I Woke up early despite my best efforts to sleep in. Talked briefly with the friendly guys I was sharing the hostel room before eating and packing.
Cruised down the highway in the sunny morning weather, making nice time. When I stopped to use the washroom at a rest stop, a National Parks Employee told me I should take the 1A through banff rather than the highway because it would be quieter and more scenic, and then take the trail from Banff to Canmore. Fantastic advice. I took the nearest exit onto the 1A and didnt look back.
The 1A is small quiet parkway that winds its way through the pine forests of the National Park. There were more cyclists than cars, and the views were spectacular. The quiet forest road rolled past meadows, cliff faces, lakeside vistas, and mountain viewpoints for over half the route to Canmore. The terrain was more hilly than the highway, but worth it a hundred times over. I was a little more bear cautious when I stopped for lunch, and I even intentionally banged pots around to deter any curious animals.
Eventually the beautiful road came to an end back onto the highway. A few KM later I took the exit into the town of Banff. Now this is the point of clairification to yesterdays confusion I forgot to clear up in my last post. The signs I saw said I had entered Banff the National Park, while Banff the town was 50 KM farther. It was a nice and bustling town surrounded by the mountains, but I didnt stay longer than a quick drive around. Most of Banff's treasures require a larger time commitment not available on this trip.
After leaving Banff I found my way onto a nice roadside trail system all the way to Canmore. It was a really nice rolling ride, with the mountains looming over lakes, meadows and vallies of trees in the afternoon sun. There were tons of other bikers out on the trail for obvious reasons.
I arrived in Canmore, another nice and lively town, with a 'charming' downtown. I looked around for a while because it was still early, and then headed to my selected campground for the evening. And wouldnt you know it, the Chain Reaction team was at the same camp! They let me set up my tent on their RV lot for free too. AND they had a chiropractor friend over who looked at my knee for me. It is my tight IT band pulling me knee cap laterally, causing tendonitis. Much like when I was running a lot in the fall. Ice, rest, and rolling my IT band were the doctor's orders. Too bad my roller was too big to bring; I will have to find a substitute in Calgary. But no permanent damage, juat pain. Great luck today.
Tomorrow I reach Calgary, and take a much deserved rest day on Monday. After that it is onward to the prairies!
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