Tour De Jasper 2013 - Day 2

On Day 2 of Tour De Jasper, I woke up a little stiff.  But after some coffee, that was soon lost!.  I was all eager to go as it was my Birthday and I felt that riding my bicycle was the best way to celebrate it!  I left Purden Campsite when I 'thought' that everyone was on their way.

But as I was riding along, a friend who was driving to the Ancient Forest, stopped to chat with me.  She said the couple with the dog was behind me.  That got me worried!  I hanged around for a bit, but no one showed up around the corner, so I started riding forward again.  Mark, the mechanic, soon came by and stopped.  He told me that the people with the dog had a flat tire, so they were delayed.  I then decided to wait for them, and soon enough, they were riding around the corner.  All was good, not that I got into trouble as I had looked thoroughly around the campsite for any riders and their bikes before I had left.

 There were some interesting cloud formations that day..

We took our time riding out to avoid heat exhaustion.  For the first time in all the years that I have ridden on Tour De Jasper, I stopped by the Ancient Forest Universal Boardwalk, and said hello to the workers. I have always decided not to go up in previous years to save energy.  It was worth going up as I haven't seen how much progress that they had made.  (It was completed and officially opened on August 4, 2013)

Universal Boardwalk at the Ancient Forest

Fully accessible boardwalk and ramp

After the stop, we rode on until the pit stop at Slim Creek.  There was a shortage of water at this stop, so I refilled my bottles in the creek.  I also dipped my head in the ice cold water to cool off, and it soon dried when I started riding again.

It was a long day, but not as bad as I expected.  It always seemed to be longer in previous years, but I have the route memorized by now, so I know exactly where the La Salle Lake campground is located at.

After setting up my tent, I received a few Birthday gifts from friends - a big bubble blower and a squirrel for my front bike bag!  

As it was on my bucket list, I then got to go for a ride on a Tandem.  It was scarier when you are not in control, but I am sure with practice, it gets easier.  Still, it was a great thrill to get to ride on one, next time maybe I get to try it on the front seat!

La Salle Lake

After the tandem ride, I  then enjoyed a nice cold beer.  What a wonderful ending to my Birthday! I am so glad that I got to ride again on my Birthday, this was my third Birthday spent on Tour De Jasper.