On Saturday morning, I woke up around 7:30am, to the sound of a coffee pot chugging away. I slinked into the kitchen half asleep. Lynn & Peter were enjoying their coffee, and getting food ready for breakfast.
They made a hearty breakfast, and soon we were all noshing away. Pancakes, blueberries, canadian bacon, and eggs. I ate well, knowing I’d be needing the calories. We were going mountain biking today. It was the Goat Creek Trail, 17 kilometers of sheer excitement, with a 34 km round trip distance!
We stopped at the Canmore Nordic Center to rent our super cool mountain bikes. We were outfitted with helmets, too. The price for a day rental was quite reasonable; ~45 dollars. For fully suspended bikes with big fat nobbies, I think it was a fair price!
We followed Peter & Lynn as we drove up past Grassi Lakes, and EEOR (East End of Rundle), driving westward on the gravel road. We pulled over at the parking area, and prepared to ride. Everybody was ready, except poor Peter.
He was tearing the car apart looking for his left bike shoe. “I’ll just have to ride with one clip in and one sandal”, he said in obvious frustration.
Then, Rachel saved the day. She said, “What’s that above your head?”. We all had a good laugh, especially Peter!
Soon, we were off for the ride of our lives.
The gravel path that follows Goat Creek is a super cool trail. It’s wide enough for two bikes, but full of little obstacles. It drops in elevation, sometimes steep and sometimes gradual. I got off my bike twice during the ride, as I’m fairly novice.
Every now and then, there are bridges which are sometimes a bit tricky to pop the bike onto.
In general, the Goat Creek Trail ride is a sheer delight.
Rachel had not been on a bike since grade school. She also had never shifted gears before, so it was more challenging for her. I probably should have mentioned to her that we’d be riding, so she could practice…but the thought never occurred to me.
At first I was a little concerned about Rachel, because I was afraid she wasn’t having much fun. But after riding for about an hour, she did much better. I admire her for sticking with it. Rachel is truly a diva!
We stopped at this spot for a little break.
Here’s Peter & Cor hanging out.
Eventually, the Goat Creek Trail runs into Banff.
We rode around the Banff Springs Hotel for a few minutes, and then landed downtown in a park. We had bagel sandwiches, thanks to Lynn! And, Peter went in search of Mochas.
The weather was perfect!
Rachel, Lynn, & I stretched out on the finely manicured grass and we talked about how we wanted to get back to Canmore.
I thought it would be fun to do a loop (taking the Trans Canada Highway back). We were not excited about going back up the Goat Creek Trail (it’s way harder from Banff to Canmore!).
So, us girls took the pavement, while the guys took the gravel (Go Dudes!). I thought it was rad that Dennis was amped to ride back on the trail…he sure was taking a shine to the mountain biking!
So, the genders parted ways in Banff, and we were off. 17km back to Canmore.
On the highway, Rachel finally figured out how to shift gears, and we raised her seat to the appropriate level. Now, she wasn’t getting so fatigued and her speed increased. The ride back was quite pleasant for everybody.
We arrived in Canmore with just enough time to take showers before the guys arrived. Then, we took the bikes back to the Nordic Center.
Boy was I tired! And, our collective bums were sore from the ride. Now I know why people wear those funny looking padded shorts!
Later that night, we had reservations at a really groovy establishment called, Zona’s Bistro. Zona’s features a very ecclectic menu of local foods. Everything looked equally tempting, we were all famished.
We ended up sharing some appetizers…Peter & Lynn had a Maple Smoked Salmon Artichoke Heart & Cream Cheese Dip and we split fries. I also had the clam chowder, which was yummy.
For the main course, I split the Encrusted Wasabe Halibut with Quinoa, with Rachel. I think Peter had the steak, and Lynn had a curry dish. All the food was beautifully presented and a delight to the palate.
Our dinner was fabulous, and it capped off yet another five star day! We went back to the condo and watched the Tour de France until we couldn’t keep our eyes open anymore.
Tags: Banff, Canada, Canmore, Goat Creek Trail, Mountain Biking