Calgary to Present, More Details

July 10th Calgary, AB to Banff, AB - 119km, 4:35
July 11th Invermere, BC Rest Day spent at Columbia Lake and Hot Springs
July 12th Banff, AB to outside Golden, BC - 134km, 6:33
July 13th Outside Golden, BC to near Revelstoke, BC - 121km, 5:11
July 14th Near Revelstoke, BC to Salmon Arm, BC - 131km, 5:14
July 15th Salmon Arm, BC to Kamloops, BC - 119km, 4:55
July 16th Kamloops, BC to Merritt, BC - 99km, 5:06
July 17th Merritt, BC to Hope, BC - 124km, 5:20
July 18th Hope, BC to Port Coquitlam, BC - 131km, 5:29

From Calgary we had a beautiful ride towards Banff, with our first sighting of the magnificent Rocky Mountains. After just a few minutes of riding I experienced some severe groin muscle pain/cramps, possibly from dehydration or some random other thing. Maybe it was the Bocce ball tournament at the Doble house, who knows...After that subsided it was a smooth ride downhill into Banff. You'd think it would be going up heading west into the Rockies, but Calgary is actually very high, so more often than not through the mountains we were going down. The views approaching Banff were incredible, with majestic hills all around and jagged peaks in the distance. One of our easiest and most enjoyable rides for sure.

In the ski village of Banff, amid mass construction unfortunately, we left our bikes with friends of Mike's aunt and uncle. Mike's uncle Jean-Luc picked us up in the evening and drove us to his family's home in Invermere, BC, a beautiful town nestled near a gaping valley. On the drive in we saw a mountain goat with a tiny baby licking the rocks about 20 feet up from the road, very cool. The balance of those animals is to be admired.

Jean-Luc is a gourmet chef, his wife Stephanie a massage therapist, and baby daughter Vanessa is a hilarious, incredibly bright little ball of energy. We had a great time meeting them all, enjoying their company, their hot-tub, beds, and delicious food. Our day off took us to some wonderful, albeit sulfur-smelling hot springs, perfect for relaxing the muscles. After that we cooled off in Columbia Lake, with perfectly warm water and more time to relax.

The next few days of riding were some of the most incredible ones of the entire trip. Descending from Kicking Horse Pass was a wild ride, with very little pedaling involved. To the bottom of the pass took us about 15 minutes, reaching wicked speeds. Heading into Golden was similarly fun, though we missed our campground and had to camp in a construction site right beside the highway. Not the most comfortable sleep, but by the end of the day it was surprisingly okay. Rogers Pass, the most difficult ascent of the trip according to people's tips and testimonials, turned out to be tough but nothing too challenging. Steady climbing for 45 minutes to an hour in high heat, and we didn't think it was that bad.

Revelstoke BC was a beauty of a spot to stop for lunch, where Gramma G, a local baker/merchant and very nice lady, gave us some free baked goods for the road as well as neck coolers you're supposed to soak in water. Very friendly and helpful people in this quaint town. This is where we learned that Kamloops was a better route to take than Kelowna, as Kelowna holds "The Connector," apparently one of the highest of highs in BC. Not wanting to climb unnecessarily, we headed for Kamloops. In Salmon Arm we stayed with a newly married older couple with a great backyard, nice shower and cold beer on the house. Too much!!! Then it was off to Kamloops, where we got to hit the beach for a little while and found a nice couple on the hill to stay with in their yard. Their neighbors made us breakfast as well...people everywhere seem to open their doors, and it never ceases to amaze us.

Merritt, the home of Canada's biggest country music festival that we missed by a week, was pretty uneventful, though we had some hilarious jokes in our camping spot near the grocery store. From there we ventured to Hope, ascending the Coquihalla pass and descending it with furious speeds, reaching our highest of any point during the trip. It was nerve wracking at times, but the brake pads are now worn thin for good reason. In Hope we saw a sign for an all you can eat Fish and Chips dinner, which turned out to be tasty and very very filling. Our server kindly recommended a camping spot on a sandy enclosure at a nearby creek, which was one of the more beautiful camping spots thus far. This takes me to the previous post I wrote last night, which should more or less mean I'm fully updated. I know I missed tons of details from each day, but each day could be 10 paragraphs full of hilarious sightings, mishaps, jokes, biking challenges, and descriptions of the sheer beauty of British Columbia. Now we finish our long overdue laundry, I'm off to change my brake pads, re-tape my hand, and head for the coast!!!! Almost there, mixed feelings for all of us.

Also, our overgrown, terribly uneven facial hair has reached its bitter end, and in Vancouver we're all going to get a hot shave leaving only our sweet Burt Reynolds-esque mustaches. Should be a sight to see, I'll post pictures when I get a chance!!!!