The Big Horn Highway
Casio QV30 photo
I woke up real late: around 8:30. Oh well--there's no rush. I
cooked up some hot chocolate and "fried" a couple of bagels which
I smothered with cream cheese and some purloined marmalade from yesterday's
breakfast. And, in a treat of incredible excess I ate a half cantaloupe
(about 2 lbs) that I had carried in my panniers from Grande Cache. I washed
my dish and made some Gatorade from concentrate powder and water from a
hand pump. I also ate a couple of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars--I love them.
As I got on my way, I realized it was all wrong; the wind was in my face
and it was cold. I had hoped for a repeat of yesterday. But, I wasn't going
to let the wind dampen my spirit today. I just hunkered down and pedaled.
It worked.
The scenery was real pretty: forests with mountains in the background.
I experienced one big problem through the day. When I got up
I started humming "Oh what a beautiful morning" and though it
wasn't beautiful at all, I couldn't get the song out of my head. I hummed
it, whistled it, sang it, til I couldn't stand it. There was no radio to
turn on to change the tune. I saw no people (but for faceless drivers of
cars and trucks) until I reached the Switzer campground in the afternoon.
There were NO services at all between Grande Cache and Hinton, so there
was no opportunity to communicate with anybody and somehow erase "Oh
what a beautiful morning" from my thoughts.
Eventually, I stopped at the headquarters office at Switzer Provincial Park,
just to talk for a few minutes. I called home from their pay phone and ate
another bagel and cream cheese, along with some beef jerky and some fig
bars (all purchased at the IGA in Grande Cache).
There were several steep climbs today, probably around 3,000' vertical.
There was an absolutely huge downhill to the Athabaska River valley outside
Hinton --about 5 miles of 7%. I could have reached over 50 mph but braked
instead due to traffic passing me without shoulders and because it was raining
lightly.
I reached Hinton around 5:00 PM, and I was exhausted, so I elected
to check into the first motel I saw. Hinton appeared to be a bustling small
city with quite a bit of new mall construction. I didn't go all the way
into town, but there was a mall on the outskirts near my motel which had
an excellent grocery store, a place to eat and a bank with an ATM where
I replenished my cash supply. I watched TV for a few minutes and realized
I didn't actually miss it. I spent time in the evening and again in the
morning working on the website.
Next stop: Jasper National Park.
52 miles.
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© Ed Noonan 1996, 1997