Homeless But Not Hopeless: 09/07/2014 - Cycling the Rockies on a Cheap Bike. Day 7 - Goodbye Glorious Rockies and Enter the Uninteresting Hills of Alberta.

Thursday, 14 August 2014

09/07/2014 - Cycling the Rockies on a Cheap Bike. Day 7 - Goodbye Glorious Rockies and Enter the Uninteresting Hills of Alberta.

Distance cycled: 94.9km from HI hostel, Jasper to 2km west of Hinton, Alberta.
Average speed: 18.1Km/h
Moving Time: 5h14m
Elevation Ascended: 1388m
Burned Calories: 3760 kcal
Burned Fat: 488g
Total Distance on Current trip: 589km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 12,390km
Money spent: $5

View Rockies day 7 in a larger map

I've mentioned this before on my blog but having to leave good places where I have met great people and had an awesome time can be difficult, it is the comfort and fun of hostels I enjoy most and getting back on my bike and heading off alone I'm leaving this feeling behind; but doing so brings adventure, it may be by myself but meeting others and sharing experiences is easily found around the corner.
After gathering myself and loosely attaching my belongings to my bike I set off to go check out Maligne Canyon on my way out of Jasper, it was a bit of a detour including a steep climb but somewhat worth the effort, the rapid water rushing through the deep crevasses were ok but not much in this national park could beat the panoramic vista of being on top of Whistler mountain a few days ago.
Although here I did two cousins from Germany and Switzerland on their first tour on bikes and I shared all the advice and tips I could to help them out on their journey.
The soaring peaks of the Rockies lit up under the afternoon sun were breathtaking to behold, a 360 panoramic with near fluorescent turquoise blue lakes, milky blue river water and a bunch of wildlife including another black bear on the side of the road and a trio of elk grazing.
A good chunk of the afternoon I was benefited by strong tailwinds blowing me out of the valley and the Rockies towards Hinton where it was obvious that the fantastic views mentioned above was going to end and the not quite well maintained, arrow straight, divided and dull highways of Alberta had begun.
Still, the people I met on the road today were friendly as one man offered a ride to the top of a hill that I was tackling a woman named Sue simply stopped and wanted to chat with me about my adventures around the world.