Tag archives for Banff

Day 32: Vernon to Banff

By Chris Published August 17, 2012

This morning was a repeat of yesterday as dad woke up and took off early, and left poor Adrian and I to fend for ourselves in the hotel. Unfortunately our sleeping in plan didn’t work out that well as there was far too much yelling and door slamming going on in the hallway. Aside from the door slamming, the hotel was great, and we’d like to thank the Prestige Hotel and Conference Center in Vernon for putting us up for the right price last night. I’d definitely stay at that hotel again.

Breakfast at the hotel was great, and upon getting gas we hit the highway. Traffic was pretty heavy on the way up to Sicamous, and we got stuck behind some side by side semis for a while… “Kind sir, please move over!”

Speaking of that, being that it was a Friday, apparently all rules of the road went out the window as people were driving slower in the passing lane, and we even had a few vehicles deliberately attempt to pinch us off at the end of passing lane opportunities. It was just ridiculous!

Rogers Pass on a beautiful day!

As you can see from this picture at Rogers Pass, the weather was dynamite again today, and we didn’t even have to consider putting our jackets on. The temperature was hot, but tolerable and didn’t feel like we were riding on the sun like we were yesterday.

The tunnels were also a good time today. Traffic was heavy again, and we ended up slowing down to about 50 at one point while inside a tunnel… of course I dropped er down to 2nd gear, and I’ve never heard so much hilarious backfiring since I’ve had the bike. I turned to smile at Adrian and all I saw was him buckling over in laughter. Thought the poor guy was going to crash!

Just outside of Banff we passed the 12,000km mark! My initial estimate of just under 12k for the entire trip is obviously a little bit off.

Once we got to Banff I had a little surprise as my rear brakes were gone… I don’t know what happened to them, but it’s a little bit different riding around without a rear brake. I’m going to see if I can take care of it tomorrow before we leave (maybe just bleed the lines or something as the pads are ok), but if not I’m sure I’ll be able to make it back to Edmonton with just a front brake. Going to have to adjust the riding style a little bit to compensate.

Tonight is the 2nd last night of the trip. Looking forward to being able to sleep in my own bed again on Sunday night when we’re back.

Here are today’s points of interest:

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Day 24: Banff to Nakusp

By Chris Published August 9, 2012

I finished up yesterday’s post saying that we had a quiet night in Banff, but after pressing the publish button, Adrian and I decided it was time to throw a pizza on top of all the sushi that we had for dinner. We got our usual Aardvark pizza creation, and demolished an extra large pie before finally hitting the sack.

The morning started off slower than most so far on the trip, as we leisurely got up and went for breakfast. Phil and Jack had to head back to Edmonton, so our temporary six man wolf pack was now back down to four.

You want the road to go where? Right through that mountain?

The weather was dynamite, possibly the best we’ve had so far as it was sunny and clear, and not disgustingly hot. Traffic also wasn’t too bad, and we had a great ride from Banff to Nakusp.

Stopping for a break

We found a nice little place to stop for a break along the Trans-Canada. We rode with our jackets on up to this point as it was still pretty chilly in a few areas, but after this break it was all short sleeves and lots of sunscreen.

We stopped for Lunch in Revelstoke, and ended up rushing a little bit as we wanted to try and catch the earliest ferry. We rode down to the ferry without hitting much traffic at all, but when we got there we found out that the schedule was all messed up and it wasn’t a sure thing to get a ferry on the hour anymore. We waited for 2 to go arrive, one of which basically got filled by a fuel truck that budded to the front of the line. Luckily the attendant on our end ushered us up to the front of the line for the second ferry so that we would get on for sure. Thanks for that!

The Trans-Canada Highway near Golden, BC

Being first on the ferry meant that we were also first off, and had a pretty clear ride down through the twisties towards Nakusp… other than running into that stupid fuel truck again for about 5 minutes before we could pass.

Once we got to the hotel, Adrian made me laugh by just blurting out, “Your face needs to see some soap.” I looked in the mirror and didn’t see much, but then once in the bathroom under stronger lights, I saw how grubby my face and neck was! The combo of sticky sunscreen and road dirt made for a hilariously dirty “this guy.”

We went out to the Leland Hotel patio for some dinner and drinks, but unfortunately they were sold out of everything that we wanted food and drink wise, so we moved over to a different pub for some dinner. They we’re kind enough to have everything on the menu available, and also the local honey beer in stock as well.

Today was a great day, and I think that Erin really enjoyed herself. She also took some video of the ride today, so hopefully I can edit it and upload the video here shortly!

Here are today’s points of interest:

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Day 23: Calgary to Banff via Red Deer

By Chris Published August 8, 2012

This morning we enjoyed the best french toast in the world, at the Delta Calgary Airport. Berries, syrup, fluffy french toast… so damn good! Dad, who’s been eating for 62 years now, said that was the best french toast that he’s ever had… something to behold I tell ya!

Our initial route was to take us the short distance from Calgary to Banff, but we instead took the long way, way out of the way, up to Red Deer to see the central Alberta MS Society! Bre Fitzpatrick was on board with the MS Ride from the get go, and has been a great support for me as I started to plan this ride. She even sent me the red MS laces that have been getting oh so dirty in my boots as I ride across Canada.

Central Alberta MS Society and my family

We met at the Gasoline Alley A&W, and we’re greeted by media and members of the Central Alberta MS Society along with people affected by MS. We had a great time talking about the war stories from the road over a nice lunch. It was great to see my mom and nephews who made the trek down from Edmonton to see us as well!

The good news, as was already posted earlier today, is that Erin was feeling up to it, so she decided to join us from Red Deer down to Vancouver! She hopped on the back of dad’s bike, and along with Adrian who is also joining us as of today, we are now a 4 member, 3 bike team heading out to the west coast! AWESOME!

Managed to make it to Banff nice and dry

There were a lot of threatening clouds, but we managed to make it down to banff nice and dry, all while Adrian and Erin getting a little sun on their faces to match the wicked sunglasses tans that dad and I have. Adrian still claims that he doesn’t burn, but I have to dispute that one as he has some sweet lines forming already.

Beautiful Banff!

Once we got settled into our hotel in Banff we went out for Sushi and a quick beer before calling it a night. Also in Banff tonight are my dad’s best friend Jack, and Phil Filipchuk (one of our generous sponsors), so our little harem grew from 2 to 4 to 6 in a matter of a few kilometers. Unfortunately Jack and Phil won’t be following us into BC, but it was still nice to catch up with them in Banff!

Today we passed the 9000km mark!

Here are today’s points of interest:

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