Day 30: (June 3) Oyen to Kindersley 103.9km

On this morning we continued to take advantage of our stay at the Canalta in Oyen. Breakfast was included! Make your own waffles was a welcomed change from our regular oatmeal breakfast. We met a gentleman named Claude at breakfast who was cycling a 1000 miles loop in Alberta and Saskatchewan on a recumbent bike. We hopped back onto our bikes and cycled the 9 until hitting the border of Saskatchewan. We had fun doing our photo opt there, a man driving along the highway stopped to take a picture of all four of us since he recognized our photo shoot session! How kind! We continued into Saskatchewan on highway 7 stopping for lunch in a small town under a set of trees which are not a common site along the highway. We cycled to Kindersley where we stayed at the Kindersley Camp ground and Golf Course.

Day 29: (June 2) Hanna to Oyen 117km

We spent the day cycling along highway 9. We passed by many fields and the terrain was quite flat, which was nice. We stopped for lunch at a baseball diamond in Youngstown before making it to Oyen. We indulged in a hotel as there was a thunderstorm brewing outside. We learned that A&W in Oyen has great onion rings. We made the best of our stay by making use of the shower, laundry and wifi, not to mention a comfy bed!

Day 28: (June 1) Drumheller to Hanna 88km

We said goodbye to the dinosaur bones in Drumheller and headed North on the 56 then East on the 9. We were being followed by dark looking storm clouds all day. We stopped in Delia for a quick lunch under the shelter of a gazebo. We continued on the 9 all the way to Hanna, which we learned upon arrival is the home of Nickel Back. After getting some treats at Tim Hortons, we headed off to a campground recommended by the locals. Fox Lake Park & Helmer Dam Campground run by the city and was a very nice campground with a beautiful sunset. Tristan's sister and friends came to join us for a night of camping fun. Perogies, marshmallows and stories were shared around the fire.

Day 27: (May 31) Rosebud to Drumheller 40km

Even with Tristan joining us our 3 hour packing up camp hasn't improved, but we have embraced it! We were glad to have chosen to postpone our trek to Drumheller as today held nicer weather for us and many adventures. We had a quick ride down into Drumheller, stopping at Horseshoe Valley on the way. The geology of this part of Canada is fascinating. We set up camp at River Grove Campground and Cabins and rode (with unloaded bikes!) to the Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology. This is a really cool tourist attraction and centre for paleontological research. After spending some hours exploring the world of the dinosaurs we ventured to the grocery store and loaded up for the next few days. The late setting sun has made us loose track of time very easily. We had dinner at 10pm with hotdogs (and veggie dogs!) made over the fire!

Badlands Badasses

Day 26: (May 30): Rosebud Rest Day

Pouring rain and blustery cold winds deterred us from cycling on this day. We decided instead to keep warm in our tents, write some postcards and chat. It rained for hours and hours and the wind did not stop until sometime around 3pm. The Akokinskway  golf course and campground a walk away from our camping site very kindly opened their kitchen for us. We were happy to enjoy some good warm food and get out of our tents! Later in the day we enjoyed some sunshine while playing a fiercely competitive game of Sorry.

Day 25: (May 29) Calgary to Rosebud 110.7km

Today started off quite late as we may have had a little too much fun in Calgary. We decided to change our route completely and head north towards Drumheller and Saskatoon. Tristan decided to be brave and join the girl power team. Despite starting late we were able to cycle 110km and made it to the High Eagle RV Park. The last 6 or so kilometres we experienced the true wrath of prairie head winds and the beginnings of a storm. Even while cycling downhill we had to pedal to stay upright. We set up camp by some trees and had some trusty Mac and Cheese for dinner.

Day 22-24: (May 26-28) Calgary Rest Days

These three days we took off to explore Calgary and recharge. We explored the culinary delights of the Blue Star Diner, La Brezza Ristorante, Brown Social House, Ming, Blanco Cantina, The National, and Singapore Sams. We may have also done some shopping, whilst trying to explain to retailers that leather pants and heels (no matter how they are a wardrobe necessity) are just not practical for what we're doing. Brohan, a friend from university and also a Nomininguer, made an appearance to our visit all the way from the US!

Marcus was an amazing host who made us feel right at home - we couldn't be more grateful. The visit definitely passed a bit too quickly! Unfortunately, we did have to say bye to Hayley as Calgary was her final destination. Good luck on defending your thesis Hayley!

Day 21: (May 25) Canmore to Calgary 123km

We started off the day by going to the amazing Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. with our wonderful host Chelsea. Remember Simon? Well Chelsea is Simons friend! The Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. is simply delicious - check it out if you're ever in Canmore. We cycled along the 1A and battled our last hill getting out of Cochrane with great strength. Once arriving into the outskirts of Calgary we cycled along the Bow River Pathway to get to Marcus' house. Riding along this pathway was beautiful and gave us a great intro into the city. Dinner was enjoyed at Local in downtown Calgary.

Day 20: (May 24) Lake Louise to Canmore 87.3km

We left the hostel and cycled along highway 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway, out of Lake Louise until Banff. This was a beautiful quiet road with spectacular views. We had lunch and treats when we got to Banff. While having lunch outside on a bench we were approached by a guy who was also bike touring East named Tristan. Tristan happened to know Nina from Ottawa. It's a small world after all!

After lunch we took the Legacy Trail to Canmore. This was relatively flat compared to what we had been used to, so we were quite appreciative. We met Chelsea, a friend of our bike touring friend named Simon, who had offered to host us for the night. We had a fun night hanging out with Chelsea and were happy to have a home to sleep in! We had dinner at the Rose and Crown Pub in Canmore, which was delicious, and took in views of the mountains.

Day 19: (May 23) Lake Louise rest day

Today we took it easy at the hostel and caught up on rest. After lunch we headed up in a taxi to the lake, strolled around the shore and explored the Fairmont. For dinner we picked up groceries and made a delicious pasta in the kitchen at our hostel.