Day 187 - Chase

The roads were much better but the drivers are insane. I passed some construction and drivers weren't slowing down even when someone was waving a slow sign at them. A few times I've felt like drivers have tried to squeeze me off the road when there was no other traffic. Getting to Chase was a struggle for me. There's an uphill climb when you get there and once you're over the hill you see the town down in a valley. Its quite pretty. It was a downhill run to the town. I stopped at the rest area for a pit stop. I didn't see any Mountain Bighorn Sheep but there was a foul smell of a dead animal.

I never thought I would say it but I think I've reached my physical limit. Today I used Gidget alot as a crutch. Every step feels like ten miles and my legs don't want to work anymore. It feels like I'm inching my way. There's not much left in the tank. Good thing I'm almost there.

Day 186 - Sorrento

It was a rainy gloomy day. I went about two km and stopped at the Esso Restaurant for breakfast. The waitress there was really nice. She was very supportive of what I was doing and bought me breakfast and made a donation. It was still raining when I left and she wished me luck and safe travels. The water flowing down the shoulder of the road was a few inches deep and my feet were soaking wet. The scenery along the Shuswap Lake was really nice. When I got to Sorrento I stopped at the Home Restaurant for a warm cup of coffee. The rain wasn't letting up so I decided to stay there for the night. I went over to the Sorrento Inn where I met the Inn cat that they named Canada. She was left on their doorstep as a kitten. She's a year old now. When she jumps out the window they call her Air Canada. I laughed pretty hard about that one.

Day 185 - Tappen

The road leaving Sicamous was still narrow and little to no shoulders. I started with an uphill curvy climb. The drivers around here are crazy! I held my breath every time I went around a curve or a strtech with no shoulder. This went on for about five miles and then the road opened up like a door and at that moment I knew I was where I should be. That I was right for following my instincts. After a few miles I didn't have that claustraphobic feeling anymore. There were pockets of houses and homes along the lake shoreline. I came up to a community called Canoe. It was more like a logging port. From there it was about six miles to Salmon Arm. It was a gradual climb and then a steep hill down to the city centre. I made a pit stop at Tim Horton's. On my way out of Salmon Arm there was a bit of construction. Stopped was a truck driver I've seen many times on the highway and he always honked and waved. A couple of local people showed me a short detour around the construction. They wished me luck. I passed a few campgrounds that were closed for the season. Just before Tappen the PineView was still open and I stayed in one of their cabins.

Day 184 - Sicamous

There was a heavy fog this morning. I could barely see ten feet in front of me. I went to the Husky Restaurant for breakfast. They said the fog should lift by noon. I thought alot about yesterday and my near death experiences. I had that feeling that something was telling me not to leave Golden. Sitting at the table across from me was a truck driver and he was telling me how poorly engineered the highway is in this area and that the highest rate of accidents are along Rogers Pass and Golden. After yesterday I could sure testify to that. It made me wonder if these were signs trying to tell me something. I left the restaurant and right beside is the greyhound bus depot. I stood there for awhile, listening to my heart, which I've been doing ever since I left St. John's. If I had a support vehicle I would chance Roger's Pass but my gut instinct is telling me to take the bus over the pass. And thats what I did. As the bus pulled out I was hoping I did the right thing. The highway was narrow and there was little to no shoulders especially across the narrow bridges and several tunnels and around the sharp curves. There was barely enough room for two vehicles. We passed an accident sight where the cement divider had been taken out. I knew then that I had made the right decision.

Day 183 - Golden

The day my run and life almost ended.

I got up and did all the things I normally do. As soon as it was daylight I started for Golden. It was a cold morning. I had a few layers of clothes on and my mits and tuque. I started out with a bit of an uphill climb. That warmed me up. The scenery just keeps getting better and better. I saw a few bear and elk tracks along the side of the road. There's so much wilderness out here. I tried to make a lot of noise by singing and talking out loud. I passed a warning sign on a post of a bear in the area. I started running a bit faster. I figured once I got past Yoho Park I would be OK.

The shoulders on the highway are not very good. Sometimes there's none or very little. I had a few good hills to climb but it was mostly downhill. Then I came up to the 10 Mile Hill. i wasn't sure what that meant. There's an area for truckers to check their breaks and signs that read ' sharp curves, obey all signs'. There were alot of sudden curves and narrow turns and barely enough room for two vehicles. I was getting closer to Golden and couldn't wait to get off the road. The road followed the curves of the mountain and they put cement railings. I came up to a sharp 90 degree curve and I hugged the cement railing. The transport coming around the corner barely missed the railing and I thought I was going to be squished. I thought this was it. You could barely fit a hair between me and the rear end of the transport. I came up to another sharp curve and a car came whipping around and swirved at the last minute to avoid me. One more time two transports going in the opposite direction and tons of traffic behind them just about blew me over the edge. I thought to myself this is insane and someone might be trying to tell me something. I was never so happy to get off the road as much as I was today. The winding curvy mountain downhill road was pretty wicked and I thanked God I got through it. I don't understand why they wouldn't put a tunnel through the mountain instead of building up these high trecherous roads. Needless to say I was a little shaken.

Day 182 - Field

I don't worry about tomorrow and I can't think about yesterday anymore. I can only focus on today and todays target is a small town called Field. Its only 27 km away. A couple of marathon runners here in Lake Louise have told me when I get to Field I should rest for a few days cause the run to Golden will be a tough 53 km hilly one. I can't afford to rest. As long as the weather is good I'll keep going. I'll rest when I get home. For today I just want to get to Field and cross into B.C.

It was a pretty chilly morning. I'm pretty excited about getting to B.C. and through Kicking Horse Pass. I came up to a lodge that was closed called West Louise. Its across from a lake. I could see the reflection of the mountains in the water. The reflection was so real like it was hard to tell what was right side up. At the peaks I could see thick ice under the snow. It made me think about mountain climbing and how much fun that would be.

I passed the sign that said Welcome to Alberta. And then the sign Welcome to British Columbia. Finally, only one more province to go. I made a pit stop and took in the view. There was a creek down below and the scenery was incredible.

It was a downhill run to Field. Its quite the drop in elevation. Rock cuts and the water follows the highway. I was captivated by what I was seeing. Once I got to the bottom it was pretty flat. My knees and thigh muscles were sore from the steepness of the downhill running. I came up to a sign that said End of Avalanche Area. I can only imagine what that would be like.

When I reached Field I stopped at the Info Centre and got directions to the hostel. Its just a little town at the foot of a mountain and takes about five minutes to tour the whole town so the hostel wasn't hard to find. It's fairly new and very nice. You feel like you're in a chalet. I went to bed early in preperation for a long run to Golden tomorrow.

Day 181 - Lake Louise

I was lucky and got the dorm to myself, no one else showed up. I was in bed early and wanted to be well rested cause its 56 km to Lake Louise. I had a good breakfast at the hostel restaurant and then headed out. I was lucky and got a ride to the highway.

There were a bunch of elk grazing just as I left Banff. There were more hills and some steady uphill climbs for most of the way. When the divided highway ended I could see a couple of teepee's about 75 feet off the highway. I almost went to check it out but decided to keep going. I was glad to see the wildlife fences along the highway for most of the way. There was highway construction for the last 10 km to Lake Louise. I was glad about that cause I didn't feel so alone out here.

When I got to Lake Louise I went to the Info centre and got directions to the hostel. I checked in and then went to the restaurant for a hot cup of coffee and some pancakes. I was so hungry. I sat down by the window and watched buses and tourists come and go. There was an elderly man filling up with gas and he had a white beard and long white hair with a red cap on and a red jacket. He sure looked like Santa Claus.

Time for a warm shower and more sleep.

Day 180 - Banff

It was just starting to be daylight and Magi was on her way for her morning run. I was packed up and headed for the SPCA. When I got there Jennifer and Sonya greeted me as I came up to their front entrance. A friend of theirs, Jacques, was taking pictures. After some introductions we went inside and they gave me a tour of their shelter. Its a no-kill, no-cage shelter and well designed. Cats on one side and dogs on the other. I met all their animals and got to play with a couple of puppies. I was so glad I was able to meet them. It was a brief visit and then it was time to go.

The beautiful scenery and weather continued all the way to Banff. The air was so fresh and felt so good to breath. When I got to Banff I took the Tunnel mountain exit and took the scenic route to the hostel. What a good choice. The view was unbelievable. The road overlooked the river and valley. i came up to three deer right on the side of the road and they didn't even move as i passed them. They just stared at me. I was within touching distance. It was so cool. I reached the hostel and that is where I stayed for the night.

Day 179 - Canmore

Last night was the last night I stayed at Jen's place. Before we left I said good-bye to their cats; Tigre, Lucas (who slept with me), and the two kittens, Lexi & Leam. I had so much fun playing with them I was starting to get attached to them. I was tempted to take the kittens with me.

They were calling for a chinook today which is good news for me. We drove back to Morley and before Jen left she ran with me for a bit. She's such a trooper. After Jen left I thought about how great she had been helping me out. I would give her a call in a few days and let her know how I was doing.

The scenery out here is so spectacular. I was surrounded by beauty every where I looked and so much wilderness. As I was crossing into Bow Valley the signs read 'Attention Elk Crossing next 2 km' and then a little further there were more signs that read 'Caution Wildlife on Highway'. I hadn't seen anything yet though.

A car pulled up ahead and it was Jim from the Roadrunner group. He stopped to see how I was doing and brought me some bear spray. I thought that was so thoughtful and kind of him and at the same time I hoped I wouldn't have to use it. He left but would catch up with me later in Canmore.

I was trying to take in as much as I could of my surroundings and not really paying attention to what I was doing. I ran Gidget off the road a couple of times. But the water is so clear and the mountains are so breath taking. I wished it was hot out so I could take a swim but it is way too cold now.

I got to Canmore and stopped at the Fast Gas. I called Magi and she wasn't too far and would swing by to pick me up. Unfortunately Gidget wouldn't fit in her car so she gave me directions and I would meet her there. Just as she pulled away Jim pulled up. We looked at some maps together and he gave me an idea of what was ahead. He gave me a ride to Magi's place. He also gave me a contact of someone in Lake Louise.

After I dropped my stuff off Magi took me to The Grizzly Paw restaurant. I had a great salad she recommended and we also ordered a plate of nacho's. There was probably enough food for six people. That was kinda funny. On our way back to her place we stopped at a meeting she had and I met some of her friends. It was an early night and I was glad about that.

Day 178 - Morley

Time to empty the tank!

Jim & Barb from the Roadrunner running group met us just before 9am at the Valley Ridge turnoff just west of Stoney Trail. Barb ran with me for a couple of miles and then Jim picked her up. They met up with me again a few miles down the road and gave me some contact information for some other runners they knew that I could get in touch with. They were so nice and I thought that was pretty great that they came out on this holiday Monday. I was glad I had the opportunity to meet them.

Right away as you leave Calgary you see the mountains. What a change from the east part of Alberta. I passed the Callaway Amusement Park and an antique store called Wild Wild West. I think I scared their horse when I went by cause he jumped and then ran when he saw me.

The closer I got to the mountains the more spectacular the scenery was and the bigger the mountains got and they are already snow covered. I was a little concerned about that. I was happy to see some trees again. Nice change from all the fields going through the prairies. There was so much traffic today. People going home from the long weekend.

Lots of hills and I was glad I had the front wheel on Gidget. I've been running on flat land for some time now and my legs weren't use to so much up and down. My calves were a bit sore. Just before I got to Morley I watched someone horseback riding. Lucky guy.

I got to the Morley turnoff and went inside the restaurant to change my clothes. It wasn't long and Jen and Allen picked me up.