One of the joys of riding in the Rockies - a grizzly round every corner...
More of a trial than a trail. Over recent years there has been a big increase in the number of horses on the trails near town. I guess you would expect some mud and a rough ride - but I didn't expect the deep, uniform ruts that stretched right across the path. Erick said that only a little while ago this was a great ride - on the approach to the trail I'd been wondering why he'd never taken me on it earlier in the summer - now I know why.
Cath just on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway with Mount Rundle in the background. We had a nice ride along the 1a this day - a section of the old road that was replaced by the Trans-Canada. While most of the ride was on tarmac the wildlife spotting more than made up for it. We saw a pair of Osprey and their chicks, a beaver and a wolf cub - twice!! Unfortunately no bears - Cat was desperate to see some before heading home to Australia (Cat, Erick and I nearly walked into a Grizzly a month or two later...).
Sunday afternoon stroll anyone? Whenever we rode up the Mount Norquay access road Clayton would beat me by miles. It was nice to take the guys round my evening trail and smoke 'em - I was waiting 'hours' for them to catch up for this shot - sorry boys!! ;)
Never looks as steep on a photo does it? While most of the circuit is pretty cruisey, there are some short steep sections - some with inches of loose stone that always had you concentrating hard.
I tried to get loads of decent shots coming down from Norquay on the Stoney Squaw trail - but as it was usually after work and in the shade the light was pretty poor. I guess that helped create the odd effects in this shot - didn't come out too badly - Clayton going 'large'.
Jim taking in some of the scenery for the first time (breather after five minutes riding...). Early in Jim's trip we managed a couple of nice rides around the Banff area.
After the pack horse trip we considered a night or two of luxury - but this was as close as we got to the Banff Springs Hotel.
Again - never looks as steep... Bike photos are something I really need to work on - I think there's more to them than your average ski shot. All being on the same line is one problem and when your loving the flow of a ride the last thing you want to do is stop for snapshots - when you're skiing you often pull up to assess the conditions and terrain, different options, your next line and certainly not least - watching out for your friends.
Mind you - I mucked Jim around long enough till he got this nice shot of me coming out of one of the really interesting technical sections of the Lower Stoney Squaw.
Between Banff and heading off to our pack horse trip we headed up to Jasper for a few days. I love it there and wish I'd made more time for riding in the area. Jasper National Park is a lot more bike friendly than Banff - with a better network of trails excellently marked and maintained. The town itself is smaller with a much more laid back feel to it and I think the Park itself has a different feel to it also.
I think the autumn is a great time to visit Canada - towns and trails are quiet and the colours are fantastic.
