Day 15 - July 13 - Calgary to Cypress Hills Prov Park (AB)
Before I hit the road, I come to terms with the fact that I 'may' have overpacked. Sitting in the comfort of my house will all of that 'stuff' in front of me, it was hard to imagine not needing it all! Some honest and good spirited teasing from Craig, I had come to accept that 5 jackets may not be necessary (don't laugh!). Although something like my guide (9'x12') tarp, while first being mocked, had later been a godsend protecting gear and persons from the elements.
and re-packed... while to the 'untrained' eye it might look much the same, yet the tent did move from the yellow bag behind me to a pannier (lowering weight = good) and both panniers are a little less 'jammed' full.
On the road late afternoon, I did my best to avoid the Trans-Canada heading east. An early dinner and wifi at McDs, I set my sights on the Alberta side of Cypress Hills Provincial Park. I'm a bit rusty and forgot to check fuel heading on the secondary roads and had to backtrack to Medicine Hat.. oh well, the joys of being solo, no one else to inconvenience!
Of all the campgrounds I've stayed in, I have to say this one is my least favourite. It was beautiful and had the lake which I suspect is a big draw for most, but for me at $23 it was expensive and lacking in some of what I'd expect for that price - no washing stations (hands or otherwise), pit toilets, no potable water at the campsite (?!) and clearly no enforced noise policy (yes, that makes me sound old). I was more than happy to make a early departure the next morning and was aptly rewarded for my enthusiasm with a stunning morning ride.
Day 16 - July 14 - Cypress Hills (AB) to Nelson Reservoir Recreation Site (MT)
Lesson for the day - if someone offers you a map.. take the map!
So I didn't pickup the map at registration yesterday, but I recall that there is a gravel road just south of the campground that heads east from the Alberta side to the Saskatchewan side of this interprovincial park. I had a general idea, a GPS and 3/4 tank of gas and was good to go.
Riding at 6:45a on the prairies is cold. The early morning light, rolling mist, deer bounding, hawks hunting was breathtaking....
Shortly after the beautiful horses, I realize I'm heading north not south as expected! I check the GPS and it has been suggesting a u-turn for some time. After a 15km scenic backtrack (I really was mezermized by the prairies), I find where I've made the wrong turn. Having skipped breakfast, I head toward the well signed Fort Wash keen for a hot coffee and maybe breaky.
Oh crap, a "historic" sight, not hot coffee! I was even too early to take the tour... jerky and mango for breakfast and onward, only now I've added many unexpected miles to my day. To top it off, in the search for the US border, my GPS is attempting to send me up cow trails (probably was a road at some point!) and over hill and dale. Consulting roadside maps and despite my GPS, I make the Willow Creek border crossing just as I flip the bike to "reserve" (for non-motorcyclists, on a carbonated bike, this means head to the nearest gas station) The DR has no fuel gauge, just the tripometer, which at this point was reading 174 miles, ~20 miles sooner than I expected. It was 20km to the nearest gas and I didn't really know what kind of range I had on reserve... I knew I'd be cutting it close to get into Havre, MT for fuel, but this close is adding to the sense of 'adventure'!
Well, thankfully I make Havre on fumes... fuel, lunch, provisions, oh, yes and a MT map, I head east on Highway 2, a 2 lane / 70 mph highway, lovely but unfortunately WINDY.
Taking a break from the wind buffeting my tall, light bike, I chatted with a couple of locals at a rest stop. Members of the local band, Tyke and Darren had some great recommendations (and buffalo hunting stories!) Back on the windy highway, it was a short ride to Malta, MT where there were a couple of promising campgrounds. Seeking a slower pace, I chose some backroads headed in the general direction of one of the campgrounds. Meandering another +20 km of gravel, I finally ended my day with free camping at a nearly deserted, grassy, lake side recreation site. Well, human deserted that is.. there were plenty of gnats and mosquitos!
While this map doesn't exactly represent all the 'alternative' routes I took enroute, it's the general idea...
My odometer says I did ~420 km with my guess being at least 50% as gravel. I managed to not get lost (despite not always knowing where I was) and didn't run out of gas... a great day indeed!
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