Day 38
Before I update you on the ride today, it was brought to my attention that I made a couple mistakes in my dedications. This is very embarrassing to admit, but I would like to set the record straight. First, I need apologize to my family. My maternal grandmother had esophageal cancer, not liver cancer. She had complications with her liver, but as I was somewhat young when she got sick, I think I filed the information in my brain as liver cancer, obviously incorrectly. My second apology is to Mr. Muese. I confused the stories of two of my parents’ friends from college and mistakenly dedicated a day to him though he did not have cancer. No harm was intended with either of these mistakes, and I humbly apologize for any confusion or offense they may have caused.
Now, on with today…our ride was from Calgary to Banff, AB. I dedicated my ride to Jackie and Marilyn’s brother Mel, their father and to Chris Wallace’s family. We started off our day with an official Stampede breakfast, prepared by Jackie and Marilyn. Afterwards, some of the Hunting staff members joined us in our dedication circle. It was an emotional day for several people in the group. To give you an idea of how the group dynamics have changed over the last month or so, I remember that someone tearing up at our Day 2 dedication and there was kind of an awkward, yet heartfelt, silence that ensued, but no one moved. Today, when people started getting choked up, two or three other riders headed straight over to give them hugs. Team bonding is an amazing thing. The first 16 or so miles this morning we were on the bike paths through Calgary. They took us along Route 2, around the zoo and then along the river through downtown. I really liked Calgary actually. It seemed like a cool city. On our way out of town we passed by the Canadian Olympic Park and saw the ski jumps from the Calgary Olympics. I was told the other day that I needed to start putting riders names into my blogs, so I will do my best to not make the blogs anonymous anymore. I got to ride with Mike today for basically the first time this entire trip, which was awesome and somewhat unexpected at this point. The ride involved a lot of downhill and a nice tailwind. We flew through the third rest stop and were almost to the next stop when the minivan pulled over in front of us. Kasaundra hopped out and informed us that the battery had died on the 15 passenger van. Great. We rode up a mile or so farther and arrived at the entrance to Banff NP. Kasaundra left us with the basic rest stop necessities and then took off to go buy jumper cables (which apparently didn’t come in the van) and head back to the other van. Riders slowly started arriving where Mike and I were and we updated them on what was happening. When everyone got there, we paid for the passes to get into the park. Mike went with Kasaundra back to the van because at that point we had called AAA. The rest of us rode into the park and finished the last 9 or 10 miles to the town of Banff. The O’Connor’s had arranged dinner for us at a local restaurant, so we went straight to the restaurant. At this point, the update on the van was that the starter didn’t work and the battery appeared to be dead. We enjoyed dinner and then rode to the campsite a few miles up the road. The minivan made a trip back to the trailer (the trailer had been towed with the van) and got everyone’s personal bags, the tents and the sleeping gear. It was a long day, but it ended happily around the campfire.
Day 39
We got a VERY late start today. I didn’t set a wakeup time because we didn’t know when the trailer would be fixed. Mike and Pete headed to Canmore at 7:45a to talk to the mechanics about getting the van fixed. Meanwhile, everyone else stayed in bed or read books. I received a birthday package from the Caseys yesterday, and they had included a copy of The Last Lecture. I eat books for breakfast, and within 24 hours of opening the package, I was through 160 of the 200 pages in the book. It was a great morning! If you have not yet read the book, I would highly recommend it. It is a very fast read and had a lot of great observations and pearls of wisdom. The author gave his last lecture after been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Maybe part of the reason I found his story so interesting is that he was a professor of a hard science (as opposed to a soft science). In many ways, I recognize the personality type. Around noon it was discovered that nothing was wrong with our van. Hmm. I got the riders mobilized and we got on the road around 1p. I dedicated my ride today to my ultrarunning buddy Tom Craven. Today was Kasaundra’s 23rd birthday, so about half the team only made it a few miles from camp before we stopped in town to grab a sandwich to celebrate. While we were eating it started raining (and it was cold) so we grabbed tea and coffee and stayed put a little longer. At 2:45p, we finally got hit the road. We’d stopped in a bike shop briefly before we started though and were informed that what we thought was a 60 mile ride was actually only 60k. Kasaundra, MJ, Stella, Geeta and I hopped on 1a, aka the scenic route, and headed to Lake Louise, our final destination for the day. The road meandered along through some absolutely beautiful scenery. Right before we rode into the town at Lake Louise, MJ and I saw our first black bear! We stopped a little further down the road and waited for the other three girls, who also had come upon a different black bear with her cub. Apparently it was a good day for black bear sightings! We headed into town, grabbed some ice cream and then headed to camp. After a shower, we went out to a restaurant for dinner. They gave us half off, and everyone decided to splurge to celebrate Kasaundra’s birthday. After dinner, we sat around a campfire back at camp and talked until well after the quiet hour—oops!
Day 40
Well, we appear to be on a roll with late starts…Today, we didn’t get on the rode until 3p—a new record! We got up early and went to check out Lake Louise and Lake Moraine, both of which we were told were absolutely gorgeous. We went to Lake Louise first. Scott, Peter, Ivan, Katherine and myself wandered along the path that appeared to go around the lake for awhile, but finally had to turn back when we realized the path went a lot further than we expected. The lake was beautiful. It is nestled up in the mountains and a glacier sits in the back. The water is an amazing shade of greenish blue, which is caused by particulates in the water. We went to Lake Moraine next, and I have to say, I liked it even better. The color of the water reminded me of the ocean. We didn’t get to stay very long because we needed to get back to camp. We rolled into camp, grab a few PB&Js and packed up our belongings. I dedicated my ride today to my co-worker Ben’s parents. Because we got started late and we were supposed to camp, we ended up only going about 40 miles today. This worked for me. I have been feeling a little off since the ride into Calgary. My whole body feels fatigued. Today I was noticing that everyone on the team was getting faster, except for me. Either that or I really wasn’t feeling well. I was being dropped by people who on a regular basis would not drop me like they did today. It was frustrating. We got into camp, and Stella and Evan made an awesome rice dish for dinner. I was my dishes after dinner and after trying to read for a few minutes decided it would be best just to go to sleep. My face was on fire and I was pretty worried.
Day 41
Today was our last day in Banff NP, but we ended the day in Jasper, which is located in Jasper NP. The ride today ended up being ~110 miles as we only did 40 miles yesterday. I dedicated my ride to my co-worker Ben’s grandparents. I woke up this morning still feeling a little under the weather. I put on a lot of clothing (it was VERY cold outside) and started about my day though and for about 30 minutes, I felt like a million dollars. Then I got on my bike. Within about 5 miles I again had everyone flying past me. Let’s suffice it to say this was very frustrating, but I figured that if my legs weren’t going to work, I might as well enjoy the scenery. So that’s what I did…with three layers of clothing. I got to the first rest stop and my teammates were surprised I still had that many layers on as they were removing theirs. I took off one layer but left the rest be. The second 20 miles I was still moving pretty slowly, but Ivan had slowed down to take pictures and ended up riding with me for a bit. It was very nice to have some company, and eventually, we actually caught up to a couple other people. This was when the climbing started. We had a 9 mile climb into the Columbia Icefields. Ouch. Ironically, I was actually feeling better at the top of the hill than I had been earlier in the day, though I was never moving very fast going up it. Shortly after leaving the next rest stop we passed a huge glacier. I didn’t stop to take in the view though because it started raining, and it was cold. I just wanted to keep moving. Fortunately for me, the ride at this point started heading downhill, which meant I didn’t have to worry as much about pedaling and could let gravity do some of the work. The next 20 miles flew by, for which I was very grateful. After a brief stop at the 60 mile rest stop, I headed back out on the rode. The next 20 miles was pretty flat with a few small hills. I skipped the next rest stop (it wasn’t there yet) and turned onto 93a, the alternative route to the road we had been on for most of the day. There was a sign that said something about bad road conditions, and I circled around for a moment before deciding to continue. Locals had told us to take 93a because it was more scenic, but if the road was really that bad, I’d be stuck on it for 20 miles. Well, aside from a few small patches, 93a was a great road. It would alongside the river, which again, was that amazing shade of blue-green. I saw a mama black bear with her cub, which was pretty neat. If it is possible to take a snapshot in your head of beautiful scenery, it was along this road of all places so far during this trip, where I would have wanted to take that snapshot. I suppose I did actually. I reached the highest point I would reach on 93a and before the descent began, the view towards the mountains was breathtaking. I continued on my ride and found my way to the church at which we were staying. I walked in the door and Rob told me I looked exhausted. I was tired, but honestly, I ended my ride feeling a lot better than when I started. I almost felt normal. The drivers had secured dinner at Jasper Pizza. It turns out they donate $1 towards cancer research for every pizza they sell, and the owner was excited to have us there. The pizza was delicious, and if you’re ever in the area, I’d recommend it. After dinner we picked up the rest of our laundry from the laundromat and headed back to the church. I read for a minute or two, but then we turned out the lights for bed.
Day 42
Drive day! Well, if it wasn’t implied from how tired I’ve been feeling lately, I was really excited for today and the opportunity to drive. My drive buddy today was Amy. We got up a little before 7a and started getting ready. We got everyone on the road around 10a, and I dedicated my day to Ben’s father-in-law. I started today filling up the gas tank in the 15 passenger van. It cost $150—yikes! In case you were wondering, yes, gas is more expensive here in Canada. Before the first rest stop we had our first border crossing in Canada. At mile 18 or so of the ride today, we left Alberta for British Columbia. We’ll be in BC for more than two weeks actually! The thing that stands out to me about the ride today was the weather. The weather in the mountains is very difficult to predict. It would start raining, be raining through a 2-5 mile patch and then stop. While it was raining it would be freezing, but then it might warm up 10 degrees in the sunny patches. Weird. The 60 mile rest stop today is worth of note. It was at Mt. Terry Fox. The mountain was named after Terry, who was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 18 and had to have a leg amputated. When he was 22 he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He called the run the Marathon of Hope. The goal was to run the equivalent of a marathon (26.2 miles or 42.2km) everyday all the way across the country. He made it 5375km before having to stop. His cancer had spread to his lungs. He died in 1981 just before his 23rd birthday. There has been over $24 million raised in his name for the Canadian Cancer Society. His story touched me on many levels. First and maybe most obviously was why he was doing his Marathon of Hope—to raise money for cancer research. Second, I study amputee gait. For those who don’t know my background, I’m currently working on a PhD in biomechanics and studying how amputees walk. I would love to extend at least part of my research to look at running. On the most personal level (or maybe the most shallow?), I think I was moved by his story as a runner. I have met, run with and coached many different types of runners. When you meet someone who uses the word “runner” to describe himself, they tend to be of a certain personality. I love being around runners. More often than not, they get “it,” or least “it” the way I understand it. Terry seems to have gotten “it,” and I appreciate his spirit. Suffice it to say, his story gave me a lot to think it. Ironically or not, I actually saw an article in the paper the other day saying that an American director was actually making a movie about Terry. I can’t recall when it was expected to be completed though, so I will have to look into it. I arrived at the host church McBride Anglican/United Church around 2:45p or so this afternoon. We got all the riders over to the community recreation center to shower and then we had dinner at the church. I think there were more vegetables on the table than any of us had seen in a long time, and we gratefully partook of them. The meal was great. Our hosts showed me around the kitchen and all the goodies they had left for us for breakfast, lunch and snacking tomorrow. It is now nearing bedtime and I am excited for a long night of rest. We crossed into a new time zone earlier today, which means an extra hour of sleep!
Day 43
I would like to say that today flew by but that wouldn’t exactly be an accurate statement. The first 60 miles flew by and we saw ourselves arriving at our 60 mile rest stop. We thought we only had 10 more miles to go, but 10 miles up the road our drivers informed us that today would actually be a 95 mile day instead of a 70 mile day. It is amazing how news like this can make your spirits drop. The ride today was from McBride to Purden, BC. I dedicated my ride to Terry Fox, the young man I mentioned yesterday in my blog. I never met him and I don’t know anyone that knows him. But I admire his spirit. As I mentioned earlier, the ride today was going quite well. There were a lot of leftover veggies from last night’s dinner so we had an abnormally “fresh” first rest stop. For all the parents reading this, I apologize for going against your wisdom, but it is not always a good idea to eat your vegetables. I was having some several stomach pain for a few miles after downing a bunch of broccoli today. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, so for future reference, stay away from vegetables while riding even if you’re “taking it easy” that day. Kasaundra was riding with me at the time my stomach started hurting and she was very patient with me as I tried to keep moving. I am fortunate to have a great bunch of teammates. The last 25 miles or so of the ride, Kasaundra, Peter, Scott, MJ and I were riding together, and I cannot imagine better company with whom to plug out those last miles. When we finally arrived at the campsite, the riders in the front had already set up most of the tents, and dinner was well on its way to being made. After dinner, a bunch of us went up the hill to the café, and I got to have my first root beer float in months. The root beer in Canada tastes distinctly different from what you get in the US. Canadians put real sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup in their sodas. I have to say, ending a day with a root beer float is the way to go. The rain started coming down a little harder after the trip to the café, so I curled up in my tent, read my book for a few minutes and finally fell fast asleep.
Day 44
Because yesterday was quite a bit longer than expected, I didn’t set a wake up time for this morning. Later in the day, when I found out our host Dorrie and her daughter had been waiting for us at a bike shop for a couple hours, I felt terrible. One thing we need to work on for next year’s team is getting a pre-paid phone, so we can call in with hosts the day before we arrive just in case there are last minute changes in plans. It turned out there was a bunch of confusion, but it all worked out in the end. All of the riders successfully completed the 40 mile ride from Purden to Prince George, and most of us got our bikes into a local bike shop for a tune-up. Today was Trent’s 21st birthday, and most of us dedicated our day to Trent’s dad, who passed away from cancer. I think we almost made Trent cry actually as we went around our dedication circle as usual and people individually chose to dedicate their day to him. Instead of staying with host families this year as teams have in the past, we are staying at a college in the dorms. We each even have our own rooms! After a quick shower, we piled into the van and drove to Aleta’s house where Dorrie, Aleta and others had a potluck dinner ready for us. One of the dishes even involved moose! Craig the magician performed for us after dinner, and he had several of us almost falling out of chairs laughing at a few points. In Rockies tradition, Prince George has been the place where people get their heads shaved into mohawks. This year’s Rockies team doesn’t seems to want to break every record from previous years and we decided that we needed to ha get their heads shaved into mohawks. This year’s Rockies team doesn’t seems to want to break every record from previous years and we decided that we needed to have at least 14 mohawks to break last year’s record. Well, unfortunately, we only got three actual mohawks this year…however, we got 10 uncles and three other girls cutting their hair drastically. You may be wondering what an uncle is, so I’ll try my best to describe it. An uncle is almost like a reverse mohawk, where the center of your head is bald but you have hair on the sides. People decided to do uncles this year because Mike’s sister is about to have a baby (due any day) and he is going to become an uncle. So, 10 guys got uncles and two guys got mohawks, which accounts for all the guys on the team. MJ also got a mohawk. I had been wanting to donate my hair, but my boyfriend wanted nothing to do with me cutting it. If you’ve been around me almost any length of time, you will quickly realize that if you don’t want me to do something, you should not tell me not to do it because I will likely do it anyways. Well folks, I didn’t shave my head, but I do have a pixie cut now. My fellow riders informed my boyfriend that he couldn’t tell me not to cut my hair when he’d been the first to step up and get the uncle cut. Payback is rough sometimes. Stella and Katherine also cut their hair, but its not nearly as short as MJ’s or mine. However, the middle section of their hair was left long, so that they can gel their hair up into mohawks. In this light, I suppose we had three mohawks and two faux hawks. While all of this hair cutting was going on, someone got Julio on the phone, and walked him through cutting his hair in Austin. In all, Rockies 2008 posted 16 crazy haircuts in Prince George. No, they’re not all mohawks, but we don’t really want to fit the mould. To the 2009 riders, do you think you can beat 16? Following this extravaganza we helped clean up Aleta’s house before heading back to the dorms. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out in MJ’s room celebrating Trent’s birthday as a team. What a day!
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