Samerberg - Banff
After an incredible bike-packing tour of the Canary Islands last winter, we decided that we wanted to explore more of the world by bike.
The starting point for our project was quickly decided, it should be Calgary in the province of Alberta in Canada. In the past we have started several great adventures from there.
After we left our apartment on the Samerberg and our jobs, packed everything and said goodbye to friends, neighbors and colleagues with many emotions, we spend a few more days with our families and friends in our home towns.
The cycling tour legend Heinz Stücke (83) lives in Michelle's small home town Hövelhof. He has traveled through 196 countries around the world on his 3-speed bicycle for over 52 years, covering around 650,000 km before he returned to Hövelhof for the first time a few years ago.
A few days before our flight to Canada we sneaked around his house until we pluck up the courage and knock on his door. The spontaneous visit to his small museum turned into five hours with great stories, pizza and beer.
A documentary about Heinz can be found on Netflix: "The Man Who Wanted to See It All".
The flight departed from Frankfurt on June 7th, 2023. In Calgary we stayed with our friends Greg and Kate for the first few days to recover from the jetlag and to run some errands. We celebrated our reunion with a traditional river float through downtown Calgary on the Bow River. Of course we all ended up in the water.
With a population of 1.4 million, Calgary is the third largest city in Canada. Since the Province of Alberta is as rich in natural resources as oil and gas, all the energy companies are located here in pompous buildings.
We had a great first week in Calgary but now it's time to head towards the Rocky Mountains.
On our first day in the saddle, we head west out of Calgary and follow the Bow River through the foothills for quite some time. The easiest way to get to Banff is via Highway 1, but of course that would be too easy. We decided to drive to Banff via Ghost Valley and the Devils Gap Road along Lake Minnewanka.
The Rocky Mountains finally appear on the Forestry Trunk Road. There are also a lot of bird boxes on the fence posts along the road, which are all very busy.
The Ghost Valley is breathtaking and some climbs and gravel passages demand a lot from us. Along the way, it blooms in all colors and countless butterflies fly around.
The Ghost River is usually a raging river, but due to the little snow last winter we only find a small trickle that gives us water.
We have to hurry with setting up the tent and cooking because dark clouds are gathering. We spend the whole next day in the tent because it rains continuously. However, the rain gives us a lot of drinking water.
On the Devils Gap Road to Lake Minnewanka we repeatedly cross dried up lakes and river beds.
After a few hours we finally find a trail at Lake Minnewanka, but it's not passable for a long time and we had to push for several hours. However, the joy on the last section of the Lake Minnewanka Trail that leads us to Banff is all the greater.
