Day 1 - The Ride Begins - Calgary to Cochrane (June 30)

Some cities are harder to get out of than others.

The ride didn't begin until late. First, I had to assemble the bike, putz around, and organize and load my bike. All told, I didn't leave until approximately 12:30. I got 1/2 of a mile and then I stopped for lunch and then to repair my watch. The clasp broke while I was moving out of my studio apartment in Oakland.

After lunch, I my goal was to buy lightweight shamy camping towel at a swim store. I had left my shamy in Oakland.

Unfortunately, I had to ride to the other side of town, but I didn't have a good map of Calgary. I had a tourist map, but not a bike route map. I had seen some bike paths as I was being taxied around yesterday to get some last minute items, but I didn't know the exact location of the bike path. For the remainder of my riding in the United States, I had good maps, but when I would ride in Vietnam later on, I would not have a good map. A good map is like gold. Without a map, I am almost completely lost, wandering aimlessly. With a good map, I can confidently ride day in and day out.

I headed in the general direction of the swimming store. I passed the zoo and then I found myself in the rough side of town. Lots of homeless and others were wandering around. A man and his son, riding an electric bicycle, led me to the downtown area.

In the downtown area, I tried to buy a shamy at the YMCA. No luck there, but I did get a bicycle route map for Calgary. Now, having a better idea of where I was going, I rode on to the swim store just south of one of the larger malls in south Calgary. As you can imagine, when I got to the mall, the roads were packed and were not very friendly for bikes. I rode south of the mall and eventually found store. It was normally open on Sundays but was closed for the long holiday (July 1 is "Canada Day" kind of like the U.S.'s 4th of July. It is funny how much the Canadians copy us! The coinage size is even the same. What gives!).

Finally, empty handed, I gave up on my seach for a shamy. Having nothing better to do, I started on my trip. I didn't want to start the riding at 3 p.m. in the afternoon, but I had to get going. I found myself on a road that led from the Southwest of Calgary - Highway 8. I saw all the new expensive Exburbs. Yes, Calgary also has Exburbs - those suburbs that are so far from the city center that they are separated from the city by a large amount of open space.

This country made for good cycling. Exhausted, I hauled myself up a large hill (it was my first climb of the entire ride) and then it was flat for 10 or so miles. But I was fighting the most frustrating thing for a cyclist - a headwind.

Finally, I entered the intersection of Highway 22 and Highway 8. Here I would turn north out of the headwind. Although the riding was easier, I was still tired.

I arrived at the Trans Canada Highway and Petro Canada Rest Stop and Gas Station. I was resolved to stay at this gas station. I was tired and the nearest stop, Cochrane was up a large hill. At this point in my ride, this hill seemed insurmountable. At any time later on in my bike ride (even 3 days later), this type of hill wouldn't phase me.

I asked the station staff carefully and persuasively if I could spend the night on a small grassy plot of land next to a pond. The staff thought this wouldn't be a problem. I thought this was great, I could finally rest and the gas station had an important feature - a shower. Of course, I didn't have a towel or a shamy, but I could improvise.

Having found a place to spend the night, I set up camp. I then to walked across the parking lot towards the showers. As I did I was intercepted by the boss lady. She made it very clear that I couldn't camp on the land - there was the liability. What happens if semi truck were to back into me. I was camping right next to where the semi-trailers parked for no more than one hour at a time to rest. The only barrier between me and the trucks would be a small section of concrete barrier rail.

Not only that, but the pond was actually a wastewater evaporation pond. There is no sewer service out in the sticks. So I would be sleeping on next to an open wastewater pond (actually it was on the other side of a fence), next to idling semi-trailers, and potentially sleeping on top of a leach field. The boss lady said that there was no way I could sleep there because of the liability and the health issues. So I chose to sleep in a safe spot, instead, that night.

Day 1 - Calgary to Cochrane (44.5 miles).