Day 59 - Buller Mountain Campground - Banff

The rain had cleared by the morning and the sun was attempting to creep above the mountain peak across the lake. And a little bit of heat was enough to dry the tent out fairly well. There was no rush as it was only around 30 miles down into Banff. 

The first stretch rounded Spray Lakes Reservoir, which put in a late bid for the best views of the whole GDMBR route. Although this might be a combination of forgetfulness and recency bias. 

From there it was a combination of single track and a trail which veered from steep and rocky to wet and muddy. Not quite the smooth run into town that I’d expected but probably quite fitting that it makes you work right to the end. And then suddenly I was spat out into a car park on the edge of town, which I instantly recognised as the start of many a YouTube video. And that was that. No sign or fanfare. Just a stream of well-to-do tourists looking rather non-plussed at this muddy, scraggly cyclist who’d just traversed the Continental Divide. 

Continued down into town for some lunch and was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people. Some of the other towns I’ve been through have clearly been popular holiday spots - but largely for those living relatively close by. Whereas, judging by the plethora of languages being spoken, Banff is very much an international destination. 

Went to meet Zach and Kara, who had got into town slightly before me. They always tended to be packed up and away first but I didn’t manage the catch on the trail today. They needed to pack their bikes into boxes ready for their flight home so I went to check into my hostel and we agreed to meet for dinner. Showered and changed and then had a couple celebratory beers in the sun. I also had a FaceTime with Jake which was nice. 

I went to meet the guys at a Japanese style restaurant which was delicious and then we went for a cocktail. Said final goodbyes and offered a place to stay in the UK, whilst accepting we couldn’t quite match the scale of the riding. 

Back to the hostel and Mike had joined my room - who I first met at the bike shop in Butte and  had last seen at Llama ranch. Nice to be able to wish him congrats on finishing too.