Tour De Jasper 2013 - Day 1

First day of Tour De Jasper

Another year of Tour De Jasper has come and gone.  I was so happy to get the chance to ride with the tour again.  This was my fourth year in a row riding on the tour.  I volunteered again to be the sweep, which basically meant making sure that no one was left behind. This is a relaxing tour, it's a great way to get into bicycle touring.  They carry all your gear, feed you very well, and there is a mechanic on duty.  It is not a race, so you really can enjoy the scenery all around you!

Nicole prepares us for the day's ride out to Purden Lake

We all met at the Via Rail Train station before departing for Purden Lake.  There were people from all over including a couple from Alabama, and few people from Spokane, Washington.  Nicole briefed us on the day's ride.  After taking a group shot, we departed to Purden Lake, which was 65 km away.  It was a nice Sunny day.  It sure beat the rainy year of a few years ago.

And off we go!

 Just out of town we stopped by a distance sign and took some shots.

Only 373 kms to Jasper!

It was a hot day for riding, and we went through lots of water!  Thankfully, there was a pit-stop 30 km down the road where we could refill our bottles.

Enjoying the ride

There were many interesting clouds during the trip

A Keeshound puppy enjoys the ride

The Keeshound's trailer

It was a short ride on the first, but I didn't mind.  It's a good way to get into to tour and it was nice to ride without feeling rushed.  We made it to the lake in good time. After I arrived, I was invited to enjoy ice cream and pie for my birthday, which was happening the next day.  I was worried about not being hungry for dinner afterwards, but I was still able to eat a full dinner, surprisingly.  No worries about calories on this trip!  This is my third birthday on Tour De Jasper.  What a youthful way to spend it!

I did manage to get a swim or two in the lake to cool off.  It felt so good after sweating all day on the bicycle.  Soon, it was time for bed, but not until after I watched a beautiful sunset.

(Please note that I will not be able to post about the whole trip right away.  I have one more big adventure ahead, so it may be a few weeks before I'm able to post more)

Nice ending to a wonderful first day of riding