The Road Leading Out Of Jasper / Would the Rain Please Just Go Away! / Sunshine and a Government Cover Up?

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Tuesday July 12, 2011
The Road Leading Out Of Jasper

Packing my bike this morning it looked like it wanted to rain; but by the time I rode into Jasper things were looking better weather wise. By the time I did what I had to do in Jasper it was 12:00. Hwy #16 leading out of Jasper was very heavy with traffic and the mountains are getting smaller (lower). I had to fight the wind the whole way out. Thankfully the road was fairly flat, with no climbing to speak of.

There were many little herds of Rocky Mountain sheep along the way out and a lone male Elk. Just as I was leaving Jasper Park the weather changed in a big way. Well I shouldn’t say changed, the weather seemed to be chasing me for most of the ride. The weather was coming in from all different directions so it was hard to figure where it was going to hit. Well it hit at the bend right before the exit of the park. I had already prepared by getting into my rain gear and covering my bike bags. If I had been smart I would have just stood there and waited the rain out. Instead I kept riding and soaked myself in sweat instead. I was dry from the rain but soaking wet under all my gear. The weather lasted less than an hour.

It was now getting into evening and the weather was looking real bad to the west so I rode into Hinton. My timing was perfect because as I was locking my bike up the rain started all over again. After an hour the rain let up and the sun was actually out. I headed west on the 40 to Grand Cache feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next 100 km’s, even though it said a camp site was only 15 km’s away. Anyways I felt refreshed right until I hit the first hill. Of the 15 km’s to the camp a good 10 km’s was straight climbing. I was soaked in sweat and the temperatures were dropping because it was now getting on in the evening. Now all I wanted was a shower. The camp site turned out to be a good sized park (William A. Switzer Prov. Pk.) and the only showers were at a camp site at the other end of the park another 10 km’s further down the road. Once in the park the road went into the valley and was fairly flat. But it was getting late. I rode to the camp only to find out the camp was full, in the meantime passing all the other little camp site on the way. It was now 10 pm and my hopes for a shower were now dashed. The road out of the park was another climb. I kept riding till 11 pm the latest I had ever ridden until I found a little dirt road to set up camp for the night. I rode at least 120 km’s today, the most riding as of yet.

Wednesday July 13, 2011
Would the Rain Please Just Go Away!

I woke to the usual pitter patter of light rain; surprise, surprise. The pitter patter eventual disappeared and I broke camp. The whole stretch from Hinton to Grand Cache is up and down mountains and there is nothing between them; just trees. As with all the days since leaving Lake Louise the weather has always looked like it wanted to rain. There has been very little sun to speak of; it peaks through the clouds for a few moments at time; just long enough to give hope.

About half way into my day it started to pour and pour it did for a good hour; plus hail. Two bikers stopped at my bike because the hail against their faces was too much at the speeds they were driving. I had learned my lesson the day before; I put my gear on and waited the storm out. I was 95% dry; not bad for thunder storm in the middle of nowhere. I learned from the bikers that Hwy 40 all the way to Grande Prairie was the same terrain I was riding now. Climbing mountain up and down all the way for about 225 km’s from where I was standing at that present time; glorious. That being said everything past Grande Prairie would be flat.

Rode about 80 km’s today; pulled into a little road that went 50ft into the trees to a clearing with 2 ponds. Looks like it going to rain tonight. I need sun to dry /air out my gear. There have been too many days of rain and dampness; not ideal riding and camping conditions.




Thursday July 14, 2011
Sunshine and a Government Cover Up?

It rained last night, I think pretty hard and for a good part of the night. While it is not unusual to wake up in the middle of the night I am quickly back asleep and sleep very well at nights. This is kind of weird as I am the kind of guy that is capable of scaring himself pretty good with visions of being eaten by a bear.

Things were pretty wet this morning but the sun was shining more than it has and a good while. I took my time breaking camp and the sun did actually dry things out pretty good.

Grande Cache was only about 25km’s more riding than my camp site. It was a sunny day; a bit windy mind you. It was a killer climb to actually get into the town. Who puts a town at the top of a hill? I decided to spend the night here in Grande Cache. It will be the only shower I get until Grande Prairie and Grande Prairie is 182km’s of mountain climbing with no services between. I need to take stock of my food, do a quick tune up on the bike and let the tent air out.

The forecast does not look so good for the foreseeable future. I am beginning to think the weather is a government cover-up. Do I sound crazy? How many times were we told to expect a great summer? That is what we were told many times this spring. Who has the most gain through this cover-up? We and the world were told Canada is going to have a great summer; so what do we do? We decide to spend the summer in Canada; we take out our credit cards and make reservations at all Canadian destinations. We spend and spend and the government rakes in all the tax money from our spending. Pretty ingenious if you ask me. Pretty hard to complain about the price of gas when we are booking all these great Canadian vacation isn’t it? If the weatherman said it would be a lousy wet summer no one would be going anywhere and we would spend the summer complaining about the price of gas. If I am crazy I am crazy, but the government is laughing all the way to the bank with your money. Who knows maybe I have just been living out of tent for too long.

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Photos

Leaving Jasper
The mountains get smaller

Rocky Mountain Sheep
A whole family going the wrong way

Hwy 40 from Hinton to Grande Cache
All mountains and all trees