Day 30: Bragg Creek to Calgary, Alberta

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Last day on the trail for 2019

What a difference a day makes. Day 30 on the trail – from the charming hamlet of Bragg Creek to Calgary – was a rolling cruiser ride along mostly paved trails with lovely grassland and river scenery.

First up was the lovely surprise of clean bikes courtesy of our host Steve at the Craftsman House BnB. With tummies full of a refreshing breakfast we set off on the Cowboy Trail (Highway 22) towards Cochrane. Because these towns are close enough for a commute to Calgary, traffic was heavy in the cold early morning, especially as we neared the Trans Canada Highway. We crossed over and headed in the company of school buses and trucks towards Cochrane, which can only be described as booming with new development and boasting a multitude of “urban villages” strung together, each one craning for a view of the Bow River below.

Outside and above Cochrane (a steep climb for us), the Gleneagles golf course and estate clings to the hillsides and our trail wound through creatively engineered golf holes, always with the river in sight below. It was here that we turned east, and thus turned our backs on the Rocky Mountains. For the first time in almost 2,000km, the mountains were finally behind us. We have now crossed eight mountain ranges and it feels like enough, so it was a fond farewell to craggy peaks.

Down into the beautiful grasslands of the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park we breezed, heading on to rolling hills and winding paved tracks, narrowly avoiding racing gophers and groundhogs.

Until we were rudely stopped by a fence across the trail, several hundred cows on the other side, and signs not to enter. Not wanting to cause cow chaos, we clambered over a nearby gate, rode along the railway line to avoid the cow pasture and rejoined our trail (which was again blocked by another Private Property barbed wire fence). That left us a hill of 18.5% (as a truck driver helpfully informed us) up to a brief ride along Highway 1.

Eventually we had our first glimpse of Calgary’s skyscrapers and its famous Olympic ski jumps, then descended to the lovely parklands along the Bow River. The ride into town was broken at Angel’s Cafe on the river – the best restaurant patio which is more like lounging around under gazebos at a friend’s home.

On a lovely summer weekday, Calgary’s parks are full, the river carries groups of people on floaties down its mini-rapids, and the city looks like a fine place.

It was a great place to end this year’s trail efforts, especially since we had the luxury of our friend Jen’s home for a shower, cold drinks and bike wash before disassembling and packing up the bikes and heading for the airport and home.

Total today: 87km

Today’s climb: 814m (on the downhill)

Total distance: 1,958km

#TheGreatTrail

#transcanadatrail

With our host Steve at the Craftsman’s House BnB. He washed our bikes and fed us before this send-off
Chilly early morning on the Cowboy Trail out of Bragg Creek
Rocky Mountains over our left shoulders, warm chinook starting to blow out of the north west, we headed towards Cochrane
What much of Canada looks like east of the Rockies
“How the West is Now”
New house developments shouldering the Bow River – Cochrane is under serious construction
The old bridge over the Bow
Heading along the river out of Cochrane – backs to the mountains
… the route took us through the lovely local dog park
Winding between golf holes high above the river
Starting the descent into the beautiful Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
On-the-go bike maintenance. Last glimpse of the Rockies behind us
So happy to be on a trail we can actually see – and ride!
In the valley of the Bow
First the cow fence, then another gate prohibiting us from following the trail map. We went through anyway.
That’s a huge hill we are about to climb
Halfway up and high above the river. Pushing again
First glimpse of Calgary’s skyscrapers
Back down towards the river looking over at the Olympic complex of ski jumps and life track that featured in “Eddie the Eagle” and “Cool Runnings” (and in the -988 Winter Olympics)
Calgary has beautiful river parklands
Almost in the city and almost at the end of this year’s trail
Done!
Becoming experts at this bike packing stuff
Packed up and heading for home
89km – definitely the last for 2019
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Published by transcanadatrek

Bron Wilkinson and Gill Winckler tackling the Trans Canada Trail in pieces whenever opportunity allows. May take the rest of our lives to complete this adventure.

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