(Trip report from The Bicycle Jump - 1997 tour of south-western Alberta)
© Darrell Noakes, for the Canadian Cycling Association
Wutta summer! After months of planning, we completed a 740 km journey through southern Alberta that we won't soon forget. Billed as the CCA national tour, The Bicycle Jump launched a new tour route through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Eight of us met July 25 at Don's house in Calgary, where Don hosted a delicious pre-tour supper - I'm always amazed at how the best cooks you meet are cyclists. Although Calgary had been experiencing a drought and extreme heat for most of the summer, dark thunder clouds gathered overhead and a sudden downpour sent us scurrying indoors. For the Ontario cyclists, the storm was an extravaganza and they watched in amazement as the clouds piled higher and the lightning lit up the sky. Late in the evening we dropped the cyclists off at the bed and breakfast as the night's storm flashed over the distant eastern horizon, then returned to Don's place to begin packing the van.
Day 1
Saturday, July 26 we departed from the bed and breakfast, conveniently located near Calgary city limits on the Northwest side, and headed out on highway 1A for Cochrane. The day was hot and getting hotter, with no sign of cloud.
Our group consisted of three cyclists from Toronto, one from Peterborough, three from Saskatoon and one from Calgary. Interestingly, five of us were CAN-BIKE instructors and the remaining three had completed CAN-BIKE courses.
We arrived in Cochrane early enough to lounge around town and sample cafe-au-lait ice cream from the famous MacKay's Ice Cream shop. Our campsite at Camp Jubilee (the Girl Guide camp) was located in a quiet forest along the banks of the Bow River, away from the noise of the town's industries. Dinner was at the Double Bar-C Ranch: barbecued beef, cowboy beans, salad and carrot cake on a quiet acreage overlooking the Bow valley.
Day 2
The second day of our journey was billed as a "challenge day" - 110 km from the eastern edge of the foothills at Cochrane into the heart of Kananaskis Country at Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Along the way was a scheduled lunch stop at Nakoda Lodge, a luxurious conference centre operated by the Goodstoney Indian Band in Morley. The centre's Sunday buffet lunches attract crowds from Calgary each week and this was one lunch we didn't want to miss. In spite of the distance that still lay before us, we took our time with lunch, wandered around the wooded site and dipped our feet in the clear lake that lay just outside the doors of the conference centre.
We began an exhilarating ride among the mountain streams and lakes of Kananaskis Country, pushed by a strong tail wind. It was another sweltering day. At Kananaskis Village resort we piled into a hot tub for a mid-afternoon break. It looked like we wouldn't begin arriving at the campground until late in the evening, but the day was warm and sunset was hours away. Everyone was in camp before nightfall and supper was ready shortly after dark: chicken Koorma (mild curry) and vegetables over Basmati rice enjoyed around a bonfire under the stars in our own private campground away from the hoards of tourists.
Day 3
Monday, July 27 was another "challenge day" - 100 km over the Highwood Pass to Longview. The Highwood is Canada's highest drivable pass, yet the climb to the summit is easily within reach. On the descent into the foothills, cyclists can reach traffic speeds. The pass marks a boundary between two distinct worlds. In Kananaskis Country, signs along the road and in camp described the fire hazard as "nil". Once over the summit we encountered warnings of extreme fire hazard. The lush, thick forest on the western side of the pass gave way first to stands of tall pine then to broad fields of fescue. We stopped for lunch in a heavily shaded stand of trees along the banks of the Highwood River.
We arrived in Longview early in the evening, set up camp, then walked down the street to Rendez-Vous restaurant for a taste of Alberta beef or B.C. salmon. The movie "Unforgiven" was filmed at a nearby ranch and some of the props from the movie can be found in town.
Day 4
Tuesday morning we continued south on highway 22 through the heart of the foothills. Until recently, this was a gravel road but the route is now paved with wide shoulders. The highway is much better than the busy freeways 40 km to the east. The area is almost exclusively used for ranching, so there are few services in the wide valley. The Bar-U Ranch National Historic Site, 13 km south of Longview, commemorates ranching in Canada. We stopped in for a guided tour of this reconstructed ranch from the 1860s and learned that Billy the Kid often worked here when we wasn't rustling cattle south of the 49th parallel. We stopped for lunch at Chain Lakes Provincial Park, 39 km south of Longview. The temperature was soaring to record highs and we watched as dark clouds began gathering over the mountains to the Southwest.
By mid-afternoon, lightning was flashing in the valley and thunder was roaring all around. We used the van to pluck our cyclists out of the rain and ferry them to our campsite at Maycroft. The rain continued until late into the evening, but we dried off under the cooking shelter at the campsite. A local resident, fishing in the Oldman River, brought some firewood.
Day 5
The next morning the only sign of the previous night's downpour was the heavy banks of fog that drifted along the river valley, over the fields and among the hillsides. By the time we hit the road, the day was warming up.
We stopped at Lundbreck Falls for lunch then continued on to Pincher Creek via highway 507. The general store at Beaver Mines had plenty of ice cream for those who stopped. After Beaver Mines, the road turns east and we picked up the fierce west winds that blow almost constantly out of the Crowsnest Pass. What a treat to ride at near highway speeds on level ground.
The town of Pincher Creek staged a community play for us at the Pincher Creek Museum and Kootenai Brown Heritage Park. The Great West Theatre Company, which performs at the old Empress Theatre in Fort Macleod, prepared a short play on the life and times of John "Kootenai" Brown, an explorer who became the first superintendent of Waterton Lakes National Park. Three long days on the road were beginning to take a toll on even our strongest cyclists, and some were literally falling asleep during the museum tour, so we took everyone back to camp - conveniently named "Sleepy Hollow" - for a well-deserved night's rest.
Day 6
Thursday, July 31 was a short day, just 55 km from Pincher Creek to Waterton Lakes National Park. On our way out of town, we saw a group of cyclists heading north. It turned out to be a group from the Wascana Freewheelers who were touring southern Alberta between Lethbridge and Waterton. After trading stories for awhile, we parted ways and continued our journey. The last of our group arrived at Waterton by mid-afternoon, stopping at the Twin Butte general store for ice cream and doughnuts along the way. Our campsite was 5 km east of the national park on the shores of the Waterton River. Since this was another hot day, some of us donned our swimsuits and splashed around in the river until nearly sunset, while others rode around the park. The campground operators prepared a barbecued beef dinner with baked potatoes and plenty of extras to keep us happy. After supper we drove into the park to hike Red Rock Canyon before sunset.
Day 7
Friday, August 1 we returned to Waterton for a morning of hiking and sightseeing, made a picnic lunch along the shores of Upper Waterton Lake, then reluctantly left the park behind as we continued on to Cardston. At Mountain View, the general store welcomed us with free ice cream. Tail winds blowing out of the mountains made the 45 km trip into Cardston even easier.
Lee Creek Campground in Cardston turned out to be a real treat. The well-kept grounds are situated along the banks of the creek in a quiet setting. Supper was at a local restaurant, Cobblestone Manor, located across the street from our campsite. We had our own private room and a delicious chicken dinner. The staff were great fun and we were enjoying ourselves immensely until someone said they thought they saw a flash of lightning. Then the waitress entered and told us she heard thunder. Eight pairs of eyes peered out the restaurant windows searching for tell-tail splashes on the pavement. Then, as the rain began falling, cyclists bolted past other restaurant guests, between tables and hurriedly out the door to rescue laundry drying on clotheslines, throw flies over tents and batten the hatches against a rising wind and falling hailstones.
The storm lasted about half an hour, then cyclists slowly emerged from their tents. As the evening darkened and the stars appeared, we lit a large fire and sat back to enjoy the evening. Although some of us had hoped to walk over to the Carriage House Theatre, which stages musicals, comedies and other events nightly throughout the summer, we stayed too long over dinner to make the 7:30 curtain.
Day 8
A light shower roused us the next morning, but evaporated before breakfast. After breakfast, we toured the Remmington-Alberta Carriage Centre, located adjacent to the campground. The centre houses one of North America's largest collections of elegant 19th Century horse-drawn carriages, coaches, sleighs and utility vehicles. It was interesting to see how development of carriage technology so closely paralleled that of the bicycle, which was taking place at the same time. Ball bearings, tangentially spoked wheels and other innovations were invented for carriages and bicycles, but paved the way for a culture now addicted to the automobile.
As a small and friendly town, Cardston was worth lingering around before departing for Milk River. The Alberta Temple, the first Mormon temple in Canada, is an imposing marble landmark visible throughout most of the town. The original log cabin of Charles Ora Card, leader of the 40 Mormon families who immigrated here in 1887 has been restored and designated as Provincial Historic Site downtown. The longest used courthouse in Alberta, built from local stone now serves as a museum and archives. Most notably, however, is the fountain commemorating Fay Wray. King Kong may have climbed the Empire State Building in 1933, but Fay Wray was born in Cardston. This fountain is the town's tribute to the actress.
We began the 110 km leg to Milk River under bright sunshine and temperatures that would set new records for the area. The ride through the countryside to Milk River dispelled everyone's notion of "prairie". We had rolling hills and stark landscapes. A tailwind made life even better. While stopped for lunch at Del Bonita, we encountered one cyclist from Edmonton who was taking time out from a family reunion at Milk River to train for the Penticton Iron Man event and another cyclist from Magrath who was returning from his regular weekly ride to Cardston.
We arrived at Milk River to discover the municipal campground in total disarray. While looking for someone in town to help us out with alternate arrangements, we found the town foreman, who explained that they had pulled the campground apart to add some extra sites for a musical group they were expecting a week or two later. The town council had forgotten to mention to him that we would be in town for the weekend. With a little help, we arranged to camp in a grassy area next to the town's swimming pool, where we could use the showers and washrooms.
Day 9
On Sunday, August 3 most of us opted to drive out to Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park so that we could join a three-hour hike across the river into Police Coulee in the morning then take the guided 1-1/2 hour hike among the petroglyphs in the afternoon. The petroglyphs are carved into white sandstone cliffs on the north side of the Milk River. The temperature at the site was 48 degrees Celsius at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. When we returned from the hike, several cyclists decided to cool off by taking turns floating down the Milk River.
As it turned out, we were in Milk River during the town's local fair days. Our impromptu camp at the swimming pool turned out to be the best location for viewing the half-hour fireworks display that evening.
Day 10
Monday, August 4 was our last day on the trip. We needed to make sure one of our cyclists was on a 5:30 pm flight out of Calgary airport, so this was a rushed day. We left Milk River early to have breakfast at the Cowgirl's Cafe in Warner. After breakfast we crossed the street to meet with the folks at the Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Egg Site Interpretive Centre then drove off into the surrounding countryside to tour the latest excavation of fossilized dinosaur eggs and bones. Palaeontologists had just discovered a set of 12 eggs and were ecstatic about this rare scientific find.
We spent about two hours wandering among the dinosaurs then headed up the road for Fort Macleod and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. A tour guide from the Blackfoot Nation took us through this UNESCO World Heritage Site and explained the culture and traditions of the buffalo hunt and the people who conducted it. We grabbed some buffalo burgers for the road then continued on our way to Calgary, arriving about an hour before flight time.
Except for the one cyclist winging his way back east, we ended our trip at a local establishment where we recounted the highs and thrills of our 10-day cycling odyssey over cold brews and steaming seafood. Although tired, we were sorry to see the trip end. The Ontario cyclists vowed to return to the west for more cycling and some of us will be back sooner than others. As for the Bicycle Jump, it's now firmly established as a worthwhile tour. We'll repeat the adventure with a new group of cyclists next year.
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