GDMBR Day 58

• Start: Beauty Creek Hostel, Jasper National Park

• Finish: Jasper, Alberta, CA

• Miles: 54.3 miles

• Odometer: 2,932.4 miles

• Ascent: 700 feet

• Descent: 2,400 feet

• Location: https://share.garmin.com/Judice

Today was bittersweet! The bitter part: the most miserable weather to date. Cold, damp, blustery and windy, and pouring down rain. Even though my ride was shorter (40 miles) and downhill, it was pretty miserable. I was wearing all of my layers and still shivered continuously while I rode. The sweet part: arriving at my final destination, Jasper, Alberta. 

I had a reservation at a hotel but they were not ready for me so I changed into my dry clothes in the bathroom. I went to the local pharmacy to get some more doxycycline for the rest of my trip home, and visited the bike shops to see if I could get my bike shipped home. Unfortunately, local bike shops do not provide that service so I will be taking my bicycle on the train with me. 

Lunch and dinner were loaded with vegetables, including cauliflower and kale. It is time for me to get back on a proper nutrition plan. Oh how I miss psyllium. Proper nutrition and sleep are primary drivers for a good immune system, and that’s going to be my focus for the next week. My body has suffered a bit in the past week or so. I can tell that my legs are not bouncing back like they should. My skin is covered with scratches, abrasions, and cuts that I’ve gotten along the way. I feel like I’ve lost a little mental clarity.

The bicycle portion of the trip has ended at the right time. Today every pedal stroke was exhausting and my mood was more foul than the weather. Between shivering episodes, my mind drifted to my morning ritual back home, sitting on the end of the couch with a great cup of coffee looking out the window at the Cascade mountains waking up to the morning sunrise, listening to lovely Robin share some recent health science research, and cuddling our cat, T'Chat. For the first time on this last day of this cycling trip, I wanted to be somewhere else. In a way, it’s the perfect ending to a great trip.