Born in the USA

'I'm a cool rocking daddy in the USA' - Bruce Springsteen

Kms riden - 341.6
Racks broken - 1
Flys swallowed - at least 5
Noodle packs eaten - 20

We've been at a week now and have just crossed the border into the US! Get in!

The last week has seen us washing in glacier melt rivers, riding in 30 degrees, riding in buckets of rain and taking refuge in an old tiny log cabin, realising that tuna, mayo and noodles are a great combo, cycling on some extreme offroad sections and unfortunately cycling on some serious stretches of highway.

Highlights from day 3 to day 7

The first crossing of the divide was up on Day 3 and it was at the top of a 13 km climb up Elk Pass. Hearing this over a cuppa in the morning didn't do much for morale. Nevertheless we saddled up. We were not looking forward to it but we knew it would be a short day, providing we got to the top. After a bit of heaving, pushing and panting we got there in the drizzle under heavy clouds. I think our quiet celebration of our first divide crossing sparked the heavens to open and with thunder in the distance we legged it to Tobermory cabin. With mud spraying and breaks squeaking we dodged puddles and streams for at least 5 kms.

My bike rack broke about 5 kms from Tobermory cabin and so my walk began to what i had wished was a villa with hot showers and soft linen. From the photo below you can see that that is not what we got, although after our ordeal in the freezing rain it soon became our home. Keith soon had us sweltering in the cabin after he got the log fire going. I don't think he wore more than a pair of jocks all night. I thought I'd won the lottery when I got the top bunk and Keith got the floor, but I soon knew why he didn't complain. Without anywhere for the heat from the fire to go but up I was in a sauna in the Canadian Rockies. My sighs of heat stroke were only answered by giggles below me, which woke the mice up.

With one rack down our only option was for the boys to carry an extra load and get to Elkford asap, but Meg and Luke came to our rescue in the morning of Day 4. They're Jeep was packed with all our panniers and kit and we were able to ride sans gear for the next two days from Tobermory to Elkford then to the small ski town of Fernie.

The scenery changed from mountains to valleys as we touched down in Fernie. My rack was replaced at the first bike shop spotted and all systems were go for the next leg. This was definitely a good reason to celebrate.

With the pins well oiled and the turbo diesel engines chugging Keith and Andy were left to play catch up to Raine and Cam who had pushed ahead on Day 6. Luckily for Keith and I, Hansel and Gretal had left bread crumbs along the way in the form of rock arrows. We eventually caught up and pushed another 60 kms to Loon Lake outside of Grasmere.