Sometimes You're the Cat; Sometimes You're the Litter Box....

Woke up to rain in Fernie; thankful again to Snow Valley Lodge for taking us and our bikes in (last room!). Geared up for the long haul in more rain and mud. Fernie to Loon Lake = 52 miles of slogging. Had the map mentioned that the climb after crossing Elk River was, well INSANE, I might have started hitch-hiking. A mile of 15% grade: Lorne cleaned it, I only pedaled just over half, then pushed, grunted, rested, dubbed the hill new names. We can tell we're already getting stronger. 

Prepping for rain

Dinner

Camped 1.5 mi off-route at beautiful little Loon Lake. Dry camp, outhouse, no trash - pack it in, pack it out: BUT there were recycling bins (GO CANADA!). We headed to the host site to ask about the water and when we said we would just filter from the lake, she just shuddered and took our container and filled it from her 10 gallon jug. Thank you, Lorraine! 

Rained off and on so we set up camp with an added tarp for some dry space. Yummy freeze-dried camp food. (note: don't buy the curry, unless you LOVE curry, but the herb and garlic mashed potatoes are yummeh!) Woke up in the middle of the night and thought my head was in a microwave with a bag of popcorn at full pop; the rain was coming down so hard!

Rainbow at Loon Lake

Charging station -keeping dry

 Makin' a run for the border!

Geared up to a clearing sky this morning (Sunday) and started the push to Grave Creek Campground.

Made it to the US/Canada border at about 11:00 unscathed and dry, but within 10 minutes of the border crossing we were drenched. (note again: if it's sprinkling, don't wait. Put on the rain gear.NOW) Just about 1/2 mile from Grave Creek Campground - home for tonight - and Lorne spots the Homestead Ales Taphouse and Jax Pizza. We had an amazing 2nd breakfast (Hobbit-style) at Cafe Jax in Eureka, Montana, so we had to stop again. I know, this isn't roughing it, but we're going to be TOTALLY off-grid for the next 2-3 days in BEAR COUNTRY. So yeah, I'm enjoying this BBQ chicken pizza, greek salad, and genuine ginger ale (Lorne has the other kind of Ale).

L & Mel @ Loon Lake

More whip cream?

Thanks for following and sharing our adventures! "See" you in a few days :)

Peace & Love,

Melani & Lorne

Sushi & Beer? Elkford to Fernie

Not many pictures today on account of the rain. rain. rain. Headwind. Rain. Did I mention wind and rain? Lorne was a stud and took over in the lead, breaking wind in front of me. I mean, breaking the wind in front of me. It was a little disappointing having some gorgeous vistas and downhill ahead, yet having to resort to granny gear to push against the headwinds. The rain let up enough for us to stop and chat with an old local who runs a packhorse outfit - he was standing by his gate talking to his herd. Gorgeous mountain horses. As we rode away, they galloped and bucked across the meadow. We called it their "happy dance."

Pulled into Sparwood for lunch and Lorne's sushi radar took us to the Yama 2 Go food truck. Great rolls for lunch. Much thanks to Cam for the tip on a place to stay in Fernie - and for the invite to the party at your restaurant tonight (Yamagoya Sushi in Fernie).

Today's ride was on the "highway", which was pretty busy considering the 4-day Canadian holiday weekend (July 1 is Canada Day, similar to 4th of July in the U.S.). Imagine the rain, and the spray from the cars and logging trucks as they whizzed by. Thank goodness for that rain gear!

Rolled into Fernie and the first thing we see is the Fernie Brewing Company. Of course, we had to stop for Lorne! Peeled off the rain gear, warmed up, and again experienced the finest Canadian hospitality -- worried we weren't going to find a place in town due to the holiday weekend, the manager, Abi, offered to let us camp in her yard if there was "no room at the inn". Hot tub, hot shower, last hotel/real bed for about another week.

Peace & Love,
Lorne & Melani

The Map is a LIE

Hikers hut - again, pano fun

Well, the map and descriptions are actually spot on. The "Elevation Profile" is deceiving. It makes the ride from Mt. Sarrail to Elkford look like 45 miles of downhill. NOT the case. Not even close. My screaming quads are laughing at me for believing the saying, "What goes up, must come down." That is a fallacy. It is incomplete. Here's the complete version, and the truth: "What goes down, must pedal back up, coast down a bit, then pedal twice as far up again." THAT's why we were ambitious and decided to put in 50+ miles on day 4. Thank goodness for a tiny hotel (Elkford Motor Inn), laundry facilities, hot shower and lasagna/pizza! (We're sure Paul R. is choking if he's reading this...yes, we put that in our bodies, but we NEEDED it!)

Horse/mule herd grazing by trail

Made our first Divide crossing today: endless views of majestic, towering peaks tickling the clouds. Lucious green valleys cut by the river below. Our first view of life was our ride through a herd of horses/mules in the middle of nowhere - a few of them even had bear bells on! Not much to write, just hellacious climbing in between our little downhill coasting. Lots of mud from yesterday's rain, but more beauty than can be described so I'll just post photos. (and enjoy the afterglow of that hot shower!)

Stopped for lunch: who put this picnic table way out here?

Horses, breath-taking views

Look So Cal - running water!

Day of the Grizzly

View from campsite (Day 1)

Woke to the pitter-patter of rain on the yurt -- thankful we weren't having to put away a wet tent and gear up in the sogginess. Decided to stop in at Mt Engadine Lodge to bid our farewell, refill water, and hope to catch a glimpse of the bull moose that frequents the meadow below the breakfast deck: no luck there. Thank you again to Riley, Mallory, and Peggy for the company!

Fun with pano: L started pic, M finished

Long wet slog 1.5 mi uphill out of lodge to our first turn when we spot a hump of fur about 25 ft off the side of the road. We slowed to take a picture of what we thought was going to be the elusive moose. The squeal of our wet breaks caused the beast to raise its head. Oh s*** it's a grizzly! We froze and watched it give us a cursory glance before going back to foraging. That's it? No freaky, scary, "change my shorts" type of encounter. Thank goodness, because somewhere along the trail we lost our bear spray yesterday! Since the bear didn't seem to mind us, we got out cameras and shot a couple pics before pedaling on. Interesting that when we started rolling and our bear bells started jangling, the bear loped away from the sound; good to know those work! We continued our slow climb, continually glancing over our shoulders to make sure we didn't have company -- and discussed propping our bikes and trailers together to form a "triangle of life" to hide under if needed!

Fresh bear poo

15 miles of RAIN. Uphill. Granny gear. Put on the big girl panties and find your happy place 'cause it's not changing any time soon.

There's the culprit: GRIZZLY

Boulton Creek Trading Post and a pre-packaged ham and cheese sandwich (warmed in microwave) never tasted so good. Peeled off the rain gear that was now soaked from the inside with sweat. I see why wrestlers wear this stuff to make weight. Another mile or two to Mt. Sarrail Camp for the night. Ran into a fellow "Divider" from England - Zack, riding solo. I'm sure our paths will cross again and we can share more stories.

Till tomorrow,
Lorne & Melani

Days 1 & 2

First, a big shout out to the guys (and gal) at Bicycle Cafe in Canmore for helping us get our GPS SPOT updated: moms n dads and maybe even our kids would've been more than upset if we didn't have a way of updating our progress.

Day 1: spent 1-1/2 hours assembling bikes, gear, etc. and taking photos at the Banff Springs Hotel. A mere six miles into the ride our first river crossing turned into a river fording experience -- the bridge was washed out! It took 6 trips to get our gear across the frigid water. We had to thaw between each trip, and I had to change into dry clothes (I'm not as tall as Lorne and his thigh-deep water was crotch-deep for me.). Mile 8 found us in a downpour, and where do you think we packed the rain gear? Not very accessible - chalk it up to the noob learning how to pack. We waited until mile 12 to dig out the gear before heading out on a 5 mi uphill cruise to Spray Lake Campground. Spotted a couple of deer along the trail and as we rode into the campground we saw our first BEAR! He didn't even look up as we rode by - about 8 feet away. Finally found the perfect spot and ready to send our "OK" signal when Lorne realized that he left the SPOT hanging on the kiosk 5 mi back. Stud muffin unhooked his trailer and made a mad dash time trial back - found the SPOT where we left it, and made it back UPHILL in just an hour. SO, if you've been tracking us, you'll understand yesterday's progress. Camp host tells us that the campground is in "bear corridor"; a couple came through from Chile last year - destination Banff - and they took one year to ride......hmmmm, our next adventure?

Day 2: First flat tire. Running tubeless so Lorne threw a tube in his rear tire and we headed out again. Gorgeous trail along the shore of Spray Lake. Magnificent views, waterfalls, bridges, meadows, mountain peaks -- perfect time of year. Just like Hawaii - rains every afternoon (but more snow HAHA). Taking our time breaking in the legs. No body complaints other than the typical fatigue; it's definitely taking time getting used to pulling the trailers. We've already started a bag for the extra shitake mushrooms we packed. We'll be mailing a bit home as soon as we hit the US border - if we haven't used it by then, we don't need it.

Missing everyone, but more so wishing you could all be here and see this amazing scenery!

Much love,
Lorne & Melani


Great new friends - Riley and Peggy, who we met at Mt. Engadine Lodge. Awesome dinner, Riley! Peggy, we hope to hear more travel stories!

 End of Day 2 at Mt. Engadine Lodge

T-12 hours: the clock is counting down. Went through gear one last time. Packed it all in, including food and water. We drove to the trailhead and read the seasonal closure details including detours -- none affecting us, but mostly due to "not disturbing wildlife". I'll post a pic of the sign when I can upload it. Let's just say that if I can see and photograph any of the "wildlife" listed I'll be stoked...although I might need a change of pants. Brought cables and chargers out the wazoo, but forgot the camera download cable and the memory card doesn't fit the netbook. Oh well, our first request home will be to mail ahead the cable unless we find an adapter for the memory card (preferred for weight reasons). Going silent for a few days, but you'll be able to follow on the SPOT!

Peace,

Lorne & Melani

The Road to Banff

Got a bit of a late start this morning but we should roll into Pocatello tonight; Banff tomorrow night. Turned on the SPOT to see how our settings affect battery life: last item to be tested before we leave civilization Monday morning. I'm adding the link to the bottom of the home page if, just for giggles, you want to see where we're at.

To quote our friend, the other MD, "Peace, yo!"

Ready to ROLL!

Final anticipated parts came in today and we were able to put everything together and pedal around the neighborhood. I KNOW - not exactly a trial run of any distance, but we've had lots of practice hauling a wiggling kid in a trailer/trail-a-bike; we just needed a reminder - and pulling an inanimate object is a lot easier! (46 lbs total trailer+pack weight)

Last-minute downloading waypoints onto the GPS, double-checking gear -- almost forgot reading glasses -- and I think we're all set.

Thank you to everyone for the calls, emails, texts, prayers and words of encouragement. This is going to be one heck of an adventure! We will be sending a pre-programmed text to family members every morning, "Hitting the trail for another day of adventure" and every night, "We're OK. Done riding for the day" to check in.

Oops! almost forgot. Here's the link for our SPOT so you can track us online. We'll be playing with it on the road tomorrow so you may get weird data between here and Pocatello, Idaho. BUT Monday morning when we hit the trail, you can start cyber-stalking.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jspglId=01E9WDMDGQVJqxoGm3adf6agtpqV6R4E8

Happy trails!
Lorne & Melani

P.S. Now to try and get some sleep

Platypus Water Filter

Goal Zero Sherpa 50

North Face Roadrunner II

MSR WhisperLite & JetBoil

Setting up and going through gear to make sure all parts are there and everything's working as it should. We used most of our gear on Mt. Whitney, then again on our Grand Teton trip. It'll be put to the real test over the next 45 days!

Woke up in the middle of the night and remembered to add tweezers to First Aid kit. Leaving the kitchen sink at home. Seriously, don't need it.

More gear pics this evening - waiting on forks for trailers, new wheels, a cool light from Fox Fury, and...??....and the link to our GPS Tracking....stay tuned!

Learning to Pack...RIGHT

Top: Lorne, Melani, Ivy, Mike
Bottom: Lorne, Kathy, Melani  (always running into friends at O'side Harbor!)

YAY! Our portable solar panel arrived. More toys to play with and get dialed in before our trip. We're going to be using the Goal Zero Sherpa 50 kit. We will be able to recharge our GPS devices (and phones) so everyone can keep an eye on us! We don't have the link for you to track us YET - it's a subscription service and there's no point in having anyone see exactly where in our house our dining room table is :P   We'll activate that next week when we hit the road - driving to Banff next Friday!

Rode 38.4 miles on the tandem today and I don't think there's anything I can do to prepare the backside for days on end in the saddle -- other than days on end in the saddle. Going to have a practice packing session tonight to determine who carries what, and if it all fits in the dry bags that line the trailers. I have to handicap Lorne with the heavy stuff, right? Shhhh don't tell him I said that. I'll be sneaking extra stuff into his pack :D

Keep the positive thoughts and vibes coming our way and we always send 'em right back at ya!

Much love and peace,
Melani & Lorne

Getting Ready: the countdown is on!

I've put this off long enough. I couldn't sleep last night and woke up this morning with a nervous nausea. It's really happening now!

Lorne (my husband and partner in adventure) and I have been planning to mountain bike the Continental Divide. This 2700+ mile route will have us crossing the Divide 11 times as we make our way from Banff, Alberta Canada, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. You can view the route here: http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/great-divide-mountain-bike-route/

I almost hesitate to say it out loud, and have reluctantly talked about it to friends - not that I'm reluctant to go on this adventure, but I don't want to say anything to jinx it. Dumb, I know, but now just seven days until we hit the road and it's REAL! We will be on the trail itself June 23.

Well, if you've been following along on FaceBook you've seen pictures of our gear preparation. This morning I finally secured transportation to Banff, Canada and hotel reservations for the road trip to our jumping off point. So many questions and concerns from friends and family, so let's address those first.

FAQs
1) What have you done to prepare yourself physically for this trip?
     Pretty much the same thing we've done to prepare for any other "epic" adventure: nothing special. I've got an amazing travel companion with an incredible sense of adventure. A little pain and discomfort doesn't scare us - we know the first week will probably be a little hellish and we're ok with that. (Note to anyone interested: check back in two weeks and see if I'm whining, k?)

2) Will you have cell, emergency service, way to contact civilization?
     Sometimes. If you look at the maps, you'll see that we plan on stopping at campground and in small towns where we hope to have internet access to provide updates. If not, we have a Garmin GPS Spot that you can log in and track our travels. This device also allows us to send an SOS if a legitimate emergency arises. I'll be updating the blog and Facebook with photos and video when possible.

3) Are you taking a gun? bear spray? insect repellent? first aid? butt butter? binoculars? solar panels?
     Don't worry - we've taken a thorough look at our gear and like Santa: we made a list and are checking it twice. Three times, forty times... you get the picture. Lorne always says, "If we forgot something, we'll buy it. If we don't have it or can't buy it, we don't need it." Speaking of which, and this may be TMI: I am definitely breaking down and buying a feminine funnel. I'm not sure the proper name for it, but if you don't know what it is, try looking it up...I don't want to get caught with my pants around my ankles if a bear walks by LOL.

4) If you know my mom, you know I've been given the third degree about this trip. If you haven't asked the question, she already has.

We love our families and friends and appreciate all the support and encouragement!!!  I'll post the GPS Spot link next week when we activate it. Packing for a trial run with all the gear this weekend so I'd better run.

Till next time (which may just be tomorrow),
Mel