Day 18 - Hanna to Oyen

115.0 kms - Total so far 1,509.99 kms - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/5079296

• Once again we had an early start leaving around 7 a.m. on an overcast and cool day. The destination for today was Oyen, 117 km away, and our last overnight stay in Alberta. Again, we were informed by fellow campers that it was flat all the way there. Not so as we encountered climb after climb for the first 10 km. They are nothing like in BC, but there is still an incline. There was not much scenery to look at and we figured we would have nothing to report on today. Boy were we wrong!

  

  Home sweet home in Hanna before the luggage explosion

• At the big truck stop EAST of Hanna, we were told by a flagman that we would have to get off the right shoulder of the road and move to the left of the road and ride that shoulder for a while. So we did. After a couple of 100 meters, we stopped and turned around to see a large truck pulling a trailer upon which rested a huge white box. As the truck passed us, we noticed another truck attached to the trailer and pushing from the rear. The load was 24 ft wide (I asked another flagman) and occupied the roadway and the shoulder. Being asked to move to the other side of the road would occur two more times, each time another huge piece of equipment being towed and pushed would drive by us and at speed. 

  

  Don't know what it is but it's 24 feet wide

• This type of activity occured one more time but on the other side of the road (heading WEST). This time we stopped and took pictures.  

A large truck with plus size load

Can you count the number of wheels?

Sometimes pulling is not enough you also have to push

• We stopped for a quick lunch at the Tavern in Cereal. As soon as we sat down the waitress asked us "what we wanted" and surprised we replied "what about a menu". She apoligized and explained that most of the people she serves already know what they want. Once menu in hand, Hélène ordered the 'Home made spring rolls' which she could not get as the waitress did not know how to make them. We had a plate of sweet potato fries. We also chatted with a local guy (formelly from Nepean, Ontario) who gave us all sorts of advice on the village of Oyen and what was open and what was closed. Turns out most of his information was wrong.

  

  Tavern in Cereal

Isn't that the coolest flowerbed eveeeeeeeeeer!!!

When not pedaling, relax 

• We made it to the very new Information Centre (we were told it was closed and had been for years) in Oyen and got all sorts of information on campgrounds in both in Oyen and in Kindersley, Sask. The info on Oyen was bang on and we will have to wait and see for the one in Sask. We stayed quite a while and made use of their WiFi. 

• While we were editing truck pictures and GPS data, another single cyclist pulled up on a loaded bike.  Sheara from Vancouver is cycling by herself from Vancouver to St-John's. She also stopped for lunch at the Tavern in Cereal. I just hope those folks can recover from encountering three spandex wearing cyclists in one day. Turns out that Sheara had been in contact with our friend Millon, who we introduced earlier in the blog. Be safe Sheara and hope to hear from you soon. 

• Millon let us know where you are and tell us about your progress.

• Hélène and I want to thank those of you that have commented on the blog. We get tremendous pleasure in reading your messages and that is usually the first thing we do when we wake at 5:15 a.m. Also there is nothing wrong in letting us know who you are. Merci encore!!

• We leave you with this video of the big truck on our side of the road heading EAST. We were told to move to the otherside of the road. 

71.46 miles - Total so far 938.26 miles

Day 17 - Drumheller to Hanna

86 km - Total so far 1,394.99 km - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/5049380

• We left at approximately 6:57 a.m. under cloudy and cool conditions heading to Hanna, 85 km away. For the few of you who may not know, Hanna is the town responsible for the band "Nickleback". 

• As we left, we had to take what else but another dinosaur picture. This particular dinosaur reminds visitors of Drumheller's beginnings as a mining town later made famous by the discovery of dinosaur bones. There was active coal mining in Drumheller up until the discovery of oil in Leduc, in 1948. 

Not Dino sitting on his coal car

• Once again we were on Hwy 9 which for the most part has a fairly wide shoulder but for some reason, the shoulder for about 20 km was narrow and with a rumble strip in the middle. This combination requires a lot of concentration to ride and is not a whole lot of fun. The alternative is to ride in the roadway but near the white line the road was in pretty rough shape.  Eventually the shoulder improved and it was all good.

  

  Hwy 9 and the view beyond

• We had planned to ride to Delia to enjoy a burger but realized that the village was some ways off Hwy 9 which would add mileage to our trip. We decided to make a right to Delia and damn the extra mileage. On entering Delia, we came across a large Veterans' Memorial Park that had been updated and rededicated in 2014. We stopped and paid our respects. As we rode down main street we were surprised by murals and information panels. These panels date back to 2014, the village centennial. One of us is a history buff (and the other just likes older things) and made a point of stopping and reading all panels. We also agreed to take pictures of the many murals after lunch.

  

  One of the many murals 

  
  

  

  A 3D mural note the truck tailgate 

• Hélène stopped by the post office to mail things that we had picked up at the Tyrrell museum and over the last few days. I thought she was taking for ever to come out and so I went in. I found her in an animated conversation with the very enthousistic postmistress who was over the moon at the chance of meeting two people that were cycling to Ottawa. Suprisingly enough, we get that reaction a lot. A customer she knew came in and she shared that with her as well. We asked if she had stickers for us to increase our collection and she did not. Instead she used an antique post office stamp once used to cancelled stamps. We thanked her and left to go have our hamburgers at the Chinese restaurant. There is no chinese restaurant but rather "Luke's Cafe" that is owned and operated by a family of Chinese origin. 

• Luke's Cafe was opened by Luke Sing (Charlie) in 1957 and moved to its current location in 1995 when it was taken over by his son Onruf Luke (Luke). Walking into the cafe is like stepping back to 1957 which was significant to me since I was born in 1957. Hélène and I got to sit in an old booth with thickly padded seats and gave our order to Charlie. We both got cheeseburgers and and an order of fries (the plus side of cycling). It took a while to eat as we did a lot of looking around the cafe and Luke was often standing right next to the booth wanting to chat and, chat we did. All in all it was a most excellent decision to stop in Delia.

  

  One of the few reamaining grain elevators in Alberta

• We took more pictures on the way out of the village of 300 people. Back on Hwy 9, the sun was finally out and we still had a face wind. We have not had more than 2 days without a head wind. It makes for tough going but we consider it training for the up and down hills of Nothern Ontario.

• We got to Hanna at a most reasonable 3 p.m. and finally at the campsite at 4 p.m. It took a while in the grocery store as I can't tell the difference between large oranges and grapefruits, but that is a story for another time.

• Denis, Hélène got your messages but they were delayed and she has difficulties accessing Google+

53.44 miles - Total so far 866.80 miles

Day 16 - Drumheller

0 km - Total so far 1,308.99 km - Rest day

• Last evening we started our 1 day vacation inside our vacation. After awesome pizza from Canadian Pizza Unlimited, we went for a walkabout in downtown Drumheller. Let's just say that there isn't much action on a Sunday night so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We checked out the many dinosaurs that are all over town and even got one to give us a ride in his sidecar.

  

  Dino giving us a ride in his sidecar

• The plan for today was to take a tour with Wild West Adventure Tour, an organization that was thoroughly researched before leaving Ottawa. The tour company sent a car to drive us to the Royal Tyrrell Museum to spend the morning. We were overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of the exhibits. This place is a national (world) treasure and the 3.5 hours we spent there were just not enough. We were told that many visitors spend two days and we can understand why. After the museum, we returned downtown and had a nice light lunch at the Brick furniture store. Yes the Brick store has the Ole Cafe attached to it. At the cafe you can buy the usual stuff or the chair or couch you happen to be sitting on. 

  

  Albertosaurus

• A video of some furry friends just outside the museum

• At 1:30 we got on the tour 15 passenger van with another family and the adventure began. Don and Val Johnston are the tour owners and you personal guides. They took us to Horse Thief Canyon, Badlands Passion Play site, Orkney Point, the suspended bridge at Rosedale, Hoodoos and the Last Chance Saloon, in Wayne. We also crossed the Red Deer River on the Bleriot Ferry. The entire trip lasted 3 1/2 hours and we had a wonderful time. They are very knowledgeable and witty so it was very entertaining, a must do. We finished the day with a steak dinner at Evans restaurant.

Horse Thief Canyon

Orkney Point

Badlands Passion Play site

Hoodoos 

Last Chance Saloon, Wayne, Alberta

• With one more night at the Econolodge campsite (wink, wink), we are getting ready to once again hit the road bright and early in order to avoid the heat. At 6 pm tonight, it was 31 degrees in Drumheller. Destination for tomorrow Hanna, with a possible side trip to the Chinese restaurant in Delia to enjoy, we are told, the most enjoyable hamburgers!

• We leave with this video of a Chicago Coin's Band Box, dating to the 1940's.

Day 15 - Irricana to Drumheller

76.36 km - Total so far 1,308.99 km - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4942596

• We were able to recover Day 11- Gloden to Banff from the world wide web!

• We had a really good stay at the Irricana Municipal Campground. The campground hostess, as she refers to herself, has taken a personal interest in the place and you almost feel like your are staying at her home. Some may not like that, but we sure did appreciate the little extras. Highly recommended for cyclists to stop and overnight there.

• As we relaxed at the campsite, we saw a huge jack rabbit run (hop) down the dirt road. Without a word of a lie, this thing was the size of a medium sized dog. Could not snap a picture but the rabbit in the video looks like what we saw.

• We had a quick tour of Irricana and its murals before we left. We were very much impressed by the efforts of the residents to make this a most welcoming place. There are benches and small gardens all along the main access road from Hwy 9. Very nice.

  

  A mural on the edge of town

  

  The once very popular Irricana Hotel

• The shoulders on Hwy 9 are as wide as the traffic lanes and that on both sides of the road. We figure that the wide shoulder is to accommodate large farm equipment later in the summer. We saw the odd old farm truck driving down the shoulder.

  

  A nice wide shoulder

• The scenery is not as breathtaking as we experienced earlier in Alberta. After a while, we realized that the only thing that would attract attention is a "silo". We found that silos are strewn all over the country side. You can have anywhere from 2 to as many as 10+ silos in the fields. There are trees but not that many and our neighbors at the campsite told us to enjoy them as we won't be seeing any in Saskatchewan.

  

  A nice (bunch, group, clump, cluster) of silos

The only tall vertical structure not a silo between Bieseker and Drumheller

• Our friend Denis, who did the ride from Quebec WEST to Vancouver, did tell us that heading in that direction the excitement builds as you near the Rockies. Going the other way, as we are, is not nearly as exciting as you head home. I am starting to understand what he meant. 

• After a fast 2 km ride down an 8% grade, we finally made it to Drumheller. We made a quick stop for a mocha coffee at McDonald's and off to the Information Center to plan our 1 day vacation within our vacation. Tomorrow we are not pedaling but will be chauffeured around to see the sights and go to the Royal Terryll Museum.

Finally entering the Badlands

47.45 miles - Total so far 813.37 miles

Day 14 - Cochrane to Irricana

80.06 kms - Total so far 1,232.63 km - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4941788

• We left the campground around 9 a.m. and headed uptown to do our shopping. We stopped at Safeway, then McDonald's for coffee and finally Bike Bros to pick up a new tire for Hélène. The replacement tire is a poor substitute for the damaged tire but will have to do until we find something better. I also purchased a tube of Chamois Butt'r. This is the stuff one puts on the bottom of their cycling shorts and enables you to spend the entire day in the saddle and not experience too much skin discomfort. We also got stickers from Bike Bros to continue our recently started collection.

What has 4 tires, 27 gears and no motor? 

• As usual, we had a nice 4 km climb out of Cochrane to get out of the valley and head to our stop for the night in Irricana. We followed Hwy 22, then 567 and finally 9. This route had been recommended to us by Bill and Rose, our friends from Calgary. We had a head wind for most of the day until about 30 km shy of Irricana. We then had a tail and we just flew down the road. While going uphill I stopped to pick up a 7/16 wrench on the side of the road. Tough decisions ahead as I can only keep the one item a week :-(!

• Not much shade in the Prairies, so at our lunch stop we improvised an overhead shelter that gave us protection from the sun. It should also work if we get rain. This is the same tarp I used in one of the campsites', and I am so glad that I brought it.

Improvise, adapt and overcome!

• We stopped for coffee, water and a inner tube in Airdrie. At the bicycle shop, the Specialized bicycle company had set up a booth with their products. The representative from Specialized got all excited by our bikes, gear and travel plans and insisted on getting a picture of us. Another Instagram picture we might never see. We did give the young man a trip card so who knows. He was kind enough to loan us his pump.

• After riding the last 30 km like teenagers, we neared the edge of town. To our rear this large white truck pulled up very close to us. Not what you want when on a bicycle. To our surprised the passenger spoke to us in French and said "It is us Bill and Rose". What a nice surprise that was. We had planned to meet them and it was awful nice to have them join us. We enjoyed a wonderful supper with them. Hélène and I are making plans to comeback and will be returning the hospitality.

  

  Prairies are not completely flat 

• We are back at the campsite and doing maintenance on the bikes. I replaced the folding tire on Hélène's with the one bought today. All in all it was another fantastic day on our vacation. Meeting with Bill and Rose made it even more special. 

Our new friends, Bill and Rose

Leaving the Rockies behind

First Aid Kit items

Day 13 - Banff to Cochrane

105.49 km - Total so far 1,152.57 km - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4942630 (Partial GPS battery died)

• We had a challenging night in Banff National Park. They have a "bare campsite" policy so we had to lock everything we owned that has a scent (food, toiletries, etc) in the food lockers, some distance away from our tent.To keep things simple, we locked everything away. We also slept in this morning.

• We were on the road by 8 a.m., with our first destination Canmore. Every time we hear the name "Canmore" we are reminded of the Royal Canadian Air Farce character "Mike, from Canmore". We were expecting Canmore to be a hick town filled with rednecks. We could not have been more wrong. 

• We followed the Legacy Trail downhill to Canmore for 22 km. The trail is multi-use (people, cyclists and horses) and runs along Hwy 1A. We found Canmore not to be as touristy as Banff and had we known how easy it was to get to, we would have cycled the extra km the day before to get there.

  

  Legacy Trail towards Canmore. Cars are on Hwy 1

• A couple of videos of the Legacy Trail closer to Canmore

• On the Legacy Trail in Canmore, we came across a bicycle repair/maintenance station complete with tools, bike maintenance rack and pump. One of the locals informed us that fitness is important to the people of Canmore and this is reflected in the infra structure. We stopped for coffee at the Rave Cafe for our second breakfast. Expensive but we savored a most excellent cup of java.

  

  Bike repair station. You can hang your bike between the two arms

• Heading out of town, we kept being passed by a number of cyclists. One of them rode along side us for a while and told us that he was part of a fund raising ride. We mentioned that we were travelling from Vancouver to Ottawa and had been on the road for 13 days. He asked if we still talked to each other and we responded without hesitation that we still loved each other.

  

  Ride participant 

• We found out that the ride was stopping for lunch up the road about halfway to Cochrane (50 km) and we decided to crash their lunch. As we got there, they beat us to it and invited us to join them. The fund raiser is called "Ride for A Reason" and is conducted to raise funds for the Southern Alberta Bible Camp. Part of the funds raised are used to offer children the opportunity to attend bible camp and the remainder used to maintain the facilities. It was a privilege to have lunch with them and share some of our riding experiences and listen to theirs. The ride is in its 7th running is a 3 day event covering 340 km. As we left, we were presented with water bottles and stickers, that we proudly affixed to our waterproof bags for all to see. Have a safe ride and we might just join you on one of your rides.

  

  One of the ride support vehicles with trailer

• Farther down the road, we spotted 4 mountain goats. Two were by the side of the road while the other two were on the rock face making their way down. It is simply unbelievable how sure footed they are as they quickly made their way down the rock face. 

  

  Cute isn't he 

• As if he had not had enough fun and excitement, Hélène decided to liven things up by picking up a deck screw in her back tire less than 1 km from Cochrane. Fortunately, we were only going down a shallow incline and she was able to control her bike to a safe stop. The screw entered to bottom of the tire and came out the side wall thereby making the tire unusable. We both carry a spare folding tire and tubes and within 15 minutes, we were back on the road.

  

  Gonna have a flat then go big or go home!

• Before we head out tomorrow, we will have to pick up another touring tire. They are a more substantial bicycle tire than what is offered at Canadian Tire and we hope the local bike shop will have one. 

• The scenery has changed significantly, gone are the luscious forests and rock faced mountains with snow. We are now on the edge of the prairies and can see for a long distance. As we came upon the sign announcing "Cochrane 18 km" all we had to do was look up and we could see the town.

• An update on our friend Millon. He is relaxing in Calgary.

Day 12 - Lake Louise Village to Banff

64.79 km - Total so far 1,047.08 km - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4942718

• Today we rode from the Village of Lake Louise to Banff, a distance of about 60 km and mostly downhill. Before leaving the hostel, we exchanged pleasantries with two ladies who were cycling to Jasper and the Icefields Parkway. They were both Canadian Forces Health Care professionals from CFB Edmonton. Hélène fixed the front brake on their bicycle and I talked about our quilt and our insanely cute sewing machine. We wish them a safe journey and hope they will let us know about their ride.

• We did a bit of shopping at the sports store picking up new pedals for Hélène. All that climbing has given her a sore knee. With her current pedals she has to clip in all the time and cannot move her feet. These new pedals allow her not to be clipped in all the time and make moving her feet around possible. 

A yoga bear stretch before the day's ride

• As we got ready to leave from the parking lot, we spotted Millon heading out of town.

• We had planned on taking the Bow River Valley Parkway to Banff, Hwy 1A. This is a quiet two lane road that goes through the Banff National Park. It is not well signed as you leave Lake Louise but we eventually found it. There is a big archway at the entrance and very informative signs on the large creatures one might encounter. We were particularly interested in what was said abput both the grizzly and black bears.

Note the warning about the possible location of bears

• The ride was like a Sunday morning ride in Gatineau Park less the grizzlies. The road was in excellent condition and with a posted 60 km speed limit. Very little traffic and everyone adhered to the speed limit. Did I tell you it was sunny and around 15 degrees...just perfect. We took our sweet time and treated this ride as a rest day.

View on the Bow River Parkway...breathtaking

• We did not see any bears but were aware of their presence as they use the sides of the road as their personal washroom. The only large animal we did see was an elk, who wandered across the road and decided to have lunch right there and then. Not having read up on elks, we were very cautious as we approached. By then a number of cars had stopped on either side of the road to take pictures and using the cars as protection we got by the big animal. As we went by him, we noticed two more elks in the woods near the road. 

Big elk is in line with with car on right hand side of the road

• After stopping many times along the route we finally made it to Banff. As we did many times in the last few days, we had to cross a number of Texas Gates along the route. They are used to keep large animals off the highway or out of town. We found out from a gentleman in Banff that you can cross them at speed on your bike quite easily. We will wait for a demonstration before we try that trick on our own.

A Texas Gate

• Tomorrow we head out to Cochrane, that is just outside Calgary. For the first half of the ride, we will follow a bike path to Canmore, and thus avoid Hwy 1. Although Hwy 1 has a wide shoulder, there is lots of traffic and not pleasant.

• We are spending the night in a Parks Canada campsite without access to Internet. We also have been warned of bear visiting the campsite and we have had to lock food and anything scented in a food locker. We will sleep with our bear spray cans at the ready.

• We leave you with some of the pictures we took.

The still talking to each other couple!

Castle Mountain, Bow Valley River Parkway

Lunch halfway to Banff

Water, trees and mountains

• Many of our friends and acquaintances have gone to Europe on cycling holidays and reported on the incredible scenery they observed. After experiencing but a tiny bit of this great country, Hélène and I believe that we made a good choice by first discovering what Canada has to offer.