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Be sure to read Joe's narratives at "Stories from
the Road"
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BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
mile 2,424 to mile 2,570
May 23
Joe left Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and soon
crossed the border into British Columbia, Canada. He is riding in a narrow
valley in a very sparsely populated region. Beautiful country. The
mountains on either side have snow. 43 miles to Yahk.
May 24
Joe rode a little over 75 miles today to
the town of Shookumchuck, which means "fast running water." He
has now pedaled over 2,000 miles in this trip. The mountains keep getting
higher as he heads north. Frost in the morning. Cool in the day. Rain, as
usual. Sometimes all day.
May 25
Joe pedaled 59 miles from Shookumchuck to
Radium Hot Springs. Very rugged, mountainous terrain. Near Canal Flats he
visited Lake Columbia, which is the headwaters of the mighty Columbia
River. There was no rain today. For Joe, this was a big deal.
May 26
It was 86 miles, twelve hours on the bike,
and three high mountain passes to Banff. Joe said, "the scenery is
absolutely breathtaking." He saw elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep,
coyotes and had lunch with a bear. He crossed the Continental Divide and
was escorted into town by eight bicycle riders who thought they could show
an old man a thing or two about power riding. They couldn't.
ALBERTA, CANADA
mile 2,570 to mile 2,910
May 27
The plan was to make it to Calgary today
but a heavy, steady, all-day headwind wore our rider out. He slept on the
ground. Very chilly night with a cold morning dew but at least no rain.
He'll be in Calgary early on the 28th. Joe wants to say a special
"hello" to Beanie and that "I think of you every day.
Your beautiful spirit is an inspiration to us all. Live
Strong!"
May 28
Joe rode 51 miles into Calgary which
happened to be hosting a Bicycle Festival. Joe, of course, had some of the
best stories to tell and, of course, had ridden the furthest to get there
and, of course, had the furthest to go. The Calgary Herald did a story on
him in '67 and another one this time. Joe tells everyone along the way
about Kentucky and what a wonderful place it is. Of course.
May 29
After coming down from the mountains, Joe
found himself on flatland covered by wheat fields. He pedaled 92 miles to
Ft. MacLeod. The Canadian maps used above to track Joe are on a smaller
scale than the US state maps so the colored lines represent more miles
traveled. I hope you are enjoying Joe's narratives on the "Stories
from the Road" page.
Joe is 14,000-mile advertisement for the Commonwealth of
Kentucky. Here, he is enlisting a couple of local kids to paste
"Kentucky Unbridled Spirit" bumper stickers across half of
Canada.
May 30
Joe pedaled the 42 miles between Ft.
MacLeod and Cardston against a direct headwind of 22 - 25 mph. He only
averaged 6.5 mph. He said, "Sometimes you just get days like that.
Sometimes you have to fight the wind. You have to accept it and keep on
pushing."
Next Stage- Montana and Idaho
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