Day 126

September 15 - 139km (Canmore)

I had spent a week in Calgary and was eager to make progress on the road. I was excited because the most scenic part of the trip was coming up, although I knew it was going to be tough terrain. I headed out late - like usual - and took a bit of a scenic detour. I was honestly sick of biking on the TransCanada. Way too many cars and trucks speeding like their lives depended on it.

You could see the Rockies from Calgary (over 100km away) and it was so cool to gradually see the mountains get larger and larger. I took side roads and tried to avoid the main highway as much as possible, but it came at a cost: IT WAS HILLY!!!

I was making good progress until the wind decided to act up and go directly in my face. When I checked the weather app, it was only a 10-15km/h breeze, but its direction was exactly 180 degrees relative to my movement. This made a huge difference when biking, especially mentally. It was a constant barrage and it took everything I had not to lose my marbles; however, the scenes made up for it. Eventually, I made it to Canmore where my Warmshowers hosts Kirsten and Lyle were waiting for me. The views were gorgeous, and the pictures do not do it justice. I felt like I was in a video game or movie because it was so unbelievable.