Day 27 July 16 – into the Rockies

Niton Junction to Pocahontas campsite in Jasper National Park. 170 km

Today was a very beautiful day that brought a dramatic change in scenery.  It was warm and clear with a slight breeze, mostly from behind. The foothills of the Rockies were a lot steeper than I had expected.  It went constantly up and down and eventually I reached Obed Summit which is 1137 meters high which actually is not a lot.   From there it went in steep downhills towards Hinton, a mostly tourist town.  It appears that most places are either oil, gas,wood, or tourist oriented.

Many trucks around here either carry some excavating, drilling equipment or tankers, and there are many lumber trucks, some carrying logs others cut lumber.  About 30 km past Hinton I reached Jasper National Park. The scenery is stunning and instead of pushing it to reach the town of Jasper I looked around and took lots of pictures.

Every time I go into the mountains I’m so surprised by the immediate changes – the layers and silhouettes, the dramatic slopes and rock faces – then rivers and creeks flowing fast through bogs and forests.

The evening light added a gentle softness to everything and I continually had to remind myself to also focus on the road!

This was one of the days I was looking forward to.   Wondering how the mountains would present themselves.  And here I am with Caribou (the actual name of the bike) all the way from Owen Sound.

The total distance so far for the Change the Cycle Tour is 3655 km.

Today was a day of little action or contemplation about Change the Cycle although I had some very brief conversations with a few people.  Now I’m at a very beautiful campsite quite high up from the highway and get eaten by millions of mosquitos.

Tomorrow will be 45 km to Jasper where I intend to stay a few hours and maybe speak with some media.

Here are some pictures of the ride into the Rockies on a beautiful day today:

Highest point on the Yellowhead with the Rockies in sight.

The Rockies but still 65 km from Jasper – I won’t make it to Jasper today!

In Jasper National Park – Pocahontas (the mountain) and the Caribou (the name of my bike)