Drumheller Rocks

Some times things just seem to work out. This morning was one of those mornings. In what has become a recurring theme, I woke up pretty early this morning and I was packed and on the move before 7:00. Not bad for a non-morning person!

The plan was to go to the Esso restaurant, fuel up for the ride and hit the road. That didn’t end up happening. As I neared the Esso, it became abundantly clear that the Subway that yesterday was “Opening Soon” was now in fact open. The big Subway sign was still sitting on the ground next to the building but the “Open” sign in the window clearly indicated they were open for business.

While it would’ve been fun to be their first customer, I had to settle for being number three. Turns out, being number three wasn’t so bad as apparently I was number one when it came to customers paying by debit. It also turns out that their debit machine wasn’t quite open for business. The result: Free sub!! Thanks Brian.

Brian was from Subway Head Office (for Alberta and B.C.) and was assisting with the big launch. We chatted for a while and, of course, I mentioned my blog and how Subway has been fuelling my cycling adventures over the past 13,000 km. I gave him my card and maybe (hopefully, possibly) something will come of it.

I also chatted with a couple of the other staff members about Subway, the new store, my trip, and even got a few tips on alternate routes to my next destination.

Speaking of my next destination, even though I started the day only 140 km from Calgary, I wouldn’t be getting any closer to it today – or the next several days. I’ve opted to avoid the chaos that is the Calgary Stampede and instead check out some of the other sites of Alberta. As such, today’s plan was to head north to Drumheller. Dinosaur country. About 95 km away.

The first 40 km were more than a little uneventful. For the first time in quite a while, I ventured off the Trans-Canada and it was certainly the road less travelled. I was on the first road for about 20 km and only three cars passed me. The next road was 12 km and not one car passed me. But fear not, I didn’t get lonely. I had a lot of large and persistent bugs to keep me company. Personally, I would’ve preferred solitude – not entirely surprising.

I eventually arrived back on a more travelled highway (#56) which would lead me the rest of the way to Drumheller. It was a hilly road. And the fields seemed to go on forever. But it was a very scenic ride that I enjoyed more than I expected. I only stopped once to eat – mainly because there weren’t many places to rest my bike. I almost passed one guard rail before I realized that could be the last place to lean my bike for a while!

Oh, did I mention the weather today? No, I don’t think I did. Well, yesterday’s decision to do an extra 50 km turned out to be a good one as the winds had returned to their normal state this morning and I once again faced a headwind. On the upside, the winds weren’t particularly strong so it was really just a mild inconvenience today. The other element from yesterday, the heat, was back in full force again. And more. Today was definitely the hottest day on the bike so far. It was 35 degrees again with a bit more humidity in the air. Or, as I would say, a beautiful day.

The last town before Drumheller is Rosedale and as I approached it there were clear signs of a change in scenery. There were also clear signs that after spending much of the morning climbing long, gentle hills, it was time for a significant descent. Very significant.

As I descended the hill – more than a little rapidly – it was like I was passing into another world. Some sort of jurassic-like theme park – I don’t know what you would call something like that though. Given my rate of travel, I really couldn’t fully take in the spectacular views (nor take photos) but even what I saw from my peripherals was enough to give me chills. It was pretty incredible. Of course, moments later the chills were caused by the realization that there were both rumble strips and a stop sign at the bottom of this significant hill. My brakes have certainly taken a beating over the past couple of days.

Fortunately, when I arrived (or landed) at the bottom of the hill there were no cars at the intersection so a full stop wasn’t necessary. Just to be clear, I could’ve stopped … I just preferred not to.

The final 8 km into Drumheller were pretty stunning. I had to focus on the road but the rock formations were very interesting. What was also interesting is that the temperature seemed to rise a couple degrees as I neared Drumheller. So, what was once a very hot day, had just become a very, very hot day. I certainly didn’t mind but I was definitely ready for a cold beverage or frozen snack.

As much as I enjoy the heat, I think it may have taken a bit more out of me than I thought. Upon arriving in town, my first stop was a gas station where I had a popsicle (not chocolate but at that point I really didn’t care). From there I went to Subway where, in addition to eating, I drank copious amounts of cold water. From there it was onto Tim’s for a donut, before wrapping up my afternoon of unhealthy gluttony (as opposed to healthy gluttony?) with a stop at Dairy Queen for a large hot fudge sundae.

With the gluttony-fest over, I needed to turn my attention to accommodations. The local options for free camping seemed a little vague so I decided I would set up camp in the parking lot of Walmart – a camping friendly location. It was still early evening when I got there so I decided to rest in the shade and once again re-charge some devices. It was during this time that I met another kind stranger. We chatted for a bit before I was offered camping space in his backyard. This sounded much better than the Walmart parking lot.

Conveniently enough, on the way from Walmart to tonight’s camping spot is the World’s Largest Dinosaur so I figured I’d stop there along the way. I’m not going to lie when I saw said dinosaur I actually said, “Holy crap, that’s big!” Yes, I know. Pretty insightful. What can I say, it lives up to its name.

After taking a few photos of the giant dinosaur, I headed to my backyard campsite for the night. The spot was great and there was even a power outlet to charge up my computer again. Strangely, I didn’t get the name of the good samaritan who offered his backyard but maybe if he reads this he’ll add his name to the Guestbook. Either way, thanks again for your generosity.

And thus endeth another great day.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 102.44 km
Ride time: 4:49:34
Average speed: 21.22 km/h
Maximum speed: 62.86 km/h