In June 2004 I set off across Canada on my bicycle. Or at least I'd planned to cross Canada. It didn't work out, mostly because of the weather, but I did have a great ride.

These pages are an account of that trip, as told through travelogs I sent to friends. I hope you enjoy the ride!

    Finally on the road again. Busted my butt doing it. Hard to go hard when I haven't gone hard in so long. Real glad I got lots of sleep last night.
    Fought a head wind most of the 60 K ride. Got tangled up leaving cow town but it didn't take long to get back on course. The roads were ugly. One was gravel, another had a shoulder but was thick with traffic, and a third had no shoulder, but was mercifully quiet.
    Biggest hassle was the north-easterly wind. I must be mad, doing the equivalant of running to the Ontario border,  yikes!

James River July 29

    Much easier today. Headwind existed but not so severe. Managed to cross cut most of it.
    Made good time. Did about 75 K and am within 20 K of Rocky Mountain House. It was tough but not as tough as yesterday. Less grinding but more hills.
    Stopped at Didsbury and sent out a short travelogue. Liked the place. People still treating me like a zoo animal but the town was funky. Sundre on the other hand had some friendly folk. Reggae Cowboys are there next week. Good band, turning all these old country standards into Jah!

    Overdosed on beans last night. Rained much of the night. Big whopping power  storm!
    Red sunset tonight. Yahoo!
    Saw a wolverine! First live one ever! They're endangered now, weren't seen very often when they weren't endangered, now even less. Feel very lucky, honoured, take it as a good omen, to see something so rare and wild. Thought he was a badger at first, with a slight mask, until I saw its Alberta-sized butt. Real waddler, but it sure moved fast when I gave him hell for being beside the highway.

    Bit of bug heaven here on the James.
    Felt good today. Legs were okay. Took a few more breaks and didn't push so hard. Long sleep last night. Really bossed up the protein and carbs today. Too little vegies tho'. Will have to chew on some major greens soon. Need  minerals.

    Growing dark now. The day got away. Looking forward to sleep.
    Too dark now to write. I'm in the trees. Spruce mostly. Messy camp. Some broken glass, lotsa stones. Dense shrub on the forest floor. Lovely old bridge crossing the James with a nearly full moon behind it.
 

Rocky Mountian House July 30 & 31

    Took some nice back roads today. Road 22, 761 and Alhambra were all nice and quiet.
    Stopped at hamlet called Stauffer where I was fed meek cheesecake by a lovely young woman named Nevada.
    Got into heavy traffic, all RVs and big trucks. No mountains today. Some foothills. Clouds to the north. Lotsa wind. Real prairie.

    Lovely day. Rode out to the former fur trading post, now a national historic site, on a groovy tho' sometimes soft bicycle trail. Was a great way to pass an afternoon. Big grassy plain out on the North Saskatchewan River.
    Not much remains, a few footings. Saw my first ever actual Red River Cart - all wood,
even the spokes, with bowled wheels. Could carry over 400 K of stuff pulled by a lone animal, oxen or horse. Told Blu it was named after the beast that pulled it. Blu was impressed. Told me not to dare trying to put 400 K on it.

    Place was first set up to trade with the Kootenay who lived up river at Kootenay Plains. Blackfoot didn't like that, nor did the Peigean, who eventually drove the Kootenay back over the Rockies.
    Trade was then mostly with the Blackfoot, Peigean and Stoney - who eventually took possession, but that was after the Blackfoot burned it down, when they came to trade but found it abandoned.
    Really enjoyed the place, and its ghosts. Serene. In the old days it was the last resort. All that lay ahead was seemingly endless forest and impassable mountains.
    There was a stretch along the river where the big freighter canoes used to dock. Today there is a walk-in camp there. Made me wish I hadn't prepaid two nights in town. Next time.
 

Chambers Creek July 1

    Made it out of RMH, or "The House" as I like to call it, in defiance of the locals' "rocky."
    Was a bit low on energy all day. Woke up to pouring rain that didn't let up until after 9 am.
    Wasn't able to cook or do anything.
    Also got woke up in the wee hours by some fool on a cellphone trying to make a cocaine
deal. Almost got up and yelled, but decided to lay quiet instead.
    Packed up partly damp, its all drying now. By the looks of things there will be more rain tonight.
    Road was fairly easy. Gradual hills, slight headwind, moderate traffic. Could have gone further, despite my lethargy, but decided to stop when, upon thinking about taking a break, the directional sign for this place came up.
    Almost didn't stay, got chased by some dogs when I rolled in. Was off my bike and had my bear spray out, ready to fire, when the dog's owner finally got them to heal. Then she was pretentious in her apology, trying to make it sound like, by rolling into the campground, I was being antagonistic! She shut up when I pointed out one of the numerous "All Pets Must Be Leashed" signs posted around the place.
    There are meadows full of wildflowers here and a running stream that looks dirty somehow. The drinking water is from a well.
    So far a grey sunset, yuk.
    Most of the area is a dense 30 year old forest of birch, poplar, fir and a few pine. Think
the fir is hand planted.
    Undergrowth is prickly. In the open it is partial marsh with lots of thistle, many lupins, paintbrush and a myriad of other wildflowers.
    Bugs are bad. Little girl down the way got bit so bad her foot has swollen up. I'm getting bit a lot, this will be an early night if this keeps up.
    Made the 30 K with only one break of about five minutes. Saw cougar scat on the road. Could feel the wildness of the country as I rolled. Quite overpowering really. Must have been formidible for early travellers.
    Almost dark, can't see my writing.

Harlech Campground, Shunda Creek Aug. 2

    Put on 20 more K than planned, last 10 was mostly downhill. Was fighting it a bit. Felt like I was on the Alaska Highway or somewhere really remote. Did okay tho'. Took my time. Lots of good climbs. Nothing really obnoxious but I was down in the low-low gears most of the way.
    Went in the creek when I got here, seriously refreshing. Ate a little more during the ride, seemed to help.
    Glad to escape the mosquitoes.
    Looking like rain again tonight. I've camped near a pavillion just in case.
    Wind was everywhich way. For a while it was an easterly tale wind, not necessarily good news. Traffic was heavy going the opposite direction. Lotsa goofs! My direction, west, was lighter, but there were a few goofs on my side as well.
    Still don't think my energy is quite what it should be. Not sure why. I'm tired too, this is lonely work I'm doing on this road.
    Have camped in an open area next to the creek. My tent is up next to the trees, exposed to the highway but it quiets at night. Can see mountains, or what's left of them crumbling into foothills. Not sure what I'm doing here. Feel a little unsafe all by my lonesome.
    Big sunset taking shape, all full of cloud and drama.
    The river is a shallow stream full of some sort of weed that looks like pine boughs. The banks have been well worked for many years by beavers. Their houses now part of the land.
    The water is cold, but not bitingly so.
    There was little colour in the sunset after all the drama. I can expect rain.
    Saw an eagle today. High up. Good two meter span. Circling. There's ravens around, no other bird life. More cat scat on the highway. Not much more I can write now, the light is gone.

Dry Haven Aug 3

    Apropo name, considering I rode through two storms to reach it. One hit just this side of Nordegg where I quickly ducked into the Golden Eye Campground (and met a neat couple from Calgary who offered me a little shelter while a wild t-storm raged around us).
    When it cleared I made a dash for this place, which offers a picnic shelter. That's when I got hit by the second bout of rain. Was soaked through when I pulled in.
    One of my neighbours, a lone woman and her kids from RMH, has provided me with enough water to make the morning. Only water is from the stream and its apparently not safe.
    Didn't like Nordegg. Not so much the place as the people I encountered. Rude folks, parking their portable chalets in stupid dangerous places, like the middle of the damn road!
    Checked out Upper Shunda Creek, nice camp but the water was tainted. Also checked out the Shunda Creek Hostel. Expensive, $20 for a bed. Woman there was busy doing private business on the company phone and made me wait. Might have stayed if she'd been hospitable.
    Golden Eye was special but I needed shelter just in case more rain came. The storm was heavy there, big bolts of shotgun lightning. Gotta be 90 K from anywhere here. Camp is right on the highway. There's a lovely stream nearby tho'. Young forest all around.

Two O'clock Creek Aug 4

    Finally, a place I can stop and breathe. Got in about 4pm yesterday after a tough but fast ride. Lots and lots of climbs.
    It rained some but the storm stayed mostly on the south edge of Abraham Lake, while I rode t he north bank. Came to a pass at the west end of the lake where the weather and geograpy changed. Since then its been warm and dry, but blustery, on this open plain.
    Just had a weird confrontation with some Native guy who went in the cookshack and started messing with my cookstove, while I'd stepped away for a moment, after putting some water on to boil. He was hitting the butane release button and is lucky he didn't blow himself up. I ran in and told him to stop, then asked what he thot he was doing. He turned all agressive and threatened to beat me up, before ordering me to get off "his" land.
    I just stood my ground. Told him not to mess with my stuff because I wouldn't mess with his. He panicked a little when I didn't back down.
    Definitely in the Rockies now. The land is dry, trees are different, poplar, spruce, older too. Place was apparently home to the Kootenay people and was later Stoney country. Relics have been found dating back 5000 years. Saw some bear scat on the highway, nothing fresh.
    Awesome place. Bit open spaces. Walkable ridges. Surrounded by rocky peaks.
    Grey skies tonight. Still clear for now, not for long. Glad I'm here, feels like where I belong.