2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

Here’s the LBS and the only one in town which also doubles as a women’s clothing store.

What was that e-bike parked in the front of the Bike Shop?

Heavy loaded your both Creos indeed!

 

[Mike_V]

After a couple of days of waiting for the smoke from the wildfires to dissipate, we decided to head out once more to the Town of Lacombe but this time we would ride a loop around Gull Lake with stops along the way including the tiny hamlet of Crestomere, the Town of Bentley and of course the Gull Lake Resort then return back to Lacombe along the busy stretch of Hwy 12. Gull Lake is popular with the locals and also a destination for out of towners who want to pull their RVs into the very large campsite. Not my idea of a fun weekend but to each his own.

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Once again, we hoped to employ as little PAS as possible on this trip but even I exceeded my own expectations as I rode the entire metric century without any assistance from the Creo’s motor. I didn’t feel that the added weight at the rear with fully loaded panniers and trunk bag significantly affected my progress but the final 10km toward the homestretch I was starting to find it a bit tougher. Seems like that’s usually the case when one nears the finish line. I really feel that the beefier 37C WTB Riddler tires in conjunction with the absorption qualities of the Creo’s Futureshock make for more comfortable rides particularly on longer hauls.


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These barns have likely seen better days.
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From derelict structures to more refined abodes.

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This massive state of the art greenhouse which occupies 11 acres just outside of Lacombe operates year-round. Vine ripened tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are harvested 1-2 times a week and are packed and shipped within a couple of hours. I’m sure we’ve purchased produce at our local grocer that was grown from here and didn’t even realize it.

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The traffic even along secondary hwys can be brutal. Case in point, we had to stop and pull over to let this mobile home transport by due to the very narrow shoulders on #792 which I might add were in terrible shape. If it wasn’t for the driver of the pilot truck who gave us advance warning, it could have been a harrowing ordeal.

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As expected, rural farms dot the landscape and it was nice to see some century old operations still hard at it.

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It was kind of neat to see this old school house still standing.

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Some enjoy admiring their parked Maseratis but I’m sure that locals here likely feel the same way about displaying their JD combines and threshers.

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The local landscape by no means can rival the stunning images that @RabH posts, but for Central AB, it ain’t too shabby. Seeding has just begun in some parts and hopefully the farmers will have another successful year.

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We paused briefly just before entering main street Bentley.
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Bentley’s infamous Monkey Top Saloon. A popular hangout for bikers but not much action happening on during a Thursday afternoon. This place should be hopping by the long weekend.

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Here’s the LBS and the only one in town which also doubles as a women’s clothing store.

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Dropped in at The Drop Cafe and sampled their Belgian Chocolate gelato. Mainstreet Bentley kind of reminds me of that Canadian TV sitcom, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ created by the father and son duo, Eugene and dan Levy. Loved that show.

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You get the feeling that some folks around here don’t feel that chummy towards our PM.

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We made it to Gull Lake later in the afternoon and admired the surrounding wetlands as we rode along the boardwalk toward the center of the resort.

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Not much to write home about here as the lake level was really low compared to our visit last year. Come the weekend, the campsites will be filled to capacity but with a province wide fire ban, there can’t be much to fill the time in the evening.

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We left Gull Lake as quickly as we arrived and headed east back toward Lacombe along Hwy 12. Traffic was horrendous but thankfully the shoulders were much wider along this 23km stretch. Entering into town, we were greeted by a music and the smell of BBQ as this very large farmer’s market was bustling with vendors and customers alike. We didn’t have time to stop in to take a peek as it was getting late and my wife still had to attend a garden club meeting back home.

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Your's is a big county Good Luck with Zees One 'Eh?

 

[Prairie Dog]

What was that e-bike parked in the front of the Bike Shop?

Heavy loaded your both Creos indeed!

I’m guessing that it was a Cube as that is one of the brands this store stocks. Other bikes they carry are from Electra, Norco and Trek. We’re starting to come around to riding with fully loaded bikes hoping that it will prepare us for our summer trip to the coast in particular the climbs up the mountain passes.

Good Luck with Zees One 'Eh?

I’m afraid that you lost me.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

We’re starting to come around to riding with fully loaded bikes hoping that it will prepare us for our summer trip to the coast in particular the climbs up the mountain passes.

I'm working out for the Mazovian Gravel 250. It involves riding longer distances on my Vado SL (with reasonably low assistance) and on my heavy Vado fully loaded (also low assistance). I am not sure which of the e-bikes I would select for the ultramarathon yet. Vado 6.0 has the power I need and the removable battery. Vado SL handles like a dream in rough terrain and is lighweight enough to be easily carried through a river but it lacks the power, and recharging the main battery and multiple Range Extenders will be problematic.

 

[DaveMatthews]

After a couple of days of waiting for the smoke from the wildfires to dissipate, we decided to head out once more to the Town of Lacombe but this time we would ride a loop around Gull Lake with stops along the way including the tiny hamlet of Crestomere, the Town of Bentley and of course the Gull Lake Resort then return back to Lacombe along the busy stretch of Hwy 12. Gull Lake is popular with the locals and also a destination for out of towners who want to pull their RVs into the very large campsite. Not my idea of a fun weekend but to each his own.

View attachment 153939
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Once again, we hoped to employ as little PAS as possible on this trip but even I exceeded my own expectations as I rode the entire metric century without any assistance from the Creo’s motor. I didn’t feel that the added weight at the rear with fully loaded panniers and trunk bag significantly affected my progress but the final 10km toward the homestretch I was starting to find it a bit tougher. Seems like that’s usually the case when one nears the finish line. I really feel that the beefier 37C WTB Riddler tires in conjunction with the absorption qualities of the Creo’s Futureshock make for more comfortable rides particularly on longer hauls.


View attachment 153943
View attachment 153976


These barns have likely seen better days.
View attachment 153944
View attachment 153946

From derelict structures to more refined abodes.

View attachment 153947
This massive state of the art greenhouse which occupies 11 acres just outside of Lacombe operates year-round. Vine ripened tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are harvested 1-2 times a week and are packed and shipped within a couple of hours. I’m sure we’ve purchased produce at our local grocer that was grown from here and didn’t even realize it.

View attachment 153948


The traffic even along secondary hwys can be brutal. Case in point, we had to stop and pull over to let this mobile home transport by due to the very narrow shoulders on #792 which I might add were in terrible shape. If it wasn’t for the driver of the pilot truck who gave us advance warning, it could have been a harrowing ordeal.

View attachment 153950
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As expected, rural farms dot the landscape and it was nice to see some century old operations still hard at it.

View attachment 153954
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It was kind of neat to see this old school house still standing.

View attachment 153956

Some enjoy admiring their parked Maseratis but I’m sure that locals here likely feel the same way about displaying their JD combines and threshers.

View attachment 153957
The local landscape by no means can rival the stunning images that @RabH posts, but for Central AB, it ain’t too shabby. Seeding has just begun in some parts and hopefully the farmers will have another successful year.

View attachment 153958
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We paused briefly just before entering main street Bentley.
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Bentley’s infamous Monkey Top Saloon. A popular hangout for bikers but not much action happening on during a Thursday afternoon. This place should be hopping by the long weekend.

View attachment 153962
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Here’s the LBS and the only one in town which also doubles as a women’s clothing store.

View attachment 153964

Dropped in at The Drop Cafe and sampled their Belgian Chocolate gelato. Mainstreet Bentley kind of reminds me of that Canadian TV sitcom, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ created by the father and son duo, Eugene and dan Levy. Loved that show.

View attachment 153965
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You get the feeling that some folks around here don’t feel that chummy towards our PM.

View attachment 153969

We made it to Gull Lake later in the afternoon and admired the surrounding wetlands as we rode along the boardwalk toward the center of the resort.

View attachment 153970
Not much to write home about here as the lake level was really low compared to our visit last year. Come the weekend, the campsites will be filled to capacity but with a province wide fire ban, there can’t be much to fill the time in the evening.

View attachment 153971
We left Gull Lake as quickly as we arrived and headed east back toward Lacombe along Hwy 12. Traffic was horrendous but thankfully the shoulders were much wider along this 23km stretch. Entering into town, we were greeted by a music and the smell of BBQ as this very large farmer’s market was bustling with vendors and customers alike. We didn’t have time to stop in to take a peek as it was getting late and my wife still had to attend a garden club meeting back home.

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That is extremely impressive getting 100km with no assistance.
Kudos to both you and the Creo design!

 

[RabH]

It was a nice day for a recovery ride after Monday's epic ride, light winds directly from the west for a change! The forecast was showing 100% cloud coverage but I had a good bit of sun for most of my ride and I wasn't complaining @Prairie Dog Its a little greener here but your photos were awesome, it looks like you both had a great day on the bike!

When I say green, I mean green...this was very close to home not long after I set off just past Greengairs!

Last year they resurfaced one of my back roads, at Fannyside Lochs and I have been meaning to do the big descent for a long time as I mostly climbed it due to the potholes...I put that right today at last and what a blast it was! Its not a massive descent by any means but great fun nonetheless!

The loch was a little choppy despite the light winds!

I then took the road to Allandale and once there I headed south on the back roads to Falkirk, there are quite a few climbs on this very narrow road and I was lucky not to meet any cars or tractors this time! This is part way up the first climb looking back down!

The next part of the climb was just around the corner and I caught the deer enjoying the long grass and some were enjoying the watering hole along with the ducks!

A couple of miles on and the sun was still beaming down making it just a nice temp for riding, its so good to get out in just 2 layers... The road here is in such great condition asnd I had it all to myself for the most part and just to the north the Ochill Hills were shrouded in cloud!

I arrived in Falkirk and found the road I wanted to take closed, with no signs saying so....but thankfully I managed to use the footpath which was totally clear and got through! I then took the road into Lionthorn and used the new cycle path for a bit! The hill in the background is a beast of a climb but I wasn't tackling it today...

I then took the road to Maddiston which has a lovely big descent to blast down, only today I was building up speed and spotted a learner driver waiting to join the road near the bottom of the descent! Of course they didn't realise how fast I was going and pulled out, for a second I thought about overtaking them but erred on the side of caution and it turned out to be a very wise decision as a car appeared inn the opposite direction! No harm done and I fully expected them to pull out, the instructor should have been more vigilant though...

I continued on through Maddiston and took the road down into the Avon Gorge, sadly it was pretty busy here with trucks so I cut off and took the back roads to Westfield where another big climb awaited me! I had plent juice left though and sailed up and instead of going down a huge descent to Armadale I decided to take the big climb up over Heights due to having lots of battery power left! The road drops down into Blackridge and it was a straight road home from there with no incidents to speak of!

After I got home I noticed I had passed 40000 miles on my GPS, this is since the end of 2011!

I had a really great ride and it was just in my own locale, I know how lucky I am to have such amazing roads right on my doorstep!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

After I got home I noticed I had passed 40000 miles on my GPS, this is since the end of 2011!

Congratulations, Rab!

 

[Twin Valley]

We are winding through Southern British Columbia with our R.V. making our way to the small city of Quesnel where one of our grandsons is in the high school rodeo finals. Of course, every opportunity is made to explore local bike trails but usually in the 10 to 15 km range and not the epic rides so often shared here. The smoke has not been too bad depending on the wind direction but the mosquitoes are out in attack force. After the rodeo this weekend we'll continue on to my daughter's ranch further northwest and help out with cattle processing but more importantly revisit many familiar biking trails in the Netchako and Bobtail mountains.

 

[Chargeride]

And

Congratulations, Rab!

Ive worked it out .your knees exploded in 2015 and its only your troosers that are holding your feet on.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

And

Ive worked it out .your knees exploded in 2015 and its only your troosers that are holding your feet on.

You've become quite cryptic, Charge Care to decode the banter?

 

[Chargeride]

Its Scottish for trousers.
Probably the most famous Scottish comedy song in England .

 

[Chargeride]

Heres a ride along the Brecon canal, its so cute, the bridges are out of the Hobbit shire.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Heres a ride along the Brecon canal, its so cute, the bridges are out of the Hobbit shire.

Reid hardd! (Beautiful ride!)

Ball park, what percentage of UK residents outside Wales can read Welsh signage?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

It was a nice day for a recovery ride after Monday's epic ride, light winds directly from the west for a change!

Love the deer on the island watching you go by.

Just curious, what do you do to recover from your 50-mile recovery rides?

 

[Chargeride]

Only about a 100K, but the road signs are well known to people near Wales.
The standard joke is that theres no Welsh for Bed and Breakfast, at least its never written down in public.

 

[RabH]

Congratulations, Rab!

Thank you, Stefan!

Love the deer on the island watching you go by.

Just curious, what do you do to recover from your 50-mile recovery rides?

Another 50 mile recovery ride probably...

@Chargeride My name isn't Donald though!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The standard joke is that theres no Welsh for Bed and Breakfast, at least its never written down in public.

I lived in a Bed & Breakfast in Wales but cannot remember its Welsh name!
The Welsh are extremely polite, warm and friendly!

 

[Chargeride]

Very much so, but there are regional conflicts based on very complicated generational issues that doesnt affect tourists
The further south you go, the nicer they get and its almost entirely due to proximity to large English conurbations.
Down in Brecon, the locals are simply delicious, warm and friendly.
Up in North Wales Ive been told to f off back to England many a time

 

[BlackHand]

With my son's season winding down, I'm starting to get a chance at weekend rides back. But today he did have an afternoon pickup game further out in the county, so I tossed the bike in the back of the car with a 2 hour ride window while he played.

Managed the 32mile ride in 2:03, which was pretty good considering I apparently didn't charge my battery so I couldn't turn the assist up much and the bike died with ~1/2 mile climb to the finish still left.

The road down to the Snoqualmie River valley is a really nice twisty ride. Popular with motorcyclists and convertible owners as I saw lots of both along the mostly quiet road.

This was the view a few miles into the ride

Further down I had a short unscheduled break while these 2 deer tried to decide whether to finish crossing the road. They seemed more worried by me and my bike than by the car on the opposite side.

It's so nice to get out in farm country and on roads that don't have stop signs or traffic lights every couple hundred yards.

I had forgotten how busy the Duvall-Monroe Road can be and the ~2mi stretch from Duvall to the county line has minimal shoulders and a 55mph speed limit. Took this picture at a small pullout. About 1/2 mile up the road a big pickup with towing mirrors on the side passed me without moving over at all. Pretty sure the mirror passed over my left hand.. sigh.

Too nice out to let 1 driver ruin my day though. Other than that person, drivers were really courteous especially on the twisty slow ride back up toward the end. Every car waited behind me on blind bends and I even had to wave a couple around me who were too cautious to pass on the short straights between bends.

 

[Chargeride]

Its funny how everyone elses scenery looks better.
I guess its the far away sparking the imagination.