From the Mountains to the Prairie

Alberta is Wild Rose Country. Here is a final bloom of the faded summer.

We are a few days behind on this blog, but that's only because we've made it to our destination for this trip: Calgary, Alberta! We've been busy exploring and enjoying this vibrant city and haven’t had a chance to sit down and write. This morning is the first cloudy day we've had, so a cozy coffee shop and a hot cup of coffee provide the perfect opportunity to finally catch up.

Downtown Canmore, Alberta in the Rockies.

On Wednesday, October 1, we left Canmore in the Canadian Rockies and began a glorious, mostly downhill, 75-mile ride into Calgary. As we departed, the sky looked ominous with curtains of rain clouds drifting around the peaks, and we even experienced a few sprinkles as we left Canmore. Soon, however, the skies cleared, and the day turned into pure sunshine. We followed Highway 1A, which parallels the Trans-Canada Highway a few miles to the north. This route passes through the eastern foothills of the Rockies and eventually descends to the flat prairie, primarily through First Nations lands and ranch land. The gradual drop in elevation, combined with a delightful tailwind, made the 75 miles feel effortless.

Glimpsing Calgary

We entered Calgary from the northwest and were surprised by how much the city has grown since we last passed through over 20 years ago. It took us a good hour to reach the apartment we're renting in downtown Calgary once we hit the outskirts, despite the excellent bike paths. I will say,, Canadian cities excel at providing infrastructure for cyclists! The paths are thoughtfully laid out, and the fact that so many people use them is a testament to their effectiveness.

We are spending 4-5 days here in Calgary to explore the city and give our bodies a proper rest. We’re taking walks through different neighborhoods, along the Bow River pathways, and enjoying the great diversity, vibe, and food that Calgary has to offer. We even attended a Calgary Flames hockey game!

We are weighing our options for our next leg. At one point, we considered biking up to Jasper National Park, as the road is one of the prettiest in the country. However, poor weather and early snows in the upper Rockies scrapped that idea. We also thought about heading further east to Saskatoon or Regina, but facing long days of flat ranch land and few towns just didn’t sound appealing. Our ideal route would take us south, back over the border to Montana, to catch a train back to Portland.

We have a few different routes to consider:

1. Straight down to Waterton-Glacier National Park and then over the Going-to-the-Sun Road to Whitefish.

2. Venture further east to Shelby or Havre, Montana, in the prairie, and catch the train there.

3. Work our way back over the Rockies further south and west through Fernie, BC, then down to Whitefish.

   
   

I think options 1 or 3 would be breathtaking, but they’re more susceptible to bad weather and adverse winds. Today, we're going to try to map out the best and most feasible route. Whichever way we choose, we still have 6-7 more days of biking ahead of us. We’ll update the blog once we decide on our path and move forward.

Until then...