Dino Says Hi

This picture is a out of order. It is the parting of the waters where one stream goes to the Pacific and the other goes to the Atlantic. On the new Trans Canada you miss this but they have a new Continental Divide sign.
This picture is also out of order. It is a group of us having our lunch break at a cemetery on the highway into Drumheller. Probably the first time we have been such a big group together since we left Vancouver.
A quaint house in Field, B.C.
Stopping in lunch in Field
Probably the only time I will be up a hill before Terri.
A lunch stop.
Jim Large, he has had 6 flats so far on this trip. He is such a trooper, always helping to load and unload the truck each day.
The climb out of Golden.
Overlooking Golden on the climb out.
The Continental Divide
A rainy day at Lake Louise.
Spiral Mountain
We thought this might be an interesting bike to try.
Oliver and Company at the Holiday Inn, where hospitality is number 1.
A beautiful mountain view coming out of Banff in the am.

A beautiful canola field on the way to Drumheller.
A great lunch out with Ron, Dean, my brother-in-law Charlie (on my right), Dean's sister Laurie and her daughter Elizabeth
The Badlands of Drumheller
Charlie thinks this might be a good option for his next bike.


What a wonderful rest day here in Drumheller, Alberta. We have a lovely spot here, it is sunny and dry, nice showers, laundry and two nights in the same place. What can be better? It is amazing what satisfies you when you are on the road as we are.

The ride here took us through some very different terrain and weather. The rest day in Golden was a difficult one with the tents being quite a piece from the truck, no power etc but we had good weather leaving town. It was especially difficult to do the 18km climb because it was first thing in the morning without a real warmup. Our destination was Field, in Yoho National Park, and as we were ready for a nice cup of tea we took a little detour into this little hamlet before heading to the campsite. Good thing, we missed a real downpour while having lunch. Once we had our tent set up we decided to take the side trip to the Takakkaw Falls, the longest cascading waterfall in Canada. Terri and I originally thought we would avoid the ride as it was quite a climb but we decided to take the plunge when others had come back and said it was worth it. I was glad to have left the panniers at the campground as the switchbacks had to be taken one at a time with a short rest in between. The weather was not great, cold and rainy so our stay there was just long enough to take photos and put the extra layer on for the descent. Our campsite was at the base of Spiral Mountain, the one where you can see the front and rear of a train at the same time. Unfortunately we did not see a train but could see the portals when we climbed out of the campgound the next day.

For some reason the first 25km of the trip from Field to Banff was the slowest 25km of my life. We had a climb through Kicking Horse Pass and the old highway was covered in heaves of pavement and we couldn't get up any speed. It was great to be passing through the border of Alberta and BC (1 down 9 to go) and from the old highway you see Divide Creek where the water seperates and one stream flows to the Pacific and one stream flows to the Atlantic Ocean.

A side trip to Lake Louise took some time but was worth it despite the rain. The shot of Lake Louise does not due it justice given the rain. I found it actually stressfull to be around so many people. After an expensive lunch at the Chateau we headed out again. I found out what it was like to fall on a Texas Gate. There were two coming out of Lake Louise (keeps the animals out of the area). I did not see notice of it and was on it and off my bike before I knew what was happening. No damage to the bike, it fell on me and the panniers kept it off the rollers. I have a huge bruise on my right arm but nothing broken and bike it fine. Thank God.

The ride to Banff was cold and wet and it was too bad our rest day was not there. I could have used it after the day I had and our campsite was so far from town we could not get back in. It was also my cooking night. The guys on my crew are wonderful and had things underway by the time I arrived. Supper and breakfast the next day was a hit. We have lost two of our cooking crew today. One was a TDC vet that was only travelling part way. The other has had to suspend his trip due to a bad recurring knee issue.

We said goodbye to the mountains as we headed out of Banff to Airdrie via Canmore and Cochrane. I had a nice chat on the phone with Helen, a friend from my days living in Calgary. Our ride to Cochrane was great
through the Indian Reserve. We felt like we were riding in Bruce County actually. We had all the possible weather, sun, rain, thunder and lighting looming nearby and 10 minutes of solid hail. Our lunch in Cochrane at Tim's was well deserved.

The climbing into Airdrie caught us off guard and the head wind made it difficult to really benefit from the downhills. Our stay in the yard of the Scout Hall was, well what can I say, it was grass, showers and washrooms a long way away. We were fortunate to have the kindness of the Holiday Inn on our side. Oliver's hospitality in letting us use the laundry facilities was very much appreciated and we got to stay out of the rain for a couple of hours with some excellent company. He even made us coffee and shared the CD he and his band produced.

The ride from Airdrie to Drumheller started out cold and damp but ended up dry, sunny and hot. It was a great ride, nice rolling hills and long stretches of secondary roads. It took awhile to sink in just how beautiful a ride it was when I realized that we had no BC traffic to deal with. It was peaceful and beautiful. The canola fields went on forever as did the road. Some wondered if that would be what the prairies would be like. We were assured they were actually flatter.

Having lived in Alberta for 10 years, this area was not totally foreign to me but I did not remember the town itself. As you know it is known for the dinosaur history but neither Terri nor I ventured to the museum. Terri enjoyed her day at camp getting her to do list done and her postcards signed and mailed. I spent a wonderful visit with my brother-in-law who came down from Stoney Plain (near Edmonton) for a time of getting caught up on each others lives and families. He and his friend Dean are very interested in my bike and are considering a long trip like Tour du Canada when Charlie retires. We shared a meal at O'Sheas with Dean and his sister, Laurie, neice Elizabeth and another friend, Ron It was so good to see family.

Yesterday was mail day. Both Terri and I got parcels from our husbands, what a treat!!! Thanks Don for the cookies and Mike for the chocolates.

Tomorrow promises to be sunny and 27. Our evening dinner will be courtesy of the Youngstown community. They traditionally put on a meal for us.

To date we have travelled 1345 km. Thank you all for your support on the blog and on the Tour du Canada site. It is very encouraging and uplifting.

See you on the road!!!