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Crimea_River
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It's been a while since I posted in this thread. The title is now a misnomer as I have retired since posting the last batch of pics so everyday is the weekend now!
Yesterday I checked an item off my bucket list and completed a spectacular bike ride up the Highwood Pass with friends in glorious weather. The pass is located about an hour's drive southwest of where I live. With a summit elevation of 2206 meters, the pass is the highest paved roadway in Canada and is closed during the winter for obvious reasons. However, the road is a favourite for cyclists in the spring before the gates open up again for vehicle traffic on June 15 for the summer. With no cars on the road, the only thing to be wary of is other cyclists and critter dung.
The pass summit can be accessed from either the north or the south. The north ride is only 18 km to the summit but is a steady and often steep climb. The south route is much longer at 38 km to the summit and involves many climbs, levels and drops along the way. The net elevation gain from the south is 678 meters but you actually climb more than that given that you lose elevation in the dips. We took the 76 km round trip south route.
We could not have picked a better day with mostly clear skies and a temperature approaching a high of 26 degrees. We left in the morning when the air was cooler and reached the summit at about 1pm. Here are some pics of the day. Hope you like them.
This is the south gate where everyone parks their vehicles. In the background, the road rises immediately with a hint of things to come.
Our motley group, me in the blue jersey, with critters in the background. Bighorn sheep are very common here. They like to lick the salt off the roads.
A view to the north about a third of the way in.
This is a panoramic shot which doesn't adequately capture the spectacular view at this point, about 4km from the summit. It is a natural amphitheatre with the mountains feeling like they are surrounding you. Legs and butt getting sore at this point so the pause for a picture was welcome.
This is the summit taken from a roadside picnic area just about 100 meters to the south.
A pic from the same point, looking south from whence we came. The pavement to the right is the picnic area. The road to the left is the main highway on which we travelled and the route up is via the valley that can be seen just right of center.
The motley group at the summit, a little worse for wear. One of our group didn't make it all the way and waited for us back at base camp.
Though there are many hardcore cyclists riding this road many times (some go from the north gate to the south and back!), this was one that was a personal challenge for me and something that I'm proud to have achieved.
Thanks for looking in.
Yesterday I checked an item off my bucket list and completed a spectacular bike ride up the Highwood Pass with friends in glorious weather. The pass is located about an hour's drive southwest of where I live. With a summit elevation of 2206 meters, the pass is the highest paved roadway in Canada and is closed during the winter for obvious reasons. However, the road is a favourite for cyclists in the spring before the gates open up again for vehicle traffic on June 15 for the summer. With no cars on the road, the only thing to be wary of is other cyclists and critter dung.
The pass summit can be accessed from either the north or the south. The north ride is only 18 km to the summit but is a steady and often steep climb. The south route is much longer at 38 km to the summit and involves many climbs, levels and drops along the way. The net elevation gain from the south is 678 meters but you actually climb more than that given that you lose elevation in the dips. We took the 76 km round trip south route.
We could not have picked a better day with mostly clear skies and a temperature approaching a high of 26 degrees. We left in the morning when the air was cooler and reached the summit at about 1pm. Here are some pics of the day. Hope you like them.
This is the south gate where everyone parks their vehicles. In the background, the road rises immediately with a hint of things to come.
Our motley group, me in the blue jersey, with critters in the background. Bighorn sheep are very common here. They like to lick the salt off the roads.
A view to the north about a third of the way in.
This is a panoramic shot which doesn't adequately capture the spectacular view at this point, about 4km from the summit. It is a natural amphitheatre with the mountains feeling like they are surrounding you. Legs and butt getting sore at this point so the pause for a picture was welcome.
This is the summit taken from a roadside picnic area just about 100 meters to the south.
A pic from the same point, looking south from whence we came. The pavement to the right is the picnic area. The road to the left is the main highway on which we travelled and the route up is via the valley that can be seen just right of center.
The motley group at the summit, a little worse for wear. One of our group didn't make it all the way and waited for us back at base camp.
Though there are many hardcore cyclists riding this road many times (some go from the north gate to the south and back!), this was one that was a personal challenge for me and something that I'm proud to have achieved.
Thanks for looking in.
