Cycling 5000 km, from Banff in Canada to the US-Mexican border, raising money for MS research.
Warm Spring Creek Area > Whiskey Grove Campground
Last night was another cold night and the wind raged! The next morning you could see it very well, the surroundings where frozen and the sun in the sky.
Last night’s wind, also chased the clouds away and the sun can now dry my tent and the clothes I had hung. Yesterday evening I put up my tent in the open field, between two of the few present trees. When I was putting up my tent I noticed some tiny trails in the high grass from some kind of mouse. But well, I still wanted a bit of shelter… This morning I was woke by all sort of scratching and rumble from underneath my tent. Every time the sounds stopped just at the base of my air matrass. Those mice where trying desperately to use their trails, but the matrass with me on top was just a little bit too much for them! Quickly rise, pack up everything after it has dried up a bit, have breakfast and get on the bike! Yesterday I saw in the road book that today was going to start with a heavy climb! Well yesterday evening I saw the hill already, so I knew which way to go. I thought I had to at first take it slow on that hill, don’t work myself into a sweat immediately while the morning is still cold. So I calmly went up the hill and looked at the GPS to see which way to go… wrong hill according to my GPS… What the %^@$$* just my luck! Let’s look at the road book… All sort of road numbers I cant’s seem to find anywhere, so that wasn’t working either. So, back down the hill and follow the GPS track. Somewhere hiding behind some trees there was a trace of a road, a single-track I had to follow. This trail was getting harder and harder until it almost became impassible. This is where I meet this English Canadian (or is it the other way around?), with a ultra light bicycle and gear, he was laughing and wondering what I was doing on this trail with my heavy equipment… This was a trail for racers and not the “normal cyclists”. That’s all very nice I said, but I’m not going back now!!!
Eventually I dragged my bags and my bike one by one up the most difficult parts of the trail and I got to the top. By that time it must have been somewhere around 1 o’clock, so I only did a few kilometers in the entire morning. I was not taking that very well… Ah well, on top the view was amazing! I could see all mountain ranges in the area. Now I had do descent to go past todays mountain pass “Union Pass”. The way down is also very difficult, a lot of bumps on the road and lose gravel, so keep a low speed otherwise everything will surely go to pieces! It’s costing me a lot of brake pads! Nevertheless trying to keep up the pace, it’s still a long way to the campground I planned to go. On the way I meet a few ATV-drivers (people on a quad) and their dog on the passenger seats. Eventually I get to the campground at 18.30hr, where I meet Michael again. The campground is full but Michael tells me I can put my tent on his camp-side, it had plenty of space. Great! I quickly put up my tent, ate a freeze-dried meal, shared the last of the Jack Daniel’s with Michael and chatted a bit until it got to cold. I rapidly got in my tent and Michael underneath his tarp!
