Smoke and haze. B.C. is on fire again. After a week of poor air and visibility, we finally got a bit of a break. The wind turned to the east and started blowing the smoke back from where it came. We also got a little rain. Yay! The end result was a couple of days with fairly clear, clean air. Perfect for taking a bike ride on the Cascade Valley Trail in Banff.

The rain had softened the trail a bit. It was kind of like biking through a sandy, rocky wash. Every pedal stroke seemed to take more and more effort. Prior to the bridge the trail wasn't bad—a wide, moderate climb.

But once across the Cascade river, the trail turned rocky. Whine. I fondly remembered the last time we were slogging up the rocks when we turned back and saw a mother grizzly and her cub cross the road. That had been my personal turnaround point. Oh, and then the time Dave biked to the top of the a hill and after catching his breath, looked up and surprised a giant black bear. No such encounters this time.

Heading back, we enjoyed a quick lunch on the bridge, then continued with a fast, bumpy return to the Jeep. A nice reward for the effort.

Looking back, all I can say is, “Thank goodness for Motrin.”