Day One- Banff to Tobermory Recreation Site, BC

Spectacular first day!  Not easy, but not beyond anything we expected either... We got off to a nice early start, out of the hostel by just after 6:00am with gorgeous weather:-). 75F, sunny, a few high cloufs- perfect!
The route today went over two passes and a bunch short, sharp rollers, with lots of single and double track, as well as some nice, well graded gravel roads. We intended to call it a day at Boulton Creek campground at about 56 miles, but when we asked about sites, they said they were full up. Bummer... So we figured as long as the weather was holding, we'd keep riding at least until We were over Elk Pass and into British Columbia.  Elk Pass proverd to be a real bear of a climb, with about a quarter mile of "hike-a-bike" with grades up to 20%. No fun at all... The down hill on the BC side however was awesome! After rolling a little over 10 miles beyond Boulton Creek, we stumbled upon a trailside cabin marked "public maintained recreation area" complete with bunks, a stove, picnic table, and a lot privy. Best yet, it was empty and free! So we called it a day at roughly 4:30pm after a sold 65 miles.

 As we fired up the stove for dinner, the clouds rolled in and it proceeded to pour for an hour or so, so  we lucked out for our first night on the road! This will be tough to beat ;-)

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