Day 4 - Medicine Hat AB to Grande Prairie AB

We rolled out of Medicine Hat in good time for the morning. We were both a little sore from the riding so far and lack of a hot tub at all of our recent stops. So far we were 0 for 3. An unwelcome alarm had woken us up an hour earlier than expected, us being victims of a cell phone that didn't auto-update the time zone we were in. Thoughts of waking up early with it were quickly diminished, however the extra hour felt like nothing when the alarm came back.


We get the bikes packed and grab some breakfast at the hotel. The place we were staying had a "bagged breakfast" setup where they just have breakfast bars and honeybuns and such. I use the opportunity to pack my snacks for the next few days filling my paper bag literally to the very top. I had enough nutrigrain bars and juice boxes to last me for the next few days on those alone easily.

We were still unsure and undecided on if we would be taking the route through Banff and Jasper, mostly due to the worn out states of our morale about the slow-going pace that had been setting us up for one late arrival after another. We decided to just go for it, assuming if anything happens to kill our pace we may be able to take alternate routes to get back on pace, bypassing whatever we need to make time back up. 

Our plan to risk the schedule and go for it, which would seem stressful, has actually relieved me and I feel much better about the day. Deep down I don't care if we get in late at the end of the day, which I know we likely will, because this was one of my few goals for the ride up to Alaska... and great things do not happen to those who do not take the chance to do them.

Seeing Lake Louis has been a life long goal for Tiffany and I wanted to take the opportunity being so close to see it for her, to take the pictures she could not, and to tell her for myself just how great the area is. Seeing pictures in magazines and online just isn't the same. If she can't be there with us today then she will be there in spirit.

We get back on the road to the dull prairie countryside, soon getting stuck in some minor morning commuter traffic. The traffic would have been frustrating, but it did feel good be on the bike heading to Alaska instead of to a job, and the slight delay was a quick reminder of that. We get out of Medicine Hat quickly and wick up the speed once on the open road.

Getting through Calgary turns into a significant event for our trip. The scenery changed before our eyes. Going through the west side of town feels like riding through some eclectic Colorado mountain town, a good sign of things to come. We pass by many reminders of the Olympic venues there, most notably the Canada Olympic Park which seems loom over the city, keeping a watchful eye over all. We pass by countless hitchhiking vagabonds, who all seem to have Banff or Jasper as their destinations. This increases the lure and I look forward further to getting to the area.

After Calgary the scenery completely changes. The ground has lifted up from the prairie landscape, creating domineering mountains to the point that my own significance comes into question. Am I really this small, is my significance self constituted? The various thoughts get shaken out of my head quickly, it is too easy to enjoy your surroundings in an area like this. I am here experiencing this myself, no vicarious experiences now. I am just as much a part of these grand mountains as I am a part of my own life. My significance is irrelevant, large or small it doesn't matter... the experience is what it is. I can reach out and touch it and that is exactly what I've come out here to do.

As expected our pace at this point is a bit behind but it seemed neither of us cares, all we can do is attempt to process this change in scenery. The environment has completely flipped on us, and we see it with wide eyes, thirsty for more.

At a gas stop in Canmore we check our phones for messages from our loved ones and to send a quick note to a fellow ADV'er who has offered his place to stay at for the night. We take a few minutes to eat a quick snack and then continue on our way. We pass through Banff shortly after. The highway becomes a candy store of endless mountain sights, one after another.

Stopped for a quick break for gas and food in Canmore:

We saw a bunch of these guys  in the grassy areas, they would make a racket then run back to their holes if you got close:

We come up to Lake Louis, take the exit and head up the mountain. The pace we've been setting has been pretty good, mostly due to the lack of traffic and a fair speed limit through the area. But all of this changes when we reach the top. A massive parking lot is completely filled with cars, trucks, and RVs. We find a spot dominated with motorcycles so we squeeze in and park the bikes. We chat with the riders there about this and that. One guy particularly interested in our trip and bikes ends up being from Acworth GA, just a stone's throw away from our home town of Woodstock GA. Such a small world, to come all this way only to find a close neighbor is here too.

The mountains loom over a packed parking lot of cars, trucks, and (mostly rental) RV's:

Lake Louis was extremely breath taking, although the amount of tourists seems to put a damper on an otherwise amazing photogenic area. A double edged sword for sure. It feels almost awkward taking a picture of the lake since hundreds of other people are taking the exact same shot with me. But aside from the crowd, the scene here is stunning and worth the visit. It takes a lot of leave here; what a wonderful place to stay and reflect. I'm glad to be able to make it here for Tiff's sake and send her a few pictures with my phone so she can see it with me.

Lake Louis:

...and the countless others:

 

 

We continue on past Lake Louis and ride through the Icefields Parkway. Pay another entry fee and continue on. The park ranger in the toll booth was nearly freaking out about the GoPro on my helmet, covering her face the whole time while talking about the park. I told her multiple times the camera was off (which it was) but she obviously did not want to believe me.

The mountains here continued to impress. We stopped at the Athabasca Glacier, one of the most known and visited glaciers in North America. Here visitors can take bus tours to the glacier itself, and board special vehicles that drive on top of the glacier. From our pulloff spot we can see those on the tour on the glacier. The air was getting a little chilly but still pretty bearable. We grab a few pics and check the time, which was getting late already. Especially considering we hadn't made it to Jasper yet so we still had quite a bit of Icefields Pkwy left to go, which was slow going compared to earlier near Banff. I was worried we'd be getting into Grande Prairie pretty late, but we still had lots of daylight left so we continued on... balancing a happy medium between enjoying our surroundings and making good time to our destination.

 

You can make out the hikers on the glacier at the bottom, as well as the special vehicles  further up:

A common sight in Canada... construction and wildlife:

The construction here was actually for a new skywalk bridge, which we would soon learn was a controversial project for the Jasper National Park. It is a glass-floor path that extends 100 ft from the cliff's edge:

We eventually made it into Jasper which was a very interesting town, with so many small shops and lots of people riding around on bicycles everywhere. I think the bikes actually outnumbered the vehicles we saw. We didn't stay long, just enough to get some fuel and rest a bit.

We got into Grande Prairie just as the sun was going down. We met Carl from ADV-Rider who was gracious enough to let us stay at his place for the night. It was a nice change from the hotels we had been staying at.

We were pretty hungry, having taken only short breaks during the day and not eaten any proper meals. Our pace kept us on the road pretty much all day. So we went into town for a late night dinner at a local bar.

I was hoping to go through some pictures and video back at his place, along with notes for the ride report, but decided to head straight to bed for a recharge before tomorrow's ride. I was too tired to do any of that anyways. We rode through some great areas, but still felt the worn down feeling we've been having for the past couple days.