Day 28 & 29: Canmore to Lake Louise (56mi) & Rest Day (23 mi unweighted +4 mi hiking)

It was easy to get on the road quickly when leaving the youth hostel – no tent to pack up and no hosts to share leisurely breakfast/coffee/conversations with. The first leg of the ride was on the Legacy Bike Path which kept me safely off the freeway but had some annoying animal control gates that required dismounting. I got to Banff early and immediately felt claustrophobic — even at the pre-tourist hour it felt kitschy and over stimulating.

I felt obliged to be a tourist, however, and stopped at a coffee shop where yesterday’s muffins were only $0.50- so I bought two! Down by the river was much less stuffy than amidst the shops and restaurants, so I took it slow riding along the river trail getting out of town.

    The bike path dropped me onto the scenic road paralleling the highway, which made for lovely,  if often overwooded, riding (trees block the view!)

  I didn’t see any other touring cyclists, but I was passed by numerous overweight retirees on carbon frames: apparently my miles haven’t quite compensated for the 70 pounds of bike and gear I’m hauling around. Towards the end of the ride I matched pace with a group of 4 tired cyclists who insisted I join them for (second) lunch at the little cafe in Lake Louise- thanks Rick & Kelly & Sandy & ??? ! I followed it up with a great ice cream cone by the river, and then rode the last couple km to Luke’s (who is a friend of a friend) We talked ski lines in chile (he is traveling there this fall) and he grilled salmon for dinner! It’s nice to be staying indoors in a quiet house with dark curtains- I could go to bed before it gets dark at 10:30 and sleep in on my day off.

Despite exhaustion, I only slept until 8, and spent a leisurely morning at the house making breakfast, organizing my gear, and going back to bed.

I finally decided to go check out the lakes. My bike felt very fast and twitchy without all my gear, and quickly climbed the 4km up to Lake Louise,

Lake Louise

where I went for a short hike up to Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes. It was lovely, but hard to escape the throngs of tourists. After lunch and a quick swim in Mirror Lake, I spun up the road to Moraine Lake. They’d actually run out of parking and closed the road (that’s what I get for being in a tourist trap on Canada Day weekend!) but since I was on a bike they let me up anyway, so I got to enjoy the ride sans cars.

I enjoyed an ice cream and then made the precarious crossing over the floating logs at the end of the lake to the moraine, atop which there was a spectacular view…and a trail down the back with a bridge over the creek. As fun as the log crossing was, I opted for the safe way back to my bike.

 

Moraine Lake

My phone ran out of memory so The rest of the day’s photos are on my other camera – trying to remedy this so I can keep sharing photos!

I rode back to the village, where Luke and I made a spice-rubbed steak, mashed potatoes, and salad for dinner, and then spent the evening watching ski films and talking snow. It’s been super hot the last couple days, and I find myself thinking about winter a lot.

I am excited to head up the Icefields Parkway tomorrow (supposedly the visual highlight of this whole trip!) and plan to be in Jasper Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

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