Conference noted::bicycle

1839.0. "Thanks for the advice, y'all were RIGHT!" by NCADC1::PEREZ (Just one of the 3 remaining samurai!) Sat Feb 09 1991 23:29

    I've been meaning to put this in here for a while...
    
    Early last fall I asked for advice in here about riding in the
    Rushmore, Custer, Yellowstone, Glacier, Waterton, Banff areas.  Thanks
    to the advice my wife and I took our bikes on vacation late last
    September and I had the chance to do some riding.
    
    I didn't do any riding in the Black Hills, but there are some great
    roads for riding there.  And some nice things to look at.
    
    Starting in Custer (I think it was state) Park in South Dakota - there
    is a loop called the Wildlife loop in the park.  It was very lightly
    traveled and went through some very nice country.  The only thing to
    watch out for is the BUFFALO... Since they are free to wander around,
    they wander around near the road - sometimes ON the road.  Always
    remember, BUFFALO ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY!  A 200 lb rider on a 25
    lb bike just doesn't match up to an ugly, 2000 lb buffalo that wants to
    get to the other side!
    
    In Yellowstone you can ride all over the place.  I'm too much of a wimp
    to do the mountain passes, but I did get the chance to ride around the
    lower loop of the figure-8 along Yellowstone Lake and through some of
    the flatter areas up toward Yellowstone Canyon and such.  GREAT RIDING
    - again very little traffic and nice wildlife.  I watched a family of
    ospreys with a nest in a dead tree, and surprised an elk (which
    startled the h*ll out of me too!).  According to the ranger I asked,
    the animals are used to cars but see a rider on a bike as somehow
    threatening.  Still, a great place for bike riding.
    
    In Glacier its tough to ride - but ONLY because there is so much to do
    wandering trails and such.  Phenomenal park.  We stayed over on the
    East side of Logan Pass and one afternoon I did head up
    Going-to-the-Sun Road from St. Mary's.  My recommendation is that
    unless you are a climber you should head up in the morning rather than
    late in the day...  I ran out of daylight about 3 or 4 miles from the
    top of Logan Pass and didn't want to be out on the bike after dark
    (actually it is a MAJOR no-no to be out after dark with the elk and
    bears) so I headed back to camp.
    
    Waterton Lakes is the companion park in Canada and I a very nice place
    for riding.  There are a couple roads that are flat and easy to ride. 
    We went out Red Rock Canyon Road, and had a nice ride over the gently
    rolling roads.
    
    One of the places that would have been superb riding, although I didn't
    get to ride there, is the Kannaskis Country in Canada.  We took a
    "backroad" through the Canadian Rockies between Waterton and the point
    where it intersects the Transcanada Hwy.  This was incredible. 
    Couldn't have been more than about 3 cars on the whole trip, the
    scenery is fantastic, and the road was seemingly typical of Canadian
    roads - it had at least a 7-8 ft shoulder with clear markings that it
    was a BIKE ROUTE!  Had we not had reservations in Banff...  
    
    Banff is a town that seems made for biking.  You can get anywhere and
    there are lots of bikes.  Best of all, you can head up toward Lake
    Louise and be assured of good roads, wide shoulders, and minimal
    traffic.  Whether you take the main roads or stick to things like the
    Bow Valley Parkway the riding is easy.  
    
    I didn't get to go up to the Columbia Icefields Parkway and into Jasper
    but definitely will next time.  In fact, next time I want to do more
    riding.  Fall is a great time to be out in these areas.  There are VERY
    few people, very little traffic, the weather was incredibly nice - cool
    mornings and evenings with warm middays, only rained 1 day in 3 weeks.  
    
    All in all, I would STRONGLY recommend that onyone going to these
    places take their bikes, and allocate lots of time for riding.  I found
    that I got a totally different picture of Yellowstone (for example)
    from the bike saddle than I did from the car.  Canada is a joy for
    riding - in fact, I obtained a bike route map from the province of
    Alberta that shows good bike routes all over the province.
    
    If you are a photographer - I found that I could carry a camera body,
    35-105 and 80-200 zooms, at least 10 rolls of film and tripod in my
    rack bag.  I bought the cheap Nashbar rack bag that has the hard
    internal shell and put foam in it with cutouts for the equipment.  The
    lightweight tripod fits nicely in the pump straps.  It made for a very
    portable way to carry my camera equipment and kept it safe in the event
    of a fall.
    
    The only problem is trying to decide whether next year we should go
    East (its been about 5 years since Easter Canada and New England) or
    back West...  

    Try Maritimes Canada.  If you like a challenge, you can do a loop
    aroung Cap Breton Island - Cabot Trail.  MAJOR HILLS!!  I can remember
    3 major ones.  The steepest was Mt Smokey - 1200 ft in 1.2 miles.  The
    longest was Cap North (or something like that) - 1459 ft in 4.5 miles
    (I had to do it 1 1/2 times since I ran into a bear halfway up the
    first time around...)  You can start in North Sydney, Nova Scotia and
    head towards Englishtown (burial ground of Giant Macskill).  The people
    any scenery is just great.
    
    If you have time, take the ferry from Pictou and cross over to Prince
    Edward Island (PEI).  The province is relatively flat and the food is
    great - lobster and potatoes. 
    
    If you would like, send me mail and I can look into finding the address
    for the Great Canadian Bike Route - a set of 3 books that details
    routes and directions for East, Central and Western Canada.  Invaluable
    investment for touring Canada.
    
    Now for a REAL challenge: Newfoundland.  If the hills and wind don't
    kill you while riding, the black flies will while resting...  but still
    worth it if you want to meet the friendliest people on the face of the
    earth...
    
    Eric_hungry_for_lobster_and_potato_salad.