Ride Summary

Distance: 31.6 miles / 50.8 km
Climbing: 1650 feet / 502 meters
Descending: rather more!
Difficulty: medium-easy
Link to workout in Strava

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I'm happy to report that this - my most "bear-likely" camping so far (based on the campground's fanatacism about food storage safety) provided no visitors in the night. This campground had just opened (the day I arrived) and was pretty sparsely populated, and some of the services weren't quite set up yet; there was no dishwashing sink in our half of the campground yet, but the storage lockers worked and there was a decent cooking shelter which it was nice to be under when the rain was worst. Lucky timing on when I chose to cook dinner too, since it only rained for a half hour or so and I got to sit it out "inside".

The campground was not in fact closed, but the sign was still wrong this morning

Aside from that bit o liquid sunshine, mostly before dark, the main weather event was COLD! My sleeping bag was up to the task but I had to pretty much seal it except a small crack to breathe through, right as it was coldest before dawn. It must have been near freezing but I guess not under freezing since I didn't have icy water bottles or see ice in the shade when I got up. I spent awhile burrowed into the sleeping bag reading, and let the sun come out to hopefully start the warming. I nonetheless got packed up somewhat slowly, drying out the tent before I packed it, since a wet tent is miserable to "come home" to later. On the bike, the route and thus I launched directly into the climb that I had done 2/3 of fairly gradually, yesterday. But, by now it was straight upwards to the pass. Knowing there were only 6 miles or so of it, and being fresh, and there being no unrideably steep portions (yay!), I made pretty great time going up! Then, I likely hit the fastest speed of the trip thus far coming down the backside of the pass! My bike computer got confused and showed me some other screen, unbidden (we sometimes argue, Garmin and I!) and I couldn't dork with it at 35mph so I will could not know how fast I went until Strava later informed me that it was 35.3mph?

Gave some thought to doing, but didn't do, a 5k hike up-up-up to see more of these glaciers

Leaving British Columbia felt like less of an event than crossing the timezone border, but I still snapped some pictures of the signs on my way through.

I must agree that it made a compelling case for its tagline - "The Best Place On Earth"

Alberta's sign was less compelling

At nearly the highest point of the ride so far - almost 1 mile high - I stopped for the traditional watering of the continental divide to send some liquid to one ocean and some to the other.

After the bomb into the valley I'll be riding in for the next week and a half, I ended up on a very cyclist-populated road. I'm talking hundreds of cyclists! Aside from a few support vehicles, not much other motor vehicle traffic (route is mostly closed to motor traffic for the rest of this week!). It was delightful and full of wildlife - narrowly missed seeing a bear, saw more bighorn sheep and an elk (all of the last 3 within a mile or so of the same spot!). Then the road kinda turned into a trail into town. As far as segments to repeat, it'll be pretty sweet to do 3x! (again tomorrow, and then at the end of my ride with Lori).