MUCH later than initially planned (around 3:30). Fortunately, we were meeting Travis on the 9^th at Lake Louise, so we had some time to play with (which is what we wanted to really properly see the Icefield Parkway!). So we thought we would enjoy it! We were initially trying to aim for the campground just after the Columbian glacier, but since we left late, we were thinking the Jonas Creek campground, but then decided to camp even earlier at Honeymoon lake. Just outside of Jasper (like, not even 5km outside of town) there was a National Parks booth. We showed our parks pass and told them that Travis would be coming through Tuesday afternoon, and he's part of our family pass, but he won't have a card with him. They said it wouldn't be a problem at all. We then decided to take the 93A when it branched off because we were told it was more scenic. It was definitely more hilly (it must have been!). But it was a nice route! There weren't a lot of cars on the road at all, which was nice! And there was only one area of 5-10km with rough concrete, and there were a lot of lakes, and the Athabasca River alongside the highway at times! That highway led us straight to the Athabasca Falls. They were really nice (they were falls that carved their way into a canyon). We just enjoyed the ride the rest of the day, and got to Honeymoon with tons of daylight left. Unfortunately, there was a sign saying the campground was closed. We didn't know why it was closed (because it wasn't safe for some reason, or because it just wasn't open yet). We noticed on the map there was a hotel only 4km away so we cycled to it to ask if we could hopefully camp out on their lawn, or somewhere nearby. We were warned that if we camp illegally in a national park, they fine heavily! We didn't want that, so were really hoping to be able to camp at the Sunwapta Falls hotel. Turns out the manager was not very sympathetic at all to cyclists. He told us we can just walk our bikes around the barricade in the national park and just stay there. So, that's what we did. I felt safer to call the warden and let them know we were there (in case the park was closed for a reason, or in case there was a bear warning, or a forest fire or something, then they would know to look for two cyclists on the road). Michael also thought it was probably a good idea (and that way they knew we did what we could to be legit so hopefully we wouldn't get fined if someone drove by). The woman who answered the phone was lovely! Turns out it's not peak season, and that's the only reason some campgrounds are closed. She also explained where everything was in the (small) park and told us we could light a fire and she would let the warden know. We picked a spot right on the water. The lake was gorgeous! It was like a mirror, where the mountains in the background were reflected so clearly in the lake. It was stunning, really. It was also weird and cool to have the ENTIRE place to ourselves! And it made me feel much better to know that the warden knew we were there! We lit a fire, had some tea, put our food away in the bear lockers, then went to bed!

Day 32

Today is a very special day. It was exactly one month ago that Michael and I left home for this trip. It is also the day that we crossed the B.C./Alberta border, the last day before we can get our bikes fixed, we hit the most Northern point on our trip (just above the 53 degree longitude), and we biked past the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (Mount Robson), and crossed a time zone. We were trying to go fast for the remainder of Hwy 5 (the start of the day, the first 20kms), but had crazy headwind. When we turned onto Yellowhead (Hwy 16), the winds kept changing back and forth from head to tail. So although the cycle itself was faster than on Hwy 5, we actually went slower because we were so stunned by the gorgeous mountains, that we took quite a few picture breaks! We were especially slow around Mount Robson (as it was so stunningly beautiful! All the other mountains around it were also quite nice, but they were unfortunately in the shadows of Mt Robson). We took a little break to check out the info center, and then hit the road again (Travis started heading in the wrong direction without realizing it, but turned back around the right way after we called after him). Along the way we did two side hikes to see two separate waterfalls (the Rearguard Falls and the Overlander Falls). Only after the Overlander Falls did we decide to start to gun it to the border (we didn't care how far we got today (ideally all the way to Jasper), but as long as we crossed the border, we were happy!). We had two passes to summit after passing Mount Robson. The first wasn't labeled, so we never quite knew when we officially passed it (but guessed when we were “over”). The second was such a gradual incline it didn't really feel like a pass. But the ride was very scenic, and not very hilly (especially compared to our expectations! Tom was saying this is where they should have put the trans-canada because it's way easier than the Roger's Pass!). We made some really good time to the border, and since Jasper was only 20km away (and the National Parks border woman said the closest campground was the one just outside of Jasper), we decided to head all the way to Jasper. It was a really nice, net downhill cycle into Jasper, and the mountains were gorgeous! We cycled a total of 126.8kms today. We stayed in Whistlers campground, and were told the Elk were calving so be careful, as they tend to be very aggressive (and are more dangerous than the bears right now). We saw two and thought they were pretty cool! (don't worry, we kept our distance!). We had a campfire, dinner, and drank some BC wine to celebrate the end of the BC chapter and the start of Alberta! It only started getting dark at like 10:45, which was wicked! So we had a nice long evening to relax before heading to bed!

Day 31

We woke up today at 5:30 and hit the road at about 7:30 (just a bit before). We figured we would make the (approximately) 35km to Blue River, then take a long break and then make the 90km journey to Valemount. That way, we would split up the day a bit, and if we made it to Blue River by 9-10am, it would be as if we were on schedule, with a latish start from Blue River (not like we started from Avola). Then stop in Valemount for a bit and visit Tom then decide if we should go to Tete Jaune or not tonight. Turns out the stop in Blue River was necessary! Not long after we started cycling it began to rain. It rained a lot! We were SOAKED. There was a pass to summit just before Blue River, which wasn't so bad, although we were drenched, we were fairly warm. Unfortunately, the downhill was brutal! The cold and wind cut through all our wet clothes! It was not fun! Right when we got into Blue River, we stopped at the first thing we saw (which happened to be a Husky restaurant). We were hoping to dry some of our clothes, but the washrooms didn't have air driers so we just changed into dry clothes (not socks though because our shoes were so drenched (you could hear them squish as we walked), we figured it was pointless to get our dry socks wet). Travis opted to not even wear clipless shoes for the rest of today and changed into his hiking boots. At the restaurant, we all ordered a hot drink and a BIG burger (the biggest one on the menu!). We had a nice, relaxing time where we dried off quite a bit (considering). Then we hit the road for the 90km stretch to Valemount. We thought this would be a really tough ride, but it turns out it wasn't at all! We had a wicked tail wind, which helped a lot! But it was a really good ride, and the rain held off pretty much for the rest of the day (although the temperature did fluctuate). We made really good time and got into Valemount at around 3pm. We called Tom but he wasn't yet off work. We decided to go for a late lunch and had A&W (that's right, the second burger of the day). When we got a call from Tom saying he was home, we headed over (and stopped off at the liquor store to buy him a “thank you” bottle of wine). Tom was very friendly and let us hang out all our gear to dry. Initially we were planning to head up to Tete Jaune Cache for the day (especially since we got into Valemount so early) but Peggy (Warm Showers from Tete Jaune) wasn't in yet, and we didn't know when, or if she would be in tonight, so we figured we would stay with Tom. It was a good decision because we had a really nice evening with him. He told us a bit about his trip, a bit about the area, and gave us some advice for our tour. He also told us about some of the people that have come past on tours (sounds like it would be really interesting to open up your home to Warm Showers!). But we were very well fed, we did our laundry, and had a really good evening! (and yes, Travis and Michael thought it would be a good (or at least funny) idea to have burgers again, for the third time in one day. Although I really didn't want burgers again, I must say that the last burgers of the day were the best tasting!). But we were really grateful for Tom's hospitality, and we really felt that our first Warm Shower experience was definitely a success!

Day 30

Today is the first day of June! The park warden was really nice and offered to drive us into town to get our bikes sorted, then we could just ride back to the campsite and then head out! That was the plan.... Travis only brought his wheel and realized when we got the the shop that he had no way of getting back to the campground after. So I told him I would get his wheel looked at and then strap his wheel to my rack and then bike back and meet him at the site (and he would go back with the warden to the park now). The bike shop was a nothing shop on the second floor of a tiny strip mall (if you could call it that...). They had NOTHING to fix road bikes. After a while of trying to figure stuff out, they used two of my spokes to fix Travis' bike. They did the best they could to true the wheel, but recommended that he goes to a shop in Jasper or Calgary to get them to do a better job. They couldn't do anything for me (they didn't have a wheel to fit my bike and didn't have any racks). They also didn't have the tools necessary to remove a cassette (for sale. They had the tools for their shop, but there wasn't enough demand for them to stock the tools for sale). But they were very nice and called places in Blue River, Valemount, and Jasper for me to see if anyone had parts for me. Turns out I'll have to wait for Jasper (and I REALLY hope I can put another 300-350km on my bike without it breaking!!!). It took a while before Travis' wheel was done, so I ended up cycling back to the campground around noon. We packed everything up and then made one last stop at the bike shop before hitting the road (there was something wrong with Travis' brakes and he tried but wasn't able to fix it. The guys at the shop were able to fix it up pretty quickly!). We ended up leaving Clearwater around 2:30. We wanted to at least make it to Avola and anything past was bonus. We figured if we made it at least to Avola, we could have a big day tomorrow and make it up toValemount or Tete Jaune Cache (we had an option in each town for a Warm Showers place to crash). We ended up making it just a few kilometers outside of Avola (so we made our goal!). We camped out at the side of the road again on the lake. It was so pretty! There were mountains all around, and the lake was so peaceful! We cycled a total of 80.5km today, and had an early night so we can wake up early tomorrow for our big day! (Tom, the guy from Warm Showers from Valemount told us that tomorrow will be our hardest day from here to Jasper, and seeing how we want to do about 150km on the hardest day, we hope to wake up around 5-6am tomorrow).