Back in the Rockies

Two more weeks on the road and we've just arrived in Jasper, a pretty, touristy town tucked into the most exhilarating mountain scenery of the trip so far.  We're back in the Rockies in southern Alberta after long stretches through rolling arable farmland that felt homely initially and then a bit bland.  

I intended to post from Fort St John, our last rest day, but it was such a dispiriting place that I never got it together.  The entire town was recently thrown up to support the extensive oil fracking activity and had all the charm of an industrial estate.  Our hotel was on the fringe, 5 kms from the laundromat, it rained persistently and we fell into a collective glum that it seemed unnecessary to share.  Isabelle was so concerned about spending additional time there that she paid to change to an earlier flight out.  I was feeling sad to lose my riding partner.   

Things have perked up considerably since then and each day has had its rewards and challenges.  We reached Mile Zero at the south end of the Alaskan Highway and it's been good to have less traffic and construction sections.  By and large truck drivers are pretty considerate but some of the RV folk seem unaware that their mirrors and rear sections are wider than their cosy cabs and swoosh past like giant fly swats.

The brief summer (July!) is the only opportunity for road repairs and the extreme winter frost causes extensive damage - 'ice heaves' and 'shivers'.  Many of the road workers are women both driving the huge machines and controlling the traffic; people in the long queues are notably patient and calm.  On a couple of occasions we had to load our bikes into the back of the control pickups to be ferried past active machinery a few at a time - significant hassle for the workers treated like a fun diversion with banter and goodwill.  Less fun for us were the half finished sections with corrugation, loose gravel and clouds of invasive dust.

The weather has been excitingly variable and within a few moments we can be in full waterproofs against cold, driving rain then applying sunscreen as the temperature shoots up once the sun comes out.   Sometimes the headwinds are brutal.  'Allez, allez, allez, on n'est pas a la plage!' comes the cry if you slow down too much - when conditions are harsh it's great to have the encouragement and camaraderie of other riders!  One of the pleasures of the trip is being able to ring the changes of riding solo, in a pair or small group according to mood and circumstance.

    In a forest camp

Four of us decided to ride our bikes to the gondola station on the rest day, only 5kms but all between 10 and 15% climb we soon discovered, to go to the top of Whistler Mountain and in retrospect I'm so happy that we did.  At the top of the lift we hiked up to the summit and could see snow covered peaks and glaciers for miles in all directions.  Little groups of ptarmigan sheltered in the rocks unfazed by our presence and we caught a glimpse of some rare mountain sheep, long-legged and with dramatic twisted horns.  The wildlife tally has increased glamorously this section and now includes beavers, deer, a lone wolf - still no moose.

    Bear Lake - turquoise because sunlight reflects on the fine silt in suspension.

    Athabasca Falls

    When my neck tires from gazing upwards the verge is full of colourful wild flowers

And so I tried to post this in Jasper and there was insufficient WiFi signal...... 

We're now in Banff after the best three days of the trip so far. Cold starts at 2 or 3 degrees then beautiful sunshine for the fabulous mountain, glacier and lake views all along the way.  The climbs have been hard and it was funny to be clapped into a lay-by by a group of coach tourists from South Korea!

    Looking down on Jasper

At last a Scrabble player has joined us for a few days and I've a game to play over breakfast.  We haven't resolved the English or American spelling issue yet.....

Love

Viv x

    Last of the midnight sun