I had no internet last night and was rather discombobulated trying to get the hang of this camping thing so I could not do a post that night. It was a rainy and cold evening before the start. However, the rain had stopped and it had started to warm up a bit (50’s) by the time we started to ride. Of course, we had a get together the evening before and met the riders we had not yet met.

I was about the last one to get my bags loaded since I was so far from the truck and my bags were so heavy. So they started the team photo with me in the back row. The ride started out of Canmore and we did a steep climb. I had done part of that ride on two days. The highest part of the road is dirt and usually dusty but not dusty after the rain. Even though it was cool, I was warm by the top.

Then we commenced to ride on old dirt service roads that were mostly washboard-surfaced. It was hard to find a good line and we had constant jarring. The first lesson theat I learned it that my off-road bike handling skills leave a lot to be desired. If I am an 8 on a road bike on a 10 scale (I am being generous), then I am a 3 at best off-road. After the first climb, the terrain was just bumpy and muddy from the rain. On and we had a lot of traffic even though it was a dirt road.

However, the bigger threat was that we could see a lot of rain in the mountains and heading our way. Pretty soon it began to drizzle and then harder and I stopped to put on my rain jacket. I wished that I had brought some warmer cloths as well. As the rain got harder, I rode harder and caught some riders going into the SAG. Most of the riders looked miserable but as luck would have it, the rain abated and we were able to ride fairly dry but still cold.

The last part of the ride was uneventful but we got lost within a mile or two of the camp site and that took an extra hour or so to find. Many of the trails had been closed due to bear activity. The berries were in season and there are a lot of berries by the trails.

It took me a long time to set up my complicated tent and get my camp site situated. There were no shower  facilities so we improvised as best we could. My tent was warm even though the night probably dipped into the 30’s.

The next morning we were treated to a bear eating berries very close to our campsite. I got some good pictures that I will post shortly. Day 1 was about 50 miles and it is good to get the first one under your belt even if it was not the best of days. You can’t beat the scenery though!

Tailwinds

Chuck