Coincidence Is A Funny Thing

If all went according to plan, today would be my last morning in Calgary for the foreseeable future. A city which has a lot more to offer than I realized. Add in the close proximity to the mountains and it’s understandable why so many people are proud to call Calgary home. Among those are John and Susan who I feel I must thank yet again for all their help, generosity, and hospitality they’ve shown me over the several days and nights I spent with them.

As much as I enjoyed Calgary (and my detour to Philadelphia) I was very much looking forward to getting back on the road – a road that is very rapidly getting close to the mountains. The toughest days of riding are still to come. Then again, so are the most beautiful.

I was going to make a quick Subway stop on my way out of Calgary but since Cochrane – the next town – also has a Subway and is only 20 km away I figured I’d stop there instead.

The ride to Cochrane was pretty uneventful. A few climbs but nothing significant. And a pretty constant view of mountains. Not a bad place to ride. The most significant part of the ride is “The Cochrane Hill” (insert ominous music here) which, as you may have gathered, is a rather large hill. As best as I can remember, The Cochrane Hill is probably the ONLY time on this trip where it’s better to be going west. It would be a huge understatement to say that it was a great feeling to be speeding down The Cochrane Hill while watching numerous cyclists struggle their way up. For the record, none of those cyclists were riding fully loaded bikes.

As I coasted my way into Cochrane, I spotted a Subway restaurant along the highway – much earlier than I anticipated. I knew there was another one somewhere further along but I decided to stop at this one. It was a good decision.

After taking my obligatory photo, I went inside and placed what has become my usual order (oven-roasted chicken on honey oat). While I was waiting for my sandwich I noticed a familiar person sitting off to the side working on a laptop. It was Brian – from Subway Head Office. As you may recall, I first met Brian at the opening of the Bassano Subway. A couple of weeks and a few hundred kilometres later we met again. I’d say that falls into the unexpected coincidence category. (Hmmmm, I guess that might be a bit redundant).

We chatted for a bit and he told me that he had submitted my request for sponsorship but has yet to hear anything. Apparently that happens sometimes with head office. On the upside, while a sponsorship is still pending, Brian was kind enough to buy me a $30 gift card. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

With a fresh supply of Subway sandwiches, I said goodbye (and thanks) to Brian and Nilesh and was on the move again.

As I left Cochrane, it became abundantly clear that I was moving into the mountain stage of my journey. I had seen my first glimpse of the Rockies on my way into Calgary from Red Deer. I had several more significant mountain sightings in Calgary. But now, I had reached them. They surrounded me. And it was beautiful. Some had lakes next to them. Some rivers. But all of them were truly majestic. My plan to NOT take a picture of every beautiful mountain vista was not particularly successful. I couldn’t help myself. It’s been five years since I’ve seen the Rockies and as I cycled near them I couldn’t help but wonder why I ever left.

I arrived in Canmore shortly after 3:00 but had to make a brief detour before I actually headed into town. Over the course of this journey, I’ve received a lot of advice regarding routes to take, places to stay, sights to see, and so on. However, before leaving Calgary, John and Susan provided what could be the greatest tip of all. La Belle Palate. It’s a small restaurant in an industrial area of Canmore. It’s run by a couple of guys from Quebec. And yes, they specialize in poutine. Real poutine. Real squeaky good poutine. Canmore could be my new favourite place. (Sorry Calgary) Side note: Real poutine seems to be quite a hit in Canmore as La Belle Palate was very busy on this Sunday afternoon.

From La Belle Palate I made my way to my campground for the night. Of course, by “campground” I mean the Tourist Information Centre. And it would be home to my first official set up of my new tent. The set up went well – it’s a generally intuitive tent design. There are definitely a few things I miss about my old tent – specifically, my old tent – but we’ll see how this one goes. I’m sure it will take more than a few nights to get used to it. Either way, thanks again to Tara, Kim, and Rick & Sue (aka. The Harrisons) for contributing to the unofficial New Tent Fund. Greatly appreciated!

Tomorrow I’ll make my way towards Banff and Lake Louise. I’ve been told that there’s a paved trail that leads all the way to Banff which should be nice. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 105.55 km
Ride time: 4:54:22
Average speed: 21.51 km/h
Maximum speed: 59.44 km/h

P.S. I’ve now pedalled over 4,000 km on this journey.