Today was quite the day. At some points, I was wondering why I was doing this and at others I was grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat. The route was 90 miles from Banff to Rampart Creek campground at the exact same elevation with almost 4000 feet of gain and loss in between. Though I think the exact reverse would be far worse, it was basically 45 miles of mostly up followed by 45 of down. Needless to say, that first 45 was draining and seemingly endless. To boot, the sun was unrelenting, nary a cloud in the sky. I was really regretting this trip, despite the grandiose scenery . . . And then the down started, "Wheeee!!!"
Anyway, this seems to be popular bicycling and bikepacking country. I saw tons of them both out today. Unfortunately, the majority, and all the packers, were headed the other way.
Saw my first bear on this trip today. He was just lumbering down the highway. Oh! He's in my lane!! Luckily, some hawkers had stopped their cars to take pictures. So, I quickly switched to the left shoulder to let the black bear be.
It was a long day, about 12 hours of cycling. But, it was a good day. All the lake were so richly turquoise and the mountains, so majestic. When i got into camp, I met this great French guy touring western Canada in an RV. He invited me to sit and have a beer and then to a meal.
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