Day 5, Banff to Vermilion Crossing, BC

No internet last night, so this is Friday’s post.

Last night we went to the local grocery in Banff and got everything we need for dinner and breakfast this morning: bananas, peanuts, cheese and some sliced turkey.  We stopped by the bakery for some bread and they were just closing.  They were out of bread but asked if we’d like some rolls – they looked really good and they had a bag full of 7 big rolls.  I was negotiating for 7 for the price of 6, but then they just gave them to us – said that if we hadn’t walked through the door they would throw them out.  We gladly accepted and had our dinner and breakfast set!

One more stop at the beer store and we were good to go.

Back at the cheapo hotel we hopped into the hot tub while a rainstorm blew through.  The tub felt good and the weather forecast was for a decent day, meaning little rain.

The forecast looked accurate in the morning so we got rolling at about 0730.  Today’s route takes us back up the Bow Valley Parkway heading north, then turning west onto Hwy. 93 over the Vermillion Pass and then into the Kootenay National Park and  into British Columbia.  To get back to the Bow Valley Parkway we had to ride a bike path that parallels the Trans Canada highway.  There were several big signs as we entered the path saying that we should be cautious because a bear was nearby – the signs were not there yesterday as we rode into Banff.  It was early in the a.m., a bear’s favorite time of day, and there was nobody around.  So we dinged our bell and rode fast (except around corners).  We were glad to get through the “bear gates” that have to be opened to get out of the area where the bears are apparently pretty habituated.

Leaving Banff

Onto the Bow Valley Parkway the roads were dry and it was nice, although still pretty cold (about 9 degrees).  But without the rain it was fine.

South entrance to Bow Valley Parkway -- watch for wolves!

Along the parkway.  We were hoping for wildlife but no luck.

Traffic picked up a bit as the morning wore on, and by the time that we reached our westward turn at Castle Junction we were guessing that weekend traffic was causing the increase in volume of cars.  We stopped and had a cup of coffee at the junction to warm up, then headed upward onto the Vermilion Pass.  The climb was fairly short and not too steep, about 1200 meters up and 7 to 9 percent.  The descent into the Kootenay Park was gnarly, though.  The shoulder was about 1 meter wide and there were huge cracks running lengthwise – they were the classic “death valley” type of cracks, about 10 cm wide and really deep.  We had to pick our line through the cracks while descending at speed with traffic close by on our left side.  A bit scary but we made it to the valley just fine and the shoulder widened and got mostly smooth.

We entered British Columbia as we followed the Vermilion River.  We stopped to look at some waterfalls, but there was nothing too exciting.  In 2003 there was a huge wildfire that burnt all of the timber on the ridges that run up each side of the valley.  We read about the fire at one of the interpretive sites and it was a devastating burn that lasted about 6 weeks and burned 15,000 hectares.  The hillsides are still only beginning to recover.

Fire-ravaged hills

Our stop for the night is the Kootenay Park Lodge, and old group of log cabins that is really funky.  Some of the tiny cabins have a noticeable lean to starboard; others lean to port.  Our cabin is downhill when entering, uphill toward the bathroom.  But they have a certain charm and they’re plenty good for us.  The cabins have filled up through the early evening and we’ve enjoyed spying on our neighbors-for-the-night.

Das Bike on the road

 

 

Entering Kootenay National Park

Leaving Alberta, entering British Columbia

Marble Creek

Numa Falls

Kootenay Park Lodge -- worth a visit if you're in the area

Inside the lodge restaurant

There’s a small restaurant in the main lodge.  We were going to have our rolls from last night but decided to splurge and eat at the lodge.  It was really very good for a place that is a long ways from anywhere.  They make most of the food themselves and it is fresh and well prepared.  We met the young couple who purchased the lodge just this past May – they are transplants from Ontario who have always wanted to live in the mountains and own a lodge.  Living the dream!  Their lodge is a long way from any town.  They have no cell signal, no land line phone, no internet, and they’re loving it.  They have some kind of radio if there’s an emergency. 

Wildflowers at Kootenay Park Lodge

Our little cabin -- it reminded us of Camp Sherman because it is so quiet and calm

Some lean left...

and some lean right...all good though

After breakfast at the lodge (included in the price of the cabin), we head south and west over the Sinclair Pass to Radium Hot Springs and then on to Fairmont Hot Springs.  It is a long day in the saddle and the weather is looking wet, again.