Wednesday, July 1: Canada Day on the Banff Legacy Trail

Eastbound on the  Banff Legacy Trail
(Mount Rundle forms the right edge of the photo)

Today's start: elevation 4616 feet

 After three rest days, I am looking forward to returning to the bike, and extending my travel eastward on the TransCanada Trail.  Sunday was a dreary day;  I'm sure many vacationers were disappointed, because Banff  really shows off its beauty and grandeur when the sun is out.  Audrey and I took the day to drive up to Lake Louise.  Early on the route we travelled past  Cascade Mountain, but could barely see it through the fog.  However we could make out the cascade for which the mountain is named, water rushing down the side of the mountain.  Monday was a car trip to Calgary, so that Audrey could catch her early Tuesday flight.  Tuesday was a tourist day for me in the townsite.  I checked out the Whyte Museum of the Rockies, which is mainly an art museum, and stopped for a couple souvenirs on Main Street.

Instead of spending a lot of money for supper, which is very easy to do, I went to my old standby, Aardvark Pizza.  They sell whole pizzas, or pizza by the slice.  One slice wasn't enough for me;  I got a second slice which really filled me up!

All that remained for me now was to ride the Banff Legacy Trail, from the Banff Springs Hotel down to Canmore. If one were to ask me what makes for an ideal path for the TCT, I guess I would say things like. a paved path, separated from automobile and truck traffic, generally level with only mild changes in elevation, and of course great scenery.  The Banff Legacy Trail checks off all of the boxes.  

Actually, I like the fact that one never knows what type of path the TCT will take up ahead.  You can be sailing along on a smooth paved surface and one minute later, the path ends, or becomes a mountain bike trail, or dumps cyclists into the automobile lanes  (like in Cranbrook).  So that is part of the adventure, and the journey would be less interesting, if all of the paths were perfect.  But if there were awards for best paths, the Banff Legacy Trail would certainly be a finalist.

Now that I don't have a support vehicle, I am forced to ride each section of the TCT twice. The first time is real eastward progress, but halfway through the day, I need to retrace my path back to the Escape, so that I can move it along with me.  Some days, depending on the TCT route, I might be able to shave off some of the distance back to the car.  Other days the route back to the car may be a lot longer.  I'll let you ponder that.


Tunnel Mountain (likely)

 Along the Legacy Trail the co-stars of the scenery are Mt Rundle and Cascade Mountain. Travelling from Banff to Canmore, Mt Rundle dominates the views to the right side.   The  5000 foot mountain is named after Reverend Robert Rundle, an English Methodist missionary who worked in Alberta and Saskatchewan from 1840-1848.  The hot springs which are the genesis of BNP were discovered in  1883, so Rev. Rundle was in the Bow River Valley 40 years earlier.  The mountain is about 12 miles long, and shows cliff faces during the entire stretch from Banff to Canmore.

The other mountain giant is Cascade Mountain.  Any photo of downtown Banff will include Cascade Mountain in the background.   The main street of Banff is aligned directly at the peak. The three photos below show Cascade Mountain.  Most people see  Cascade Mountain  while travelling westward from the National Park gate.  The photos below show Cascade Mountain if one were travelling west. It starts out as just a minor mountain on the horizon, but within 10 miles of westward travel it becomes a behemoth, capturing the entire field of view. (The three photos below are set in order for westward travelers, so they were the view behind my back, while I was traveling eastward on the Legacy Trail.)
The Banff Legacy Trail is about 15 miles long and so I traveled about 31 miles today.



1. Cascade Mountain- west view from BNP boundary


2. Cascade Mountain - west view
 approx. 4 miles west of  photo 1.


3. Cascade Mountain - west view
at the foot of the mountain
 

Mileage:  31 miles
3:39 traveling time
8.4 mph
Elevations:
Highest: (at the start) 4616 feet
Lowest: (at the end in Canmore 4315 feet

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