We had a rest stop along a lake 9 km before the big bump. The 9 km went by very quickly and before we knew it we were climbing. There was a rest stop/pull out 700 m up where Ben was waiting for a final word of encouragement and we proceeded on taking advantage of 2 more viewpoints to rest our legs and catch our breath. Jake of course sailed up and then descended to take another crack at it. Along the way we met a couple on a tandem bike carrying all their equipment. We finally arrived at the top a little wobbly legged and proceeded to the Glacier Centre for lunch.
The real highlight of the day is the 7 km descent off Sunwapta pass, which some people find fun while the last time I rode my brakes down, something I decided to repeat. The day had been nice if a little cloudy up to then but we could see dark clouds in our path. I briefly considered putting on a rain coat but didn't.
The descent has vehicular traffic travelling in both directions mostly campers and trailers so you are pretty much forced onto the shoulder. That and there are cracks across the shoulder every few metres and a few cracks in the direction of travel that you could catch your wheel in. As I started the descent the first raindrops hit and these gradually intensified into a torrential rain. Ben had passed and we were to meet him at the Weeping Wall several km away but I was glad to see him in a pull-out near the bottom of the hill. I joined everybody in the car and we decided to wait out the storm which didn't seem to relenting. It finally seemed to lighten and we were a little warmed so we ventured out again and rode for a few km to the Weeping Wall where Ben met us. It was decided at that point that 3 of us would abandon the ride while Jake would continue on the Saskatchewan Crossing. As we drove on, our decision seemed justified as the rain was being blown horizontally into the direction we would have been riding. By the time we had reached Saskatchewan Crossing it had stopped raining.
The Crossing where we stayed is a large complex of hotel rooms, a restaurant, gift shop, gas station and a pub. When we arrived there our rooms were almost ready and we hung out on the balcony drying off our clothes while we waited. Our rooms were finally ready and we showered and then went to the pub where we sat on the balcony and enjoyed some beers.
Saskatchewan Crossing is one of the better kept secrets in Alberta, a large valley with spectacular mountains all around it.
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