Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
(Part 2 – Banff Hills)
From Mt Avenue, we would begin the short climb up to the Sulphur Mt. Hot Springs and Gondola. Relatively tame but still worthy of the views of Mt Rundle and the fact there was no marked shoulder made for an intriguing ride.
Up at the top, it became even more interesting as traffic slowed to a crawl with tour buses and other vehicles jockeying for parking. We weaved our way among the dozens of cars until we reached the safe confines of the gondola center where people were waiting for shuttles to take them back down to the townsite.
After a quick snack, we hustled back down Mt Avenue and made our way towards Tunnel Mt Road across Banff Ave Bridge and up to Surprise Corner where the iconic Banff Spring Hotel has sat nestled on its perch near the Bow River for over 130 years.
Back on the Tunnel Road, we were passed by two fellows casually riding their Levos up the 8% grade to the Banff Arts Center. We smiled at each other and I soon realized that perhaps I was feeling a bit remiss leaving my powered steed at home.
We felt redeemed as we confidently sped down the other side and took in the vistas that opened up before us with Mt Rundle at our flanks.
Further up the road, we stopped at a pullout and admired more views of Rundle along with a few others who were conveniently parked behind us with open top views.
Then it was the final push back towards Cascade Ponds but not without taking in some amazing views of Cascade Mountain.
Back along the Legacy Trail, with rumbling from the train above and traffic whizzing along the TC Highway beside us only confirmed our thoughts about the safest way to commute by bike between the mountain towns.
As we neared Cascade Ponds, I noticed that my shifting was erratic.
As I continued to meander through Cascade’s trails, it became apparent that I would no longer be able to shift gears but was still able to maintain my pace over the level pathway until we reached our vehicle. I was so grateful that it occurred at this point rather than a place like Norquay. The bike gods must have been smiling down upon me on this day. We made the obvious decision to forgo the Minnewanka Loop instead opting to drive the scenic road and then headed back to homebase from there.
From Mt Avenue, we would begin the short climb up to the Sulphur Mt. Hot Springs and Gondola. Relatively tame but still worthy of the views of Mt Rundle and the fact there was no marked shoulder made for an intriguing ride.
Up at the top, it became even more interesting as traffic slowed to a crawl with tour buses and other vehicles jockeying for parking. We weaved our way among the dozens of cars until we reached the safe confines of the gondola center where people were waiting for shuttles to take them back down to the townsite.
After a quick snack, we hustled back down Mt Avenue and made our way towards Tunnel Mt Road across Banff Ave Bridge and up to Surprise Corner where the iconic Banff Spring Hotel has sat nestled on its perch near the Bow River for over 130 years.
Back on the Tunnel Road, we were passed by two fellows casually riding their Levos up the 8% grade to the Banff Arts Center. We smiled at each other and I soon realized that perhaps I was feeling a bit remiss leaving my powered steed at home.
We felt redeemed as we confidently sped down the other side and took in the vistas that opened up before us with Mt Rundle at our flanks.
Further up the road, we stopped at a pullout and admired more views of Rundle along with a few others who were conveniently parked behind us with open top views.
Then it was the final push back towards Cascade Ponds but not without taking in some amazing views of Cascade Mountain.
Back along the Legacy Trail, with rumbling from the train above and traffic whizzing along the TC Highway beside us only confirmed our thoughts about the safest way to commute by bike between the mountain towns.
As we neared Cascade Ponds, I noticed that my shifting was erratic.
As I continued to meander through Cascade’s trails, it became apparent that I would no longer be able to shift gears but was still able to maintain my pace over the level pathway until we reached our vehicle. I was so grateful that it occurred at this point rather than a place like Norquay. The bike gods must have been smiling down upon me on this day. We made the obvious decision to forgo the Minnewanka Loop instead opting to drive the scenic road and then headed back to homebase from there.
@Prairie Dog Same thing happened to me once with Di2, a real pain but its a great system!
I'm just glad I noticed half way to my destination...
I did stop taking photos further down to enjoy some of the descent, I then arrived in Moffat and as always it was very busy so I didn't even stop and just made my turn to the NE and into the wind for the first time! Of course the light wind was no longer light and I had a lot of climbing ahead, thankfully some nice descents also!
