Rick's Bicycling Adventures

 Day 10 Columbia Falls, Mt to Trading Post Campground south of Swan Lake. We rode 49 miles and had 1677 ft of elevation gain. We waited out a rain storm in our motel room then got on the road. We had a mix of gravel and pavement. We did not see anything  that looked like a bicycle  hostel so it really is gone. We were told we had to eat at the Echo Lake Cafe. We got there about noon. It did not disappoint, breakfast  was wonderful. We made it to a trading post in Swan Lake and stopped to get a drink. The plan was to ride 7.5 more miles to our campground. Then I  heard thunder and the clouds were moving in. We made the decision  to camp at the Trading Post. It was a wise choice as it started to rain soon after we made that decision. 

 Day 9 The Bicycle Station to Red Meadow Lake. We rode  49 miles and had 4450 ft of elevation gain. The ride was mostly on gravel today. We had 2 significant  climbs. Red Meadow lake was just before the top of the second  peak. The mosquitoes were really bad. We camped with a young woman that was hiking from Glacier National Park to Olympic  National Park. Early  the next morning  I saw a moose in the shallow  waters. Day 10 Red Meadow  Lake to Columbia  Falls Mt. We rode 45 miles and had 1335 ft of elevation gain. After climbing  over the top of the peak from yesterday there was a lot of downhill. The gravel  road was  loaded with loose gravel and big rocks making the descent difficult. My hands were tired from grabbing the brakes.  At the bottom  of the hill  was Whitefish  Lake with abit of a climb to get to Whitefish. The local bike shop gave our bikes drive train a much needed scrubbing. We had lun...

 Today we rode 51 miles with 2200 ft of elevation gain. It was a beautiful  sunny day with a mix of gravel and pavement  riding. We crossed back into the USA at the border without incident. The route took us through Eureka , Mt and 12 miles south to the Bicycle Station. This place is amazing. Great campsites,  showers, bicycle repair station, and a kitchen  to cook in. We understand there are little oasis throughout  the ride. This is the last night  for Jaymie  to be with us. She is meeting  a friend in Kalispell and they are driving back to Edmonds. She has made us some lovely  dinners and breakfast. She left us a little sign at the entrance  to our campsite  because  we are Sub Team Stupid. 

 Today we rode 46 miles with 390 ft of elevation gain. We rode paved roads all day. We needed a little break from the massive climbs, roots, and rocks. Traffic was heavy, but most drivers were courteous. We had big headwinds all day. Doug's wife Jaymie  established a campsite at Baynes Lake, Bc. We got a shower and did laundry.  Jaymie  cooked a wonderful  dinner for us. We are crossing the border tomorrow.

Day 4. Today we rode 28 miles and had 2300 ft of elevation gain. We had planned to do the Canmore cut off but it was closed do to a rock slide. We drove to Banff and continued our adventure  there. We got a late start, 10:40, but our hopes were high to get in some miles. The trail started out as a nice double track but soon turned  into a tuff single  track. We made it back to gravel and made it to Buller campground. We were warned there were Grizzly bear in the area but we did not see any. Day 5. We rode 43 miles and had 2400 ft of elevation gain. We woke up to frost on the table, but the sun soon warmed  us up. We started out on a gravel  road that turned into pavement, then into a paved bike path. There was bear scat everywhere  on the trail. No bears in site. We got to the end of the trail and started the climb to Elk Pass. We had three 25% climbs to get over the pass. We were able to finish  the day on a gravel  road to Weary creek campground...