Today was very short. Just 194 miles. But I managed to make it take all day. There is a whole bunch of stuff to see between Golden and Jasper.
I started the day off with some oatmeal cooked in the rain while packing up….while in the rain. It rains a lot here. Then I hit the road. It was nonstop breath taking scenery all day. ALL. DAY. I love this section of the trip and its why I made a trip up here a couple years ago just to see the sights over a week instead of one day.
I made a slight detour to go south for a minute to see lake Louise and Moraine lake. These are THE lakes you see in just about every instagram post of mountains or lakes or Canada. I love the scenery and they are absolutely beautiful lakes…but my goodness there were so many people there!!! I got a few pictures and got out of there. I have no problem with touristy things but that many people in one place makes me uncomfortable.
Once I escaped the tourist zombie horde I got on highway 93 also know as the Icefields Highway. As soon as I got on the road it started raining. Kind of a bummer but I knew it would rain…..I’ve been here before and it always rains…always. But I would love to see this place when its dry sometime! I just sat tight and accepted the weather. Ive learned that there’s no point getting worked up over the weather on a bike trip. I have a lot more fun if I just come prepared and ready to enjoy the ride no matter what the weather decides. As I was sitting there getting blasted by rain while going 60 a well timed song came on. Its called Rain by Breaking Benjamin…not my favorite song but it was good timing. The chorus goes “Rain rain, go a way, come again another day. All the world is waiting for the sun.” I’m not kidding……immediately after the song ended, I came out from under the clouds and it was blue sky the rest of the day. I finally got to see this place in the sun shine!
The amount of breathtaking views is almost overwhelming. I couldn’t possibly stop at every scenic overlook. There are just too many. I love that Canada has spent so much money and resources to develop all these incredible facilities and trails. The campground I’m at tonight is just incredible. Not just the views but the amenities even. The bathrooms and showers are nicer than any campground I have ever seen. And the amount of rest stops, visitors centers, and scenic turnouts with trash cans along the road is awesome. Ok enough nerding out over toilets and showers.
It took all day to travel that 194 miles cause I kept stopping, but I made it to camp around 4 and got set up. And then I got some neighbors on bikes too! They are headed south from Alaska. They were in Prudhoe bay a few days ago and their ultimate destination is Ushuia! Some day I’ll do that. They gave me some tips for the road ahead of me and we just hung out for a while.
Not much else to say. Had some amazing spicy tuna sushi tacos for dinner, hung out some more, took the best campground shower of my life, and now I’m off to bed. Tomorrow is all new territory for me so I have no idea what to expect…except for rain. It always rains.
Here is a video of the day