In Which a Little Day Becomes a Big Day

Today, Friday, the following happened:
- I left the hostel I stayed at last night (in castle mountain- great place) and nearly immediately my odometer clicked over the 200 mile mark for this trip. That's 200 fully loaded miles. Yippee!
- I then climbed up and over my 3rd (of 4) mountain passes.

I biked over the Continental Divide!!!   (I made random strangers take my picture!)

- This pass marked the following: moving from Banff National Park to Kootenay (my 3rd park), leaving Alberta and entering British Columbia, AND entering my 3rd watershed. That's right, last week the area water drained to the Arctic, this morning it drained to the Atlantic, and now it drains to the Pacific. You know what that means, geography lovers: I biked over the frickin' Continental Divide!!
- It's a lovely short day, so I stop for a salad and tea at the lodge at the top. Yum.
- I then make my way, quite leisurely like, to my campground for the night, arriving at 430 pm. To find it closed to tent camping, due to 5 over-active bears. Grizzly bears!!! Last night a bear was even sniffing round a tent, waking up the occupants. Ah.... That's why this entire campground looks totally deserted.

This is the warning notice at the campground- the map on the right shows the active bear area, which nearly exactly matches the campground map. Fun!

- I visit the campground host on the off chance the host is a young, single and cute guy with room to spare in his RV. The host turns out to be an elderly couple who tell me to keep moving. Only challenge is the next campground is around 40 MILES away. Did I mention it's 4:30 pm? And I'm on a bike averaging 10 mph... with frequent rest breaks...
- My map shows lodging of some sort about 16 miles away. I have no idea if it's a $500/night chalet, or a closed motel.
- Away I bike, thankful its largely downhill, or at least flatish and rolling.
- I skip past the sights I was planning on seeing tomorrow.
- I cycle past a bear. Oh dear, it's a grizzly. I do not stop for pictures.
- I come upon one if those big light up rolling construction signs on a trailer. I think to myself, "this trip will get even more interesting if the road is closed ahead!" And then I get closer...

The sign reads : "Caution: Wolves on Road." Seriously?

-I stop for a bit at the sign. Seriously. Everyone, Rangers and locals, talked to me about bears. No one mentioned wolves! I can't go back because of bears and there are wolves forward. Where am I?
- I cycle the next 10 miles wondering if wolves chase bikes like dogs do. Are they watching from the woods? Do they hunt in packs? But wolves are reclusive too...  I cycle more quickly, and keep checking my mirror for wolves chasing me down from behind, and keep looking ahead for bears. I'm thankful every time a car goes by and I feel less alone.
- Eventually I exit the wolf area. As I actually figured, no wolves were to be seen. I start to relax, and actually start noticing the sights. It's pretty here.
- And there's another roadside grizzly- this one's really close! Pedal pedal pedal.
- Moments like this I wish I was with another target- er, I mean cyclist.

I arrive at the mystery lodging. Cute little cabins, and they have vacancies! I wasn't really in the mood anymore to camp anyways, even if I wanted to cycle another 25 miles.

- Looong hot shower, clean clothes, dinner in the restaurant, with a beer. (So much for being the fearless rugged bike traveler.)
Tomorrow I either go 25 miles to the next campground or 40 and go all the way to the hot springs. Hmmm... I think the hot springs may win over camping in bear valley.

(Post Script- in retrospect, this day was really a turning point for me. It was this day, as I was looking for bears in front and watching for a wolf pack behind me, that I recognized the slight absurdity to the situation. (Bears and wolves on the same day?) Part of my brain was a little tense, and worried about how this day was going to end. At the same time, I was cracking myself up, and greatly amused by the whole thing. It was an odd split-brain moment, and allowed a new enjoyment of crazy situations I hadn't previously had on this trip.)